# Sooo, how is everyone splitting elm?



## mrfjsf (Oct 18, 2010)

Just curious to see what everyone is using to split elm.  Ive got a bunch of it at my buddies farm he cut up that was standing dead, I grabbed a few 8-10" rounds off of him the other day and was trying to split it tonight with the fiskars. That stuff is just ridiculous. At least 10 full out swings just to get it in half. I want to keep getting more off him but as much as he has, it would take me til next spring to split it all using the fiskars. So two questions...

How large of a round could I "successfully" burn in my stove? (all of this elm is barkless) I dont want to split any more of this stuff than I have to by hand...

What tools are you all using to split this stuff? If I get enough I suppose I could just rent a splitter.


----------



## Todd (Oct 18, 2010)

I won't even bother with the stuff anymore, not worth the effort imo. If it's still wet it will just shred. It's a little better if it's been dead for awhile and no bark.


----------



## wolfram (Oct 18, 2010)

Splitter.  Rental is $50 to $75 per day.  To buy, TSC 22-ton is $999.  I got tired of killing myself....


----------



## Pagey (Oct 18, 2010)

Tongue in check, might I suggest:


----------



## mrfjsf (Oct 18, 2010)

lol, im considering both of the 3 above choices. I hate passing up really great burning wood for free, but gosh darn is that stupid hard to split. Woulda heavy maul help matters at all?

The black powder method is definately "gettin it done" and it looks like a barrel of fun. I can see it now, all of my buddies, a keg of beer and a day filled with black powder log splitting...that would be a GREAT day! I don't think the neighbors would approve however.


----------



## mrfjsf (Oct 18, 2010)

wolfram said:
			
		

> Splitter.  Rental is $50 to $75 per day.  To buy, TSC 22-ton is $999.  I got tired of killing myself....



Is 22-ton a good overall size? Im no splitter expert, I assume that the tonnage just indicates the amount of force it has, correct? If you can split elm with a 22-ton, I dont see how you would need anything bigger than that...unless you are trying to split chunks of concrete or steel.


----------



## elijah (Oct 18, 2010)

I use a 25 ton MTD/Briggs and Stratton on the chinese elm I pick up and it works pretty hard to split those rounds of elm.  After 6 months of seasoning I find I can get splits out of the rounds without the stringy crap wasting my time with the Fiskars SS.  Otherwise it's just way to much effort and time to use the SS or a wedge and sledge or a maul.


----------



## oldspark (Oct 18, 2010)

What little elm I have I cut short and wait till it looks like its getting punky and then it splits fairly well, I do not go out of my way to cut any, bigger fish to fry.


----------



## allhandsworking (Oct 18, 2010)

Pagey said:
			
		

> Tongue in check, might I suggest:




These guys could make millions with the next movie " Redneck Jackass" in 3 D!  Love it!


----------



## allhandsworking (Oct 18, 2010)

mrfjsf said:
			
		

> lol, im considering both of the 3 above choices. I hate passing up really great burning wood for free, but gosh darn is that stupid hard to split. Woulda heavy maul help matters at all?
> 
> The black powder method is definately "gettin it done" and it looks like a barrel of fun. I can see it now, all of my buddies, a keg of beer and a day filled with black powder log splitting...that would be a GREAT day! I don't think the neighbors would approve however.


neighbors just don't have a sense of humor!


----------



## TreePointer (Oct 18, 2010)

mrfjsf said:
			
		

> wolfram said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It's all about speed.  No, I'm not talking about cycle time, but overall speed through the round.  These splitters have two-stage pumps.  The 20/22-ton models will split just about anything, but it will go through the tougher rounds using the slower, yet more powerful second stage.  My 35-ton Huskee will get through Am. elm faster than the 22-ton model, even though the 35-ton splitter is rated to have a slower cycle time by one second.  Why?  Because it rarely has to use the second stage.


----------



## mrfjsf (Oct 18, 2010)

allhandsworking said:
			
		

> mrfjsf said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



lol! this is true! 

I will try to let it season as a round for a little while and give it a go again. But this stuff was standing dead for about 2 years before it was cut down recently. It was left in log form though, I just bucked it up. Perhaps its not elm, it didnt have quite the stringy texture like elm. I'll have to post up some pics if I get home before dark one of these days...


----------



## oldspark (Oct 18, 2010)

After the elm has set awhile and gets fairly dry it is not stringy any more.


----------



## basswidow (Oct 18, 2010)

I had some elm two years ago and the splitter just turned every round into a birdsnest.  I had to follow up with a chainsaw and noodle each stringy split apart.  

Great for getting the fire going - not so great on heat.  If I know it's elm,  I don't take it.


