Hello, Just thought I'd share my $.02 regarding hand splitting wood. I have 16 holz hausens now (8' diameter, 7' tall) and have done 90% of it by hand. Each stack is about 2+ cords so that's most of 32 cords split since October 2019. I saw a video by CTscaper on YT (link) where he when in depth on how he splits his wood by hand on a stump with a tire bolted and so I went to my local tire shop and picked out a few tires of different sizes to see what works best (throwaways in the back). I think the pictures speak for themselves. I'm new to splitting, bucking, procuring my own firewood and when I first started I am almost certain that because I didn't use a tire it caused me to hurt my back twice. That in combination with using a minivan to transport some wood were terrible for my back. I didn't have some of the basic tools that I now know are a must have - hookaroon, cant hook/peavy, and a back brace! And best of all I now have a 2014 Toyota Tacoma with a 6' bed! The tire is great because it holds the round in place and you don't have to pick up after each stroke. It's also fantastic for splitting the smaller limbs by hand. You can stuff 5-8 of them (depending on the size of course) into the tire and it just holds everything in place. I tried using the chain tied around the round with a bungee cord but that was tedious and annoying and basically sucks *** compared to using the tire. I drilled holes in my tire for water drainage and just used exterior screws and galvanized washers to secure it to the stump. Also, one pro tip is to use a razor blade or sawzall and cut out the inner metal belt. Without doing this was causing the maul's blade to get chipped.....It makes the tire more flexible so it's easier to put in those not-so-perfectly-round rounds. I was a little overzealous and made a few cuts that were longer than I wanted. Be careful! So to recap the benefits: 1. Way less bending 2. Can lean splits/logs against tire if not perfectly flat 3. Mobile - you can move it anywhere. 4. You can stuff small limbs into it and make your life a helluva lot easier. 5. Raises your work area which protects your maul and your back. I mean I'm almost ready to go against any hydraulic log splitter (single wedge ) in a race on straight pieces. The crotches and the knotty ones I save for the splitter. Heh heh. I forgot to mention that I also have a large round near the tire setup so that I can split rounds that are too big to fit into the tire.
There are some who really like this method. I remember many moons ago trying it but could not see where it made things easier and if anything it slowed me down. But there are times when it can help. But then I never even used a stump or anything to set the wood on to split; just tera firma.
You should try to find a nice round that suits your height. The trick is to secure the tire to the stump so that it too does not fall over. Raising the work area is very, very beneficial for your back and for your power stroke. Putting it on the ground is ok if you're really short but I'm 6' tall so it definitely has saved my back from having to bend over all the way to the ground to pick up splits. Watch the video and give it a go. I think you will be surprised at how much more efficient it is.
I hate to disagree with you on this but having the round on the ground does not harm your back but instead it actually gives you a stronger stroke with the axe or maul. Making the stroke shorter lessens the force. Also for your information, I do no longer split by hand but did split by hand for over 40 years. During that time I tried many things and also took as much information as possible from those who came before me. But sadly, things happen over time and along with being 77 years old, I no longer can handle the splitting by hand except occasionally having to split an old log or split that was not split small enough. That is because I now also have lots of help with the splitting because we are fortunate in that we have a large GTG every year (but sadly not this year) and plenty of folks like to help with the splitting. Naturally there are always some splits that they think are small enough but should have been split again. I can take care of them. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment that show some of what goes on at our GTG's. A great place to come and learn.
I'm 6'4"...I have to agree with Dennis...round on the ground allows the axe head more acceleration time...I felt like my swings were much harder when on the ground...BUT, I cut to 20-22" long too, so if someone over 6' tall was hand splitting 16" rounds, then yeah I think that may need to be elevated a bit to maintain proper angles without getting into a weird position ergonomically. Having a tire or bungee strap around the wood is nice though...I hate chasing rounds that fall over before I'm done whacking on it!
Well 9ne could argue that you don't need as much force as you need accuracy. And I'll take less bending over any day over more power. Plus the tire also acts to protect your shins from an errant stroke as well as your mail from hitting a rock or in my case. The asphalt since I split on my driveway. I live just north of NYC in the burbs on a .54 acre plot so 8 have just a wee bit of space. The wood I get is delivered for free by tree service guys so they just back up onto the driveway and dump it. I save the crazy knotty and crotch pieces for my champion 34 ton hydraulic splitter so I lean more towards efficiency when splitting by hand. And I also buck my rounds to 16" if they are too long and often times the tree service guys cut the base portions of a trunk way too short which makes elevating the rounds even more beneficial for me.
