Been on this site for 2 years and have read many many threads about how great hickory is for burning. neighbor up the road dropped 2 because he was “tired of the nuts”. Naturally I scooped up this today and going back for another 7 40”-54” long trunks this weekend. I have Ash red oak and a Little sweet gum. Can’t wait to add this to my stash. What kind of issues am I gonna run into splitting it?
The sooner you split it, the better. As it dries and the ends check, it becomes progressively harder to hand split. Non issue with hydraulics of course.
Hickory is awesome aside from splitting it. I also wouldnt keep it around for more than 3 years because bugs like it too, it throws tons of BTU's and burns a long time. Its one of the prettiest grains IMO.
It will be terrible to split & you won't enjoy it, please send it here & I'll dispose of it for you. As was stated above if hand splitting the sooner the better, hydraulics no real issue. You'll see some bugs boring into soon after it's split, so plan to burn it when it's ready, but save it for cold weather. You got a nice score there!
I have my hickory score, about 2 1/2 cords top covered for about 6-7 ish years with no major bug issues. Been saving it for cooking wood but probably should just heat with it. My son has a huge shaggy over his house and it's squirrel central. They are constantly knocking nuts onto his roof !!
Congrats on finally getting some. Great stuff and you wont be disappointed! Knot free should hand split easier, but it can be hand split. Do it ASAP though. Hickory commonly has little "scars" inside that can make splitting harder. I had two cords of hickory rounds i let sit for several months before i hand split it. Heres the thread. Processing Hickory. 100 splits then call it quits.
I save my hickory for the fireplace, and burn other stuff in the OWB. It throws the heat and is great to see when it is well seasoned. As others have said. The sooner it is split, the better.
