# Hey Sisters, I need wood splitting advice. Brothers please chime in too



## shortmillie (Nov 21, 2011)

I'm a city girl, new to the world of burning wood for heat, comfort and the pure satisfaction, and thanks to this site I've learned pretty much how to do everything I need to know, except how to split wood..... I just haven't been able do it and I'm so embarrassed to admit it. 
How did you learn how? How long did it take? What's the best technique? Tool?
I bought the Fiskars Splitting Axe after much research, watched the video on here recently of a dude splitting a giant log with mind-boggling ease..... although I can't find it now but he didn't use a wedge or a hydraulic machine, it did take him a few strikes (2 or 3) on a few splits but not 20 like me. What the hell is wrong with me? My dad says I need a wedge, my uncle says I just need more practice, my boyfriend says I need a heavier axe, my son says he'll take care of it. 
I can hit the logs dead on time and time again but the axe just buries itself in the log and I have to pry it out only to have it happen again, 10 or 15 times, at which point I get angry and quit. I haven't cried yet but I'm SO frustrated! I hate to think that it's just because I'm a girl. Am I too short? 5 foot 3 inches. Did I choose the wrong axe? Is 27 inches too long? Too short? Am I too old at 46 to learn a new trick? I consider myself to be pretty strong even though I'm small but maybe I'm delusional.  My son and my boyfriend have helped me out so far and they seem to enjoy splitting wood and have little difficulty doing so but I want to be able to do it myself. I like being self-reliant, I'm not the damsel in distress type of gal.
The wood I've scrounged so far is green- cherry, hackberry, pear and mulberry, the pear isn't as hard as the rest.... I did manage to split some of it but it took way too many strikes in my opinion. Thankfully I bought a few cords of seasoned oak, already split, to get me started but I'm hoping to get enough free wood from friends, neighbors and CL so I never have to buy any ever again, which means splitting it myself. 
Any suggestions would be much appreciated, especially from the ladies, or dasisterhood as BrotherBart so lovingly referred to you.
Thanks a bunch in advance!


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## Dix (Nov 21, 2011)

Welcome, Millie love that name) !!

GF, can ya get a splitter? That's what my 53 YO self is gonna do  %-P


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## Mt Ski Bum (Nov 21, 2011)

If the Fiskars isn't doing it, I'd try the sledge & wedge method. More physical work than a splitter, but significantly less $$$. Just my 2 cents.


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## Willman (Nov 21, 2011)

Try "slabbing" around the outer circumference. A longer handle will act as a force multiplier, you just have to adjust your stance back and use the full length of the handle. The logs don't know your a female so swing away. Full roundhouse swings, maybe your splittin block height needs adjusting. Try a pair of gripper gloves.All woods and ages of wood has a lot to do with splitting ease. Try different chunks, so you will know when you go to split which ones will split easy and which ones won't. 

A sledge and wedge might be in order for the tougher pieces, after they are halved they usually quarter easily with your axe. Your technique as well as muscle will improve with time. Keep at it and don't give up just yet.

Will


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## shortmillie (Nov 21, 2011)

Thanks Eileen,
Do you mean one of those hydraulic machines? or a husband?
I can't afford either one this year, it took me a year to save up for the wood stove but I'll definitely consider getting a machine next year, if finances permit.


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## Dix (Nov 21, 2011)

GF, you can rent one for a weekend, and get it dun.

A splitter that is, not a husband, Why would you want one of those? 

 ;-P


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## shortmillie (Nov 21, 2011)

Will- I'm not sure what full roundhouse swing means....  but I like the fact that the wood doesn't know I'm a girl.... I never thought about it that way.

Eric and Will- I will definitely try a wedge and a sledge, beats a getting a husband. Not that there's anything wrong with it. ;-) 

Eileen- you're absolutely right, I should just wait until I scrounge up a big a pile and rent one of those splitters 

....but I'd still like to be able to split on my own


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## babzog (Nov 21, 2011)

Split on your own is for the pile of 10-12 logs that are just too big to fit in the stove.  That's all the satisfaction (translate: punishment) I require on an interim basis.  You're on the right path - save the biguns and when you get enough for two good days of splitting, rent one for the weekend (you'll get the best rate on a weekend and will have it Fri eve to Mon morning).  If you're getting a big pile regularly, maybe consider buying a splitter?


