# white oak splitting is a pain



## tumm21 (Jul 31, 2012)

So I started splitting some white oak.  Its so stringy.  Real pain.  The tree was just taken down alive.  Does it make sense to let it sit for a couple months or will it be just as much stringy then?


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## rdust (Jul 31, 2012)

I never seem to have much issue with it.  Some of it can be stringy but the hydraulics handle it with ease. 

I will say it's one of my favorite smelling woods though.


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## Locust Post (Jul 31, 2012)

tumm21 said:


> So I started splitting some white oak. Its so stringy. Real pain. The tree was just taken down alive. Does it make sense to let it sit for a couple months or will it be just as much stringy then?


 If it is stringy and hard to split now it will be just as hard likely in a few months especially oak as it does not lose its moisture quickly. In the round it will stay wet for a long time. The only thing that might help is if you leave it until freezing weather it may split better then. You can always take the saw and cut the top of the round down a few inches and then split, may help.


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## Locust Post (Jul 31, 2012)

I will say it's one of my favorite smelling woods though. [/quote]
I'll agree with that.


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## Thistle (Aug 1, 2012)

It can be pretty stringy,especially after its set a few months.I cut a bunch of dead 8-14" rounds in Dec.2010,busy with other stuff so they didnt get split until 6 months later.X25 was barely 2 weeks old,it just bounced off them or got stuck.Even straight grained knot free logs.Much tougher than the Red Oak that I split a few minutes earlier,it just flew through that stuff......

White Oak has that  great vanilla scent though & burns incredibly hot with long lasting coals.I use scraps/chunks of it all the time in Weber kettle & Brinkmann water smoker,havent bought commercial bagged charcoal in years.


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## tomc585 (Aug 1, 2012)

stringy wood...welcome to our world.


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## smokinj (Aug 1, 2012)

All you need is a Friskers!


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## golfandwoodnut (Aug 1, 2012)

It depends on the specimen.  Most of it I find pretty easy to split, and it is one of my favorite woods. I had one tree I cut last year that was a real bear, and it made me buy a logsplitter for that very reason.  Even the Monster Maul had problems with it.

 I think it is better than Red Oak (that splits way easier).  The Red Oak seems to go punky faster, I have some White Oak in the woods that has been laying on the ground for over 10 years and it is still great.  I have heard White Oak does not allow moisture back into the wood like Red Oak does.  The smell reminds me of Whiskey Barrels, someone else came up with that smell, and it is very enjoyable to me.


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## lukem (Aug 1, 2012)

In my experience it will get hard to split with time, not easier.  Seems like that fresh cut end is the key to getting it to "pop"....once it dries out it just dents with the maul.

Even if it is harder to split its still worth it...you'll burn a lot less compared to some easier splitting woods because of all those cooped up BTUs.


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## clemsonfor (Aug 1, 2012)

White oak is the only species that they make oak whisky barrels out of.  Its the tyloses that are inside the cells of the wood, basically stopping the transfer of water through the wood.

But anyway yes it is generally stringier and harder to split than red species.  I have had plenty of 12 and 18" rounds split fairly easy though.


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## certified106 (Aug 1, 2012)

My Huskee blows right through it with no problem....
That being said I generally find it stringier than other species of oak.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 1, 2012)

I've never found that wood splits any easier by waiting. I've also never found that frozen wood splits easier. I think it splits harder.


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## red oak (Aug 1, 2012)

I split 2 white oak trees yesterday and they did seem kind of stringy - much more so than the red oak that I normally split.  I don't think waiting would have made it any easier so I went ahead and got it split and stacked so it can start drying.  Should be ready to burn by 2028.


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## Jags (Aug 2, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> I've never found that wood splits any easier by waiting. I've also never found that frozen wood splits easier. I think it splits harder.


 
I concur with Dennis. Do yourself a favor and get it split. It isn't going to be any easier down the road. I split cords of white oak per year and I just get it done when I can. Waiting till the 3rd full moon of the 5th month while the cicada's are singing doesn't seem to make any difference in how it splits.


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## fahmahbob (Aug 2, 2012)

golfandwoodnut said:


> I think it is better than Red Oak (that splits way easier). The Red Oak seems to go punky faster, I have some White Oak in the woods that has been laying on the ground for over 10 years and it is still great.


 
It's just the sapwood on red oak that can punk quickly. The heartwood stays good for many, many years - Even laying on the forest floor. But the sapwood punk can be messy. I'm partial to red oak though, since it splits like a dream and burns great (seasoned properly of course), and it makes up 90% of the trees on my property.


