Splitting Basics

[kevinwburke]

Apologies in advance as I am sure that this has been covered...but is there a thread or spot for the basics of splitting wood. I have some pines taken down and need to split. Complete newbie to splitting. I tried some searches but have not found basics.

Thanks.

Happy T Day

 

[Thrash44047]

I don't know if there is, my first time my old man told me to put my feet in 5gal buckets for safety. Thought he was a loon till it cracked the bucket when i missed the block.

 

[mjhfoster]

Try this:

(broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/splitting.htm)

 

[richg]

I used to use wedges and a sledgehammer...way too time consuming. I picked up the Mega Mule Maul from Baileys....wow, this thing goes through any wood it comes up against.

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=15780&catID;=

 

[Duetech]

Apologies in advance as I am sure that this has been covered...but is there a thread or spot for the basics of splitting wood. I have some pines taken down and need to split. Complete newbie to splitting. I tried some searches but have not found basics.

Thanks.

Happy T Day

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you too. The link provided earlier ((broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/splitting.htm)) has some good tips but as with most explanations there are variations that often apply. With pine it is hard to get a dry piece that has not been cut and split already so be prepared for some moisture. With pine or spruce it seems best to try to make your splits so you do not intersect a knot. Go between the knots so you make pie shaped splits down the length of your round. Obviously when cutting logs don't cut longer than your stove will take. Usually the cuts will be about 2" +/- shorter. I start making my cuts from the largest part of the log first. Most logs won't come out exact with each piece being the same length so the "off" cut will be of the smallest diameter. Hand tools to have for splitting are a maul, splitting maul and at least two wedges. An attitude that each piece you attempt to split is part of a learning curve will help. In my honest opinion pine is not where I would start a beginner but free wood takes precedent over "druthers". Have fun splitting. Let the wood age/dry well and enjot the heat.

 

[Wood Duck]

1. Get some wood (done already)
2. cut the wood to about 14 inches. This makes it a lot easier to split. 16 is OK, but if you have 20 or 22 inch long pieces, they'll be a lot harder to split.
3. find the right tool. A typical man can use a 6 or 8 lb maul comfortably. Many people prefer a lighter splitting ax like a Fiskar's. A regular ax isn't the right tool.
4. go outside, find a spot with a soft base (like the yard) so you don't damage the maul or the driveway if you miss
5. stand a round on a shorter, fatter round. put the round to be split on the far side of the splitting block
6. position yourself far enough from the log that you have to slightly reach to hit the top of the wood with the maul
7. Stand with feet side by side, so neither foot is too close to the danger
8. hold maul with left hand at end of handle, right hand near the head (if you're right handed)
9. aim for the near edge of the wood you are going to split
10. swing the maul over your head, sliding right hand down the handle the by next to left hand by the time the maul hits the wood
11. start by swinging lightly - your goal is just to land the maul on the wood, not try to split it
12. practice the swing until you can comfortably hit the wood
13. gradually swing harder
14. do a little each day, you'll learn muscle memory and won't get too tired

You can trust me, I just taught a bunch of boy scouts to split wood, and they all still have both feet intact.

 

[Ratman]

1. Get some wood (done already)
2. cut the wood to about 14 inches. This makes it a lot easier to split. 16 is OK, but if you have 20 or 22 inch long pieces, they'll be a lot harder to split.
3. find the right tool. A typical man can use a 6 or 8 lb maul comfortably. Many people prefer a lighter splitting ax like a Fiskar's. A regular ax isn't the right tool.
4. go outside, find a spot with a soft base (like the yard) so you don't damage the maul or the driveway if you miss
5. stand a round on a shorter, fatter round. put the round to be split on the far side of the splitting block
6. position yourself far enough from the log that you have to slightly reach to hit the top of the wood with the maul
7. Stand with feet side by side, so neither foot is too close to the danger
8. hold maul with left hand at end of handle, right hand near the head (if you're right handed)
9. aim for the near edge of the wood you are going to split
10. swing the maul over your head, sliding right hand down the handle the by next to left hand by the time the maul hits the wood
11. start by swinging lightly - your goal is just to land the maul on the wood, not try to split it
12. practice the swing until you can comfortably hit the wood
13. gradually swing harder
14. do a little each day, you'll learn muscle memory and won't get too tired

You can trust me, I just taught a bunch of boy scouts to split wood, and they all still have both feet intact.

Great instructions Wood Duck
I've replaced step 5 with laying a piece of old junk scrap plywood, old table or cabinet side as the cutting platform.
The piece is now lower and it also provide me with more options for cutting pieces that won't stand up straight, allowing me to lean another piece against it.

 

[Fod01]

As you split, the wood will keep falling off the block. You'll have to pick it up and reposition it for your next swing. To minimize this, find an old tire and screw it to the top of the chopping block. Put the round inside. If you have small diameter rounds, put in several. They help to hold each other up.

Did a quick youtube search on 'firewood' and 'tire', and found this:

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Its a bit long, but you'll get the idea.

A couple more tips:
Make sure nothing will get in the way of your swing. I hit a clothesline once and clocked myself in the head. Stop laughing.
Eye protection -honestly, I only wear it when I'm using the wedge/ sledgehammer for larger rounds. Let the bashing begin.
Keep your audience at a safe distance.
Keep your work area clean. The last thing you need is to be stumbling over splits/ rounds while you're swinging that maul.