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## ruserious2008 (Nov 21, 2011)

Welcome SM to wood burning. 
Newbie myself last year but have gathered up many cords of wood and split many this past spring/summer/fall with my wife  so here's my thoughts/ideas/questions?
First the questions?
What diameter and species of wood are you working with? 
My wife and I split our wood and I got a Fiskars also and can split stuff say up to 18" diameter with it. My wife, while in much better shape than I am (she works out) she is small in size and just can't seem to get up enough head speed on that axe to do much damage on wood chuncks. She prefers to use a maul and whack that with a heavy sledge. For me that method is to hard on my back so I think for a lot of people its finding the right combo of tools that fits your style and physical characteristics. As someone said try working the piece from the edges. Don't think "split it right down the middle" if its a big piece or say something like oak that's very hard. I got some oak this spring/summer and when I tried to whack that with my Fiskars (these suckers are 24- 36" in diameter) I swear it was like hitting a piece of granite! Someone here suggested also letting it season a while and said that when I could see it starting to split that would also guide me on best places to hit it with the axe. 
But that said we had also gone and bought a manual hydraulic splitter from Harbor Freight Tools so what we do is we put the big rounds into this manual splitter, pump the lever and split them down to a size I can then hit with the fiskars. Takes some time but it works and if you get a coupon out of their flyer or a magazine for 20% off you can get that splitter for around $100. We love ours. I have a video of my wife using it that I need to put up on youtube some day. Will try to do it tomorrow and post a link back here if I succeed.
We also went to route someone suggested and rented a gas powered splitter and knocked off a bunch of wood one day but can tell you doing that for the 8-10 hours you rent it for will exhaust you. We'd love to have one that we own and would use it a lot for a couple of hours at a time but the budget says no no right now . I don't think we'll rent again as we just didn't find the cost and the exhaustion worth the amount of wood we managed to split. We've got a pretty good system now where we split for an hour or two a couple of times a week and its good exercise and we've got our wood split and stacked now to cover us thru 2013 or so thus we can pace ourselves . 
Keep up up to date on how you make out with your splitting. When I first started I didn't think I could split anything with my bad back but then someone posted a story about an 80 year old lady that split 3 cords of wood for herself by hand each year and I thought well damn that's an inspiration and figured it out for myself
Good luck


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## trailmaker (Nov 21, 2011)

Don't give up yet on manual wood splitting.  Operating a powered splitter is like being back in the city;  loud and smelly!  I think that at your size,  one of the 28 inch Fiskars might work better.  I'll bet you'll get more speed and accuracy with the shorter version.


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## ansehnlich1 (Nov 21, 2011)

I hate to get in this thing cuz there's so many variables, however, assuming you don't have all twisted and gnarly wood, or elm, you should be able to split it. So here's my take on it. If you have others come around and split the stuff you can't, then it's only one thing. You ain't poundin' it hard enough. 

So, get yourself situated, make sure the piece is sitting on something hard, like a big old piece of other hardwood cut a couple inches thick. Then straddle it, making sure your feet and shins are out of the way, spread your feet wide, so if you miss, or the axe glances off the log, it don't hit your legs or feet.

Then think about the guy, or gal, that you hate the most, bring that axe up over your head, and hit that chunk as hard as you can. 

Yep, that's my take on it, you ain't hittin' it hard enough. 

Only other thing is this, the fiskars takes a really quick and mighty swing with heavy wood, I have one. Some times, and I hate to tell you this but your boyfriend might be right, sometimes I get my splittin' maul, which is much heavier than my fiskars, and that maul will split stuff the fiskars has trouble with.

