# Splitting Elm For First Time...



## BIGChrisNH (Oct 31, 2017)

Yeah, so I've been splitting wood for many years but had never run across any Elm before. I've heard it's tough to split but I would have never believed just how tough it really is. Long story short, after producing several "splits" that looked more like hairy stringy balls of crushed wood, I cut an X in the top of the rounds to about the depth of my chainsaw bar, and then they popped right open. This elm better burn good in two years though!


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## firefighterjake (Oct 31, 2017)

When it comes to elm there are two words to live by in my book:

Hydraulic splitter



And yes . . . elm is a half decent wood to burn once seasoned. I'm actually a bit partial to elm as I had several standing dead elms that got me through my first season of burning . . . which reminds me . . . once dead and dry, elm splits up much easier as it is not so stringy.


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## peakbagger (Oct 31, 2017)

If you can wait two years for it to dry, its nice overnight wood. Quite dense and gives a long burn. The trade off is its best thrown on a bed of coals rather than starting the fire with it.


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## walhondingnashua (Oct 31, 2017)

I have been burning elm for a few years (nothing as big as what you have in the picture).  I agree with jake, if its already been standing dead or if you wait two years to split it, much easier.  I only split by hand with a maul or my needle wedge.  Burns hot and slow, but best in an already hot fire.  Does have a slight funny smell.


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## BIGChrisNH (Oct 31, 2017)

It does smell funny too. Thanks for the input. My splitter would get a little ways into the rounds and just stop, I’ve never seen anything like it. Most of its split now, I look forward to burning it in 2019.


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## saewoody (Oct 31, 2017)

I like elm. My wife really likes the way it starts up on a hot bed of coals. And I love that my kinetic splitter just slices right through it!  


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## StihlKicking (Oct 31, 2017)

I burn a fair amount of elm most years and agree with all who have said it’s good firewood. I also agree that if your gonna regularly split elm a hydro is your best friend.


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## Jags (Nov 1, 2017)

Elm - mother natures cruel joke to hand splitters.  Hehehehe.


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## Zack R (Nov 1, 2017)

Never encountered elm but it sounds like a fun opportunity to noodle up some rounds.


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## Dobish (Nov 1, 2017)

as I have mentioned before, it is awesome for teaching you expletives that you didn't even know existed!


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## Woody5506 (Nov 1, 2017)

I feel your pain...sorta....I'm doing mine with the splitter though. The mashed up "splits" should make for some interesting wood stacks.


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## BIGChrisNH (Nov 1, 2017)

Yeah noodling it dulls the chain quickly, but a good learning experience


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## Bspring (Nov 2, 2017)

I use that same process on rounds that have knots in them. I have never been man enough to try Elm. I did try some Sweet Gum once and decided that if it had to be split someone else could have it.


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## Bad LP (Nov 2, 2017)

When I was a youngster Dutch Elm wiped out all of them near us. My father was a wood scrounge because he liked the workout in addition to his 3 trips to the YMCA for handball, heavy bag and run a 5 minute mile to finish every week. Nothing stopped him from going except cancer. No hydro splitter for him back in the 70's. It was a maul, some wedges and a 15 pound sledge.
He said the secret was to split it frozen. 

I did not follow in his foot steps. I was taught to think smarter not harder but to this day every friend I have still say they would not have ever messed with Jim.


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## BIGChrisNH (Nov 2, 2017)

I don't think I would have messed with him either! Thanks for sharing.


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## Wood1Dennis (Nov 3, 2017)

walhondingnashua said:


> Does have a slight funny smell.



That's why we call it piss elm in these parts...... 
It does make great firewood. I have my eye on about 10 standing dead one for this year's cutting. 

I'm not any kind of expert so I can't tell you what the difference really is, but we have two types of elm. One that splits hard (borderline hand splitable), and one that splits really hard (Hydraulic splitter only). They look alike when standing dead. I usually just plan to get the splitter out when cutting elm. I will take it every time I can.


