OMG, do I really have to noodle cherry?

[billb3]

Cherry is one of the rounds I'd leave to split in January
seemed to split easier - nice straight sections anyway
too may others I would need a second or third wedge to get the first and second wedges - unwedged-.

 

[red oak]

My FIL had some cherry (tree was growing at the edge of a field) and it was a monster. 3 ft. diameter at the base, with branches and knots all over. It laughed at the mall, but the sledge and wedge was able to quarter most of the pieces. There was one ridiculous piece that I "accidentally" knocked down the hill into the woods. FIL has a log splitter, horizontal, but I didn't think we (by we I mean I) could lift all the pieces without hurting my back. In answer to Heath's question, I do think it will be close to ready, keep it off the ground and top-covered, plenty of wind. May not be fully seasoned but should be close.

 

[Bret Chase]

My FIL had some cherry (tree was growing at the edge of a field) and it was a monster. 3 ft. diameter at the base, with branches and knots all over. It laughed at the mall, but the sledge and wedge was able to quarter most of the pieces. There was one ridiculous piece that I "accidentally" knocked down the hill into the woods. FIL has a log splitter, horizontal, but I didn't think we (by we I mean I) could lift all the pieces without hurting my back. In answer to Heath's question, I do think it will be close to ready, keep it off the ground and top-covered, plenty of wind. May not be fully seasoned but should be close.

cherries around here die long before they get that big....

 

[Bret Chase]

The Fiskars bounced right off, over and over again. No amount of whacking the rounds in the same place repeatedly, or in the same line, had a noticeable effect beyond scribing a fine line in the end of a round. I did eventually break up the larger pieces enough to make them manageable, but doing so involved sawing about 4" down into the endgrain, setting a steel wedge in the kerf, and repeatedly dropping a roughly 30# slice of the tree on the wedge. I had no idea cherry could be so tough. I've put my Fiskars through white elm with less trouble.

There's a reason why I use a fieldline cherry round for a chopping block.... lol

 

[Bret Chase]

I took a piece to the shop today and cleaned it up. I'm not sure I'm allowed to burn this stuff...
View attachment 97500

that is pretty.... I've been toying with taking one of the cherry rounds I haven't split yet and making a few cutting boards out of it...

 

[BrianK]

Any words of wisdom as to how I might split this stuff without hydraulics would be much appreciated.

Jon,
I get out to Pittsburgh every month or so for business. If you want, feel free to set aside whatever you're unable to split and I'll bring out my diesel splitter and let you use it for the weekend. I got 1 1/2 cords of good locust from that thread you posted last fall and I'd be happy to return the favor.
Brian

 

[jdp1152]

I've got a couple of wedges stuck in a 3ft ash round. Well, it's not 3ft anymore, but what is left swallowed my wedges. It currently resides in my "I'll get to one day when I rent a splitter pile"

I would second this. That has been my experience. Even normally easy splitting wood can grow twisted and gnarly. I have even had Ash that was tough to split. Do what ya gotta do.

 

[Jon1270]

If you want, feel free to set aside whatever you're unable to split and I'll bring out my diesel splitter and let you use it for the weekend.

Thanks for the offer, Brian. Being unfamiliar with diesel splitters, I searched and found your thread from last year, when you acquired that splitter. Looks like fun, but probably overkill for my situation. I don't have enough of that cherry to make it worth your time.

On the other hand, my neighbor will be taking down a big white oak sometime soon, and for that the splitter would be tempting if not for the fact that the rounds will probably be too heavy to lift onto it.

 

[oldspark]

If I cut cord of live cherry and split it, will it be ready by next Oct?

In Iowa it would be as I did it a couple of years ago, was not going to burn it that winter but it was below 20% so I burnt it and it burnt very well, If I remember right it was at 17%.