Hello everyone. I had posted a thread a couple of years ago on here called “hand splitting vs log splitter” and got some interesting responses. I am still in the firewood business full time during the winter and still hand split all of it. Would love to see and hear about your all’s opinions and how you run your business or how you split for your own use. Thanks and God bless. My preferred method. 4 years in.
Much of the freshly cut green wood I get cannot be split by hand. Big knotty rounds that laugh at the maul. I agree with the health benefits of hand splitting. Great for subduing anger.
Very true. I also process to 20". Most hand splitters average 14-16" length. That extra 6" of wood makes a big difference.
I won’t list all the places I’ve had cortisone shots, but I’ve had 3 in the spine and I ain’t getting younger nor did I get an easier job. Hydro
I’m liking the responses! So far I haven’t came across any that I couldn’t hand split other than knots. I go around them and trim off what I can and then toss the knots to the side if they are too big for a wood stove. They make great bon fire wood! I think the hardest thing I have ever split is sycamore. I researched it and found out that they used to be used as butcher blocks. I can see why!
One day when you are old n gray you will wake up and say man I wish I hadn't used my body up splitting all that wood by hand. Doing just enough for personal use would be good exercise, much beyond that is just excess wear n tear IMO. I split a cord or so by hand each year just to say I still can, the rest gets the hydro.
With all do respect I totally disagree sir. I don’t stress my back splitting but lifting has hurt it before if I don’t lift right. Buckin billy ray is in his 50s and had his back broke, logged a lot of his life and still does tree service. He is still hand splitting a lot and says it actually helps his back. I mean no disrespect in saying any of that but I totally disagree. I feel like sometimes the pain comes from not knowing how to correctly swing an axe. Before hydros were around people were doing it their whole lives for warmth and cooking. But this is just my opinion as well.
I used to enjoy hand splitting, but my back got bad enough that any time I had to pull a stuck maul out of a round, that was it, for not just the rest of the day but far too often the rest of many days. Choices were surgery and/or lots of pain pills or a splitter. I bought a splitter.
With all due respect to you sir, bbr is at least 75% hot air. I’m 54 and your body will adjust your thinking eventually. It’s science
After watching your video I can see why you prefer hand splitting. I prefer it too, mostly because my low usage can’t justify the cost (financial, storage space) of owning a splitter. If I had a bigger property and used more wood I’d switch to hydro…it’s still a great workout! Great video!
You are entitled to your opinion. Buckin is probably one of the most experienced and skilled people you will find in the logging, tree service and firewood game. I don’t know that I’ve hurt my back in the past 4 years hand splitting full time in the winter. But I have hurt it lifting.
Thanks for the kind words! I love hand splitting myself but I’m not at all trying to say a log splitter is bad. Just something I don’t prefer. I bought a 27 ton and had it for around a week before selling. It hurt my back from the lifting and it was slower and less enjoyable than hand splitting. But I know they have more advanced ones now with log lifts and that move much faster. If I ever did get one it would be one like that but I don’t ever plan to. I love hand splitting and feel great doing it. Actually makes me feel alive and well. And I’m able to split 2 cords a day if I need to do that’s plenty for me.
Aside from physical limitations, I think another important thing to consider is time and efficiency. There are only so many hours in a day, wasting them hand splitting doesn't seem to be a good strategy to grow a business, or a good use of time. I recall your post from a couple years back. You were in business then as well, correct? A good business growth model would be at minimum 15% growth per year. Have you grown considerably since then in money brought in and cords split/delivered? As an example, a guy who does 50 full cords his first year would do 57.5 or more the second year, about 66 the third year, 76 the fourth year, etc. That kind of growth would be extremely difficult to obtain with limited equipment. A good kinetic or a fast hydraulic splitter can pump out a full cord an hour plus. With the free time you saved you could do other things related to the business.
I c I have maintained where I want to be. I don’t agree that you always need to be growing, with all due respect. But I can hand split three full cords a day if I push. 2 isn’t too hard to achieve. So 2 cords a day would be 10 a week and 40 a month. I am able to keep up with the demand and for me it goes pretty consistent in the winter time. And now I have return customers every year so I guess that’s where I’ve grown. Also went from an suv to a full size 4x4. Bigger property and a 200 acre that has been logged out to get my supply from. So I have came a long ways from where I started for sure. But when I started out I went into it with all I had. So as far as the work ethic goes it’s probably the same. The customers mad equipment has increased and I stay busy all winter long. Last year I made at least 50 deliveries I would think and may do more this year. But I have nothing against people that use log splitters. For me it’s not about growing continually. Its about enjoying what you do and making an honest living.
If you are content and enjoy where you’re at then I’d continue doing it my friend. I was just pointing out you are leaving money on the table.
I understand. I appreciate how mature you are being. I knew when I posted this it would get mixed responses and I have no problem with that. I don’t like the taste of some foods you may like, probably. It doesn’t mean the food is bad food. I don’t think there’s a wrong answer in which you prefer. I think it just comes down to what suits you, your preference and what you enjoy.