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## Roger2561 (Nov 4, 2017)

The previous supplier of logs for fire wood once delivered a nice load for me but stuck in the middle of it was an elm tree approximately 24 inches in diameter.  That thing was a bear to split even with my hydraulic wood splitter.  After I finished splitting it, I had to go to confession.


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## kennyp2339 (Nov 4, 2017)

Dobish said:


> as I have mentioned before, it is awesome for teaching you expletives that you didn't even know existed!


Time to buy some steaks and call the brother over to split?


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## beatlefan (Nov 4, 2017)

I have some 3 year elm that I will use, once we’re out of the shoulder season. 

Back when I split it on the hydraulic splitter, I swear you could literally see the wood stretch under the force of the splitter and the swell back into place after the wedge went through. 

Toughest stuff I’ve ever seen.


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## Hasufel (Nov 4, 2017)

Last winter I cut up a small tree that turned out to be elm but I didn't know it at the time. It had been lying dead and was mostly barkless so I figured it would be an easy job. Boy was I wrong! It stopped my X27 in its tracks. Rounds less than 6" I could manage with a few whacks from a Fiskars maul. Anything bigger I had to wedge & sledge. If it hadn't already been pretty dry I would have given up.


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## johneh (Nov 4, 2017)

American Elm the only reason I bought a splitter 
Guarantied to drive a man to drink 
now where did I put that wobbly-pop


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## tsquini (Nov 4, 2017)

The second worst wood to split is hickory.


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## Dobish (Nov 4, 2017)

kennyp2339 said:


> Time to buy some steaks and call the brother over to split?


I do have a few more decent size ones to take down...


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## TreePointer (Nov 5, 2017)

American elm (white elm) can be difficult, but decades ago we had a giant red elm that was by far the toughest I had ever splitted.  The trunk was twisted and tough from enduring all the forces of being a yard tree in an open area.  Since then, I've only encountered a tougher splitting species--yellow birch.


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## Hasufel (Nov 5, 2017)

tsquini said:


> The second worst wood to split is hickory.


Hickory isn't too bad to split manually with the right tools & techniques. I've heard worse things about sycamore and sweet gum.


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## Whitepine2 (Nov 5, 2017)

tsquini said:


> The second worst wood to split is hickory.


Nope American Hornbeam ,it just wont split,shred may-be split nope.


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## BIGChrisNH (Nov 6, 2017)

Luckily I only had the one twelve foot log of elm, everything else is red oak, maple and white oak. It's in the stack now!


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## StihlKicking (Nov 6, 2017)

Winged elm, sweet gum and black gum are some of the hardest to split in my neck of the woods.


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## hickoryhoarder (Nov 6, 2017)

Hasufel said:


> Hickory isn't too bad to split manually with the right tools & techniques. I've heard worse things about sycamore and sweet gum.



Yeah, hickory is pretty easy with a maul if it seasons a year or two.


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## Wood1Dennis (Nov 6, 2017)

TreePointer said:


> ...... Since then, I've only encountered a tougher splitting species--yellow birch.



Surprising, I find yellow birch to be pretty easy to split. Maybe if it is growing in the open it is different, mine are all in the woods and they don't usually get very big. Yellow birch is a good one around here.


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## jetsam (Nov 6, 2017)

I have split a LOT of elm by hand. It usually requires sledge'n'wedge, and even so it tends to want to keep the wedges.

At 60F, it's like splitting a block of glue and rope.

At 30F, it's like splitting a hard block of glue and rope.

At 0F, it's like splitting oak.

At -30F, it's like splitting pine.

Save some for your coldest days and give it a try!


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## BIGChrisNH (Nov 7, 2017)

I'll have to try that splitting in the cold weather. I tend to do all my cutting, splitting and stacking in September, October and November and then call it for the season. Splitter gets put away, maul and wedges and chainsaw too. But I've heard that winter is a good time to cut timber and process wood too.


