How many cords can you splitt in a day?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.
Bigg_Redd said:
smokinj said:
Splitt 5 cords today just wondering whats a good day splitting? (2people 5 1/2 hrs.)

If it's Doug Fir I can split about a cord per hour.

Adler and Maple go a little faster.

Madrona goes about the same.

Hemlock is about 1.5 hours per cord.


Never had enough wood on the ground all at once to see how much I could do in a day.

its a frist for me as well
 
CTburning said:
By hand I split and stacked a cord one day. Won't do that again! I usually split about a half cord a day. Any more than that I am too sore or tired for anything else. Splitting is fun for an hour or so. After that and it's just work! A splitter is cheating by the way. I have a few more years of honestly left in me. When I'm old, like 40, then I'll buy the splitter.


lol

I used to feel the same way. The Fiskars Super Splitter does not wear me out. I generally run out of time before I run out of ambition.
 
I hand split and stack for about an hour when ever I have time. This usually gets me two heaped wheelbarrow loads.
[Hearth.com] How many cords can you splitt in a day?

If I'm feeling extra butch, I might do a third load. I seem to process about 1 cord per month this way.
Due to my small lot, I have to buck and split in the driveway and stack in the back yard. Being a scrounger, I usually have some rounds on hand that need to be split. This year I have had a to be split stack on the driveway since February.
 
I'm 2 weeks away from 39 and my father is 25 years ahead of me. With the summertime temps here in GA, we have been trying to split a little in the mornings on weekends and give in once the temp climbs. He runs the splitter, I move the rounds to the splitter and toss the splits in a pile and we both stack after shutting down the splitter. We usually do about 1/2 cord but can get a cord if we get an early start.
 
Me thinks some people are boasting in face cords.
 
Bigg_Redd said:
smokinj said:
Splitt 5 cords today just wondering whats a good day splitting? (2people 5 1/2 hrs.)

If it's Doug Fir I can split about a cord per hour.

Adler and Maple go a little faster.

Madrona goes about the same.

Hemlock is about 1.5 hours per cord.


Never had enough wood on the ground all at once to see how much I could do in a day.


EDIT - These numbers are hand splitting with the 2.25 lb Fiskars and not stacking.

Big Redd, I too have split 1 cord of Alder per hour when in my twenties. I would do 4 cords in 4 hours then call it a day. 6 lb collins and it was 16" cuts.
Thomas
 
On the best day of my wood splitting life I never hand split a whole cord of wood in one day.
 
I split everything by hand. Typically I split 1/3-1/2 cord a night and stack that. Every once in awhile I might just swing away to get some exercise or relieve some stress. I could do approx 1 cord than, and do that about 1x a year.
 
I never really kept track. I do recall one time I was really hurting but took the splitter to another fellow's place. This guy put the blocks on the splitter and threw the splits while his dad rolled the logs to him. I did the easy thing which was simply pushing the lever to run the ram. Once we really got together it went fast. I'm thinking it was 3 + cords in less than 3 hours. I just don't remember the exact figure.

When I used to split by hand, I'd just split until I began to tire. My theory has always been that when you do something that is possibly dangerous, if you are tired, you simply quit then. Tired bodies are the ones that get injured a lot.

Same goes for the chain saw. If you feel tired; stop cutting!
 
Backwoods Savage said:
I never really kept track. I do recall one time I was really hurting but took the splitter to another fellow's place. This guy put the blocks on the splitter and threw the splits while his dad rolled the logs to him. I did the easy thing which was simply pushing the lever to run the ram. Once we really got together it went fast. I'm thinking it was 3 + cords in less than 3 hours. I just don't remember the exact figure.

When I used to split by hand, I'd just split until I began to tire. My theory has always been that when you do something that is possibly dangerous, if you are tired, you simply quit then. Tired bodies are the ones that get injured a lot.

Same goes for the chain saw. If you feel tired; stop cutting!
thats a good point buddy clip his knee about 5 years ago with a big saw long bar tired I did the same more than 20 years ago my the Dr. told me my modeling career was over!
 
