Easy splitting Red Oak

[Flatbedford]

I finally got some time to split the Red Oak I cut back in December. I loaded the truck back on December 16 and it has been sitting in the driveway loaded since then. This is what it looked like when I loaded it.

I got it down to this much yesterday.

I think it was 5 loads this big with new to me '72 IH Cub Cadet 149

I can't believe how easy this Red Oak is splitting. The tree went down about a year ago and these rounds were cut and quartered in December and they still split super easy. I made most splits one handed while holding the quarters with the other hand. I love this stuff! With the weather we've been having, this probably won't be burned until early 2015! This is the first winter that I have been able to fill in the stack as I burn. I brought a couple loads up to the front porch on the return trip from bringing these down from the driveway.
Stack when I started.

Stack after

It sure is a good feeling to be stacking wood for three years out almost as fast as I burn it.

 

[ScotO]

great job Flatbed! Looks good, perfect sized splits and I like your "new" Cub rig.......it is a good feeling to have three years worth of wood, isn't it? I'm in the same boat, I like having a couple years ahead....

 

[Flatbedford]

This is the farthest I have ever been ahead. I think I have enough unsplit wood at the house to fill all my stacks. This could be the first summer that I won't have to scrounge any wood. What the heck am I gonna do all summer?

 

[ScotO]

This is the farthest I have ever been ahead. I think I have enough unsplit wood at the house to fill all my stacks. This could be the first summer that I won't have to scrounge any wood. What the heck am I gonna do all summer?

work on the fourth and fifth years?!?! :lol:

 

[Flatbedford]

No room at my little suburban homestead for more than three years!

 

[ScotO]

Okay, I'll be up to pick it up! lol

 

[jeff_t]

(broken image removed)

You just wanted to show off that long pickeroon.

And yes, that straight-grained red oak is fun to play with.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That's great Steve. Now all you have to do from year to year is replace what you burned. It's sort of like an old pitcher pump. You had to pump like crazy after priming it but once you got the water coming, just some easy steady pressure is all it took to get more water. Same with your wood pile now. Just some easy steady pressure from year to year. The hardest work is done now.

 

[fox9988]

Red Oak is my favorite, cuts, splits, burns good---low ash, good btu's.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Really nice Steve makes ya feel good inside and warm outside ;-)

Pete

 

[Thistle]

About 70% of what I cut is dead Red/Black Oak.The vast majority up to 18" or so diameter is very easy to split,the X25 goes through it like a hot knife through butter.A few with larger knots and/or spiral/curly grain are more stubborn,they are set aside for the Monster Maul or sledge/wedges later on.

 

[red oak]

This is the farthest I have ever been ahead. I think I have enough unsplit wood at the house to fill all my stacks. This could be the first summer that I won't have to scrounge any wood. What the heck am I gonna do all summer?

That's great! I'm in exactly the same boat - looking at all wood processing done in March. Summer I can take a break from wood. Travel, work on projects around the house, have a few beers, and enjoy not cutting when it's 100 degrees.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

Yes splitting Red Oak is sweet, and yet you are dealing with some serious BTUs, be it a few years out. I hurt my elbow about 4 months ago any putting off splitting for awhile, but I still think I can split Red Oak. I have some White Oak that scares me.

 

[Ironwood]

Red Oak is burning in my stove now. My stack from three years ago is mostly Red Oak. Good splitting and burning. My only negative is I don't like the smell. White Oak smells good to me like Bourbon.

 

[corey21]

Nice setup and you have sone good wood.

I love red oak it just takes so long to season.

 

[pinewoodburner]

Red oak has got to be one of the easiest splitting wooing out there. You got to be happy being three years out.

 

[firefighterjake]

That's great Steve. Now all you have to do from year to year is replace what you burned. It's sort of like an old pitcher pump. You had to pump like crazy after priming it but once you got the water coming, just some easy steady pressure is all it took to get more water. Same with your wood pile now. Just some easy steady pressure from year to year. The hardest work is done now.

+1 . . . once you're ahead of the game the pressure is most definitely off and you'll find yourself truly enjoying the scrounging/processing "work" when you know you don't have to work like a mad man to get in the same amount of wood.

And yeah . . . had the opportunity to split up some oak a year or so ago . . . I couldn't believe how easy it split . . . ended up hand splitting some of it just for fun since it was splitting so easily.

 

[Flatbedford]

This stuff is so easy that there is no way a hydro splitter could split as fast as I can by hand. This is 80% one hand splitting! I'm not even getting much exercise out of this! I have about a cord more of this, then onto some Ash and more Black Locust. More easy work ahead. I'm gonna get fatter!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

But everybody can't split wood as good as you can Steve! Some of us really need the help of the hydraulics. ;-)

 

[ecocavalier02]

i like the tractor. thats a nice little rig. i need to pick up a toy like that. but i think mine will be a small size tractor or quad.

 

[Flatbedford]

Dennis, I am sure that you could split this wood by hand. My mother probably could! I am using the 2 1/4 lb Fiskars pro splitter with one hand choked about halfway up the handle and holding the quartered rounds with the other hand so they don't fall down. It did take some oomph to quarter these monster rounds, but not that much, and after that the quarters are very easy. I love this Red Oak and will happily wait until some time in early 2015 to burn it. I hope I can get a few cords of it every year.