# Worst splitting wood



## schlot (Aug 21, 2012)

The discussion on elm got me wondering. What kind of wood is hard to split. Elm apparently has a spiral type grain. Others? What are the 5 worst?


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## mellow (Aug 21, 2012)

Gum that has been sitting in rounds for 6+ months.   Had to take an axe to it while splitting just to get it to come apart.


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## BigV (Aug 21, 2012)

Locust on doubt about it. I had some seasoned locust I cut into 4" rounds and still couldn't split it. Stringiest wood I ever tried to split!


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## bogydave (Aug 21, 2012)

Of the 2 woods here I have for firewood, spruce is the  hardest to split, if it grew in a windy area, even worse.
When I hand split with a maul, I saved many rounds for the -20°f days, it split easier when frozen.


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## Blue2ndaries (Aug 21, 2012)

Madrone. Trunks grow twisted, spiral like making splitting a pain.  However it burns really hot and leaves virtually no ash.


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## fox9988 (Aug 21, 2012)

The worst I have split, green American Elm. Cottonwood sounds worse though.


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## Flatbedford (Aug 21, 2012)

I leave Elm in the woods to rot. If one fell on y property I'd haul it away.
I cut this (some kind) Maple in the spring with my neighbor.
	

		
			
		

		
	




After a couple months, it is really hard to split by hand. I may even have to break out the sledge and wedges! it is full of little crotches and the grain is sort of swirly. Boy do I miss all the green Red Oak and Black Locust that I split last year.


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## woodchip (Aug 21, 2012)

mellow said:


> Gum that has been sitting in rounds for 6+ months. Had to take an axe to it while splitting just to get it to come apart.


 I was offered a load of gum a while back. I split a small round (8" across, 12" long) and after about 20 attempts with my wood grenade decided that life was too short to bother with any more. I really had no idea that some woods were virtually unsplittable.


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## jimosufan (Aug 21, 2012)

just split Sweet gum tree with 22 ton huskee .....Piece of cake.  That is compared to green Sieberan elm. bogged the hydro with every split. Don't know how you guys do with ax and mull.


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## Nixon (Aug 21, 2012)

BigV said:


> Locust on doubt about it. I had some seasoned locust I cut into 4" rounds and still couldn't split it. Stringiest wood I ever tried to split!


That's interesting ! I've been splitting some locust lately , and it split well . But then again it wasn't seasoned . That might have been the difference . To me it's elm, sycamore ,and sweet gum.


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## schlot (Aug 21, 2012)

fox9988 said:


> The worst I have split, green American Elm. Cottonwood sounds worse though.


 
I did a bunch of cottonwood by hand. The bigger rounds are a little tough but over all wasn't bad.


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## midwestcoast (Aug 21, 2012)

To the list I would add American Hophornbeam (aka, Ironwood), though it ussualy stays small so you can burn it in the round. And also Apple.
Virtually anything that has grown in very tough conditions (slow growth) and lots of wind (twisted/knarled wood) is horrible to try to split.


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## red oak (Aug 21, 2012)

Gum is the hardest I've ever split. The gum I had was way harder than elm or locust.  I eventually stacked the smaller rounds and set the larger ones aside for campfires.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 21, 2012)

schlot said:


> The discussion on elm got me wondering. What kind of wood is hard to split. Elm apparently has a spiral type grain. Others? What are the 5 worst?


 
Once again elm gets a bad rap. It indeed can have a spiral grain but not all. If you cut an elm that is in the woods it will be much different than an elm that has grown in a fence row or a yard. We rarely get an elm that is twisted and most can be split by hand so long as we leave it until it is dead and the bark has fallen off.


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## TimJ (Aug 21, 2012)

I had 30 rounds of gum to split from a dead standing.................no problem with a maul except for about 5 peices which had to be wedged
Had a medium dead standing red elm to split in the spring............no problem
Had a big dead standing red elm to split a few weeks back and could not or would not split it with a maul. Rented me a log splitter


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## bad69bird (Aug 21, 2012)

I got a couple loads free iron wood last year, if i ever get it again I'll tell them to take it back


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## rideau (Aug 21, 2012)

midwestcoast said:


> To the list I would add American Hophornbeam (aka, Ironwood), though it ussualy stays small so you can burn it in the round. And also Apple.
> Virtually anything that has grown in very tough conditions (slow growth) and lots of wind (twisted/knarled wood) is horrible to try to split.


