Poll: What split size do you aim for?

My splits are essentially the same. My customers are burning in fireplaces this time of year. No need for all nighters. In warm months they're burning in fire pits. I split on the small side for easy handling by customers.

 

I split oak and hickory on the medium and larger end — usually at least 4-5” average diameter. Elm, maple, pine, and anything else I use to start fires or for shoulder season wood I split smaller. I also cut some of my shoulder season splits short — anywhere from 8-12” long — to load north-south in our Neo 1.6.

 

Buzz Benton = Nice stacks you have there.

I probably split a little smaller than what I need to but for the small stove in the house it seems a little easier to control.
Wood furnace in the shop can certainly take some larger pieces and that seems better for out there.
anything that splits larger goes to the shop and smaller stuff in the house.

 

I have a tendency to split smaller than I should. At least I am now cutting to 16 inch lengths.

 

IMO no. If it works for you, how c an it be wrong.

 

I split everything by hand. Like many
I vary my split sizes. I always say Im consistent at being inconsistent when it comes to split sizes. But most are about the same. If I need smaller to toss on some coals, I just do some resplitting.

I've already pulled a split and thought what was I thinking leaving it that large.

6" or so stays in rounds if its BL or oak.

 

My old non-epa stove... frankly I didn't know what I was doing so there was a lot of guess and check. I was swinging a maul so I split it until it looked good to me, or if I couldn't get a piece any smaller I convinced myself that it was meant to be and moved on.

Now that some time has gone by and I'm not any smarter but my back doesn't cooperate for the same length of time, I got a little splitter. With my newer hybrid/catalyst stove I've been aiming for smaller pieces to pack that stove. My MIL gifted us one of those kindling cracker tools which I thought was a gimmick but I'm pretty impressed. When the mood strikes me and the weather lines up I'll cut down some splits on that to maximize the wood I get in the stove.

Sometime when I'm bored and feel inspired I'll do another one of my genius updates on my stove's thread and wax poetic about my stove again.

 

I like a mix. Smaller splits go on the coals and big stuff goes on top of them.

 

Sometimes if I have a decent round, I half it, then half that, then half, that.......

Girls ask the reason when they are helping. My response: “ I dunno...... wanted to “

 

I like a very diverse stack with all sizes mixed in

 

I am liking a variety of sizes for all wood species. I am into some 2 year old ash now, and I wonder what I was thinking when I split it. Most of it is under 3". For some reason I only left a few bigger ones. Everything I do now stays above 4", unless I get those couple of smaller fill ins. Still learning my stove after almost 5 seasons worth. Constantly playing with size, split orientation, and species. It's an art I think especially with different types of wood I get.

 

Nope. I don't worry about size.
I will take 2 rounds the same size. One I'll split in 4. One I'll in 3.

Size doesn't matter for my IS.
I do measure/cut the length to 16" because it stacks better but splits are any size usually in the 4x4, 3x5, 4x6 range.
Some days they run small some days the neighbor helps and they run big.
The IS just purrs along no matter what you feed it.

 

Dayum Bro, what you gonna do to stir things up next, start a “what’s your favorite oil “ thread, or don’t even, “what ratio do ya mix your fuel “ thread

I generally split about railroad tie size, oh wait, when you’re burnin old railroad ties, that’s really convenient, cut em 16” long, and 2 fit real nice side by side, North/South in the stove, and that leaves a bit of room on top for some hunks of worn out tires

Kinda down your way, I delivered Florence this evening, in Coos Bay for the night, then North Bend, Bandon and Brookings tomorrow. I’d drop in and say Hi, on the way home, but I’m thinkin that a 35’/27’ set of doubles would probably be a rather bad idea at your homestead.

Maybe next time, tell the Missus Howdy for me, I Hope that you both are Happy and HEALTHY

Doug

 

Doug! You didn't answer the question you dammed turkey!

You've been goin on awhile now about burning railroad ties and tires, so I have some special questions for you!