For what it's worth, I also have 3 wedges and a sledge hammer, for the stuff that just don't want to cooperate.

Let us know how you make out.


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## glennm (Nov 21, 2011)

How about a small electric splitter?  I have one in the garage that I purchased for making kindling and I am amazed what it will handle. They are small, powerful, convenient and inexpensive  That would be my choice if I couldn't afford to she'll out for a gas splitter!


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## Duetech (Nov 21, 2011)

Hi SM. First off not all woods are created equal so not all split the same. Advice for one type of wood will not necessarily work so well on the next. There is wet and dry wood to split and they take different approaches too. Wood with lots of knots is usually best with a hydraulic or mechanical splitter but will often halve and quarter with a wedge and maul or splitting maul. Try some clean (knotless) oak, ash, cottonwood or pine and try slabbing (approx. 2-3" flakes around the edge) instead of trying to split the round in half. Huge pieces of bucked or cut wood can hide knots and can present a problem so try smaller diameter 14" to 8" wood to help develope your technique. Developing a power stroke with your swing is similar in principle to learning to use a baseball bat. You don't just swing with the arms but you involve the torso as well. Just raising the axe over your head for a downward stroke won't alway give you the best power swing. I have a fiskars too and like it. I have a maul and wedges and splitting mauls too but without a power stroke and knowing the grain of the wood you can swing a long time before there is a split in some woods. Try to learn to read the grain of the wood. Trees of even like species will grow different grain structure based on location in the same wood lot. Usually cracking wide and fewer grains off a round will help you take the strength out of an otherwise dense piece of wood. Try to save the highest density of grains for the last part of the split. Brute force will eventually split wood but smart force (gained by persistence and constant learning) will split a bunch of wood for those of us who are only verticallly challenged in stature and still leave enough strength to do some stacking.


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## prollynotjeff (Nov 21, 2011)

The best advice was to rent a splitter, around here they are only $35 for a day.  Get 90% of your pile split and save the rest to practice hand spliting.  This way you can get it split stacked and drying and not wrench your back trying to get all your wood split.  I have an x27 also and my wife has split wood with( she thinks its fun for about a face) but it took her some practice to get a good swing down.   Dont get frustrated with it, give it time and it will come with ease... also wood selection is important when splitting by hand especially when you are just learning.


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## Wood Duck (Nov 21, 2011)

You are definitely not too old, short, or weak to split at least some of your firewood by hand, and your Fiskars splitting ax is not too light. I think you need practice, and the best practice is to find some wood that is easy to split and split it. Perhaps you can have your son split some wood and keep an eye open for the rounds that splt easily. Save the halves or quarters from those rounds and you can practice splitting them. I think once you get the hang of it you'll get better and better at it. Another option is to split cut off 2x4s or 2x6 pieces, which generally split quite easily. I split most of my firewood with a fiskars splitting ax and can split a lot of firewood with one hand (not that I do so very often). I am not trying to brag and I am not particularly big or strong, I am merely pointing out that it shouldn't be very hard to split some of the firewood. You will probably find many pieces that you cannot split or don't want to bother splitting by hand, but at least half of the firewood I think you will be able to split by hand.


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## maple1 (Nov 21, 2011)

My quick 2 cents:

-More head speed is needed.
-You might or might not be able to get enough momentum & head speed with more practice & adjusting your technique.
-If you really want to keep trying to master the hand split, I'd get a couple of wedges & a maul. The thing about using those is that if you don't get a split at the first crack, at least your axe won't be stuck in the wood. Most of your energy is being spent on un-burying your axe, that takes all the fun out of it. Stick with the wedges, and work on your swing, until you find yourself having to take fewer swings. Then try the axe again. One hint: if you do get an axe stuck, and the round is a managable size, try leaving the axe stuck in the round and take another swing with the axe upside down & wood on top. (ie. the 'wrong' side of the axe will hit your splitting block). That should either complete the split, or knock the split off.
-Start looking around now at powered splitters. You did say you're a city girl, but not if you're still in the city or not. If you are, and maybe even if not but you have touchy neighbours anyway, lean towards electric - cheaper, quieter, lighter. Gas powered ones are definitely more capable, but they could be more power (and noise etc.) than you need. 
-If you decide you'd like to have a powered one, rent before you buy before you buy. Test drive.

