# Larger versus Small Split Wood - Locust Nightmare Scenario



## GoodJBoy (Jul 12, 2013)

Hi Everyone,

We just recently had a high efficiency fireplace installed in our home.  This will be our first winter trying to heat our home with wood.

I had a question about the wood size.  I am in the process of chopping wood (mostly seasoned dried locust - can you say hell on earth?) and I was wondering what the difference is if I cut the pieces small versus large?  In other words, if I throw a quarter round of a log into the fireplace what is the difference versus a bunch of smaller pieces?

Translation - I am killing myself on this seasoned locust wood to make smaller pieces and I just want to quarter the logs now and throw in larger pieces into the fireplace this winter.  The wood is bone dry.  It must be years old.  Anyone who has experience with locust knows that you got to cut it when it is fresh because the drier it gets, the harder it is to split.  This stuff is like cement.  I had one piece about 18" wide by 8" deep and I pounded to steel pegs into the wood to split it into two 9" pieces.  It didn't split even though two pegs were pounded all the way through!  And I still could not pull the two pieces apart by hand!  It is the plague of the locust all over again!  lol  I learned my lesson and next time I am ordering fresh logs of locust.

Thanks!


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## Mason coal burner (Jul 12, 2013)

I Don't know much about locust but it sounds like splitting elm . Fresh cut is definitely easier . How big are the rounds ? Sounds like time to rent a splitter .


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## rideau (Jul 12, 2013)

If hand splitting, you might get a couple of twisted wedges.   I find they work better.  You can get them from Lee Valley over the internet.  Other places have them also.  They are not cheap for wedges (maybe $38) but they save a ton of work (literally).  I have one I have used for about ten years and although the striking surface (which is large for a wedge) sure shows the usage it has had, it is still just fine. 

And how small you can cut them, if they are really bone dry, is only limited by how big your stove loading door is.  Bigger burns slower and longer.  Huge really dry really dense wood will give you incredible burn time.  Use during cold weather, but not the bone chilling 30 below weather...then you want to be able to burn the wood a bit faster to get more heat per hour.  So for that weather, split a bit once more, to half the size that will go through the door....


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## Jags (Jul 12, 2013)

What insert do you have?  My suggestion for a 1.7 cuft stove wouldn't be the same as for a cavernous blaze king or Summit.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 12, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> We just recently had a high efficiency fireplace installed in our home. This will be our first winter trying to heat our home with wood.
> 
> ...


 
Welcome to the forum GoodJBoy.

Can you explain how this wood was "seasoned" please? We don't normally consider any wood seasoned until it has been split and stacked. If it has been in log length rather than firewood length, then you might be surprised at how much moisture is still in the wood. Along with this thought, it will be good if you keep this in mind; most wood needs a year or more after being split and stacked outdoor, preferably in the wind. Sun will help for drying the wood but wind is your best friend. The reason for the caution on the wood is that most new wood burners really do not understand the importance of having good dry wood. Many of them buy their wood thinking that the wood will be ready to burn. Even the sellers will tell them it is. Never believe it! If buying, buy well before it is needed so you can get rid of that moisture in the wood. Until we learn how to burn water, dry wood will rule. Good luck.


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## begreen (Jul 12, 2013)

I have not found locust to be a hard splitting wood so I am surprised to hear this. Larger splits will burn slower, but that is not a problem when refilling a stove on a coal bed. It's actually a benefit if the goal is a longer burn. Use the smaller splits to start the fire.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 12, 2013)

begreen said:


> I have not found locust to be a hard splitting wood so I am surprised to hear this. Larger splits will burn slower, but that is not a problem when refilling a stove on a coal bed. It's actually a benefit if the goal is a longer burn. Use the smaller splits to start the fire.


I agree and feel the same way, the black locust I split was 18" in length and quite large in diameter and they split quite easily for me, let me see if I can find a pic of it....
	

		
			
		

		
	




These were average size , I also had larger ones, all easy to split, can you post a picture of what you got?


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 12, 2013)

As far as split size goes, you should have a whole lot of all different sizes, the more the better...if you cut all small, you will burn quickly, more loading involved


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## bogydave (Jul 13, 2013)

Got any pictures you can post ?

Like said , locust usually splits relatively easy. 
Get it at least split in 1/2 & stacked so it dries even more.

