Hope They're not Planning to Hand Split This

You ever process any Joe?

 

Nope. Seen some up for grabs but I already had heard to stay away from camouflage trees

 

Ice storm of 2007 , we were out of power for 14 days and below freezing 10 of those. The last wood we had was sycamore. Neighbors on moths sides and myself all pitched in on the firewood procurement those two weeks. The three of us took turns with maul and ax on a few big rounds- it was the absolute worst. Fortunately my fireplace in that home accommodates about a 36” piece of wood ( built in 1922) so I was loading it up with about anything. Ended up cutting in to small 12”-14” rounds to split easier , still sucked tho. Rather go to the dentist

 

I like the bark , perfect camouflage.

 

I have some decent size trunk pieces 20"+. I've found it to spilt like butter with a hydro, dries fast and doesn't make much of a mess. I haven't burnt it personally but I imagine it would make a decent shoulder season wood. I would take every log I could get my hands on as a seller.

 

In the past 20 years I’ve only received one Sycamore log. I got thru it. I’d say it’s more of a shred than a split.

 

The only problem I've ever had splitting sycamore is picking it up. That stuff is crazy heavy when green. There's more water in it than there is wood.

 

Cutting Sycamore in July is the 4th level of hell. The leaf dust is a respiratory irritant and makes me cough and sneeze to the point of nausea and heaving.

 

Yes I have hydraulics and it split fine once I noodled the huge rounds into qts.

 

Seems to grow next to rivers/streams in my observations. A few growing next to our river here.

 

You should give them a couple senix saws to noodle it.

 

I cut some about 24 yrs years ago on a job we did, thinning trees in a back yard. About 15 total, sycamore and sweet gum. Only equipment we had then was 1 saw, 4 wheeler and Yard machine 25 ton splitter. Oh, did have climbing stand to get cable up high to pull trees with FIL's Jeep.
I had better luck with the gum. It would eventually pop open, with sycamore, run splitter down, then use axe to cut all the strings. Parents got the wood, dad said it burned better than a snowball.

 

I'm glad I came across this thread... a ways back a friend offered me sycamore he was going to have cut down and I knew it wasn't any firewood hoarders dream wood so I turned it down, mostly because I didn't have the time to pick it up and process it, but I had thought that I would take him up on it if he still had it available... sounds like it's just not worth the time and effort... more like a headache.

 

Try a few rounds with your sledge & wedge, maul and axe for chits and giggles and report back.
You made the right choice the first time though.

 

Don't be skeered

 

I have split sycamore before with a splitter and had very little problem. I let it dry a few months before splitting. It was NOTHING like elm.

 

That's Blocking and Pallets, not firewood.

 

I’vesplit it before many times.put one round on the splitter and push it through.don’t expect it to pop in half.just put a new round or piece on splitter behind it and shove it through!works every time.my old lickety splitter does the job

 

Like elm, hydro required for large amounts, unless you are a glutton for punishment. But once seasoned burns decent. Not best but not worst either. When it’s green it has a weird blood red look that turns tan or light brown as it dries.

 

Speaking of hand splitting (which I am not a fan of) buZZsaw BRAD, thinking about investing in a Fiskars to break down big rounds of oak instead of noodling. This week I'll hopefully be helping both dad and son. Which would you recommend, X27 or Isocore? Looking to half or quarter these so we can easily lift onto the splitter.

Sons mostly chestnut oak:



And dad's black and pin oak: