Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Splitting wood? This looks far too easy..

Not being a wood splitting guy myself, what do the experts think?

http://www.geek.com/news/physics-exploiting-axe-splits-wood-in-record-time-1591725/




[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9jDR_2Zsr40[/video]

Seems to work well, but I'd think it'd be hard on the wrists with the way it torques sideways when it hits.

heh, I would love to see someone try splitting redgum or box like that.

To put it in context I split redgum that size a couple of days ago by chain-sawing to the depth of the bar and using three steel wedges and a Canadian splitter to split the wood...damn near gave myself a heart attack.

Man I REALLY envy you fellows your soft woods.

I heat my house with 6-8 cord of hardwood every winter. Frozen birch splits easy with whatever type of maul you use. His rounds are no more than a foot long with straight grain and no knots. Try that with 24" long knotty hard maple or yellow birch rounds and it would be a different story.

Dry straight grain wood. Mostly birch with some maple thrown in it looked like.

Not saying it doesn't work good but that wasn't a good test.

I have some good sized live oak logs with knots that would have him cussing in Texan in no time.

He'd be calling the propane truck before he was done.

if you're splitting hardwoods with wild grain or knots, and you're not under 40, you need a power splitter.

i use 2.5 true cords per year. i mostly use red and white oak, with some hickory and pecan.

the video shows a guy using half-swings and getting a piece of wood with each swing. i could split that wood with a regular hatchet. give he some real wood and see if that splitter works. it may, but you'd have to put it to a real test. as for the tire, i have used something similar and with straight grained wood, it prevent you from having to bend over to pick up each piece.

ked

I wish you had a truckload of cottonwood to split

i have never tried redgum or box wood, but i assume it is tougher that oak. however, i'd rather split good oak, than pine or other softer woods. the stiffness of oak can be an asset.

ked

My wood is usually hard.




Jus' sayin'.

Aww you are joshing me, I heard you fella's didn't have any hardwoods.

It's a soft wood.

It's just a hard wood to split.....when green and frozen.
(At least that's what I heard)

I wouldn't waste time cutting, storing or burning cottonwood. Too many others that are better for that sort of wasted effort. At least that's what my experience with it is.

I may be technically a hardwood but is very soft and fibrous here...a real pain to split. a 16 lb monster maul just makes a "thunk" sound and doesn't do much except stick in the chunk of wood. Best to split when it is frozen.

In my locale we have pine (various species most of which is very knotty) or aspen. Hardwoods such as hickory, oak or maple would be nice.

My favorite is alligator juniper. Awesome wood!

I am going out at 5.30 tomorrow morning to get another load of box and redgum, it has been down for a number of years and is as hard as the hobs of hell, and it doesn't help that it has been under water in the last flood and has dirt all through it.

Whilst I was cutting last week there were sparks from the dirt hitting my legs and I was sort of pleased that the grass in the river bends is wet in the mornings.

My daughter is going to just love getting up and loading into the trailer, she won't...but it will do her the world of good to have a hand in the getting.

For the price you can start looking at used mechanical splitters...$215 plus $65 shipping. No thanks

Boy, he is proud of that.

All oaks are not equal. Red oak or White oak will usually split pretty good. Post oak or black jack oak will be hell unless away from the edge of the woods. Others will vary too. All fence row trees are suspect. miles