If it's as dry as you say, you won't need small splits ;
1/2s  & 1/4s splits burn great when dry


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## oldspark (Jul 13, 2013)

Locust is a very dense wood so it does not burn like a less dense wood same as Oak so I can see where it might be a problem.


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## Wingman (Jul 13, 2013)

I split a deadstanding BL and it was a pain in the butt.  Worth it, but pain in the butt.


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## Woody Stover (Jul 13, 2013)

Is the bark already gone, or at least falling off of this wood now? I've split some that was very dry, down around 16% on the moisture meter, and it wasn't too hard to split. The rounds weren't huge though....maybe like 12" at the biggest.


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## HDRock (Jul 13, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> I pounded to steel pegs into the wood to split it


What are these steel pegs U speak of ?


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## HDRock (Jul 13, 2013)

Once I get a good crack like this ,I have a 42" pry bar I use to finish the job, and some times a hatchet to cut the thin wood still holding.


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## bogydave (Jul 13, 2013)

Look like some of the wedges are railroad spikes ?


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## paul bunion (Jul 13, 2013)

An 8" round should be easy to split no matter what unless it has knots in it.  Once you get to the knots and crotches all bets are off.   There are pieces of wood that are downright impossible to split by hand.    Are you looking for pre-existing cracks in the wood to split along.  Starting your split at the edge and working across.  And not bothering to try to split through a knot or a crotch?   Another technique for incorrigible pieces of wood it to peel them like an onion,  go round them whacking off pieces parallel to the bark, not across the log.  That allows you to get the 'easy meat' off of the knotty ones.


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## red oak (Jul 13, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> We just recently had a high efficiency fireplace installed in our home. This will be our first winter trying to heat our home with wood.
> 
> ...


 

Welcome to the forum GoodJBoy! 

Locust is primo firewood - burns great!  I don't have much where I am but what I have had has split relatively easy.  Are you using a maul, or just the sledge and wedge?  As others have said, avoid the knots, I try to split around them whenever I can.

As for your original question, try to get a mix of sizes for your splits.  Smaller ones for getting the fire going, larger ones for longer or overnight burns. 

I have a small pile now of pieces that are full of knots that I'm going to take the chainsaw to.  You can cut pieces in half, for example that 8" piece you mention could be cut into 2 4" sections that will split easier.  Or you can split it with the saw itself, commonly called noodling due to the shape of the chips that the saw spits out.  Or you can rent a splitter for a day for those uncooperative pieces.  All would be easier than killing yourself over some really hard to split pieces.


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## Bret Chase (Jul 13, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> Translation - I am killing myself on this seasoned locust wood to make smaller pieces
> Thanks!


 

Just get into a fight with your significant other.... I have found that any wood cleaves like pine after that.... lol...


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## ansehnlich1 (Jul 13, 2013)

that ain't locust, it's a big old hickory


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## Nick Mystic (Jul 14, 2013)

At my previous house I had a friend with a saw mill cut me a bunch of 4x4 posts out of a locust tree we cut down. The wood was still fairly green when I started building a wood shed with it, but I couldn't pound a 16 penny nail into it without bending! I had to drill all my nail holes, which was a lot of extra work. When I cut down a number of locust trees on my property for firewood I don't recall having any particular trouble splitting it when it was green.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

rideau said:


> If hand splitting, you might get a couple of twisted wedges. I find they work better. You can get them from Lee Valley over the internet. Other places have them also. They are not cheap for wedges (maybe $38) but they save a ton of work (literally). I have one I have used for about ten years and although the striking surface (which is large for a wedge) sure shows the usage it has had, it is still just fine.
> 
> And how small you can cut them, if they are really bone dry, is only limited by how big your stove loading door is. Bigger burns slower and longer. Huge really dry really dense wood will give you incredible burn time. Use during cold weather, but not the bone chilling 30 below weather...then you want to be able to burn the wood a bit faster to get more heat per hour. So for that weather, split a bit once more, to half the size that will go through the door....


 
 Thanks so much for your advice!  It was really helpful and I am going to look into those wedges.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

Mason coal burner said:


> I Don't know much about locust but it sounds like splitting elm . Fresh cut is definitely easier . How big are the rounds ? Sounds like time to rent a splitter .


 
I do have some elm wood mixed into the bunch of dried hardwoods I ordered.  The elm is very hard to split but you can split it.  When it comes to real old locust wood, it can't be split with an axe.  The only way you can split it by hand is with a sledge hammer and pegs.  There is not a human on this earth that can hand split the old dried logs of locust I have.  I don't care how big and strong they are and how good of an axe they have.  It isn't happening. Elm is a walk in the park compared to this stuff and elm is challenging to split.