The GTGs look like fun. Round here I am the only person I know for miles that has a log splitter......My neighbors do, however, burn wood for pleasure and I did get one of them to get into C/S/S with me except with the virus all that is on hold for the moment. Splitting with a splitter is not as satisfying as doing it by hand but on some pieces you just have to use the splitter. I find the splits are nice and clean with an axe and the same wood from the same tree gets all mutilated if I pass it through the splitter. Plus the noise, the fuel, and the hassle of moving everything out of my midget garage just so I can wheel the splitter out.
I use to split by hand and the tire is what I used. I thought it saved my back. Without it if you were 1/4 splitting a round. More than likely you would have to bend over and pick up at least one of the 1/2 splits . Often times both of them . Then bending over to pick up the 1/4 splits to stack them. With the tire they are at a better height. My back doesn't take much bending and I try to reduce bending to a minimum. The down side is getting the round up on the stump to begin with if you are using a stomp. There are mechanical means to help with that.
Ah yes, the tree service guys usually do not cut to the right lengths and that can cause problems. As for the bending over, lifting a block onto another block not only takes the same amount of bending over but also causes one to have to lift, which the back usually does not appreciate. I'm glad you have the hydraulics for those knotty crazy pieces! "Plus the tire also acts to protect your shins from an errant stroke as well as your mail from hitting a rock or in my case." As you stated, accuracy takes care of that. As for rocks, that is not a problem with us and if it were, I'd change something fast. I wish you did have a larger space for your work; you'd love it.
If you ever do get the chance to go to a GTG, do yourself a favor and attend. They are great and all I've ever heard from anyone who has attended is the same; they are great. It also gives you a chance to meet like minded folks. I'm not sure what you mean when you say some wood gets mutilated with the splitter vs by hand. I've never found that to be the case. But yes, the noise (I have to wear ear protection) and other things do make splitting by hand look good. For me I usually move the splitter out of the barn once per year. Without the GTG, we usually cut in winter, split in spring and stack right after splitting.
For sure we are sorry. Was looking forward to seeing you again. And didn't you have a lovely daughter with you last year?
I split with the help of a tire for many years. I just took the old tire to the recycle center the other day. Since I bought a splitter it's just been taking up space in the shed.
I acquired the hydraulic splitter in 1985 and have never looked back on splitting by hand. On the farm in my teenage years, the old farm house with a cook wood range and three wood heaters could go through 7 to 8 wheelbarrow loads of wood a day in the winter time and 1 or 2 a day in canning season. We had lots of straight limb free alder and birch that could be split single handed with a single bitted axe so keeping up was not a problem. Since we started burning wood in the early 80s, the wood has not always been easy splitting and after numerous sore backs, Woodwidow suggested a wood splitter may be the way to go, so we bought the splitter. The Splitter can do 4 small rounds at once. Splitting these small rounds by hand would not be easy as the tops are full of knots. I take what I can find to make firewood; flared butt cuts and tops. That flared butt would be very hard to split by hand. On big rounds I leave just a little tension on the cable so the round can be spun and the outside of the round can be split off.
Wow that looks cool! Wish I had a tractor. Nice access cab tacoma you got there! I got one too! Hahaha. The lifting part isn't so bad if you use a hookaroon - I just swing it into the round and I can lift the round standing up. When it comes to the big boys, yes, I need to bend over...but I'd rather bend over once then bend over 17 times....As you can see from the pic I posted, that's a LOT of strokes where if I had not used a tire I would have had to pick up at *least* two splits for every stroke...Often times one stroke will lead to multiple splits falling over. I haven't measured but my guess is that my chopping block is about 10" high for the one without the tire and slightly higher for the one with the tire. The more ways that I can figure out how to touch the wood fewer times means the more efficient I can be overall. For example, when I get the rounds as I start splitting I'll place all the pieces that are way too long (18"+) and lay them so that I can mark them with my magnetic firewood measuring tool. Then I'll split the easiest rounds I can find generally.......and once I'm done with those or if I'm blocked and there's no more easy pieces I'll put on the chaps and the helmet and cut the long ones to size. I try to touch each piece of wood with a specific purpose in mind.
I guess I mean the knotty and crotch pieces.....because the splitter is just brute force, it just shreds some of the wood where it just has to get tossed into the firepit pile. Straight, easy, no knot rounds.......it's just faster to do it by hand.
Oh no, LordoftheFlies! How are you going to get all these worms back in the can! It's all good though, everybody has their opinions, and what works for one guy/gal might not work for the other. I use a tire sometimes. It depends on what I'm doing though. If I have some nice, straight-grained stuff the tire works great. I feel like it's faster because I'm not bending all the way down to pick up the splits. On the other hand, if I have some non-cooperative wood I don't bother with the tire. As far as a what I place the round on, I'll stay away from splitting on the ground. My yard is soft and I don't like pile driving a piece of wood into it. Also, as a guy who restores axes, I have an aversion to sinking the bit of my maul/axe into the dirt. Just plain ain't good for it.