 Some of my hophornbeam spirals round and round,,horrible to split.  But perfect firewood, and the larger rounds, one round burns all night in my stove.


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## Fire Breathing Dragon (Aug 21, 2012)

Cottonwood was the tuffest for me (if that is what it really was).  I used a log splitter so it was no real sweat on the 16" or so diameter rounds but the machine ran slow all the way until the last inch on some splits and the end product was the wood looked like it was split with a grennade.  Stringy mess, I will leave this wood if I recognize it in the future.  It was normal heavy as green but got super light in just a couple months after splitting.  Hickory did not strain the motor at all but due to its semi stringy nature I often ran the wedge all the way through or finished the cuts with a hatchet that I keep within reach while splitting.


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## Senatormofo (Aug 21, 2012)

I recently acquired a few green rounds of Beech. Thought it would be fun to use my new Fiskars X27 on it. Wrong! It wasn't happening. The axe bounced off it like it was rubber. I can't tell you how many times I slammed that axe into each round. I finally cut them in half (to about 12"x12") and I got them to split but it still was a joke. I'll never touch that stuff again! I'll stick to Red Oak, Black Walnut and Locust.


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## ScotO (Aug 22, 2012)

Some of the hardest wood I've ever split was (believe it or not) Norway maple and beech.  Now the norway maple wasn't your typical tree....it was a monster along a main road that had been pruned many times over the past 80 or so years, and every grown over knot was a stringy,  knarled -up nightmare.  Bogged the splitter many times, finally noodled the damm thing.  The beech was an old growth tree, it was big and twisty.  Maul just bounced off of it, it also bogged the splitter, ended up noodling most of those big rounds too.  I saved some pieces of both the norway and the beech to make tomahawk handles and hatchet handles, both very tight grained and dense.


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## AJS56 (Aug 22, 2012)

midwestcoast said:


> To the list I would add American Hophornbeam (aka, Ironwood), though it ussualy stays small so you can burn it in the round. And also Apple.
> Virtually anything that has grown in very tough conditions (slow growth) and lots of wind (twisted/knarled wood) is horrible to try to split.


 
We have a fair amount of Ironwood in our woods and and don't find it all that difficult to split.  It is the hardest, densest stuff I've ever worked with.  You can tell it when you cut it, split it, carry it, and split it.  But I don't find it terrible to split as the grain seems to be very straight.  Man that stuff burns nice. Good hot coals.


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## firefighterjake (Aug 22, 2012)

Wood that has a lot of knots, twists or multiple crotches.


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## mellow (Aug 22, 2012)

Imagine having to deal with 2 cords of this.  Needless to say I was hard up for wood at the time.






Gum wood,  pictures are worth a thousand threads.


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## Jags (Aug 22, 2012)

You all know my answer:


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## Ashful (Aug 22, 2012)

Boxwood.  There's a reason that wood is so coveted for tool handles.  Stuff must be damn near as hard as a splitting maul's head.


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## hobbyheater (Aug 22, 2012)

schlot said:


> The discussion on elm got me wondering. What kind of wood is hard to split. Elm apparently has a spiral type grain. Others? What are the 5 worst?


For me its was this spruce tree in my mother- in- laws front yard . Three days of noodling,machine splitting,and some swearing spike in the middle of the trunk .


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 22, 2012)

Senatormofo said:


> I recently acquired a few green rounds of Beech. Thought it would be fun to use my new Fiskars X27 on it. Wrong! It wasn't happening. The axe bounced off it like it was rubber. I can't tell you how many times I slammed that axe into each round. I finally cut them in half (to about 12"x12") and I got them to split but it still was a joke. I'll never touch that stuff again! I'll stick to Red Oak, Black Walnut and Locust.