Happy Thanksgiving

Gabe

 

[quads]

This is how I do it:

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40 years of splitting by hand. 5+ cord per year, at least. I keep a minimum of roughly 25+ cord on hand at any one time. Splitting is one of my favorite things.

 

[smokinj]

This is how I do it:

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40 years of splitting by hand. 5+ cord per year, at least. I keep a minimum of roughly 25+ cord on hand at any one time. Splitting is one of my favorite things.

You make it look easy,How big are you just wondering?

 

[quads]

This is how I do it:

40 years of splitting by hand. 5+ cord per year, at least. I keep a minimum of roughly 25+ cord on hand at any one time. Splitting is one of my favorite things.

You make it look easy,How big are you just wondering?

I'm just average, 6' give or take, I get shorter and wider every year now that I'm retired from most of the farm work. Baling hay and milking cows helped give me the strength to swing a full-size maul. Even so, I prefer 6lb over 8lb.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Quads could run circles around that other guy with the tire because he knows what he is doing instead of just swinging away. You can tell he has done this for a few years. lol

 

[smokinj]

Quads could run circles around that other guy with the tire because he knows what he is doing instead of just swinging away. You can tell he has done this for a few years. lol

I am 5'11" 202lbs in pretty good shape that's a great swing making it look effortlessly!

 

[Lumber-Jack]

This is how I like to get my wood split effortlessly.

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Get the kids to do it. ;-)

 

[LLigetfa]

After the kids move out, get a hydraulic splitter.

 

[quads]

This is how I like to get my wood split effortlessly.

Get the kids to do it. ;-)

That there is a good kid!

 

[smokinj]

That is effortlessly on your part, and a great swing for his age

 

[DBoon]

After the kids move out, get a hydraulic splitter.

Then, 30 years later, get your kids to come over and split the wood with the hydraulic splitter...

One person mentioned it before - wear a pair of wraparound safety glasses. It only takes one stray piece of wood to cause some serious damage.

 

[DBoon]

After the kids move out, get a hydraulic splitter.

Then, 30 years later, get your kids to come over and split the wood with the hydraulic splitter...

One person mentioned it before - wear a pair of wraparound safety glasses. It only takes one stray piece of wood to cause some serious damage.

 

[av8roc]

This is how I do it:

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40 years of splitting by hand. 5+ cord per year, at least. I keep a minimum of roughly 25+ cord on hand at any one time. Splitting is one of my favorite things.

25+ cords on hand? Holy crap I need to get busy!

Nice technique btw!

 

[d.n.f.]

I don't get this tire thing. I use a big round and the split never falls off. Ok, once and awhile but this tire seems more work to me.

 

[mtnmizer]

Not exactly basics but there are a couple of fine points to splitting firewood
by hand. In my younger day I worked for a tree service part time mostly in the
fall and we sold practically everything we took down as firewood. The owner of said
business had been around the woods forever and was a good 40 yrs to my 20 something age.

So one afternoon we has a good number of 6"-12" block scattered on the ground, the limbs off a couple of big
cottonwoods we had just felled in town. Not very easy splitting wood. So ol Frenchy as he was known
bet me dinner that he could split those blocks faster than I could set them on end. I said sure you
bet and I want pizza. Now French was maybe 5'6" and 165lbs but tough as they come as I found out.
He even gave me a good head start. There was no way I could keep ahead of him. I lost big time
and never took a bet like that again from him.

I later found out that besides working in the woods he also spent many years as a spiker on the
Union Pacific RR. He called his 6lb maul a his "go devil" and the way he was able to focus all
his might into the swing was amazing. He lifted one leg up and bounced down in what
called his 'one legged polka" And he would twist his wrist just as the blade was entering the block..

More than one occasion he would split a good sized pickup load of blocks with out stopping, seldom needing more than one swing per block. Bang, bang, bang just like that, one after another. And hardly be winded or barely breaking a sweat.

It takes practice and a little instruction
but there is a better method to swinging a maul effectivly.

Frenchy passed on a few years ago and was a real character... MM

 

[Backwoods Savage]

This is the type of splitting I've been referring to. Once a person learns what he is doing the work goes much, much easier and quicker.

It is just like stacking wood. One can stack wood by just picking up a piece of wood and putting it into the stack or one can stack wood by building up the stack solidly and neatly. Both splitting and stacking has to be learned. It is funny that when I was putting wood by and on our porch, the wife helped with just a little bit of the stacking. There is no problem telling exactly where she did the stacking! But, I don't complain when she wants to help as I enjoy it when we can work together.

 

[DaveH9]

I'm wondering if anyone out there splits like I do..... I had an old timer teach me. I use a maul. if the round does not split and the maul is firmly in the wood; then I pick up the whole thing. Turn it around and swing it it over my shoulder down striking the hammer end of the maul onto the splitting stump. This forces the maul through the round quickly. This method is not for the faint hearted, it is pretty hairy, but it splits wood quickly. If the round is too big to swing then I split it with a wedge first. Keep the kids away, the splits will fly as they split. Sometimes the log will dislodge from the maul and whiz past my ear. I've been doing this for 20 yrs and it is fine for me. Do not try it, I am just wondering if others use this method .

 

[Wood Duck]

Once in a while I get my maul stuck in a piece of wood, and I'll pick the maul and wood up together and bang 'em back down until the wood splits. This doesn't happen very often, and I don't swing it over my head, just pick it up a couple of feet, but I guess I am another splitter who sort of uses the method you describe.