Consider the Cordwood Challenge

You guys are missing the point I was trying to make about Billy Ray's video. It wasn't that he was splitting the wood easily. It was that he was splitting the wood every which way it laid. He splits it as it comes, vs repositioning each piece to his advantage. Learning to do THAT, was what increased my splitting time. I hit lots of peices that don't split on the first or second or third swing. But it is a lot faster to just keep swinging at them and step into a new spot to hit the piece, than to bend over and position the piece perfectly. To me that is the impressive thing about the way he splits. Not the double bit or the Tom Clark head flick. Its the attitude of just wading in and taking the pile on as it is.

I've found the axe much much more versatile in splitting axe bucked wood than a maul. You can split a piece with an axe from any direction as long as you come in parallel to the grain. With a maul, the wedge and the weight only work if the maul comes in on the endgrain and there is something backing up the piece to give the very blunt edge time to penetrate. An axe bites before it starts splitting and wedging. If you try the golf swing with a splitting maul you are just playing the most awkward game of croquet since Alice in Wonderland.
 
Oxbow said:
I've found the axe much much more versatile in splitting axe bucked wood than a maul. You can split a piece with an axe from any direction as long as you come in parallel to the grain. With a maul, the wedge and the weight only work if the maul comes in on the endgrain and there is something backing up the piece to give the very blunt edge time to penetrate. An axe bites before it starts splitting and wedging. If you try the golf swing with a splitting maul you are just playing the most awkward game of croquet since Alice in Wonderland.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of folks buy the old "mauls don't need to be sharp" line too much, just like with wedges. I've got my maul sharp enough that the wedge shape is nearly a zero grind. When I split a beech log down its length I actually used the maul to cut and shape limbs at the site to use as gluts. I've not tried that particular "golf swing" method personally, so it may still not apply, but the mention of blunt maul edges does raise the matter. I've split a decent amount of ash with it that was laying on its side just coming down on top of it. I'd even do so when splitting kindling from it because splits coming at the side grain tend to make more loose fibers that catch easily.
 
Well, my mauls are as dull as a froe, so that may have some bearing on my personal experience. For the purposes of the cordwood challenge, the idea is to split the wood with an axe anyway. I was splitting with a maul using the Y crotch splitting block till I checked in with Steven and he encouraged me to try to use the axe more for the purposes of the challenge. I was really hesitant as I was concerned about the axe having a tendency to glance on the bevel ends of the axe cut pieces. I haven't found that to be the case for my wood, but I'm cutting almost entirely white ash.
 
This is the geometry I'm workin' with.

IMG_4397-694x1024.jpg


Here it is on a shorty handle I like to use for kindling work. I use it on the full length handle on the big stuff.

IMG_4529-1024x694.jpg


But yeah, splitting with axes would change the approach a bit, I'd figure.
 
I currently burn wood for home heating and have the majority of my life. Easy splitting woods are faster to split for me by hand as they lay. Usually at some point this is not the case and I'll switch to standing them on a stump this also gets to point where it's no longer practical at that point the hydraulic log splitter gets used. For me it boils down to speed and efficiency in getting the job done as quickly as possible. Splitting wood as it lays is sometimes more efficient but not always depends on the species of wood. It is harder on the axe edge because hitting dirt and rocks is more prevalent. I prefer the Fiskers X27 for as it lays splitting. A lighter more maneuverable tool is my preferred choice for this type of splitting because your often off balance or swinging at odd angles.
 
Oxbow said:
You guys are missing the point I was trying to make about Billy Ray's video. It wasn't that he was splitting the wood easily. It was that he was splitting the wood every which way it laid. He splits it as it comes, vs repositioning each piece to his advantage. Learning to do THAT, was what increased my splitting time.
Click to expand...

It's a good point and worth repeating. Anything that can be split where it lays saves time and effort.
 
I cut 3 cords of wood each year and heat our home with it. All red oak. (Emory oaks) It is dried, dead from bark beetles and drought. The logs never split very good. I tried them as they lay and it's useless. Standing them up works better. As does working at them the way they grew, big end up. I've beat the heads off wedges getting it done. Some years ago I did it all with hand tools and it's work. Now I use a chainsaw and still split with hand tools. Many logs with forks get laid off to the side another year before they will split. I sharpen my Kelly True temper double bit axe to 400 grit and the wedge. It helps improve the axe. Dried Juniper splits so easy compared to this oak. DM
 
David, I don't envy you your wood. Red oak here is as easy to split as the Ash I'm splitting, I actually split out a batch of shingles from some of it, its that clear. I looked up Emory Oak in and image search and it looks like they grow out in the open most of the time, so I expect they've got knots starting at the butt. On the plus side, it must be easy to get wood seasoned living in such a dry area.
 
It grows mostly in the SW. A large stately tree. Named after Leut. Emory on a exploring mission. It has a red color on the inside. I could not split shingles out of this. These grow in drainage and washes. The wood is seasoned. I'd call it petrified. After 15 years of drought and the last 5 the expansion of bark beetles. There is a lot of dead trees. Then the Spring winds come and topple them over. Some 3-4 ft. thick trunks are laying over come tax day. The winds tend to pack the bark with sand which can dull a cutting tool fast. DM
 
I have been splitting with these two hand tools for 23 years and just this year while splitting some of this oak at a limb notch part of the hammer head sloughed off. Sounded like a shotgun blast. The metal chunk shot over and put a hole through a metal rain gutter down spout. I felt lucky. DM
 
Thanks for sharing that, David. I've heard rumors of mushrooming doing that but never first hand before.
Grind off your mushrooms, folks.
 
Especially since keeping up on mushrooming removal can help prevent the spread of cracks! Much less material needs to be removed if you keep up on it. Ignore it and small cracks will spread deep.
 
I finally got my Photobucket account to start playing nice. I realized I haven't used it in some time, and the site seems to be getting a little sketchy. Maybe need to figure out a new photo sharing option.

In any case. A cord of axe cut wood.
IMG_3685.jpg


IMG_3680.jpg


IMG_3592.jpg
 
Oxbow, thanks for this photo. I can see that wood is nothing like the stuff I cut. DM
 
Oxbow said:
I finally got my Photobucket account to start playing nice. I realized I haven't used it in some time, and the site seems to be getting a little sketchy. Maybe need to figure out a new photo sharing option.

In any case. A cord of axe cut wood.
IMG_3685.jpg


IMG_3680.jpg


IMG_3592.jpg
Click to expand...

Did/have you considered using the box cut(the same you use to fell a tree) while bucking or even the double box cut to give yourself a, or both flat ends on the rounds? And awsome job that is a bit of work you did.
 
Extra style points for useing an ox. Just don't see that around here.
How is that thin handle on the last axe working out for you?
 
David Martin said:
I have been splitting with these two hand tools for 23 years and just this year while splitting some of this oak at a limb notch part of the hammer head sloughed off. Sounded like a shotgun blast. The metal chunk shot over and put a hole through a metal rain gutter down spout. I felt lucky. DM
Click to expand...

I have a scar from a big rebar wedge doing that. Still have the wedge too, but now I cut off the mushrooming with an angle grinder before it turns to shrapnel.

That emory oak is tough stuff, I made a mallet out of a branch of it when I lived in AZ. We have mostly gambel oaks over here - still hard and tough but not like emory.
 
serotina, thanks. I'm going to grind & shape these 2 heads today. But the maul didn't show any mushrooms, just the wedge. And the maul is where the metal chipped out. DM
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top