 
Don't try to split that beech through the heart else it is twice as hard to split. Splitting from the outside in works much better.


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## Senatormofo (Aug 22, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Don't try to split that beech through the heart else it is twice as hard to split. Splitting from the outside in works much better.


Thanks Dennis! I'll try your method on what's left.


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## Thistle (Aug 22, 2012)

After American/White Elm that's either green,standing dead but still has all its bark,spiral or interlocked grain,growing in the open - I'd say large old gnarly twisted Apple crotches/stump pieces (Not much left around here since most orchards started switching to dwarf trees some years ago),Honey Locust/Mulberry knotty or twisted,large old Eastern Red Cedar (its usually VERY knotty,makes a good splitting stump,great for woodturning also),occasionally some extra string Shagbark or spiral grain White Oak..Read the bark that'll show the grain direction.I've heard Ironwood/HopHornbeam is extra stubborn,I've only seen 2 pieces growing around here big enough that needed splitting,it spirals a lot also.


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## Shadow&Flame (Aug 22, 2012)

For me it would def have to be Gum...when that stuff gets a little dry forget it.


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## Lewiston (Aug 22, 2012)

Box Elder.  Stringy, smelly, all around a pain.  They're considered a invasive species in this area.  It's an ongoing task keeping them at bay with cutting and spraying.  For all the work, I do get to watch it burn in the end.


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## schlot (Aug 23, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Don't try to split that beech through the heart else it is twice as hard to split. Splitting from the outside in works much better.


 
That's the same method I used on the bigger cottonwood rounds.


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## thewoodlands (Aug 23, 2012)

schlot said:


> The discussion on elm got me wondering. What kind of wood is hard to split. Elm apparently has a spiral type grain. Others? What are the 5 worst?


 Just split my first elm ever, my vote goes to Elm.

zap


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## Ashful (Aug 23, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Don't try to split that beech through the heart else it is twice as hard to split. Splitting from the outside in works much better.


 
That holds on most large rounds.  Too many inexperienced hand splitters waste their time trying to split through the middle.  Whittle away at it from the outside in.  It's rarely that difficult, if you know what you're doing.

Just as importantly, if you're hand splitting, pay attention to how you buck your rounds!  If there's a knot, cut on the knot.  Avoid putting knots or elbows in the middle of a split at all costs.  Split from the clean end, toward the knot, crotch, or elbow.

As someone already said, hand splitting is more about technique than strength.  I probably put 1/10th the effort into it I did when I was new at it.


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## Flatbedford (Aug 23, 2012)

Joful said:


> As someone already said, hand splitting is more about technique than strength. I probably put 1/10th the effort into it I did when I was new at it.


 
So true. It does not require massive strength, or monster tools.


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## certified106 (Aug 23, 2012)

Split both Elm and Gum......Gum is by far the worst thing I ever split....That being said my Huskee will still blow right through it.


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## TimJ (Aug 23, 2012)

I don't think you need to wittle most rounds from the outside in...........if you have some tuff stuff then yes


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## schlot (Aug 23, 2012)

TimJ said:


> I don't think you need to wittle most rounds from the outside in...........if you have some tuff stuff then yes


 
Agreed, usually I take a few swings in the center, if it doesn't budge I rotate it 90degrees and give a few pops again. Still nothing I flip it end over end and try again. After that I start at the edges.


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## Jags (Aug 23, 2012)

schlot said:


> Agreed, usually I take a few swings in the center, if it doesn't budge I rotate it 90degrees and give a few pops again. Still nothing I flip it end over end and try again. After that I start at the edges.


You just reaffirmed the reason that I now use hydraulics.


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## schlot (Aug 23, 2012)

Jags said:


> You just reaffirmed the reason that I now use hydraulics.


 
My father in-law offered to buy a splitter for me..I turned him down. I love the work out it gives me....but of course I only use a cord or so a year.


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## blacktail (Aug 23, 2012)

mellow said:


> Imagine having to deal with 2 cords of this. Needless to say I was hard up for wood at the time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Damn! That's nasty stuff.