With the splitter I do a trailer full , split the rounds and throw them in the trailer it's 6' x 8' with 2' sides so about 2 face cords then if i have any energy or time left I pull it over to the wood pile and stack it. Takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on the wood.
A few weeks ago brought the splitter to a buddies and we split about 3 cords in 2 hours and threw it in a big pile.
By hand during the winter I do about a face cord or a little less (maple) until I get tired and start taking wild swings (about 5 rounds elm).LOL
 
I rent a splitter one ot two times a year. I try to pick it up early in the day (before 8 am) and turn it in just before the yard closes @ 5:30 pm. Rental splitter is only for wood that's too tough to split by ax & maul - usually twisty knotty pine, gum ball tree, or eukie. If I manage to split a cord of that stuff in one day (just piling, stack AFTER returning splitter), I'm doing damn good. Of course, that's usually about all I have to split, but I don't really think I could do much more anyway.

By hand, I split a bit here and a bit there ... usually for one to three hours, w/ some cutting to length, stacking, etc., so it's hard to say how much, but I'm sure I wouldn't win any contests. Now, give me some 12" diameter, 16" length knot free green ash or straight grain pine (no knots or twists) seasoned in the round for six months, I'm sure I could split two cords a day. I rarely get fantasy wood tho', so it usually takes a lot longer.

Peace,
- Sequoia
 
Jags said:
I'm on the BroB routine and rarely just split. I can produce ~1 cord per hour if I have the blocks at the splitter and just allow them to pile, but I usually don't split for more than 2 hours at a time before I start doing something else.

p.s. - Burntime - if your ever gonna change pumps, step up to the 16 gpm. Its a very noticeable change in speed from 11, but will also need a 8hp or bigger to pull it.

Jags, I thought about it but want to retain the stock 6.75 hp briggs, it runs fine. It should be just enough to run the 13.6gpm pump. I think if I do the math 13.6-11 is 23.6 percent faster. Now that is probably no load speed but its a volume thing so it should work. Durring winter when its cold I only rev the motor about 2/3 so it is quiet. I know the whol WOT to cool but I run synthetic and when its 20 degrees or less it stays cool. I guess the two pumps are the same size even... Time will tell. I think the one that is on there will be going quite a while yet...
 
I rented a splitter once and did 4 cords in a day pausing for lunch.

I've got another pile of rounds that's atleast 4 cords or more and need to rent again. I found a guy with a 27 ton that rents $ 60 a day. At that price - I see no reason to buy my own, except that I wouldn't have to rush and do it all in one day. I split by myself and it's a major work out. At 48 yrs old, I feel it the next day.
 
Bass widow, you just revealed the reason you should have your own. Your 48, and do not need to do it all in a day. I am 39 and do not want to split wood by hand. I have too much to do to spend all the time splitting by hand. With your own machine it is more leisurely...
 
basswidow said:
I found a guy with a 27 ton that rents $ 60 a day. At that price - I see no reason to buy my own, except that I wouldn't have to rush and do it all in one day. I split by myself and it's a major work out. At 48 yrs old, I feel it the next day.
Oh to be 48 again... wait, when I was 48 I was still splitting everything by hand... scratch that. When I bought mine, I couldn't find a rental at any price but ja, it would take 15 to 20 rental days to add up to the purchase price plus you don't need to store it or maintain it. Mind you, I get 12 cord at a time so I'd really have to hustle to get'r done in a weekend. At my age it's nice to be able to pace oneself. Some Mondays I look forward to going back to work so I can get a break from the weekend workout.
 
I don't know about other people but if I were renting, I would probably split the easy stuff by hand and just set the tough stuff aside for the splitter so probably one day is all I would rent it for.
 