----------



## lukem (Oct 18, 2010)

I split a lot of elm this spring with the trusty 8lb maul...don't have hydro splitter.

Dead stuff with bark gone isn't that bad on straight/clear chunks.  Crotches and knots are a challenge, but not impossible.  Wedge sometimes needed.

Green elm will take your cursing vocabulary to a whole new level.


----------



## oldspark (Oct 18, 2010)

basswidow said:
			
		

> I had some elm two years ago and the splitter just turned every round into a birdsnest.  I had to follow up with a chainsaw and noodle each stringy split apart.
> 
> Great for getting the fire going - not so great on heat.  If I know it's elm,  I don't take it.


 What wood do you like, I burn oak, ash, mulberry, and silver maple and find the elm fits in nicely in the MOR for heat and starts easily, if it was not for the splitting I would cut more or it.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Oct 18, 2010)

mrfjsf said:
			
		

> wolfram said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




My 20 ton splitter does the job very nicely.


On the elm, if the bark has fallen off before cutting the tree it will split much easier and you won't get the stringies. I also think it burns much better and longer than when cutting the tree before this time.


----------



## the_dude (Oct 18, 2010)

I dropped and bucked a dead standing elm in March.  Finally split it in the last few weeks, and it gave the 25 ton splitter all it could handle!  The red oak I also dropped in March, I could have split with a starched shirt.


----------



## midwestcoast (Oct 18, 2010)

To your first question "How large of a round could I “successfully” burn in my stove? (all of this elm is barkless) I dont want to split any more of this stuff than I have to by hand…"  My answer would be as big a round (or split) as will fit AND as big a round (split) as you can get seasoned in time for burning.  Elm dries reasonably fast so largish splits not a prob with a year from green to stove. If you want to burn this stuff this winter I'd focus on the drier limbwood as even long-dead standing trunks can be very wet. 
The more experience dead Elm burners here should be able to guide you on how large of rounds you could season.


----------



## basswidow (Oct 18, 2010)

As a scrounger - I never really know (unless its obvious) what I've got, so I can't really say I would turn away from ELM,  unless someone was telling me it was elm.  Then my experience would tell me to move on.  Mine was very green and stringy.  

You are right - it did mix in nicely,  but really a nightmare to split.


----------



## joefrompa (Oct 18, 2010)

Holy cow now I know what this thread is all about....I've just been given a ton of the stuff, and so far my axe is bouncing off of it everywhere I hit. Barely leaves an impression.

I figured with this much resistance, it would be some of the densest, longest burning hardwood....but from some posters on here, sounds like that is a bad assumption.

Joe


----------



## TreePointer (Oct 18, 2010)

After you get is split, elm is not that bad to burn.  It has more BTU's than soft maples and is close to black cherry.  It makes nice coals, too.

You must have a good hydraulic splitter to enjoy it, though.


----------



## fjord (Oct 19, 2010)

Hand or machine splitting elm.
It's a heliotropic wood= the growth follows the sun so that there's no straight grain like oaks, or maples.
Here's how to split the beast: split tangentially, along the rings from the outside in. It will split in slabs, not neat, straight logs.
Never , even with your 30 ton macho machine, try to split most elm from the center. It eats wedges, stalls machines.

Yes, Semtex or the inferior black powder will work. I'm a-hearing dueling banjos again.


----------



## Chargerman (Oct 19, 2010)

Last month I used a 34 ton splitter on standing dead elm which was not too difficult. It still has some stringiness in the trunk but the splitter made short work of it.


----------



## mrfjsf (Oct 19, 2010)

The elm I just nabbed is not stringy at all. But like I said it was standing dead for quite some time. Still, the fiskars really wasnt doing much damage. Two rounds and I felt like I split a two cords of black walnut. It just wasnt showing me any love. fjord- I will try your style and see if I have better luck.

Im not sure why some are not liking how elm burns. I had a little left over from a few years ago that was well seasoned, just for the heck of it a threw a few decent sized splits on bed of coals and it lit up like a christmas tree, burned hotter than lava and burned crazy long. I was always told it was possibly one of the best woods to burn.  :-S


----------



## DiscoInferno (Oct 19, 2010)

I recently split about a cord of green elm with an 8lb maul.  fjord has it right - avoid splitting across the rings as much as possible.  My method for the large trunk sections was to noodle into quarters, then split off the point of each triangle (along the rings), then flake along the bark or, if you're feeling lucky, go for the cross-ring split.  Crotches I don't even try, I noodle them into largish blocks.  One thing I noticed in my elm was that the smaller limb sections split easy; it was the trunk that was the killer.


