Some people are lucky and get nice splitting sugar maple. I found out I got Candy Cane Maple. And it does NOT split nice. My back is toast.
The sugar maple I've been working up seems like it's got some relatives in the elm family. I feel your pain.
I just scored a load and the entire main trunk has a massive vertical twist - was a real pain to split and the splits will have to be stacked on top of the piles - the shapes are crazy! Cheers!
Was it a yard tree? I get a lot of yard trees, and you can always tell when they grew in a windy area! Lots of twist, and lots of knots where limbs broke off in the wind.
I've had them so twisted that the bottom of the piece when it split was off the the foot of the splitter. A major PITA to split and stack. I was so happy that my last tree service load had no corkscrews. It was mostly oak which I think is less disposed to twisting.
Yup that sugar maple. They grow twisty, usually in clumps, one tree grows around another killing the smaller and get rot in the middle. Leaders over 2 feet in diameter and there are usually at LEAST three. But they are great firewood, good BTUs, great shade tree and make fine Syrup.
