So, if you were doing all your splitting by hand, and you didn't have an endless supply of wood on your own property (I have tons of cedar, which is not so choice), would you pass up free elm? I've been offered some, and have not experienced splitting this stuff myself, yet. Is there any possibility of halving the rounds with the chainsaw, and then splitting half rounds from there? I've had good success doing that with cedar, which is also notoriously difficult, due to knots every few inches down the length of any given split.
So, if you were doing all your splitting by hand, and you didn't have an endless supply of wood on your own property (I have tons of cedar, which is not so choice), would you pass up free elm? I've been offered some, and have not experienced splitting this stuff myself, yet. Is there any possibility of halving the rounds with the chainsaw, and then splitting half rounds from there? I've had good success doing that with cedar, which is also notoriously difficult, due to knots every few inches down the length of any given split.
Now...for the true gore of elm, I present...
Well not knowing where you are and if you're talking red or white cedar . . . I know eastern white cedar is typically one of the easier to split woods as long as there are not a lot of knots.
Philadelphia area. Not sure what type of cedar I have, but the heartwood is an almost unnatural shade of bright pink. Smells wonderful when cutting, and ripping it makes piles of long curly shavings to carpet the splitting area. The rare clear piece does split with ease, but most pieces are full of knots, which hold the splits together like carriage bolts.
Sounds like red cedar to me; there's a ton of it here as well - actually a juniper rather than a true cedar. I had some in a pile that had seasoned for a couple years before splitting & I thought it hand split pretty easily for something with so many knots. (was also very dry & ready to burn right after splitting)
Elm makes for fine stove chow. It ain't hickory or Oak, but it is somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as output goes.
I think he was talking about the red cedar . . . but if he was talking about elm . .. yeah, good wood. I use a fair amount of it.
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