# Splitting oak



## ruserious2008 (Jun 10, 2011)

Well got my first oak tree score cut up, hauled and in the yard. It was dropped just 2 weeks ago. Damn this stuff is solid! I can hit it with a sharp axe and it bounces off like its granite! No wonder its so freaking heavy and has all them nice little BTU's locked inside
What should I do with these chunks? These are for my 2014-2015 pile and I was wondering if they seasoned as say 20" long chunks (anywhere from 8" to 30" in diameter) for a year are they going to be any easier to split or harder? Haven't tried them with my manual 10 ton splitter but if they only get harder to split thinking I'll save them until I have enough wood to rent a splitter again. What do you guys do with oak? Split right away or wait?
Thanks


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## mywaynow (Jun 10, 2011)

My experience with Red Oak is that it will start to split itself after drying for 6 months or so.  This exposes the weak spots and helps a ton in identifying where to smack it.  3 1/2 years away to burn gives you time.  Let them dry, just keep them off the ground.  It will get easier.


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## Dune (Jun 10, 2011)

Must not be red. Red oak is easy to split. White is a lot tougher. Of course an ax doesn't make a great splitter anyhow IMHO.


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## Thistle (Jun 10, 2011)

Red & Black Oak is normally easier than White or Bur Oak when both are equal size.White as a general rule isnt quite as straight grained,the fibers have more resistance & is stringy at times.Red splits especially easy when its froze,whether green or 4yrs dead.Most of the Red/Black I split from 7" to 14" or so does easily with the X25 or 5lb Plumb double bit.Larger and/or ones with larger knots/spiral grain need the big maul or sledge/wedges to bust 'em up.


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## Remmy122 (Jun 10, 2011)

I use the wedge and sledge on some 24" rounds with little trouble. split it in half and went to town with the maul, worked out just fine for me.


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## weatherguy (Jun 10, 2011)

If you want to be a serious scrounger you need tools of the trade. Get a Fiskars, an 8lb sledge and some wedges. I was splitting freshly cut red oak with a splitting maul and it was doable, then I got the X25 and it was childs play. The big rounds split easily with the maul and a wedge, once split the Fiskars does the rest. Ive been using a chain with a bungee, a tire would work too.


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## dave11 (Jun 10, 2011)

I'm not sure why some people insist on classifying the ease of splitting wood based upon its species. The straightness of the grain and the presence of knots makes far more difference than the species of wood. If he's splitting wood with uneven grain and lots of knots, it will be hard to split, whether red oak or white. Or poplar.

If  you've got nice straight lengths without branching or knots, it will split easy, for the most part. Yes, elm is stringy.


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## Dune (Jun 10, 2011)

dave11 said:
			
		

> I'm not sure why some people insist on classifying the ease of splitting wood based upon its species. The straightness of the grain and the presence of knots makes far more difference than the species of wood. If he's splitting wood with uneven grain and lots of knots, it will be hard to split, whether red oak or white. Or poplar.
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> If  you've got nice straight lengths without branching or knots, it will split easy, for the most part. Yes, elm is stringy.



A straight grained piece of white oak is harder to split than a knotty peice of red oak. It is just a fact. White oak wants to stay in one peice, red doesn't care.


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## Thistle (Jun 10, 2011)

Dune said:
			
		

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+1 Absolutely.


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## lukem (Jun 10, 2011)

Red oak is about as easy as it gets in my experience.  Even the knotty pieces are workable with some effort.  

If it is a really nasty knot, a wedge or hydraulics are a requirement regardless of species.


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## oldspark (Jun 10, 2011)

Thistle said:
			
		

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 Me too!


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## Backwoods Savage (Jun 10, 2011)

dave11 said:
			
		

> I'm not sure why some people insist on classifying the ease of splitting wood based upon its species. The straightness of the grain and the presence of knots makes far more difference than the species of wood. If he's splitting wood with uneven grain and lots of knots, it will be hard to split, whether red oak or white. Or poplar.
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> If  you've got nice straight lengths without branching or knots, it will split easy, for the most part. Yes, elm is stringy.



It is because most speak in generalities. For example, let's take elm. One of the hardest woods to split there are. Yet, I could also say it is very easy to split. The reason is that ours does not grow in the open so is not so twisted and I also wait until the tree is dead before cutting. Cut that same tree green and it is hard work for any hydraulic splitter. 

The same goes for ash. One of the very easiest woods to split there are (and that is why they generally make poor 2 x 4's when milled). Yet, every now and then we'll get an ash that splits hard. But, generally, ash is still one of the easiest. 

It is simply a given that if the wood is twisted and/or knotty, it will split hard. So it is still correct to say that one type of wood will split easier than the other. Like so many other things, there are exceptions but we don't base our opinions on the exceptions.


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## mywaynow (Jun 10, 2011)

I agree you can generally speak about splitting charectoristics and be correct most of the time.  The post was describing a piece of oak that was difficult to split.  This can be true for many reasons from time of cutting to grain to size.  Large Red Oaks I have worked on were very difficult to break down prior to them drying.  The size alone was what made them tough.  Still stand behind the "let it dry" statement.  It will start to split itself.


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## jeff_t (Jun 10, 2011)

A tall, straight red oak from a woodlot will fall apart. A three footer from somebody's yard is a completely different story.


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## Kenster (Jun 10, 2011)

I have an abundance of water oak - which is a black oak- around here.  I love that stuff.  Very straight grain (for the most part) and easy to split.  Burns good, too!


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## CTburning (Jun 11, 2011)

I have split around 15 cords of Red and White Oak by hand and overall Red is definitely easier.  Through trial and error I have found that letting rounds sit on gravel for six months before splitting makes them much easier to split.  I cut and split in Spring and Fall so either I cut in Spring and split in Fall or vice versa.  When green the axe or Friskars sticks in the softer wet wood.  Let it dry for six months and you can visualize the weak spots.  Lastly get the right tool for the job.  After I purchased the Friskars, I realized how inefficient the axe is.  The Friskars slips in between the fibers and pops them apart.  

Just don't wait too long on drying, after more than a year some of the twisted stuff can get hard as a rock and that is no fun to split.


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## oldspark (Jun 11, 2011)

I have always found that green wood splits easily (except elm), surprises me that some of you seem to have problems with it, that includes Burr oak, ash, maple, locust and mulberry. That was all split by a old style 6 lb maul for over 25 years.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jun 12, 2011)

I'm with oldspark.


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## Remmy122 (Jun 12, 2011)

weatherguy said:
			
		

> Ive been using a chain with a bungee, a tire would work too.



do you (or any one else) have a pic of the chain and bungee? Im very curious in this contraption.


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## weatherguy (Jun 12, 2011)

Remmy122 said:
			
		

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This guy uses a rope and bungee, either way works, make sure you walk around the round and split it the way this guy does or you end up splitting the bungee/rope, I found that out the hard way, hehe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAOYLMU1Wc

heres another

http://www.wimp.com/chopwood/


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## ecocavalier02 (Jun 12, 2011)

jeff_t said:
			
		

> A tall, straight red oak from a woodlot will fall apart. A three footer from somebody's yard is a completely different story.


 +1 try a 4 or 5 footer. there almost not even worth the time. i went through 2 cords of a huge piece of oak with the splitter and it was harder than splitting the elm i did by hand a couple years ago.


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