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## CK-1 (Aug 2, 2012)

Currently in the process to splitting some white oak.   Its not too bad but its heavy as hect due to the moisture content.  I sawed a few logs and had some rounds facing up and others on its side (bark hitting the ground) for a few weeks   Noticed that the rounds on its sides where lighter than the rounds face up due to rain not entering the wood due to the bark..

Due to the dramatic heat this summer, I have two racks of white oak already seasoned I split in March..


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## CK-1 (Aug 2, 2012)

Cedar is the best smelling wood..  When splitting and burning..


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## ScotO (Aug 2, 2012)

CK-1 said:


> Due to the dramatic heat this summer, I have two racks of white oak already seasoned I split in March..


 must've been dead for quite a while if its seasoned already.  Green white oak, you're liking at at LEAST two to three full years before its at its peak.  That stuff takes longer than any other wood to season.


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## TimJ (Aug 2, 2012)

and that's coming from a squirrel smoking a cigarette 


Scott, just having fun..........you have great knowledge and are a great contribution to this site, plus you have a good sense of humor.


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## ScotO (Aug 2, 2012)

TimJ said:


> and that's coming from a squirrel smoking a cigarette
> 
> 
> Scott, just having fun..........you have great knowledge and are a great contribution to this site, plus you have a good sense of humor.


Tim, no offense taken!  Thanks for the compliments, we're all a brother(and sister)hood here, and a damn fine one.  And as for the sense of humor,  what's the sense of living if you cant have some fun!  As for my squirrel avatar, who said it was a cigarette?


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 2, 2012)

CK-1 said:


> Cedar is the best smelling wood.. When splitting and burning..


 
I love it but I also think Sassafras smells even better. Cedar is certainly lighter so if you have to carry it....


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 2, 2012)

CK-1 said:


> Currently in the process to splitting some white oak. Its not too bad but its heavy as hect due to the moisture content. I sawed a few logs and had some rounds facing up and others on its side (bark hitting the ground) for a few weeks Noticed that the rounds on its sides where lighter than the rounds face up due to rain not entering the wood due to the bark..
> 
> *Due to the dramatic heat this summer, I have two racks of white oak already seasoned I split in March*..


 

Okay....


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## Locust Post (Aug 2, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Tim, no offense taken! Thanks for the compliments, we're all a brother(and sister)hood here, and a damn fine one. And as for the sense of humor, what's the sense of living if you cant have some fun! As for my squirrel avatar, who said it was a cigarette?


 Can't be a left hander because his eyes aren't red unless this is another one of those "but I didn't inhale"


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## Dix (Aug 2, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Okay....


 
Now, now, Dennis, don't rain on the parade


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## osagebow (Aug 3, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> I love it but I also think Sassafras smells even better. Cedar is certainly lighter so if you have to carry it....


 
Plus sass is fun to split  - and doesn't rot if left on the ground for a few years.


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## osagebow (Aug 3, 2012)

Duuuuuuude.....feeder's outta seeds , man....C'mon scotty...fill it up!


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## firefighterjake (Aug 3, 2012)

CK-1 said:


> Cedar is the best smelling wood.. When splitting and burning..


 
I would add in cherry and apple wood as well . . . those three wood types always make my wood production times suffer as I am constantly stopping to pick up and sniff the split . . . I cannot help myself . . . I'm a wood addict.


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## clemsonfor (Aug 3, 2012)

I like cedar, but clearly i dont have the right sense receptors or the ones you have, i think cherry is one of the stinken-ist woods there is. I cant stand the smell!


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## KYrob (Aug 3, 2012)

I'm into my second cord of white oak for the past week and some of it splits easy and some just squishes apart.  Some of it is straight grained and some has the look of what my son called cow hair.  It's tiny curls about nickel size that are woven together kinda like the hair on a herefords forehead..  It is tough stuff, even for the hydraulics.  Never seen wood grain like it before.  Tree was over 8 feet through but was rotten inside.  Was guessed at over 200 years old and had limbs that were 3 feet through.  I hated to see it come down but we are making good use of it.  Had straight line winds of 70 mph that caused it to fall.  If it had of been solid, not sure if anything could have dropped it. I bet the squirrels are going to miss it as it could sure drop the acorns.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 3, 2012)

osagebow said:


> Plus sass is fun to split - and doesn't rot if left on the ground for a few years.


 
And that is another reason why you can use them for fence posts.


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## Cascade Failure (Aug 3, 2012)

CK-1 said:


> Cedar is the best smelling wood..  When splitting and burning..




Agreed, and lights REALLY easily.


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## CK-1 (Aug 13, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> must've been dead for quite a while if its seasoned already. Green white oak, you're liking at at LEAST two to three full years before its at its peak. That stuff takes longer than any other wood to season.


