And it wasn't even *that* green. It was a fresh, but standing dead that I dropped this winter and finally drug out of the bush this July. I gave up trying to split some of it as I just kept ending up with a tangled mess of wood fibers.
This is why I don't split green elm in the summer
- Thread starter Longknife
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johneh
Minister of Fire
Don't matter how dry some of it always looks like that.
When it is dry enough to burn supplies it's on kindling
When it is dry enough to burn supplies it's on kindling
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Dug8498
Feeling the Heat
I laughed as I read this because I was just splitting some elm about 3 hours ago. I borrowed a splitter from a buddy and although it is splitting everything, many were splitting looking just like your pics. I hope it at least burns nicely... I’ve never dealt with elm before and hope not to again
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Sawset
Minister of Fire
For a long time I split just about everything here by hand. Would rent a splitter for what I couldn't get through. Rarely was elm on the left to do pile. Wait till it freezes solid and it would usually pop apart. White oak, now that can be a mess thats tough even in ice cube form.
I've split many pieces of Elm that did not end up that way. The ones that did usually had a lot of moisture in them.
I used to split a fair bit by hand (still will from time to time if I have a surplus... of time) and I managed to get through *most* of the elm when splitting in the dead of winter. Add some knots and crotches to the gnarly grain though, and I ended up throwing in the towel more than a couple of times. I learned to not fight it after awhile and would just noodle it with the saw.
There's never less than a few cord of elm in my stacks every year, as it has been pretty well my whole life growing up burning wood (due to Dutch Elm disease).
Chas0218
Minister of Fire
That looks like some miserable stuff. I don't have much elm around me and the stuff that is dead standing has no bark and splits easy because it has been dead for a long time.
I split some rock elm that is maybe a little worse than that! Pissed out water as the wedge went in. Happy splitting 
johneh
Minister of Fire
American Elm is the reason I bought a hydro splitter.
I have been cutting it out of my fence lines for 40 years
It grows to be a beautiful tree then Dutch Elm disease does it in
Half decent firewood .
I have been cutting it out of my fence lines for 40 years
It grows to be a beautiful tree then Dutch Elm disease does it in
Half decent firewood .
Beer Belly
Minister of Fire
But I won’t be outside in the cold splitting any kind of wood, especially when it’s -20. I’ll be inside with the stove going with the dogs enjoying it’s radiant heat right in front of it. Most of the elm I split up here doesn’t get too messy when it’s warm out and I can stack it no problem. Besides I don’t have my splitter set up with tranny fluid to run in the winter.... it rests for the season.
I appreciate the heat from the stove when I run across pieces like this from the stacks.
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
Look on the bright side..it has the kindling built in!