I am holding off on getting a wood splitter because one of the main reason I bought the wood was for exercise.  I found that traditional methods of exercise are boring to me and I don't keep up the routine.  It is like swallowing bad medicine.  But, I love splitting wood, even if I got to use a sledge hammer and pegs.  It is a lot of fun and it is great exercise.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

Jags said:


> What insert do you have? My suggestion for a 1.7 cuft stove wouldn't be the same as for a cavernous blaze king or Summit.


 
I got a Napolean NZ-26.  My house is about 1800 square feet with around 800 square feet on the first floor where the fireplace is and another 1000 square feet on the second floor.  They also installed a vent that I can open and close to let the heat naturally poor into the upstairs.  We shall see how well this heats the house this winter.  Our house is insulated very well with new windows and doors so I am hoping that this fireplace, rated up to 2000 square feet, will handle the job.  We shall see.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Welcome to the forum GoodJBoy.
> 
> Can you explain how this wood was "seasoned" please? We don't normally consider any wood seasoned until it has been split and stacked. If it has been in log length rather than firewood length, then you might be surprised at how much moisture is still in the wood. Along with this thought, it will be good if you keep this in mind; most wood needs a year or more after being split and stacked outdoor, preferably in the wind. Sun will help for drying the wood but wind is your best friend. The reason for the caution on the wood is that most new wood burners really do not understand the importance of having good dry wood. Many of them buy their wood thinking that the wood will be ready to burn. Even the sellers will tell them it is. Never believe it! If buying, buy well before it is needed so you can get rid of that moisture in the wood. Until we learn how to burn water, dry wood will rule. Good luck.


 
Thanks for teaching me about the term "seasoned" and what it includes.  I am new to this and I am learning a lot.  I got a lot of locust logs.  Yesterday, I took a round that was over 24" in diameter and put a peg in the middle of it and it split fairly easily.  I noticed the wood color was browner that the other locust logs.  This log was much much easier to deal with.  It split good.  It was challenging but doable. 

The other locust logs I got are gray instead of brown.  They are obviously very old and completely dry.  So you are saying that the wood normally needs to be split and then it has to sit for a year?  Wow!  I thought the wood just had to be cut a year before and then split anytime after that.  It makes sense that it has to be split for large logs where the moisture is trapped in the middle.  This changes everything for me now.  We have a small yard and now I got a bunch of wood that isn't going to be ready until next winter.  Oh well... this should be the worst problems we have in life!  LOL

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me.  It is greatly appreciated.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> I agree and feel the same way, the black locust I split was 18" in length and quite large in diameter and they split quite easily for me, let me see if I can find a pic of it....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for posting the picture.  I have to get a picture of the wood I have.  The bark looks just like what you have but the logs I have are about 24" in diameter, give or take a few inches.  I have made it through most of them.  Yesterday I split one easily.  The wood was obviously more moist.  If you would like to have a learning experience, take some locust wood and let it sit in log form for a few years until the wood is bone dry.  Then, try to split it.  You can split a cement sidewalk easier.  LOL  I will try and post something later this week.  I have technical difficulties with my camera that need fixing and also I don't have the internet at home.  Only in the office.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


> Is the bark already gone, or at least falling off of this wood now? I've split some that was very dry, down around 16% on the moisture meter, and it wasn't too hard to split. The rounds weren't huge though....maybe like 12" at the biggest.


 
My rounds are around 24" give or take a few inches.  The bark comes off easily.  I don't have moisture meter yet.  I have hand split different kinds of woods and usually there is some moisture in the woods that gets squeezed out when you drop the axe into it.  Most of this locust is bone dry.  No moisture comes out when I sink the axe in.


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## Jags (Jul 15, 2013)

Couple of things here.  This is a 1.7 cuft fireplace - not a large stove (meaning - keep your heating expectations reasonable).  Heating 1800 sqft from a stand alone stove will have its challenges, an insert will be even more challenging.  This fireplace does have the availability to hook directly to forced air ductwork, if that is an option.  This may allow for better heat distribution.

With a smaller stove, I think it would be very important to have a variety of split sizes.  You will want some larger pieces for the long burns and you will want some smaller splits to help you take advantage of every square inch of firebox you have (think "packing" the stove).


