Wood Splitting Tips 2

[@somatder]

very useful tips! There are tons of wood splitting videos on KZbin on nice and straight grained stuff but very few like you showing how to deal with the difficult pieces. Thanks a lot - I will put these tips into practice

[@countrycledus8933]

Both of these videos were very educational. Several tiny little tricks that add up over time to make things easier. Thank you!

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks! Yeah, unfortunately, there are no big tricks to make it easy.

[@douglasswetland9648]

It was nice watching someone split the hard rounds and not just easy ones. I have watched this a couple of times over a couple years. Elm is a hard one to split and no one on you tube ever splits it. It is a good burning wood !

[@oldglstuf]

Dear Terry, I really love your two videos and how they address "problem wood". I live in a semi-arid but very dense forest at 6250 ft. elevation about 90 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Most of the wood we get here is live mountain oak, Jeffrey pine, and white fir. All the trees up here fight for their lives and are seldom very straight-grained. I also buy BTU packed but rock hard and twisty almond wood from the groves of California's great central valley just to the north of me. Yours are the first videos I have seen that come close to the real life situations that we experience here. Millions (yes millions) of forest trees have died from our now five year long drought so there will be a lot of wood cutting and splitting in our future here, I think. Thank you so much for your extensive knowledge and helpful tips. Paul Alleeson, Pine Mountain Club, CA

[@terryhale9006]

+oldglstuf Thanks Paul. I knew the drought had been horrible and it is logical that many trees would die, but this is the first time I have actually had that communicated to me. It's hard to describe the heavy feeling that gives me. I'll hope that there aren't any serious ripple consequences, like erosion and habitat loss. It sounds like a lot of this wood will end up rotting on the stump. Thanks for the information on species and their condition. Best of luck with the drought, Terry

[@samuelluria4744]

oldglstuf - Sounds like a beautiful area you live in, drought notwithstanding. I have an infatuation with the Almond species in general, just find it a beautiful tree. I imagine it makes wonderful firewood ...

[@TheDisorderly1]

You seem to know so much about trees and splitting wood. Thanks for sharing this information with us.

[@michaelkearney5562]

Terry. The scrap-wood wedge is a simple but brilliant idea. It is something that I had never tried until this past week-end. I was splitting some large Sitka spruce rounds, with plenty of knots in them, that did not want to come apart. When it was needed, I put a piece of scrap wood, of the appropriate size, into an opening before retrieving the maul. It worked brilliantly - a side effect: less cursing. The best ideas are the simplest. Thanks again.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks! Makes me pleased to hear it. I lived in Sitka for two years when I was a kid. Just the word brings back pleasant memories.

[@phillippollard1699]

Really appreciated your tutorial. Very instructive. Keep up the good work. 😀

[@jesseheilman]

Very helpful and informative video I like your cut to the Chase way of explanation as opposed to going on and on like a lot of the others out there

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Jesse.

[@christopherfitch7705]

One of the better how tos on splitting also you're a good shot with that maul which is essential. Also you're good at reading the wood

[@malcolm4672]

As with a couple of others, your tip on using, a scrap wood wedge great, have been splitting wood for years and have never thought of that. Being in New Zealand I mainly split, pine, bluegum and birch, with a bit of fruit and pittosporum on occasions. Enjoyed your videos.

[@terryhale9006]

+malcolm hogan Malcolm, I don't know how I missed your comment, but I offer a belated "Thanks". I appreciate you mentioning the species you split. While I do not ever expect to get the opportunity to split any of them, I do like hearing the names. If you would be so kind, which do you consider the best splitters and which do you consider the best fuel?

[@malcolm4672]

+Terry Hale Easyist to split is Pine, but also the one with the most sap so your gear gets messy, best fuel is bluegum.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks!

[@ethanallenhawley1052]

Really enjoyed the discussion on both these videos. It is fascinating to see the science behind splitting. Edit: Around 9 minutes, so strong you split the wood with your hands!

[@terryhale9006]

(Oh, to be young again!)

[@claythorne01]

Intelligent use of tools coupled with solid skills.

[@corsagafa]

Just want to say thanks to you for both your videos on splitting,by far the best info about splitting wood on youtube

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Corsa.

[@roncar1761]

I learn so many tips from your first video and this one! 🪓🪓🪓

[@terryhale9006]

Great! I hope they prove useful to you.