The way I see it, there are too many variable here. The only variable can be if you are splitting solo, without any help at all, otherwise, it's a bunch of guys splitting. Then there is the manual or splitter method, one much more tiring than the other. The speed is yet to be determined. How about regarding the time factor, is everything felled and blocked up already before you start. There's more time. An argument could also be made for the type of wood and whether it's dry or wet (weight factor).

The most I ever did solo, with a small homemade splitter, piece of junk, probably could have manually done better was 1.5 full cord(s) and it was all well seasoned oak, maple, ash mix logs several over 20in. Took me 5 hours to do it, but that included blocking it up, and tossing into trailer and at times chasing after my boys so they didn't get into trouble. Was I tired? Of course! But I will love it come winter, and that was my exercise for the day without paying for a stupid gym membership. There's a waste of time and $$$. Why not spend that energy getting something done!
 
Bigg_Redd said:
The Fiskars Super Splitter does not wear me out. I generally run out of time before I run out of ambition.
I tried that and realized there has to be a better way... now I use a gas powered Super Split. :cheese:
 
burntime said:
Bass widow, you just revealed the reason you should have your own. Your 48, and do not need to do it all in a day. I am 39 and do not want to split wood by hand. I have too much to do to spend all the time splitting by hand. With your own machine it is more leisurely...

True - but for now, I can't see spending over $1000 for the one I'd want. No pain - no gain. Atleast I get it all split quickly - instead of dragging it out.

I gather until I get enough for a splitter rental. Then I split. After I return the splitter, I stack. 4 cords is my max. It only hurts for a day and it's another project off my list.

Owning a splitter is constantly on my mind. I don't like spending on a rental - what I could be making a payment on owning. Splitters seem to hold their values around here and you never see one used for sale. Someday.
 
LLigetfa said:
I don't know about other people but if I were renting, I would probably split the easy stuff by hand and just set the tough stuff aside for the splitter so probably one day is all I would rent it for.

That's pretty much what I do - I have a small electric splitter that (up until a month ago) splits small (up to 10") rounds but I save larger ones for when I rent a 40-ton splitter with a splitting friend.

The 2 of us did 32 rounds he had which were 750mm diameter (30") and 2 foot long and weighed 45 kilos (100 pounds) each. We had to split them into 32's. We worked with the splitter horizontal. Along with a few other smaller rounds he had we did 1200 splits in 7 hours between the 2 of us and were pretty shattered (both white-collar workers with no grit) the next day. It stacked out to about 4 cords. Doesn't sound like much compared to previous posters, maybe we are slow, or maybe splitting large wood is slower, or both. He had Sunday off, I did 11 hours of splitting and took the entire next week to recover.
 
I can split a cord an hour with my old splitter 27 ton and 2 people . With my new splitter i can split 2 cords an hour when i get rolling . Sunday we split 10 cord in 4 hours with 2 splitters and my sons 12 and 13 years old helping . My wife has a day care in the house and any one with out dippers stacks wood . John
 
wellbuilt home said:
I can split a cord an hour with my old splitter 27 ton and 2 people . With my new splitter i can split 2 cords an hour when i get rolling . Sunday we split 10 cord in 4 hours with 2 splitters and my sons 12 and 13 years old helping . My wife has a day care in the house and any one with out dippers stacks wood . John

lol i like it!
 
wellbuilt home said:
I can split a cord an hour with my old splitter 27 ton and 2 people . With my new splitter i can split 2 cords an hour when i get rolling . Sunday we split 10 cord in 4 hours with 2 splitters and my sons 12 and 13 years old helping . My wife has a day care in the house and any one with out dippers stacks wood . John

So I take it that the ones in diapers are only responsible for the kindling?????
 
With easy wood (Cherry, for example) that is nice and straight with minimal knots, and bucked to 12 or 16 inches, I can do the better part of 3 cords in a day with the Fiskars, especially with someone setting up rounds. When you've got nice short rounds, that little splitter goes right through with almost no effort, and you can scoot around the round taking off chunk by chunk in no time. With the hydraulic splitter, I'll go through literally anything, but it takes probably 3 times as long or more.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.