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## Jags (Jul 15, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> Most of this locust is bone dry. No moisture comes out when I sink the axe in.


 
Please do not consider this the "test" to base water content.  It will fool you for sure.  I gar-own-tee it.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

paul bunion said:


> An 8" round should be easy to split no matter what unless it has knots in it. Once you get to the knots and crotches all bets are off. There are pieces of wood that are downright impossible to split by hand. Are you looking for pre-existing cracks in the wood to split along. Starting your split at the edge and working across. And not bothering to try to split through a knot or a crotch? Another technique for incorrigible pieces of wood it to peel them like an onion, go round them whacking off pieces parallel to the bark, not across the log. That allows you to get the 'easy meat' off of the knotty ones.


 

Thanks for the advice.  I do look for natural cracks and I have also used the onion peeling method on a few logs of other kinds of wood.  The locust wood I have is essentially free of knots.  It is bone dry.  I take a metal peg and put it onto one of those natural cracks and sledge hammer it all the way in through the bottom of the log.  The whole log starts splitting and making noises but there are lots of strains of wood (1/2" to 2" in width) that make waves back and forth between the two split pieces.  So even though the peg went all the way through the wood and there are no connecting pieces in that spot, the rest of the wood is stuck together with these strands.  Even with the peg all the way through, it is impossible for any human being to pry apart the two pieces yet.  In order to get the two pieces apart, you have to pound the pegs through the remaining strands and use the axe to get the remaining strands.  I also stick my sledge hammer in between the two pieces and use it as a lever to try and pry it apart.  That helps too.

When it comes to those really dry pieces, I don't care how big and strong, how good of an axe and what techniques people have, there is not a human being alive that can split this stuff with just an axe using traditional methods.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

ansehnlich1 said:


> that ain't locust, it's a big old hickory


 
I have to get a picture of it.  The guy that sold it to me told me it was locust and there are a bunch of locust trees around here and the bark looks exactly the same.  Maybe I am wrong though as I am a newbie.  I have to get a picture for everyone.  Maybe I will even post a movie of me trying to split this stuff.  It will be very funny to watch.


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## Big Donnie Brasco (Jul 15, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> When it comes to those really dry pieces, I don't care how big and strong, how good of an axe and what techniques people have, there is not a human being alive that can split this stuff with just an axe using traditional methods.


 
I could split it


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## rideau (Jul 15, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> Thanks for the advice. I do look for natural cracks and I have also used the onion peeling method on a few logs of other kinds of wood. The locust wood I have is essentially free of knots. It is bone dry. I take a metal peg and put it onto one of those natural cracks and sledge hammer it all the way in through the bottom of the log. The whole log starts splitting and making noises but there are lots of strains of wood (1/2" to 2" in width) that make waves back and forth between the two split pieces. So even though the peg went all the way through the wood and there are no connecting pieces in that spot, the rest of the wood is stuck together with these strands. Even with the peg all the way through, it is impossible for any human being to pry apart the two pieces yet. In order to get the two pieces apart, you have to pound the pegs through the remaining strands and use the axe to get the remaining strands. I also stick my sledge hammer in between the two pieces and use it as a lever to try and pry it apart. That helps too.
> 
> When it comes to those really dry pieces, I don't care how big and strong, how good of an axe and what techniques people have, there is not a human being alive that can split this stuff with just an axe using traditional methods.


 
What fun.  This sounds like what ironwood does.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 15, 2013)

HDRock said:


> What are these steel pegs U speak of ?


 
I am a newbie to having a fireplace and I start splitting wood in the fall last year after I got a bunch of free wood from Hurricane Sandy.  People had trees down everywhere and they would have tree services come and cut them into smaller logs and the town went around picking up the wood for trash.  I went around with my car getting as much free wood I could.  I got mostly oak and birch and some sycamore (which is another fun wood to cut like dried locust).  I got myself a Fiskars super splitter axe and a one man 5' cross cut saw off of eBay. 

So, to answer your question, those steel pegs are a newbie's incorrect way of saying steel wedges.  I got four metal wedges.


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## Jags (Jul 15, 2013)

"Splitting wedges" is common terminology for these.  Why define them?  Well, there are also felling wedges, and they are usually plastic.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 15, 2013)

Mine was yellow in the center and then turned reddish as it stArted to dry


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## Woody Stover (Jul 15, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> The other locust logs I got are gray instead of brown. They are obviously very old and completely dry. So you are saying that the wood normally needs to be split and then it has to sit for a year?