[@annecampbell4537]

mindblown on that lying down split! thank you for the tips! and you hit where you are aiming! awesome

[@terryhale9006]

Thank you Anne.

[@f21551]

Terry, you have the best DIY felling and splitting site on You Tube. I first started heating my house when fuel oil went from $0.25/gallon to over $1.00/gallon in one month. When was that? My first wood was dead tamarack cut off a small slough in the winter and dead elm from my own property. Elms were dying everywhere and I could get all the free elm wood I wanted! You know why. All my elms died at least 25 years ago. Now we have oak wilt and ash borers. I still use a monster maul. Have welded the handle back on twice already. Peter Schumacher, Minnesota

[@terryhale9006]

+Peter Schumacher Thanks much Pete and more power to you. While I actually feel dismay any time a tree species starts to succumb to an epidemic, I certainly don't regret having ash and oak available to split. P.S. Thanks for sending that burst of Minnesota weather our way. Our beaver pond had started to melt, making it a bit dicey to go out on it to harvest the drowned hardwoods. The -21 last night gave us a foot of solid ice.

[@bruceanderson8720]

Thank you Very good tips! Watched both videos and learned a lot.

[@terryhale9006]

Thank you, Bruce.

[@Dao4deuce]

Every once in a while I have to watch other people struggle to chop elm. I like your method with the dual wedges, I'll have to give that a try. It burns well, and the strings help it get the fire going, but dang is it a pain to split!

[@terryhale9006]

Definitely. I get a "worth it" feel when I put one of those pieces into the wood stove.

[@TimSheets]

Thanks for all the tips! I am a newbie at splitting wood and have been having a heck of a time with the latest large branch that came down during a storm. Not sure what kind of tree it is, but that stuff is tough! I found a couple of wedges left behind by the property's previous owner (only been here a year) so going to give those a shot. :-)

[@terryhale9006]

Good luck to you. Don't forget hearing protection!

[@kevinbyrne4538]

7:08 -- "We're a little bit off, but close." He missed the line that he'd intended to hit by 2 mm. I'd be lucky if I hit the log at all.

[@billhamilton7524]

I find on those large rounds if you cant get it I leave the wedges in and I start splitting the half into sections ,,GREAT advice on ear plugs ,,it is a loud ear piercing noise

[@samuelluria4744]

This comment applies 2 part 1 of this video as well : not only are you the only one on KZbin that I know of that's addressed the issue of splitting crotches, but you also happen to be darn good at it!!!

[@terryhale9006]

+Samuel Luria Thanks Sam!

[@sandmastermaster]

Samuel Luria agreed

[@jolkraeremeark6949]

I think the maul has laser sights

[@rubblemonkey6904]

Man, that elm looked like a BEAST to split! And here I thought bradford pear was stringy.

[@mattfoley6082]

I first watched your splitting videos in 2014 the first year I got my wood stove. Learned a lot. First wood I split by hand was apple. WORST WOOD EVER for splitting. Exhausting. Never again. But it does smell wonderful when burning. Cherry smells great too and is much easier to split. Silver maple smells nice but not fruity, I can't describe the smell.

[@terryhale9006]

Apple is a nasty one, for sure. It grows a lot of little branches (knots) that really bind it together. I also like the smell of fruit woods, though all I get in the North Country are Apple and Black Cherry.

[@mattfoley6082]

@@terryhale9006 How many cords do you burn a year? Do you split it all by hand? I did all mine by hand the first few years, about 3 or 4 cords a year. I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment. I told myself I'd never take the easy way out. Then a friend let me borrow his 22 ton log splitter. That was 3 years ago and the splitter is still at my house. It's just so much faster and easier esp. the big Y pieces. I tell myself I'm not cheating, because I still get plenty of exercise driving to the wood, splitting the rounds with wedge and hammer, loading it, driving home, unloading it, lifting it onto the splitter, throwing the pieces into a pile, then stacking. Please don't hate me!

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

Atlantic blue cedar(Cedris atlantica glauca) smells of apples I find.

[@ronaldwilkins6056]

I recently started splitting wood by hand at 55yo...a couple of big Chinese elms that blew down in my backyard this past summer...there have been times where I've split a chunks part of the way thru and they continue to snap and pop for up to a minute without any additional external force- that's some crazy tough wood, almost seems more suitable for building bulldozers than for burning, ha.