1. Does a railroad tie cut and split real fine have as many BTU's as a whole one not cut up?

2. Do shredded tires burn faster than whole ones?
3. 40 to 1 or 50:1?????
3 1/2. Does a ton of oak have any more BTU's than a ton of Doug's Fur?
I am insincerely struggling with questions it seems you could well answer Mr. Doug!

And I had thought someone would say "Hell yeah Buzz, we cut some biggins for nighttime!", but NO! most of these old bulls here just lower their heads and keep on split'n. It figures, as most of them have more hardwood than customers at a brothel.



And Doug, the driveway is less than a quarter mile long - you could walk it in an hour is so. But be forewarned - I did seal the asphalt where it gets real steep, and now 2wd cars can't make it up when it's wet - keeps the Californians out!
You're welcome up here anytime buddy - I'll hand you a maul and a saw. Goes for the rest of you too. Come see the REAL Oregon.
Buzz


Now that's a mouthwatering stack of slabs.

 

My largest splits are bark free dead slippery elm which is a lighter wood but only because large elm sticks ignite and burn well. I am more "strategic" when splitting heavier wood since I control my furnace heat output by wood additions instead of draft. I avoid low draft and probably over draft since I only want to clean my chimney once per year while gathering firewood is enjoyable, being outside in the woods. My rows contain many large heavy splits which are split smaller if the burning season is warm or fed to the furnace as a large if the burning season is cold. I only split by hand so creating large splits and then re-splitting later actually saves time since handling larger splits reduces the time to create a stack.

 

The door on my furnace is about 12x12 plus or minus. I try to make everything just fit through the door. Last night for example I put a hickory round in that nearly scrubbing the door abs was 20 -22 inches long. I also try to cut down to about 3 inches in diameter on the tree, so my piles look like crap. Nice stacks on the opening post!!!!

 

Hi Bob, Sorry about the slow reply.

1. I don’t think that the size of the split affects the BTU output, just how fast the BTU’s are put out. The smaller splits definitely heat up the stove, and house faster, but don’t burn as long. As I have mentioned before, railroad ties split really small, and soaked in used motor oil, make Awesome kindling for getting the larger pieces of Railroad Ties, and hunks of worn out tires burnin

2.I don’t know, whole tires won’t fit in my stove, and I don’t waste those BTU’s in the yard.
The chainsaw works great breaking down tires with Nylon cords, but I have to use the chop saw for the steel belted ones. I get the nylon belted tires when I can, they’re easier to handle (usually smaller), the chainsaw is much more Fun to run, and the steel makes for more work cleaning out the stove more often.

3. I usually use the silver bottle Husqvarna XP oil at 50:1, but will add a bit extra when milling

3 1/2. What is this Oak, of which you speak?

My woodsheds have seen more Unicorns sitting on them, than pieces of Oak in them. You see a LOT more Oak in your area, than we see around here (mostly yard trees, very few natural growth). Where we cut, we are only allowed to cut blowdown, IF the rare Hardwood blows down, if you aren’t standing there with a running saw in hand, when it hits the ground, all that you will ever see of it is the stump, some smaller limbs and sawdust. For us, HARDWOOD, is either DOWNHILL from the trailer, Too FAR from the trailer, or all too Often BOTH.

The quarter mile hike up the driveway, was less of a concern, than figuring out where to turn that set around, without breaking it up, and backing each piece into your driveway to turn it around. I was running a bit short on time, a visit would have cost me another night away from home. That was my second overnight run, back to back and the Wife was wanting me to come home, sorry you lost that round

As to the ORIGINAL Question, when I can’t scrounge enough railroad ties, and old worn out tires, and I am desperate enough to actually cut and split wood , I have a mix of small, medium and railroad tie size pieces, for lighting, quick heat and all night burns

I do Hope to get the chance to visit you and the Missus in the Future, I Enjoyed my previous visit. Stay Happy and HEALTHY

Doug