Most of the wood I cut isn't too hard unless there's an exceptionally knotty piece. I had some hemlock last year with twisted grain that was probably the hardest splitting I've ever experienced.


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## schlot (Aug 23, 2012)

Ok maybe this is a dumb question. Besides the species, I read here where and how it grows also will "twist" the grain. I would expect a solo tree exposed to a lot of wind have twisted grain? I would imagine a tree bending and bowing through other trees for light would also?


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## Jags (Aug 23, 2012)

schlot said:


> I would imagine a tree bending and bowing through other trees for light would also?


If you are trying to compare the battering of 50 MPH winds bending a twisting a tree thousands of times in a day to the slow motion of a tree searching for sunlight - I would say that to be an apples to flying pig comparison.


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## schlot (Aug 23, 2012)

Jags said:


> If you are trying to compare the battering of 50 MPH winds bending a twisting a tree thousands of times in a day to the slow motion of a tree searching for sunlight - I would say that to be an apples to flying pig comparison.


 
Hmmm, I take it that isn't a good comparison? Although if you put the apple in the pigs mouth, it would also be flying right?

So I take it the grain isn't a big concern with the one searching for sunlight?


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## Jags (Aug 23, 2012)

schlot said:


> Hmmm, I take it that isn't a good comparison? Although if you put the apple in the pigs mouth, it would also be flying right?
> 
> So I take it the grain isn't a big concern with the one searching for sunlight?


 
Yep, but we could be looking at cutting that tree down and making some righteous BBQ.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 23, 2012)

schlot said:


> That's the same method I used on the bigger cottonwood rounds.


 
And rightfully so! Good job figuring that out.


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## tfdchief (Aug 23, 2012)

Sycamore can be really tough sometimes, almost like elm.


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## osagebow (Aug 24, 2012)

Love this board  -  
came upon a potential scrounge today of a bunch of big bucked rounds that have been laying in a yard for a week. Got out of car, started to walk to house rehearsing  my wood scrounge rap, looking at an easy  2 truckfulls of ....
 oh, %*&$#@  -  that's gum. 
Got back in car - don't have hydros yet.


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## mellow (Aug 26, 2012)

I have found fresh cut Gum will split pretty easy,  you run into problems when you let the rounds sit for a while and dry out then try to split it.


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## Ashful (Aug 27, 2012)

tfdchief said:


> Sycamore can be really tough sometimes, almost like elm.


 
I've got a nice pile of sycamore waiting to be split.    I guess that will get done on splitter rental day.


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## Senatormofo (Aug 28, 2012)

blacktail said:


> Damn! That's nasty stuff.
> 
> I'll be sure to steer clear of Gum! That looks like a Nightmare!


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## nate379 (Aug 28, 2012)

The Cottonwood we have here is cake to split.  I don't touch that junk unless it fell in my yard though, almost worthless for use as a heat source.



fox9988 said:


> The worst I have split, green American Elm. Cottonwood sounds worse though.


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## mtneer (Aug 28, 2012)

The beech I have is awful. Old trees with twisted grain that make the splits impossible to crib. I have to work from the edges inward on the main trunk rounds. If I weren't so OCD about excellent firewood going to waste I wouldn't even bother with them.


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## Dave_B (Aug 28, 2012)

Nixon said:


> That's interesting ! I've been splitting some locust lately , and it split well . But then again it wasn't seasoned . That might have been the difference . To me it's elm, sycamore ,and sweet gum.


Those are my choices too Nixon.  Sycamore may be one of the wettest woods that I have seen also  when just cut down and split.

Cottonwood while not a good BTU maker is also very wet.


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## Dave_B (Aug 28, 2012)

nate379 said:


> The Cottonwood we have here is cake to split. I don't touch that junk unless it fell in my yard though, almost worthless for use as a heat source.


 I had a monster cottonwood in my yard that got hit by lightning 2 summers in a row, seven or so years back.