Good luck.


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## homebrewz (Nov 21, 2011)

I didn't grow up with a wood stove, so some of my first splitting experience was from a friend.. a woman about your age who heated with two stoves. 

I think wood duck had some good advice. Start with small, easy splits or rounds. Try to find pieces which are straight grained. No knots or twisted grain patterns. Examining each piece for a couple of seconds helps sometimes.. you'll get to know where to hit each piece for easier splitting with time. Stretch a bit.. put the wood on the block. Practice several times bringing the axe down lightly, then with some more force. I usually like to let the weight of the axe do the work, but I believe the Fiskars is pretty light. Mounting something like an old ATV tire on top of the chopping block will help keep the wood in its place before and after its split. 

Be careful and wear a good pair of work boots. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break. Good luck.


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## CTYank (Nov 21, 2011)

I find that it helps to be able to read the cracks on a round, then start splitting along the biggest one.
For me, the "sweet spot" for maul size is about 6 lb. I can get a much more violent swing going with that than an 8 lb.
Sometimes, when it's just not happening with a round, flipping it over can help a lot.
If all else fails with a round, I toss it in a pile to get a "noodled" groove later with a chainsaw. That's ripped into a side (bark) face of a round some inches deep, so you can easily get a wedge started at one end, then hit it with a maul at the other. Chainsaw works great starting things for forks/knots too.
Axes are good for making kindling. IMO.
Mainly, you'll enjoy setting challenges you can handle. Not to mention the product. And maul-swinging is GREAT for the abs.


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 21, 2011)

Welcome to the forum Millie.

You sound much like my wife with being somewhat self-reliant. Yes, my wife has tried to split wood many years ago but did not do very well at all. Simply put, she did not have the strength necessary. Now that does not mean that strength is always necessary but just compare what your son does with what you do. Is he stronger? As for technique, the best way to learn is to learn from someone who has done it many years and is standing right there with you. Reading and then doing in this case is very difficult.

Are you too old to learn new tricks? Good Lord, I hope not! If so, I am in deep trouble for sure as I am a bit past 46.

As for which tool to use, yes, there are many who like the fiskars. Many who simply like the splitting maul and those come in different weights and most prefer the 6 lb over the heavier mauls. Then comes the sledge hammer and wedge or you can use the splitting maul as a sledge hammer if necessary. This is not as difficult as it sounds. For example, I split a lot of wood actually sitting down and tapping with the sledge hammer on a steel wedge one winter after an injury. I could only tap the sledge and not swing it. Doing it that way does not take strength so anyone could do it but much too will depend upon the wood. All wood is not created equal when it comes to splitting!

In your case, I would highly recommend splitting what you can if you must try it and then renting a hydraulic splitter for a weekend to do the tough stuff. Or rent the splitter to do it all; that is the best way. It may cost from $60-$100 for rental but consider what you would spend on new tools and it does not sound so bad at all. If you do go this route, then learn to split right and in your case for sure you do not want to be lifting every piece of wood up onto the splitter. You stand the splitter into vertical mode and roll the log onto the splitter; no lifting. Then you can stand or sit while doing the splitting as there is much less wear and tear on the body.

After the injury, I was somewhat forced into getting a hydraulic log splitter. I knew it would be easier but was totally amazed. It took me about 2 minutes to realize that I should have bought one 10 years sooner! Now I can split wood even without working up a sweat. Yes, they are that nice and you do not need that big of a splitter. Some get by with the little electric splitters but that would really depend upon what wood you have. Better to get something in the 20 ton or more and it will split whatever you throw at it. Ours is a 20 ton we've had over 20 years now and it has been trouble free. One word of warning; you will no doubt start to notice folks on this forum ribbing each other on splitting and I'm the guy with the milk crate who keeps trying to educate others on the proper way to split wood. Just remember there is some ribbing and it is all in fun.


