Nice work there, Mike. It's great to see how far ahead you've been able to get! I may bust out the hand splitting tools and give it a go here pretty soon if this snow doesn't melt soon enough. No way I'm getting the splitter even remotely close to what needs processing unless I put it on skis, and mount tracks on my little tow rig. Hmmm..
It's cool how that big oak round came apart. Does that center core come loose without any persuasion, after splitting the outside?
Yes. There's a layer of black stuff around the center core. Maybe, from a fire or something 50+yrs ago, that the tree survived? There's no rot in that trunk. Very odd, imo. Planning to head out shortly for more noodling/splitting. Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
Here's how I've been dealing with the big rounds, 1mp manual splitting.. I noodle down a little bit, to allow the wedges to get started. After a few whacks with the sledge - And then a few more - it splits where it wants to The x27 takes over to cut through any strings and to pull the round apart. You can see more of that odd center core below. This is the trunk with 3 16" rounds cut from it, thanks to M2theB last month. So, that core is at least 4ft up into the trunk. The chunks between the trunk and the stone wall are what I've been able to nibble from the much larger rounds. I'll get around to moving the chunks to my side of the wall, and then to semi-long term stacking/storage, as time allots. I've found that I can manually split for about 4hrs, using the x25. Doing the work of above of wedging/sledging, lifting and tossing the chunks, I'm done after 2hrs. Oh well..
2 hrs would be about my limit too. It's interesting to me how you are using the wedges. I will have to try cutting a groove thru the bark, and wedging from the side. I've always wedged from the top, but on some wood your way may be easier.
I've found this site to be very informative in many different ways. I've not seen or read about splitting large rounds like I show above. It does work for me. It might not for others. But it does demonstrate an outside-the-box way of splitting, for sure. Once split, I'll usually lay the wood down and go at it, by splitting on the cut face. If there's no "action" after a few whacks, then I'll tip the piece back up, bark side down, and repeat the shallow noodling/wedge/sledge process. Again, I'm not splitting to stack long term , but to break the large round down into lighter, moveable pieces. Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
It's a block-alanche!!!! Just about done breaking down the rounds M2theB cut up for me. Each chunk is 4-5 stove sized splits. Hoping to start moving them later this week, after a little more snow melts. They'll be moved as is and stacked. I'll be in no real rush the split them further. Still loving the new log tongs. Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
Mike you are a one-man chain gang! You'll be busting up that rock wall after you finish with the oak.
Well.... After a delay due to bad weather and busy social calendar, I decided that before today's last(?)winter blast, that I'd fire up the 1mp x27 and get after it. I turned on the radio to Sunday Morning Blues, and ended up splitting, moving and stacking a full rack (1/3cord) of red oak. I'll be putting a 2nd rack parallel to this one. I probably won't cover them until summer 2019. To the right side of the picture below, you can see another 8foot rack. That rack is there for "fit", and it does. There's room for 3-8foot racks in that area. A new spot for a cord of wood to season! That's always a good thing! And, the pile-o-chunks that remain. There's a piece of grape vine laying there, looks like a thin branch,. The pile on this side of the stone wall, extended to the right of the vine until the x27 was unleashed. Between the stone wall and the oak trunk, are similar chunks of wood 3-4 chunks deep. I'm hoping to get a rack filled each day this week, starting on Tuesday. Monday is supposed to be a washout with about 2" of rain to fall. We'll see.
That full rack is a pretty sight! Perfect splitting weather, once it stays in the 50°s. I've got my usual hodgepodge of rounds to split: birch, apple, pear, oak, maple, ash, cherry, poplar, spruce, pine, and mystery wood.
After a few weeks of gathering some seasoned standing dead oak for 18-19, it was tie to get back at it. So, I fired up the 1mp x27 and went at it. I'll leave that gap between the three racks as it'll be my way in when time to unload in a few years. It'll also give me a place to stash the rack I keep on the deck during heating season. There's room for another 8ft stack to the right of 2 racks below When done in this area, there will be 2 cords of read oak resting for a few years. About 1.3 cords there now. I'm hoping to get the other 2/3 cord stacked over the next few weeks. Hopefully, the cribbing will hold up.
I like the smell of fresh split cut oak... but, after it's been sitting for awhile, and it rains.. it does stink.
Well... M2theB has a new saw he bought cheap and rebuilt, and I have some big oak logs. M2theB wanted to see what his new saw could do, and I have some big oak logs. M2theB on a vacation day of his, drove to my place this morning and we played with the big logs. Before we started - The log below on the left, had been previously cut, but not all the way through. Plan was to roll it, finish the cuts, and roll them out of the way. Top log below - that's a 16" hammer. After the log above was out of the way, we could focus on that big one. Bottom log cut and rolled -or was it rolled, cut, and rolled? M2theB's rebuilt saw.
All done - heat is rising and the dew point already was high Three rounds cut from the top log. x27 for scale Reverse angle Regarding that one long log, on the ground.. I'm hoping to be able to cut a few rounds from the middle of it, as there is daylight all the way around. Once cut, I'm hoping to be able to nibble away at it two smaller logs that are left. A big THANKS(again) to M2theB for his assistance. Muchly appreciated.
