I'm done with the big stuff (30"+). I have access to more hedge and black locust than I could burn in 10 lifetimes...no need to go out of my way for some rotten silver maple.
Yeah, I killed myself on a 30" Red Oak a while back, trying to get it out of there quick. Too many successive hrs. busting those rounds up to get 'em on the trailer. I think I shredded a tendon between my shoulder blade and spine; I'm still aware of it, and it's been several months. I'm still doing some hand-splitting, but I've changed to a 'both hands, over the top' motion to make sure I don't aggravate it. I don't split any hard stuff, or for extended periods. This one is gonna take a while to heal fully (if it ever does.) Luckily, I've got hydraulics to handle most of the splitting for a while. Hopefully, I won't have to give up hand-splitting for a long time....it's too much fun! I've got a lot of high-octane wood, though I'm not near the hedge-hog that you are. But I still grab soft Maple when it pops up. Handy stuff to have around for starter wood, short fires, etc. And I'm still trying to get ahead on all these women-in-laws, so quick-dry stuff is good.
There is an oak right down the road from me that is like that....been there for years. All the stuff under 30" is gone. The 50+" ones nobody wants. The guy even has equipment on site. Part of me wants to do it just to show that it can be done.....then I remember how long it takes to dry and my little azz wood storage lot here in the city only holds so much LOL.
We're piecing a huge sugar maple right now, got 5 HUGE rounds home last night......I personally LOVE those big rounds. Anything that you can get 30-40 splits out of, that's what I'm talkin' about! Yeah, they are a pain to handle but in the end lots of good stuff there!!
I lost my taste for the big ones after wrangling a dozen or so of these monsters. They weighed a lot, and the grain looked like this: They were character builders for sure.
That's how that locust I split last week was. If you gave it a quarter twist every 8 inches it would be like the cherry I did the week before. What causes all this, anyway?
Couple different things can cause it. They will either twist due to persistent wind, or to reach where there is sunlight. There are probably other reasons too.
Tore my shoulder up last year because I was doing something I shouldn't have. Too old and too soft to be messing around with stuff I don't do all the time. The MD wanted to do surgery. I would be laid up for 6 month. I opted out. Arm feels and works ok, but is very quick to remind me when I have reached my limit. Maybe a good thing for me. My rambling story is to get you to use good body mechanics and do proper exercises to prevent your getting injured. That should give you a decent shot at being one of those old guys who just keep going and going and......
No the little yellow round guy did. The x7 was to show size of splits. used splitter but stuff was so stringy I got a work out with the hatchet anyway