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## bluedogz (Nov 21, 2011)

After all the input above, I can only add a small bit.

I use a 8 lb. maul purchased at Home Depot.  I use that only on woods that are relatively easy to split (hickory, seasoned locust, etc.- only experience and trial & error taught this.)  For anything else I have a Homelite electric log splitter, also from Home Cheapo.  I find that anything under about 8-10" can be done by hand if I choose to.

Watching the video of the guy splitting a sequoia with a Fiskars is like watching a video of Tiger Woods on a driving range.  Do you need to get to THAT level to do it correctly and be satisfied?  Probably not.

As far as "strength" goes, bullpucky.  I have one arm, and the one I have left is held together with screws.  The "roundhouse" swings mentioned above, while helpful, are not critical.  Splitting wood is a lot like golf- there's a lot of hacking and chopping and red-in-the-face moments till you "get it", then it gets easier.


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## shortmillie (Nov 21, 2011)

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the good advise!
I'm going to try again after work (if it quits raining) and give some of your techniques a shot. 
I think the mulberry I have is just too gnarly and knotty for a beginner but I do have some straight pieces of hackberry to try.
A wedge and a sledge is on my shopping list.


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## basswidow (Nov 21, 2011)

Millie, 

you should post a pic of some of the rounds that are giving you trouble.  We might be able to gleen some tips from that as well.

I hand split and what I can't crack,  I set aside until I have a pile big enough to justify a 1 day splitter rental.  

Take a look at your rounds.  If they have branch locations, Y's, Knots,  they are going to be hard to bust.  If they are clean and straight - they crack easy.  Get alot of speed and hit it dead center.  If that doesn't do it, aim for 2-3 inches of the edge and work around the sides.   When you hit the round and it doesn't budge,  flip the round over and hit the other side.  (learned that tip here and it works always).   

A sledge and wedge is only for busting really big rounds (wash tub size).  Rounds the size of 5 gal buckets or a gal of paint,  you just need to swing an axe on them.

Get some easy splitting oak or ash.  Once you get to swinging on some easy wood - you'll get it down and feel like a pro.  Save the tough ones for your son and boyfriend, or a splitter rental.

Don't wear yourself out or get frustrated.  If I can't crack a round in a few swings,  it goes in the splitter pile.  Like others have said,  the species of wood makes a BIG difference.  Elm, Some Maple, Shagbark,  I have found to be really TOUGH to split and could only use hydraulics.  Cherry - mulberry -  those are easy as long as it's not twisted grain.

Good luck.


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## woodchip (Nov 21, 2011)

My thoughts on splitting by hand (and everything here is split by hand) is to cut the logs so you can get easy straight lengths to split by hand (no knots or joints etc), and cut the joints and knotty bits a little on the short side so they are easier to chip away at. I also have an ordinary axe (not Fiskars), and a wood grenage, which buries itself into the wood and forces the joints and knotty bits apart. Nothing has yet beaten my wood grenade, it just needs a good sledgehammer to drive it into the weak spot in the wood and it always splits:

http://www.farmettereport.com/blog/2004/10/my_favorite_woo.html

And a warm welcome to the forum  ;-)


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## bluedogz (Nov 21, 2011)

Oh yeah, if you're heading out to buy a wedge...:

1)  wood grenade (pointy wedge) is very helpful
2)  buy 2 wedges- they're cheap and if you get one stuck (occasionally happens) you won't be SOL.


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## Danno77 (Nov 21, 2011)

I really think it might be helpful for us to see a video of you splitting wood if you aren't too shy to do so. This will help us determine which movements seem to be your strength and which movements are wasted energy. This would also appease those asking for pictures of the wood you are splitting. I have some pine (which can be extremely easy to split) that is nearly impossible to split by hand because of the knots that work their way through them.