GoodJBoy said:


> The bark comes off easily. I don't have moisture meter yet. I have hand split different kinds of woods and usually there is some moisture in the woods that gets squeezed out when you drop the axe into it. Most of this locust is bone dry. No moisture comes out when I sink the axe in.





Jags said:


> Please do not consider this the "test" to base water content. It will fool you for sure. I gar-own-tee it.


Yes, Oak needs to be split and stacked in the wind for at least two years before it will get dry enough to burn well, most other woods may be close to ready after a year in the stack.
Some of the BL I got, that was lying on the ground with no bark and only 4-5" in diameter, was actually brown _inside on a fresh split._ That stuff was down to about 16% moisture when tested with the meter....super dry.
Just because water doesn't squish out when you split it, doesn't mean that it's dry enough to burn well. The fact that some of the pieces are brown or gray on the end is a hopeful sign; You _may_ have some stuff that will burn acceptably. As you split, try to get a feel for the weight of the wood splits. Within the same specie, heavier pieces will contain more moisture, obviously. Separate the lighter, drier pieces out so you can burn those first. A cheap moisture meter can be a big help the first year in trying to determine what is dry enough to burn acceptably and produce good heat in the modern stoves.
If you use the search feature you can find several strategies for dealing with wood that isn't quite dry enough to burn well. You might be able to obtain wood from dead standing trees, which can be pretty dry in the top section where the branches are smaller, and mix that in with your loads. You can get some type of wood that will dry in several months, like soft Maple, and split it small to speed drying. You can mix in pallet wood or Bio-Bricks (compressed-wood logs.)


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## ansehnlich1 (Jul 15, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> I have to get a picture of it. The guy that sold it to me told me it was locust and there are a bunch of locust trees around here and the bark looks exactly the same. Maybe I am wrong though as I am a newbie. I have to get a picture for everyone. Maybe I will even post a movie of me trying to split this stuff. It will be very funny to watch.


 
Oh man, my bad, I was looking at HDRock's picture there, must be sometimers settin' in 

Get ya some pictures up on here so us old guys don't get confused!


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## ScotO (Jul 15, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> I got a Napolean NZ-26. My house is about 1800 square feet with around 800 square feet on the first floor where the fireplace is and another 1000 square feet on the second floor. They also installed a vent that I can open and close to let the heat naturally poor into the upstairs. We shall see how well this heats the house this winter. Our house is insulated very well with new windows and doors so I am hoping that this fireplace, rated up to 2000 square feet, will handle the job. We shall see.


Not to change the subject, but how do you like your NZ-26?  I just finished installing my NZ-3000 this past winter and that baby throws the heat!  My install is in the link in my signature below...

Welcome to the clubhouse.  Yes, locust can be a real bugger to split when it dries out, but not all the time.  Kinda sounds like you may have some American elm there, or even possibly some hickory.  That stuff can be treacherous to split.   Just another reason I love my hydraulics....


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 17, 2013)

OK, I am planning I getting pictures soon.  I figured out how I ended up with these ancient locust logs.  When I placed my order for the wood, I asked for logs that needed to be split that would be seasoned and ready for burning by this October.  I placed that order in June.  I didn't know that you need to let the wood sit for a year (or two with oak) AFTER you split it.  I thought the logs just needed to sit for a year.  As a result, the guy I bought the logs from probably knows it needs to sit for a year after splitting and he probably picked out really old logs that he thought were all ready dried out.  After receiving the wood and splitting a lot of it, I told him that the locust could only be split with a sledge hammer and wedges and he told me that I needed to get Maple next time.  He knows I have a small yard and that I can't keep years worth of logs laying around seasoning.  I can store about 4 cords on my yard.  My home is 1800 square feet and well insulated.  I was told that 3.5 cords of seasoned wood would heat our home for the winter here in New Jersey.  Does that sound right?

BTW, the coolest thing happened the other day when I was splitting wood.  I got this log with some small holes in it and I split it.  When it split, millions of carpenter ants instantly appeared all over the wood.  It was like I popped a balloon full of carpenter ants.  That was really cool.


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## oldspark (Jul 17, 2013)

Well other then the splitting (surprises me that it splits that hard) he picked a wood that has low moisture content on the stump so it does dry fast for a hard wood, as far as drying time YRMV, here in Iowa I can dry wood much faster then reported by many. Single rows, wind, and sun are your friend plus smaller splits and shorter pieces will speed up the process.


