What you use to split your wood kind of depends on how much more wood you expect to split... What I mean is, if you're only going to split a little bit once in a while then renting a splitter will probably cost more than buying a cheap splitting maul. A Fiskers X27 is a popular tool, but it costs about twice as much a maul... Either one will work much better than an axe! I split all my stuff with no hydraulics. I use a 6# maul and the X27... I like them both equally. Spend 15-20 minutes with a file putting an edge on the maul, they seem to come kind of dull.
You can give the axe ago, as others have said. I would be looking at picking up a cheap maul at the local hardware. The suggestion about waiting till they are froze is a good one as well. Good Luck.
Red oak is easy to split, but 24" length may make them difficult. Get a maul from the hardware store and get to work.
Good advice here from WV and others.. Try with the axe, if it's red oak it will split easy if there's not too many knots. If need be, get a $25.00, 6 pound maul from any of the big box stores. No need for a hydraulic splitter or wedges. I bet the axe will work, just takes a little more effort than a wood maul. Rounds that have knots, just do the best you can with them and leave a few bigger ones that are hard to split for the big bonfire nights.
Get a good maul, the axe will probably get stuck a lot and lead to frustration. Go for one of those fiskars mauls.
Is the wood red when you spit it with deeper ruby pockmarks, and does the wood smell like it should be made into a manly cologn or something you'd like to take a shower in? If so its red oak, yeah I know I'm a little obsessed with the smell of oak but who here can blame me?
The Fiskars splitting axe is the one I use it is awesome, highly recommended and for the price it can't be beat.
I'll second all that! Love the smell of Oak-Red or White I only became a fan of Shagbark last year, and for similar scented reasons... Had no prior experience with the SB Hickory in the stacks- very distinct aroma....
Yes there is definitely something about the smell of Oak and Locust my other favorite, my neighbors are probably starting to wonder about me because every time I'm splitting either I feel the need to smell them when fresh cut...I suppose there is worse things I could be doing!
Ain't nothing wrong with sniffing your wood, man! I especially like when the whole back yard is filled with the smells of various wood! Step out on the back porch, a good 40' from the first stick and Oak waylays the nose
I split with an axe for a few years when I was in my 20s, used a sledge and wedge for the tougher stuff. Axe definitely did get stuck quite a bit as I remember. I did get it done though each year. Then one day I tried a maul and have never looked back. Red oak is my favorite wood to split for sure. I especially like when it's frozen, seems even easier then!
Save the ax for kindling. Pick up a maul and start swinging. If you don't have enough of it (wood) it wouldn't justify renting a splitter. wildwest I'm sure DH already knows this, but as others have said, the wood will split easier once it is frozen. Mid winter and you can split those tougher ones that you couldn't last fall.
You may be on to something, If you can bottle it, I'd wear it. Can't be any worse than the other mens cologne they sell!
Gotta warn ya, even if you don't burn wood - splitting with a 6 or 8 lb. maul could become a good compulsion like lifting. Once you get your accuracy dialed in and can start to unleash power on the swings, ya tighten up those abdominals just before the strike. Lends a lot of force to busting the rounds. A very satisfying thing to do.
I split for my parents for years with an axe, maul, wedges, and worst case noodled. I have to say, at least in my case, 22-24 inch hickory splits 10x easier with a splitter, and is about 30x faster. Even with the old school splitter I had i could make serious progress compared to the mauls and axes. One way of attacking a good size pile of rounds is to rent a splitter, and invite a few buddies over. A few pizzas and a few dozen wings, throw in some beer later in the game and within a few hours your pile will be nothing but splits. Food for thought. If you love to swing the maul....have at it though
6# maul. Split it while it's green or frozen; red oak will pop apart if there aren't too many branches. If you wait until it dries it'll be much harder to split. If it was white oak I'd tell you that without a splitter you'd be up the creek. That stuff is so stringy it's like trying to split it. You guys like the smell of red oak? We always called it pizz-oak because it smelled like the cat litter box, but whatever floats your boat!
Brian, congratulations on the oak. As for the splitting, for many years I used just a single or double bit axe. However, for the knotty stuff I had a couple steel wedges and sledge hammer. I split wood like that for many, many years until I learned about splitting mauls. I like them. Just a cheap one will do wonders. As others have stated though, the 24" length will make the wood split a bit harder so probably the splitting maul is your best bet right from the start. As for the axe, I've used many over the years and although many give flaming reviews of the Fiskar's, I can see nothing about them that would make me want one. I have a small and cheap single bit axe that will split much better than the Fiskar's. On the splitting maul, I do not sharpen them. They are not an axe. Learn how to swing properly and have fun!
Yes red oak splits easier if frozen and I too have noticed how it will just pop apart. But even in the middle of summer it splits pretty easily just not quite as easy as frozen. Great wood that red oak. White oak is stringy and takes a lot of patience. A maul can do it but yes I usually get frustrated because it takes an extra couple of whacks. Count me as one of those who love the smell of red oak split - world seems right when I have that smell in my yard. Great wood that red oak.
I have a prime account so i might just order this stuff online 2 best sellers in their categories. Thoughts? a little pricey but i'm ok with spending a few bucks on tools that will probably last me a life time (considering the qty of wood i split) http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-X27-S...9627911&sr=8-1&keywords=fiskars+splitting+axe http://www.amazon.com/Truper-30958-..._UL160_SR107,160_&refRID=15K5TBQ234QR9V5BYQ1F