Having strength is only part of it. I most certainly am getting weaker as I get older, but I do feel that I can split much better now than ever before (even if I do get tired easier!)

I do want to point out, however, that a minimum of strength IS required to do this well, so that can be a concern, but there is some wood that is very easy to split. The hard life of a wood burner is that we often can't ONLY pick the easy stuff to split (unless we have an unlimited supply of wood and can afford to toss anything we don't like)

Even my walnut that splits like butter at times, has knots in half of the wood that makes it pretty tough to split.


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## Jags (Nov 21, 2011)

Millie- I'm doing this for your own good:

Its cuzz your a girl! :coolgrin: 

(did that pizz you off enough to go beat those logs like you were killing snakes?? - go get em) - and start on the small ones.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 21, 2011)

Just wanted to say . . . welcome to the forum.


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## basswidow (Nov 21, 2011)

Jags said:
			
		

> Millie- I'm doing this for your own good:
> 
> Its cuzz your a girl! :coolgrin:



LOL  -  yeah,  you swing like a girl!


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## firefighterjake (Nov 21, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> Jags said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You wouldn't say that if you met my wife . . . one of the few women I have seen that throws a baseball or softball more like a guy . . . not sure how or why she learned to do it that way . . . but she most definitely is different.


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Nov 21, 2011)

Welcome Aboard!

Splitting by hand requires that you pick the right species, and the right timing (some split easier green, others in the cold, etc)

General statement here, not meant to be sexist. Part of splitting is leverage. Shorter people are going to have to work harder. And the less weight you bring to the point of impact, the more strokes you're going to have to take.

Axes are not meant for splitting wood. Yup, many guys here use a Fiskars. But if the implement is getting stuck in the wood and you have to expend energy to get it out, you're going to be worn out early. Monster Mauls are for splitting wood. Fiskars are for looking pretty.

Not sure if your son and/or B/F are physically capable and are benefiting from the heat, but you should consider letting them do most of the splitting. Watch them, see how they do it. Not saying a Gurl shouldn't split some wood if she wants to, but it won't be long B4 the novelty of splitting wood wears off and you just want heat as quickly and with as little effort as possible.

Again, welcome to the show!!

Jimbo


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## woodchip (Nov 21, 2011)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:
			
		

> Not saying a Gurl shouldn't split some wood if she wants to, but it won't be long B4 the novelty of splitting wood wears off and you just want heat as quickly and with as little effort as possible. Jimbo



There is always the chance that any guy around may well want to demstrate how strong he is by splitting your wood for you. 

Nothing wrong in using your brain and encouraging some neandertal use their brawn (quote from my wife there when my brother wanted to demonstrate his splitting skills)...... ;-)


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## Flatbedford (Nov 21, 2011)

Welcome. I am not a sister, but I have suggestion. Have your son invite some of his friends over. When they get there, go out and start splitting. Make sure they see you swinging the maul. Suggest that none of them are man enough to split as well as you do. Stack the splits when they are done proving their manhood.

It is not so much brute strength as it is a combination of strength, finesse, experience, and picking the right species. I can split green, straight, Red Oak as fast as, if not faster, than one could with a machine, but I would need all day to do what a machine could do in 10 minutes to green Elm.


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## PA Fire Bug (Nov 22, 2011)

ansehnlich1 said:
			
		

> I hate to get in this thing cuz there's so many variables, however, assuming you don't have all twisted and gnarly wood, or elm, you should be able to split it. So here's my take on it. If you have others come around and split the stuff you can't, then it's only one thing. You ain't poundin' it hard enough.



Some rounds are much easier to split than others, even from the same log.  It is very satisfying to give a piece of wood a good whack and watch it fly into two pieces.  I would also suggest having a person who splits wood work on your rounds to see if they can split them easily.  I had a couple of logs in the last load of wood that I bought that I could not even begin to split.  I saved them to try with my Fiskars which is in the mail.  If that doesn't work, I'll be asking to borrow a neighbor's gas powered splitter.  In the past, I have used a sledge hammer to drive my wedge through.  It worked but it was hard on the wedge and took a lot of effort.  Last winter, I found that I could split some large rounds after they were frozen.  I was not able to split the same rounds in the summer or fall.  I like to have some wood around for stress relief.  It's good for me and for my wife and daughters.