 
When first split, she was pretty green and HEAVY.  This was the first cord I split.   Now, due to the drought causing heat we have been having the cord is pretty much dry.   Has that nice light gray color and is much lighter.  Had some in my smoker last weekend..  She ready!.


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## cptoneleg (Aug 13, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Okay....


 

O K what my Foot


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## Woody Stover (Aug 13, 2012)

CK-1 said:


> due to the drought causing heat we have been having the cord is pretty much dry. Has that nice light gray color and is much lighter. Had some in my smoker last weekend.. She ready!.


It was around 100*, windy and 30% humidity here for a couple months but I don't expect my White (a live blow-down) to be at a moisture content that I want to burn (like 16% or so.) Maybe I will be surprised but I doubt it. If I lived in the desert southwest, maybe it would be dry enough for me in one Summer...
Was that wood sizzling when you burned it in the smoker?

And yes, it was kinda stringy when I split it. I ended up using the power splitter.


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Aug 14, 2012)

There's actually no point in wearing yourself out on that stringy wood.

Just put it in a trailer, and I'll get rid of that nusance for you. Tell me how much you're bringing, I'll have an equal amount of Aspen waiting for you.

I promise, you won't have much trouble splitting the Aspen. I bet even a Fiskars could do it if you put your mind to it


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## Nixon (Aug 14, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> I love it but I also think Sassafras smells even better. Cedar is certainly lighter so if you have to carry it....


But then black birch smells even better ,and burn better than both of those . ;-)


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 15, 2012)

Nixon, I hope someday to get some black birch as it sounds really nice. None around here though.


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## Nixon (Aug 15, 2012)

Dennis , I got it quite by accident . The guy I normally get poles from said he hada triable load that he'd lrt me have for $500. 
So I looked it up because I was thinking it would be like aspen ! As luck would have it ,I cant locate any more .....:-(


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## Puffins (Aug 15, 2012)

lukem said:


> In my experience it will get hard to split with time, not easier. Seems like that fresh cut end is the key to getting it to "pop"....once it dries out it just dents with the maul.
> 
> Even if it is harder to split its still worth it...you'll burn a lot less compared to some easier splitting woods because of all those cooped up BTUs.


 
Agreed.  I had 4 white oaks taken down in April.  I have some of the larger rounds still left to split.  I was out this weekend hacking away and my 8lb maul was bouncing off them.  When they were freshly cut, I was popping right through them - large or small, even when they were sitting on the ground.


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## bigoakhunter (Aug 15, 2012)

I have been splitting some Ash that was killed by Emerald Ash Borers... this wood is very stringy and hard to split, much like white oak. Luckily my splitter can handle it. even though it creeks and graoans and sometimes sounds like fingernails on a chalk board when trying to split the stringy portions!


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## CK-1 (Aug 16, 2012)

Woody Stover said:


> It was around 100*, windy and 30% humidity here for a couple months but I don't expect my White (a live blow-down) to be at a moisture content that I want to burn (like 16% or so.) Maybe I will be surprised but I doubt it. If I lived in the desert southwest, maybe it would be dry enough for me in one Summer...
> Was that wood sizzling when you burned it in the smoker?
> 
> And yes, it was kinda stringy when I split it. I ended up using the power splitter.


 
I took a few split pieces of the seasoned oak and made some kindles with my Huskee.   Placed some of the kindles in the smoker for some ribs... No sissle just alot of heat.   Had to open all my vents to bring the temps down a bit.


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Aug 22, 2012)

bigoakhunter said:


> I have been splitting some Ash that was killed by Emerald Ash Borers... this wood is very stringy and hard to split, much like white oak. Luckily my splitter can handle it. even though it creeks and graoans and sometimes sounds like fingernails on a chalk board when trying to split the stringy portions!


  Hmmm . . . split hard to, this Ash, like to see, I would . . .


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## firefighterjake (Aug 23, 2012)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:


> Hmmm . . . split hard to, this Ash, like to see, I would . . .


 
I agree . . . most of the ash I've split has split like butter with very few strings. Granted, it has been all live-cut ash though.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 23, 2012)

bigoakhunter said:


> I have been splitting some Ash that was killed by Emerald Ash Borers... this wood is very stringy and hard to split, much like white oak. Luckily my splitter can handle it. even though it creeks and graoans and sometimes sounds like fingernails on a chalk board when trying to split the stringy portions!


 
Wow! I've split many, many cord of ash and only very occasionally will I get one log that is stringy. Most of the time the wedge gets into the ash log about an inch or two and it is done! Splitting with axe or maul, one swing usually gets the job done.


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## BrotherBart (Aug 23, 2012)

Yeah. That sounds like he is splitting Sweet Gum.


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