I had it taken down because it was a hazard to my house and garage.  The first 22 feet of the trunk produced 96 2x4s for a cabin my neighbor was building on his property.  I split the rest of the big stock and had around 5 cords of shoulder wood.  I mixed it with my good wood while burning and finally got the last of it burned last season.


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## ChrisNJ (Aug 28, 2012)

mellow said:


> Imagine having to deal with 2 cords of this. Needless to say I was hard up for wood at the time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

I recognize that stuff, and the one time I had it I made a post and subsequently took it to the dump so as not to further interfere with my splitting pleasures.


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## tfdchief (Aug 28, 2012)

Joful said:


> I've got a nice pile of sycamore waiting to be split.  I guess that will get done on splitter rental day.


Try it Joful.  Sometimes it is not bad. Sometimes it is really bad!


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## Ashful (Aug 28, 2012)

I started a thread in this forum the day I brought that stuff home.  I'd never split sycamore before, but I think my words were, "that stuff just *looks *tough to split!"


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Aug 29, 2012)

Split? What is this activity "Split" that you speak of?

On the rare occasion I get something that is bigger than it SHOULD be for burning, and it worth the effort but difficult, it will be Sugar Maple.

Why anyone would waste the time and wear/tear on low BTU wood splitting is beyond me


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## Ashful (Aug 29, 2012)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:


> Why anyone would waste the time and wear/tear on low BTU wood splitting is beyond me


 
Of which "low BTU" wood are you speaking?  If sycamore, then the answer is, "because it was free, and I don't have a forrest of oak in my back yard."



ISeeDeadBTUs said:


> Split? What is this activity "Split" that you speak of?


 
I've not learned of another way to dry a large mass of wood in 2 years or less.


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## Wildo (Oct 23, 2012)

I'm surprised nobody has run into any curly yellow birch. We cross our fingers each time one goes on the splitter since it is a 50/50 chance up here.


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## mellow (Oct 24, 2012)

Wildo said:


> I'm surprised nobody has run into any curly yellow birch. We cross our fingers each time one goes on the splitter since it is a 50/50 chance up here.


 
Never heard of it,  got any pics of it while splitting it?


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## tfdchief (Oct 24, 2012)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:


> Split? What is this activity "Split" that you speak of?
> 
> On the rare occasion I get something that is bigger than it SHOULD be for burning, and it worth the effort but difficult, it will be Sugar Maple.
> 
> Why anyone would waste the time and wear/tear on low BTU wood splitting is beyond me


 Really?


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## Ashful (Oct 24, 2012)

tfdchief said:


> Really?


 
Makes you wonder what the young blonde in his avatar is doing.


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## TMonter (Oct 24, 2012)

And people diss us westerners for our "softwoods". Almost nothing splits like Douglas Fir. I did 2.5 cord a couple weeks ago by hand in about 2 hours.


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## Ashful (Oct 24, 2012)

TMonter said:


> And people diss us westerners for our "softwoods". Almost nothing splits like Douglas Fir. I did 2.5 cord a couple weeks ago by hand in about 2 hours.


 
Problem is, you'll burn it almost as fast!  j/k


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## JOHN BOY (Oct 24, 2012)

Sweet gum , hardest ive ever dealt with like hitting a giant solid rubber ball. And if you get the wedge in the gum round just eats it for lunch.


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## CT_Sub_Officer (Oct 25, 2012)

When I was 18 a "friend" of the family hired me to split about a cord of Osage Orange that had been bucked up for a while.  I don't know if it is typical of Osage, but it was hard as a rock and so grainy that I had cut the wedge free with a hatchet on multiple occasions.  The guy who cut it even scored the faces of the round with a chainsaw when he cut it.  Probably the hardest 25.00 I ever earned.

The grain was not as fine as the gum in the picture, it was like 14 gage romex.


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## Butcher (Oct 25, 2012)

When I was still splittin wood by hand I had some Ginko that actually laughed at me every time I hit it with a swingin axe.


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## TimJ (Oct 25, 2012)

Butcher said:


> When I was still splittin wood by hand I had some Ginko that actually laughed at me every time I hit it with a swingin axe.


It's alot easier splitting firewood than farwood


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