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## shortmillie (Nov 22, 2011)

I hate to disappoint everyone but I couldn't test out all the terrific advise because of this on CL:
"free firewood. locust, mulberry, maple. six months old.
already cut to fireplace manageable sizes.
in back yard. truck access off alley.
approx 2 pick up loads"

It was 6 blocks from my house, so needless to say I scrounged after work instead of splitting. Now I have oodles to practice on tomorrow.
I do now have a wood grenade and some wedges in my arsenal- thanks woodchip and bluedogz. I need to find my sledges, I know there here somewhere...

Sorry Danno77, it's not that I'm shy but I'm not a fan of public humiliation either. When I can chop wood like that guy with the sequoia, maybe I'll consider it!

As for you Jags and basswidow.... have you ever heard the phrase "hell hath no fury like a woman scorn"   or this one "paybacks are a MF"   :kiss: 

Jimbo, woodchip and Flatbedford- I think I'll plan on making a pot of chili this weekend and invite my son and his burly pals over. I do want to know how to split wood but there's no reason to hog all the fun for myself. I know how to mow the grass and clean the gutters but that doesn't mean I want to.

Thanks again everyone! I'll keep you posted on my progress.


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## deranged (Nov 22, 2011)

One thing worth trying, technique wise, that I hadn't seen mentioned yet. is to aim through the wood.  If that makes any sense.  You want to follow through with your swing all the way into your chopping block.  If you aim at the top of the round you are trying to split you are more likely to not follow through with your swing and not power through the wood.


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## red oak (Nov 22, 2011)

I have a good friend whose wife splits all of his wood for the winter by hand - and if she's much over 100 lbs then I'm the next President.  Millie I really think what you need is practice.  Start on some of the smaller straighter pieces as some others have mentioned.  Gradually work your way up to the bigger ones.  When tired, quit for awhile, the logs will wait.

I never split wood growing up and didn't start until I bought the house I am in now.  I'm sure my technique was terrible to start!  I remember after my first hour of swinging that ax I was sore!  It took several years to get my technique down to what I would call efficient.  So just practice if you really want to split by hand and I'm sure you will get better!  

Also, welcome to the group and good luck!


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## Mt Ski Bum (Nov 22, 2011)

another piece of advise for if/when you cut your own firewood: cut the larger-diameter ones to a shorter length- that'll help make them easier to split.


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## JBinKC (Nov 22, 2011)

If you don't feel you have the proper swinging technique and if you want the exercise to split it manually I would probably use a device like a smart splitter.


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Nov 22, 2011)

deranged said:
			
		

> One thing worth trying, technique wise, that I hadn't seen mentioned yet. is to aim through the wood.  If that makes any sense.  You want to follow through with your swing all the way into your chopping block.  If you aim at the top of the round you are trying to split you are more likely to not follow through with your swing and not power through the wood.



+1

Creative visualization. Sounds like homeopathic quackery, but he's right. Aim for the ground that the piece sits on. Avoid chopping blocks though. They further reduce leverage and head speed.


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## basswidow (Nov 22, 2011)

shortmillie said:
			
		

> As for you Jags and basswidow.... have you ever heard the phrase "hell hath no fury like a woman scorn"   or this one "paybacks are a MF"   :kiss:



HA!  yeah,  pretty soon we'll be saying,  you swing like a man!  Great CL scrounge.  

I've often wondered,  what is millie short for?.......  Mildred?


