Chopping wood

B

Bo T

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Feb 12, 2011
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I usually get my wood all chopped before the frost hits. I was a little late on finishing this year. I had several pieces that would stick the ax about 8" in. when it was 50 or 60 F. I split some today, @ 25 F, and it split real nice and clean. Anyone else notice the wood splitting a little easier a few degrees below freezing?
 
Interesting theory. I haven't a guess. I am not too skilled so I get stuck all the time in any weather.

Curious to see others responses.
 
Splitting wood on a sunny bright windless day when the temp is near zero F is about as ideal a setup as you can have. Oak pops apart like it explodes.
 
It's because water expands when it freezes. Extra pressure on the wood fibers that's eager to blow. Even very dry wood still has some residual moisture in it.
 
Try it at 10 or 20 below sometime, if it's not totally frozen to the ground, it splits like a charm. My father filled me in on this last fall when we felled a tree that was starting to die in our yard. I couldn't split that thing no matter what I tried, axe, splitting maul...etc. He said wait until January one the wood freezes, and it was like night and day.

Of course that's just my 2 pennies from the Northwoods, it might be different in other locals.
 
American Elm is tough and stringy and doesn't split worth a hoot at normal temperatures but if you wait for -20 F weather then all of a sudden you can actually work with the stuff. Discovered that by accident during my university days when a couple of my buddies were trying to get through an entire Ottawa winter by heating their uninsulated cottage with wood. Elm was easy to come by back then (Dutch elm disease had just passed through) since every farm property had lots of dead ones and everyone wanted them gone!
 
The colder the better. I prefer to do all my splitting in the winter because it's so much easier. Nice way to keep warm too. I've split in pretty much all temperatures, as low as -40, and the colder it is the easier it is.
 
Good to know! I might just start keeping a pile of hard to split wood for below freezing weather.
 
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