Cutting Splits

I’d like to tap into the collective brain trust of FHC for some advice and inspiration.

I’ve got maybe a face cord of ash that fell this Fall in CT. It’s been cut, split and stacked since December; splits are about 18” long. Our firepit takes wood that’s 12” long.

Sooooooo! I’m looking for a good way to cut these splits; thinking of making up some type of jig to hold them and then just run the saw down. I know I’ve seen some threads in the past where some folks here have done something similar. At first, I thought I’d cut them to 12”. But that leaves me with a bunch of 3” chunks. So at this point, I think I’ll just halve them and call it a day.

Here’s the wood:



And here are some 2x’s I grabbed from up north this weekend:


Open to any suggestions and/or pics you have to share.

 

Pictures of the fire pit?

It’s been a while but I used tied down straps about 6” apart. Cumbersome and a pain but it worked and held(a lot) everything secure for the cut. I couldn’t make a jig secure enough for the situations “help” at the time.



Owl

 

Do you have a 12" miter saw?

 

Build a bigger fire pit?

 

Put the 18" splits vertical in the fire pit?

 

Use ratchet straps on each end of a number of splits. Run the saw down the middle.

Wash, rinse, repeat as needed.

 

Maybe you could use a 12" chop saw....if you have one?

 

Have been there done that for a few firewood customers that wanted 8-10” splits. Cutting in half is easiest. Line the wood along a board or pallets for cutting. Best to have another person removing and feeding your work as you cut. Heavy steel toed boots help hold the wood in place while cutting. Take your time.

 

I bought a cheap/used miter saw from a local papers for sale ads. I use it for cutting splits for the cooker. $25 well spent

 

I had quite a few splits to shorten when my parents bought an insert. Made a jig:
Quickie wood cradle for dad

 

I've done it without a jig or anything right on the stack. It ain't pretty but does work once you figure how to orient yourself/guide bar.

 

Thanks all!

Jason, thank you for that pic. That’s the thread I remembered from awhile back; appreciate you linking it. I’ll probably fab something up like that.

Here’s a pic of the firepit. It’s a Solo Stove Ranger in a stone housing. So there’s not room for bigger splits. The Solos burn better when the wood is under that top fire ring. With dry wood and it loaded correctly, it’s a great smokeless burn that puts out some good heat. This project was wrapped up a few weeks and we’ve spent many nights out there relaxing after dinner.

 

Two thumbs up on the firepit and surrounding area! Looks great.

 

Thanks! We had an extension built off of our back patio. Unfortunately the pavers we used for that project (over 15 years ago) were no longer available. My wife came up with the pea stone solution and using a few extra pavers we did have as a boarder. The mason did an awesome job.

 

That’s a really nice job

 

Looks awesome!

 

This worked well! Not bad for using some scrap wood I had laying around. Should be good for cutting up the rest of the splits.