Chopping wood

SJSFarm · #1 12/20/13, 06:46 AM

I saw this video after watching the video posted by Eddie Buck on the General Chat board about the chimp with an AK-47.

I don't have a wood stove or fireplace, but this is cool

http://www.interestingfunfacts.com/a...ind-blown.html

blufford · #2 12/20/13, 08:58 AM

Cool Beans!

Gravytrain · #3 12/20/13, 10:48 AM

Try that with beech or hard maple!

simi-steading · #4 12/20/13, 10:58 AM

I've seen that same thing, only they used a large truck tire and put several rounds of wood in the tire at one time and split it all while in the tire... Amazing how fast you could split 2 and three times the wood

homstdr74 · #5 12/20/13, 11:04 AM

Yeah well that's swell but I don't have a tree on my property (mostly oak and a few hickory) that has wood that splits that easily. I have to use a nineteen pound maul for many of the rounds--the least I use is an 8#, but I will admit to preferring an axe when I have smaller wood to make kindling out of, even though it doesn't split as neatly as that in the video.

simi-steading · #6 12/20/13, 11:11 AM

I got the same issue.. All the wood I have seems to be a heck of a load on my splitter even.. and it's got a 75 ton ram and a 30hp engine.. ..

Even trying to split small thin stuff into kindling is a heck of a chore by hand.. Letting it freeze and split frozen, or trying to split what is super dry is not much fun..

I'll just keep using my splitter.. That kind of wood usually tends to have more BTU's locked up in it anyway..

#7 12/20/13, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simi-steading

I got the same issue.. All the wood I have seems to be a heck of a load on my splitter even.. and it's got a 75 ton ram and a 30hp engine.. ..

Even trying to split small thin stuff into kindling is a heck of a chore by hand.. Letting it freeze and split frozen, or trying to split what is super dry is not much fun..

I'll just keep using my splitter.. That kind of wood usually tends to have more BTU's locked up in it anyway..

What in the world are you splitting ? I had a 20 ton splitter with a 5 HP engine & it split some big gnarly blocks without much trouble .

Rustaholic · #8 12/20/13, 02:08 PM

I used a 35 ton one and whatever was too gnarly to split it just cut into two pieces. It was amazing to watch.

simi-steading · #9 12/20/13, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WV Hillbilly

What in the world are you splitting ? I had a 20 ton splitter with a 5 HP engine & it split some big knarley (sp) blocks without much trouble .

Huge rad oaks, and some really massive walnuts and I think one was some kind of really dark hickory... I couldn't get it to split in a straight line no matter what..

With the large rounds I can't split them down the middle.. I've had to start with a small part of a side and work around it to get it small enough to run down the middle..

I'm talking pieces I couldn't wrap my arms half way around.. .

Here's a little of my deal though... the 30hp runs at around 1800 RPM.. but the pump is built to run at 3600... Yes, I can push it to around 2500rpm.. but I don't like to do that to the engine.. so I run it slower and just take my time with the larger pieces.. Even so though, I've run a lot of splitters, and I know this stuff wouldn't split well in a lot of them.

Paquebot · #10 12/20/13, 02:34 PM

For gnarly tough stuff, a mall and a wedge are the quickest and easiest way. Several short taps to set the wedge and then drive it through with one blow. Same principle as a splitter. For real wide rounds, two wedges and shorter alternate blows. Oak and hickory were about all we had to burn so staying warm was never easy.

Martin

homstdr74 · #11 12/20/13, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paquebot

For gnarly tough stuff, a mall and a wedge are the quickest and easiest way. Several short taps to set the wedge and then drive it through with one blow. Same principle as a splitter. For real wide rounds, two wedges and shorter alternate blows. Oak and hickory were about all we had to burn so staying warm was never easy.

Martin

Re: that in bold above: that's where the old-timey saying "Wood warms you twice" comes from....

big rockpile · #12 12/20/13, 06:57 PM

Oh one thing I miss is splitting wood always did good job and not kill myself like I seen so many young guys do.

big rockpile

simi-steading · #13 12/20/13, 07:19 PM

I've never gotten hurt putting up wood, but I've had some seriously close calls swinging a machete or parang trying to clear trails..

Love the warm you twice saying. Never hear id before, but it's way so true.

Rustaholic · #14 12/21/13, 07:24 PM

What we split up with that borrowed 35 ton splitter was a huge 50 year old Chinese Elm. The bottom eight feet was five feet through.
I was so happy that splitter worked vertical too.
I put a chain around each huge block and used a 12 Volt winch to pull them to the splitter. I had the winch hooked to my pickup on the other end.
Then I had a five foot long bar to move them around.
The top one of those huge rounds had five large branches that were cut off it. Try that one with your wedges. Sure you could do it,,,,, But watching that pump kick down and that wedge cut right through all that twisted grain was great.
I got four full cords out of that one tree.

bja105 · #15 12/23/13, 06:28 PM

I have used a chain and bungy like the video shows, and it worked well for splitting small pieces, like shown. I have plenty of wood that it works for, so no complaints. Works with soft maple and tulip poplar, which is most of what I burn. It saved me from bending over to set up pieces, saved my back, saved time. The tire might work on tougher stuff, but I have plenty of easy stuff. I also have free gas, so wood is just a hobby or emergency heat source.