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## oldspark (Jul 17, 2013)

3.5 cords for a well insulated house and a good stove should be about right, a good figure to use as a guide line IMHO, Locust does split easily when green with just a maul, split up a good size Locust tree a few years ago with no problems what so ever.


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## USMC80 (Jul 17, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> OK, I am planning I getting pictures soon. I figured out how I ended up with these ancient locust logs. When I placed my order for the wood, I asked for logs that needed to be split that would be seasoned and ready for burning by this October. I placed that order in June. I didn't know that you need to let the wood sit for a year (or two with oak) AFTER you split it. I thought the logs just needed to sit for a year. As a result, the guy I bought the logs from probably knows it needs to sit for a year after splitting and he probably picked out really old logs that he thought were all ready dried out. After receiving the wood and splitting a lot of it, I told him that the locust could only be split with a sledge hammer and wedges and he told me that I needed to get Maple next time. He knows I have a small yard and that I can't keep years worth of logs laying around seasoning. I can store about 4 cords on my yard. My home is 1800 square feet and well insulated. I was told that 3.5 cords of seasoned wood would heat our home for the winter here in New Jersey. Does that sound right?
> 
> BTW, the coolest thing happened the other day when I was splitting wood. I got this log with some small holes in it and I split it. When it split, millions of carpenter ants instantly appeared all over the wood. It was like I popped a balloon full of carpenter ants. That was really cool.


 

Before my new insert I was heating 1800 sq of poorly insulated house and inefficient wood furnace with about 4 cords so you should be fine


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## gzecc (Jul 17, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> OK, I am planning I getting pictures soon. I figured out how I ended up with these ancient locust logs. When I placed my order for the wood, I asked for logs that needed to be split that would be seasoned and ready for burning by this October. I placed that order in June. I didn't know that you need to let the wood sit for a year (or two with oak) AFTER you split it. I thought the logs just needed to sit for a year. As a result, the guy I bought the logs from probably knows it needs to sit for a year after splitting and he probably picked out really old logs that he thought were all ready dried out. After receiving the wood and splitting a lot of it, I told him that the locust could only be split with a sledge hammer and wedges and he told me that I needed to get Maple next time. He knows I have a small yard and that I can't keep years worth of logs laying around seasoning. I can store about 4 cords on my yard. My home is 1800 square feet and well insulated. I was told that 3.5 cords of seasoned wood would heat our home for the winter here in New Jersey. Does that sound right?
> 
> BTW, the coolest thing happened the other day when I was splitting wood. I got this log with some small holes in it and I split it. When it split, millions of carpenter ants instantly appeared all over the wood. It was like I popped a balloon full of carpenter ants. That was really cool.


 What town are you in?  Unfortunately you will never have sufficiently seasoned wood if you expect to get it delivered one yr or less in advance.


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## albert1029 (Jul 17, 2013)

Last year I got a small Buck wood stove after having an open fireplace. I had been burning Black Locust almost exclusively before I got the wood stove and last year after I got it. I use the small pieces to get the fire going and once it's up to temp the fat 16" pieces burn great. I burn only dry wood, if your wood is dry and if your fireplace is efficient, get the coals built up quickly with the smaller pieces and let the big pieces cruise.


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## OldLumberKid (Jul 17, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> I do have some elm wood mixed into the bunch of dried hardwoods I ordered. The elm is very hard to split but you can split it. When it comes to real old locust wood, it can't be split with an axe. The only way you can split it by hand is with a sledge hammer and pegs. There is not a human on this earth that can hand split the old dried logs of locust I have. I don't care how big and strong they are and how good of an axe they have. It isn't happening. Elm is a walk in the park compared to this stuff and elm is challenging to split.
> 
> I am holding off on getting a wood splitter because one of the main reason I bought the wood was for exercise. I found that traditional methods of exercise are boring to me and I don't keep up the routine. It is like swallowing bad medicine. But, I love splitting wood, even if I got to use a sledge hammer and pegs. It is a lot of fun and it is great exercise.


 

Ah would give the ole chainsaw some say in the matter, ask it if it feels like noodling today, and if the answer is in the affirmative, and you are copasetic, then noodle* (fun, fun, fun,) the bad boys in half — from there it should be a lot easier to split. Should be over quickly after that, with time to spare.

As for what to do with the pile of noodles, well if it's really hickory like ansehnlich1 suggested, well it is barbecue season.