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 7, 2017)

I have cut quite a few on my property over the years some to large to even mention I would just be laughed at probably. I have one that did not leaf out the last 2 summers so I guess she is done. It is a bear to split but even worse to stack so stringy. I have never heard that if you let it dry some it splits better? Maybe I will cut and stack the rounds for a year or two then try splitting it.


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## ValleyCottageSplitter (Nov 7, 2017)

tsquini said:


> The second worst wood to split is hickory.


I'm almost through a cord of shagbark hickory and I'm not complaining at all.  There are about 6 uglies left over but otherwise it's splitting almost as easily as ash. Very similar to chestnut oak. They were pretty straight logs though.  I had to wedge them in half but it's no problem after that.  

I just took down a dead 4" American Elm in the woods.  My memory must have been foggy from the last elm, thinking the small rounds would be okay.  Still about half of them were a huge pain.  The other half split in one or two swings.  I'm sure anything over 12" would be a nightmare. 

I've had the worst experience with knotty sycamore.  It's mostly bad like elm but it is very unpredictable.  You can be slamming a round and the right spot will send a shard flying out.  I'm having to noodle it down to about 5"x5" size before it might be splitable. The grain looks like a lava lamp.  I have about 6 uglies to go and I think I'm just going to have to saw them down to split size.


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## Sodbuster (Nov 13, 2017)

TreePointer said:


> American elm (white elm) can be difficult, but decades ago we had a giant red elm that was by far the toughest I had ever splitted.  The trunk was twisted and tough from enduring all the forces of being a yard tree in an open area.  Since then, I've only encountered a tougher splitting species--yellow birch.




The worst Elms we have here are the ones on the edges of large farm fields where they have spent their entire life twisting in the wind while they grew. Seems the wood doesn't forget the twisting, and hangs onto it, while trying to be split.


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 14, 2017)

So let me ask everyone's advice on this. Somewhere back towards the beginning of this thread someone suggested to stack it in the round for a year or more before splitting. I have a twin stem Elm growing on the edge of my garden field it has not produced any leaves this summer past.
 So this winter I am planning on cutting them/ it down it is about 100' tall and each the butt log will be about 20" or more on the stump. Should I cut it to my stove length 16" then stack the rounds for a year or more before splitting? or just split it in the spring like I do all my wood?


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## Dobish (Nov 14, 2017)

Jeff in Maine said:


> So let me ask everyone's advice on this. Somewhere back towards the beginning of this thread someone suggested to stack it in the round for a year or more before splitting. I have a twin stem Elm growing on the edge of my garden field it has not produced any leaves this summer past.
> So this winter I am planning on cutting them/ it down it is about 100' tall and each the butt log will be about 20" or more on the stump. Should I cut it to my stove length 16" then stack the rounds for a year or more before splitting? or just split it in the spring like I do all my wood?


if it hasn't produced leaves, get it down and get it off the ground. if its a pain to split, wait a little longer!


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 14, 2017)

Yes I think it began standing dead last winter , so do you think letting it season makes it split easier?


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## Jags (Nov 14, 2017)

Edge of the field, loner elm.  My guess is that it isn’t gonna get any easier till it starts to decompose.


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## Dobish (Nov 14, 2017)

Jeff in Maine said:


> Yes I think it began standing dead last winter , so do you think letting it season makes it split easier?


i do, but i also just split it when i have time to split it and know its not going to be as quick. if it is super stringy, try and get the bark off of it, so it dries out faster. I have split quite a few that I thought were going to be a pain, but surprised me...


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## jpl1nh (Nov 14, 2017)

A big round of elm makes a great chopping block.  As for splitting elm, you can actually kind of "flake" it into pieces.  Don't try to split it in half, instead, take a two to three inch flake off of one side, keep working your way around.  That interwoven grain makes it the wood of choice for horse stalls because if a horse kicks it, it doesn't split, it just dents.


