Boxelder is one of my least favorite flavors of firewood since it rots if you look at it wrong. (I bet it would be great or people who grow mushrooms.) But the one good thing I can say about it is you can usually peel the bark off by hand if you just let the logs sit for a month or two. Seems like the cambium layer is sort of like foam, and it rots before it can dry. Then, the bark just peels off. At least that's been my experience. Other trees -- black maple and honey locust come to mind -- try to hold on to their bark to the bitter end.
I was following your line of thinking until I saw that you're a Buckeye Football fan located in Michigan. I'm open minded, but I do have my limits.
I remember when I first got a hydraulic splitter. Wow! What an easy way to get the work done! Then after a year or so I could hardly believe there were folks who never split vertically! Some even say they hate it. Not I! Vertically is the only way I split. We've had fun over the years kidding others about their methods but most understand why I work the way I do and it has to do with physical limitations of the body. Besides, God grew trees vertically and if He likes vertical best then who am I to disagree?
I prefer horizontal for limitations of the body. I've never rigged up a seat like you have in your profile photo, so I do a lot of standing and crouching when I split vertical, which is no good for knees / hips / back. I don't mind splitting normal size rounds vertically. But the only time I go vertical is with HUGE rounds. They tend not to split cleanly, and part of the wood often ends up being forced into the ground by the splitter ram, which lifts the splitter into the air. And if the round gets stuck on the splitter head, it lifts the huge round two feet into the air before it gets stripped loose and comes crashing down. I guess I dread splitting vertically because in my case it means splitting massive rounds that often weigh 200-300+ pounds. Those just aren't fun to work with no matter how you run the splitter.
Dennis, I'm sure you know that I understand and respect each persons physical limitations as well as choices in how to work. On the other hand, I look at you like that favorite Uncle that I so enjoy kidding around with! Guess that why I keep pestering.
I have found that the sweet spot between unseasoned and rotting on Boxelder is about 20 minutes. The only reason I cut it is to get it out of the way.
Boxelder is my least favorite tree some sort of disgusting mutation between Ash and Maple. But if you keep the wood dry it wont rot for a while. The one thing theyre great for is deer forage in late winter, they love the browse. Ill cut stumps about knee high so they sprout a bunch or hinge cut them.
Splitting vertical is the way to go with a winch to get the rounds up on the table. I have videos with larger rounds being split but just found this one.
Nice. Your video gave me some ideas to tackle huge rounds I need to split. I can run a giant eye bolt into the face of the rounds like you did and pick them up with a boom pole attached to the 3-point on my tractor. Did you pre-drill a hole to get those eye bolts in? A pilot hole might be necessary for white oak or other very dense wood. I could raise the 3-point up or down a little to add or remove tension as I position the round under the splitter. Adding a little electric winch with remote to the top of the boom pole would be better yet. Or run the steel cable up over the tractors ROPS to a hook on the top of my front bucket, and use the bucket curl to raise / lower the log.
I think you were answering my post. The eye in the round is called a log dog and it is pounded into the block as it has a spike on the end. Somewhere there is thread about them. I will see if I can find it.
Me too. It’s all in good fun. If you wanna go vertical, by all means do so. Ok, So when we fall trees, or they fall over naturally, they are in their final resting orientation. I like to keep them that way.
Correct. I meant to respond to you. Thanks for the tip on the log dogs. I'll have to check those out.
they will bark if you hit them with the wedge, well maybe more a screech or bang. Wood not be pretty though.
3/8" semi chisel should be able to be bought at any hardware store for the 7900, of you have a 18-20" bar that is. I run a 6421 dolkita and I find that 20" semi chisel at pretty much any farm and hardware store.
I had a big job with big, dirty logs. I let it rain for weeks on a lot of it but that didn't solve it. I think the soil being sandy was the problem. I also used a pressure washer (cordless) and that worked somewhat. Also used a scrub brush and wire brush. And axe. And semi-chisel. And even bought carbide chain or whatever it's called to try. Also... cut so the chips are thrown away from the chain. It was a big job, took me two winters, lol.