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## xman23 (Nov 22, 2011)

Welcome Millie
To learn how to hand split, it's best to have easy splitting wood with straight grain rounds, no branches . Red Oak is one but there are other woods. I don't have the splitting ax you have, so I can't comment. Others here do like it, so it's must work. But in general an ax does not work well for splitting rounds. It cuts into the wood with out splitting the round. Mauls are for splitting. Most wood splits better if it has dried a bit. The round will develop natural splits. Depends on the wood. Stand feet wide apart. My swing is a one arm pendulum motion wind up, then up straight over my head where the second hand meets the maul. Straight down, hitting one side, not the center. The force is all from the head speed, not the weight. If it doesn't go a second shot in the exact same spot, or a few shots creating a straight line across the round. If that fails rotate the round 90 degrees, and try another line. In no time you will be reading the wood for the one center shot that blows it apart. 

I taught my 10 year old 80 LBS grandson how to split so you to can do it.

Tom


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Nov 22, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> I've often wondered,  what is millie short for?.......  Mildred?



Mille is not short for anything . . . means thousand in Italian.

As in, 1,000 CCs


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## kmachn (Nov 22, 2011)

I thought I would add a little to the already excellent advice provided. My wife started helping me split wood in August, mostly because she had our 4th child in April and has been trying to find a variety of ways to get exercise without cutting into sleep time at night. So, she shared some duties with me on the wood processing. I have an 8 lb maul, so that is what she used. She is 5'2" and weighs...well, let's just say that she is a small frame. I was an athlete (baseball primarily) and she was a cheerleader. I use a "roundhouse" swing and can generate a lot of force with it, while still accurately striking the log. She really struggled with the heavy maul "baseball" swing, so she used a different technique she saw on YouTube. It worked much better for her. Having said that, she couldn't split the bigger ones and would leave them for me, and she generally worked slower. I attribute a lot of this just to me having a lot more swings under my belt and her being less confident. The second day, she was SO much better. She just walked up with more confidence because it wasn't nearly as scary for her. She was focused on making the log "explode" and not worried as much about hurting herself. I think more practice will give you more confidence which will help a lot. "Swinging through" as someone previously mentioned really helps to. I have to visualize this myself on the big rounds, and it helps. Also, if I only get partway through a long round, I'll flip it and strike it along the same path which usually works really well. Of course, this depends on how the round was cut as to whether or not it will stay level.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that you're trying to generate a lot of force. Others have talked about precision, finesse, etc which is all part of generating more force. If you're all herky-jerky, you'll exert more energy in different directions and lose force. Force = mass x velocity. In other words, you can generate more force by using a heavier maul/sledge hammer (mass) or by using a lighter one (like your Fiskars) and swinging it faster (velocity). It's not about raw strength, but it is about generating force. I use more velocity, but my wife lets the mass of the maul work for her.

One suggestion I would make is to have your son or boyfriend as a "coach" while you practice. It really adds to my frustration when my maul gets stuck and I have to break my rhythm and pull it out of the round. Or, when I split one and have to pick up the pieces. Someone (like a "spotter" in weight training) to assist you will help you keep your rhythm while you're learning and stay focused on the swing. Also, it won't cause you too tire out as quickly. I planned on keeping this short...my apologies and good luck!


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## deranged (Nov 22, 2011)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:
			
		

> +1
> 
> Creative visualization. Sounds like homeopathic quackery, but he's right. Aim for the ground that the piece sits on. Avoid chopping blocks though. They further reduce leverage and head speed.



At least put a sheet of plywood or something under the wood, with the Fiskars axes, chopping into the ground is no good, the work much better when sharp.


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## fredarm (Nov 22, 2011)

I second the recommendation for a small electric splitter.  I split by hand my first year and bought the splitter the next year for $300 from Home Depot.  It splits just about anything I throw at it up to about 12 inches in diameter.  I don't tend to cut anything much bigger than that because of my small saw, so it's not an issue.  With the bigger rounds I can halve them with a maul or sledge and wedge and then put them on the splitter.  It's been a real backsaver!


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## AppalachianStan (Nov 22, 2011)

Here is a video of splitting fire wood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bRuk_jd1f8M


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## Flatbedford (Nov 22, 2011)

Pretty easy to split 12" long rounds.


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