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## Dobish (Nov 15, 2017)

i drove by my neighbors this mornign and they had taken down some really big elm branches (like 20" diameter). I can't wait to get home, load them up into the truck , and drive them out back by the splitter.


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## saewoody (Nov 15, 2017)

Hasufel said:


> Hickory isn't too bad to split manually with the right tools & techniques. I've heard worse things about sycamore and sweet gum.



I don’t even like to split sycamore with a hydraulic splitter. It just mashes up and then you need to flip it around to finish the split. 


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 17, 2017)

I split one identical almost this spring. Each split was so stringy that each piece took up as much room in the pile as 3 similar sized pieces of maple would have. Terrible stringy stuff. A 6x6 inch split was more like 10x10 with all the stringy parts hanging off of it.


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## beatlefan (Nov 17, 2017)

They say it’s best to split frozen, but I’ve never had the opportunity to split frozen elm.


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 17, 2017)

I most likely will split it in the spring I don't want it to go punky in the round from sitting. I have those two and I just saw 2 more that I have marked out that are shading an old wild apple tree so they and about 7 other trees will have to be removed if the apple is to live. So I will have a couple cords of Elm to deal with.


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## BIGChrisNH (Nov 17, 2017)

Two cords of it will definitely give you or your splitter a workout. Nice wood once it's split though, nice light color to it compared to all the red oak in my pile.


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 17, 2017)

Yes it will I have a 27 ton Huskee with a Honda engine it works well though. I have done quite a lot of modifications to in in the last couple years. I made an engine protection cage, and oil filter guard, a split catch rack,, a spacer to go between the wedge point and the stop block .No more tearing apart the last 2" by hand now when the wedge is finished in the forward stroke there is 1/8 inch between the wedge and the block no more 2" gap. And last but best a stroke limiter no more waiting for the wedge to travel back 24" when I am splitting 16" stuff . I set it to stop the wedge at 18".


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## blades (Nov 17, 2017)

stringy wood - a thin wedge does a better job than a fast spreader type as it cuts its way through rather than trying to force apart. My wedge on hydro unit is thin for the first 8" or so then there is a spreader bar behind it.


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## beatlefan (Nov 18, 2017)

Jeff in Maine said:


> Yes it will I have a 27 ton Huskee with a Honda engine it works well though. I have done quite a lot of modifications to in in the last couple years. I made an engine protection cage, and oil filter guard, a split catch rack,, a spacer to go between the wedge point and the stop block .No more tearing apart the last 2" by hand now when the wedge is finished in the forward stroke there is 1/8 inch between the wedge and the block no more 2" gap. And last but best a stroke limiter no more waiting for the wedge to travel back 24" when I am splitting 16" stuff . I set it to stop the wedge at 18".


Need pictures please...


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 18, 2017)

Sure I will get some soon , I am going out to do some thinning in a stand of Rock Maple I have. I take the camera with me so maybe on the way back I will stop at the pole barn and take some pictures for you. I have to thin this area as part of my tree growth plan so every chance I get I work in there. I have to keep at it as when the snow gets very deep I becomes hard to get around in there.


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## Rich L (Nov 18, 2017)

beatlefan said:


> They say it’s best to split frozen, but I’ve never had the opportunity to split frozen elm.


  They are right.The Elm splits best when it's cold out.I'll doing a cord of seasoned elm soon when it's cold enough then I'll move to the two cords of unseasoned elm.Wish me luck.


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 18, 2017)

I will attempt to show some splitter pictures wish me luck.


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## Jeff in Maine (Nov 18, 2017)

I don't know why it double and triple posted a few of the pictures if you out there know how to delete the doubles and triples feel free to do so.


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## Firewood Bandit (Nov 21, 2017)

OP,

If you are going to noodle rounds, lay them on the ground and cut through the bark and the saw will pull long chips, i.e. Noodles.  Cutting across the top like you are is making dust since you are cutting perpendicular to the grain.  Saw will cut much faster.


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## Jags (Nov 21, 2017)

double posting correction made.

Nice job on the custom mods.


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