fishermanjim
11-25-2007, 10:02 PM
i had my huge oak tree in my back yard,,, now i have these huge trunk rings that weigh about 150+ lbs,,, how the hell do i split them? we can just barely move them,,, i wont have to buy wood for a couple of years
View Full Version : splitting wood fishermanjim 11-25-2007, 10:02 PM i had my huge oak tree in my back yard,,, now i have these huge trunk rings that weigh about 150+ lbs,,, how the hell do i split them? we can just barely move them,,, i wont have to buy wood for a couple of years tattoobob 11-25-2007, 10:08 PM Go and buy a maul from the hardware store, and start swinging, you could maybe rent a log splitter. if you can't lift them though it won't be much help. EricW 11-25-2007, 10:19 PM I don't know what it is called, but there is a tool that you can use to rolll them. Has a big handle like a rake, but stronger with a jaw at the end. You may also need a couple of wedges to split with since the trunk is so wide. It may be worth it to rent a log splitter if you've got that much. Be careful, wood is heavier than it looks and can break feet, legs, etc. I would wear steel toed boots. I once saw a manual log splitter that was simply a wedge mounted on a vertical pole. You set it on your log and used a maul or sledge hammer to drive the wedge down. It's been a while but I used to split logs on weekends while I was in school. The guy I worked for had a 26 ton splitter. That thing was amazing. I also used to use a hand held wood hook to grab the logs. Made things much easier. I have seen both of these tools in the northern tool catalog. tynan19 11-26-2007, 09:19 AM Split them now before they dry. If you want to manually do it make sure you get a maul with a skinny pointed front blade. Some come with a dull head about a 1/4 to 1/2 across. These take much more force to split. If there is a lot of wood. I would highly recommend renting a spliter. Should be able to pick one up for 60-90 dollars. The price is well worth it and it will take no time at all. Also don't try splitting down the middle. Try and split off small pieces instead of large ones. Don't go against the grain. Also buy a wedge. Bigcat 11-26-2007, 09:31 AM I split 3-4 cord a year with a 4lb wedge and a 10lb sledge hammer. I love the work out :D Saltheart 11-26-2007, 10:16 AM An hydraulic splitter is nice!., If splitting by hand , I found they split easier if frozen. The big thick part at the base of the trees should be cut into shorter lengths so you can handle them. Sometimes only 6 inches thick but maybe 3 feet across. they will split easy that way. Rick Ackley 11-26-2007, 10:32 AM Rent a splitter that can be turned vertically, sure saves the back. Good luck. FishermanTim 11-26-2007, 11:23 AM You may want to get/make a couple of wedges as well as getting a maul. Once you start splitting a log, use a spare wedge to "wedge" the log where you started to help the log to split more readily. It will also help if you need to remove the maul, as the wedges will help keep the maul from getting stuck. Swimmer 11-26-2007, 11:51 AM I have one of those tools that rolls logs. It wont help much with short pieces that you have which have been cut to length and are ready to split. What those tools are best for is rolling a log up off the ground using the fulcrum built into the tool and then cutting off what is raised. I buy log length wood then cut and split it. If you need to move those heavy pieces just roll them, or flip, then cut where they rest. If they are as big as you say get help. Those big pieces cause hernias. If getting, renting, a splitter is an option do what one of the others posted, which is rent a vertical splitter. I know when I have huge pieces to get up onto the splitter I have (horizontal) it can be a *$*&()(*% awful job. Usually what I do it take a log piece allready split in half and place that cut wood down up against the deck of the splitter. Then I roll the big log up onto the splitter using the bark of both trees for traction against each other. I have a small commercial splitter that fits on the end of my small tractor, which has never failed splitting any piece of wood. When I buy a load of wood it is usually about ten cords or so big. That last me about two years. There are drawbacks to the vertical splitter and one is if the splitting edge gets wedged into a big chunk of wood you may find it difficult to draw the splitting edge back out of the wood. Whereas if the wood is laying on a horizontal splitter there are many ways to get the splitter unstuck. vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
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