----------



## mrfjsf (Oct 19, 2010)

DiscoInferno said:
			
		

> I recently split about a cord of green elm with an 8lb maul.  fjord has it right - avoid splitting across the rings as much as possible.  My method for the large trunk sections was to noodle into quarters, then split off the point of each triangle (along the rings), then flake along the bark or, if you're feeling lucky, go for the cross-ring split.  Crotches I don't even try, I noodle them into largish blocks.  One thing I noticed in my elm was that the smaller limb sections split easy; it was the trunk that was the killer.



Im not up to snuff with the term noodling...is noodling done with a saw?


----------



## joefrompa (Oct 19, 2010)

Hah - I've got all trunk! 

I've been splitting ash trunk rounds (36" across) usuing a similar method of cutting WITH the edge rings and "peeling" slabs off all the way around. Works really well for me.

Sounds like I need to try the same thing with the elm. I'll let it sit exposed for about 7-8 months and then go at it with a wedge & sledge, fiskars, and a maul.


----------



## fjord (Oct 19, 2010)

mrfjsf said:
			
		

> DiscoInferno said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



"NOODLING" 

Redneck (us) term for cutting, halving, quartering large bucks or butts of trees. The butt/bick is laid bark down, cut down through the bark.

The "noodling" is the long thin strips of waste that results in this kind of cut. It is not a ripping cut along the grain--more like a quartering cut. 

Those noodles can easily clog the saw under the chain guard; be sure to clean out often AFTER engaging the brake please. 

Also, you noodle faster with a sharp chain. We noodle when the butts are too large and/or heavy to move or split. KInd of fun actually.

Noodles can be used as fire starters, bedding, trail covers, mulch, packing material. Some thrown noodles have been known to be involved in woods fighting after a few beers.


----------



## jashcroft (Oct 19, 2010)

Todd said:
			
		

> *I won't even bother with the stuff anymore, not worth the effort imo.* If it's still wet it will just shred. It's a little better if it's been dead for awhile and no bark.



I agree 100%.  Not worth the effort and aggravation.


----------



## fjord (Oct 19, 2010)

gator21 said:
			
		

> Todd said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



"Dance with who you brung to the party."

Burn what you got: way up north e.g. Alaska, Labrador, there's not much hardwood. Here in coastal Downeast ("Downeast" !) Maine there's too much fir and spruce mixed with Paper/White Birch and Red (Soft) Maples.
In this woodland I've got O.E. (Oak Envy). 
Some in ther midwest have the remnants of Dutch Elm killed trees. Plenty of dead Elm around; burning does prevent the further spread of the beetle.


----------



## TreePointer (Oct 19, 2010)

mrfjsf said:
			
		

> Im not up to snuff with the term noodling...is noodling done with a saw?



Lots of noodling going on here:
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=106522


----------



## joefrompa (Oct 19, 2010)

Some people will drive 30 minutes each way to cut up (into workable sizes) an oak tree and load it up. I've got a load of free elm already cut to workable sizes in my driveway.

It's worth the effort to me - assuming I can find a way to even break the surface 

Joe


----------



## firefighterjake (Oct 19, 2010)

Love elm . . . thanks to a whole bunch of standing dead elm I was able to get through my first year of burning with few problems.

That said . . . having a 27-ton splitter really helps matters . . . if I had to split the elm with a maul or ax . . . well I think I would not love elm as much. 

It should be noted . . . and has been noted in the past . . . that when elm is standing dead and the bark is falling off from it that it tends to split up much, much better. When I split very dead elm it sometimes pops right off the splitter vs. splitting elm that is not quite so dead and then it sometimes looks like some demented splitter attacked that piece of wood with nothing more than a small hatchet as it can be quite mangled looking.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Oct 19, 2010)

I plan on cutting several elm this coming winter. If I remember, I'll take some pictures. 

All of the elm that I will be cutting is standing dead with all or most of all the bark fallen off already. It will split good and burn nicely. As for the rounds, I'll keep some up to maybe 6" for overnight burning.


----------



## wendell (Oct 19, 2010)

fjord has made some really good points and i agree with Dennis that if you've got standing dead, barkless elm, I wouldn't split anything under 6". Those rounds make fantastic overnight logs and if you did split them, you will find them already in the 17-19% range.

I have split over 12 cords of elm over the last few years with my 22 ton splitter and although it does groan on a few trunk pieces, it has always got the job done. What you will learn is to become an "elm whisperer" and learn how the round wants to be split. What I try to do is take 3-4" slabs off the round and then split them so they make a square. Doesn't always work but the sooner you can get the piece small, the easier it is going to be.


----------