* I am old, have no shame and noodle for pleasure.


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 18, 2013)

Here are the pictures of the wood I believe to be locust.  Not all the woods in this picture of locust.  In the one picture that I stacked a log (half chopped up) on the other, I believe those two pieces to be locust.  The wood is a little dirty but hopefully you can tell me what you guys think it is.  I can say that it is definitely not pine!  The pile of wood is a little over 5' tall at the highest point.  I have been saving the bark on the top right side of the pile because I heard that the bark burns real slow and hot and great for putting on the fire at the end of the night to help it burn long.  I don't know if that is true but if I heard it, then it must be true, right?  LOL


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## blujacket (Jul 18, 2013)

Not seeing Locust in those pics


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## GoodJBoy (Jul 18, 2013)

The wood in stringy and when I put a wedge into some of the logs, you can put the wedge all the way threw and the two halves are connected with lots of strings.  Could it be elm?


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## oldspark (Jul 18, 2013)

The picture on the right in the top row looks like Elm to me.


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## oldspark (Jul 18, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> The wood in stringy and when I put a wedge into some of the logs, you can put the wedge all the way threw and the two halves are connected with lots of strings. Could it be elm?


 Sure sounds like ELm, never heard of Locust being that stringy.


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## Woody Stover (Jul 18, 2013)

Pretty sure that's not Locust. Have you got some examples that you _did_ get split? Pics of fresh end grain (if you've got a saw) and fresh splits might help us with ID. Does the wood have a distinctive smell when split?
I happened to think, if you have a smaller round and no chain saw, maybe cut part of the end with a bow saw, then chip off the sawed piece with a maul to expose the end grain for pics?


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## paul bunion (Jul 18, 2013)

That is definitely not locust.  The bottom front piece looks like it could be maple.   I'm not sure of the stack of three in back but it looks like it has a lot of knots.   That will never be fun to split by hand.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 18, 2013)

And forget that statement about the bark at the end of the night. When night ends, burn wood. We burn bark only because it is on the wood. Some might save some bark to use as kindling wood but if the bark is off the wood, we use it for mulch or throwing in the trails in the woods (wet spots).


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## red oak (Jul 19, 2013)

paul bunion said:


> That is definitely not locust. The bottom front piece looks like it could be maple. I'm not sure of the stack of three in back but it looks like it has a lot of knots. That will never be fun to split by hand.


 
Knots will ruin any piece for splitting.  I have a small collection now of pieces that are full of knots that are being reserved for the chainsaw.  Usually I'll get a small pile of odd-shaped pieces that I use for campfires but they work fine in the stove also.  I'm just waiting for it to warm up a little before tackling them.


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## red oak (Jul 19, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> And forget that statement about the bark at the end of the night. When night ends, burn wood. We burn bark only because it is on the wood. Some might save some bark to use as kindling wood but if the bark is off the wood, we use it for mulch or throwing in the trails in the woods (wet spots).


 
As the wood dries a lot of bark just falls off.  I've used a lot for kindling over the years, I put it in a couple of large barrels and store them inside when cold weather hits.  If dry it works fine for this.  I've also started putting some on the walking paths in our garden as it seems to keep the weeds down fairly well.  Not a lot of heat in the bark, and definitely not long-lasting.


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## gzecc (Jul 19, 2013)

GoodJBoy said:


> Here are the pictures of the wood I believe to be locust. Not all the woods in this picture of locust. In the one picture that I stacked a log (half chopped up) on the other, I believe those two pieces to be locust. The wood is a little dirty but hopefully you can tell me what you guys think it is. I can say that it is definitely not pine! The pile of wood is a little over 5' tall at the highest point. I have been saving the bark on the top right side of the pile because I heard that the bark burns real slow and hot and great for putting on the fire at the end of the night to help it burn long. I don't know if that is true but if I heard it, then it must be true, right? LOL


 If you want to see a couple of cords of BL, I can show you in Bedminster NJ. Let me know.


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## Soundchasm (Jul 19, 2013)

I'll run into rounds out of the same tree that are impossible w/o extraordinary measures.  When I take a minute to examine them, I'll see a twist to the thing where the grain has a sort of barber pole thing going on.  For me, those are hydraulic - actually I mean a bigger hydraulic - candidates.  I've got one of those little electric splitters and have gotten very satisfying results.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 21, 2013)

this is black locust...


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