[@FatherOfTheParty]

While growing up my father and I would run into some elm and it was always a massive struggle to get them split. This was in South Dakota in the 70s and many times we would set the elm aside until we had some -20 degree (or colder) weather. Once the rounds were frozen solid they could be split (still with difficulty). From time to time we simply used the chainsaw to split exceptionally stubborn rounds.

[@terryhale9006]

I try not to talk about the few times where I have had to resort to using a chainsaw to "split" wood, but hey definitely exist.

[@sandmastermaster]

The only guy one youtube you need to watch to learn how to chop wood

[@terryhale9006]

Nice of you to say that.

[@strumbadstroller7350]

excellent tutorial. Many thanks for this, now I need to buy a couple of wedges & get on with it!

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks for the comment. Please don't ignore hearing protection.

[@ForViewingOnly]

Is Elm, and all wood in general, easier to split when it's green or when it's dry? Sorry for the newbie question. Thanks for an interesting video.

[@terryhale9006]

A good question. In general, as they dry out, the loss of water induces shrinking and possibly cracking., It may also place some internal tension stresses into operation which could help to pull the wood apart while the ax is trying to push it apart. A few species, however, get tougher as they dry. Many get a bit harder. Some species are so very wet that they try to squich when chopped into. Those need to dry a bit and become brittle enough to split. Since I tend to accept the wood that "volunteers", I haven't paid that much attention to which species have which behavior. Poplar tends to be "squishy". Sugar maple dries hard. Hickory toughens a bit as it dries.

[@brianhennigan7650]

we had a farm with many trees that were to be cleared I was 14 years old and with my father we would cot the trees down with a two handed saw 2mt in length then cut the tree in 3mt lengths to split with wedges and large wedge hammer pull the stumps out with a draught horse leave to dry then cut for our combustion stove that is great for cooking and heating I live in Melbourne and would like to be back on the farm

[@terryhale9006]

I only had two opportunities to use a two-man saw when I was young, but I have a lot of respect and admiration for them. They are still used in some of our larger national parks. Chain saws are heavy and you can only carry in so much gasoline. I am confident that the two-man saws will make a comeback, or even become dominant, once petroleum becomes precious. I am glad you have those nice memories of life on the farm.

[@AreWeMuslims]

Brian Hennigan Respect to those who work by the acres and not by the hours.

[@alexmac101]

Guy tries to vouch for elm, argues it’s not as bad as some say. Elm immediately goes on to prove it’s bad rep

[@terryhale9006]

You missed the point. As a firewood, it burns just fine. It's splitting it that is such a big problem.

[@carmenschumann826]

. . . you are remarkable good in hitting where you aim to !

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Carmen. When my accuracy starts to fade, I know it's time to go read.

[@brianworley7705]

Nicely done, especially the crotch being separated. I can tell you are well practiced with you swing. I am RUSTY on my swing and can tell for sure.

[@a2112drummer]

Hi Terry good advice! Have you ever tried the Fiskars Splitting axes? I have one and holy cow do they go through wood like butter! They sell them on Amazon and at Home Depot! Great videos!

[@terryhale9006]

Since making that video, I have (again) added an F27 and would now consider it my favorite splitting axe. The smooth sides and Teflon (?) coating let it deliver a splitting force without much energy being wasted in friction. I still find an occasional piece where I need the extra weight of the Stihl axe, but that's probably only about 2% of the time. I previously had an F27, but must have been dealing with wood that required a heavier head, because I was not impressed with it then. Now I am. ...and thank you for the appreciation.

[@a2112drummer]

Terry Hale I have the X11 right now due to the noise (the joy of apartment living) and it works really well for now! I enjoy all your videos and would love to see more if you have time! Have a great holiday season! Thanks again!

[@terryhale9006]

If you haven't seen them, you might enjoy my tedious series of videos on tree felling, posted as the "Weakened Woodsman".

[@larsfrandsen2501]

Terry Hale I agree with all the (positive) comments about the two splitting instructional videos. May I add that I think your ‘tedious’ (your word) series on taking down problematic trees is among the very best on KZbin right now. I worked in forestry for ten years (many moons ago now), and dealing with the many and varied situations you go through in your videos is very important. Your advice is always well-reasoned and clearly explained. It can actually save lives. Seriously!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Wow! That elm won't give it up!

[@terryhale9006]

+hoshnasi I do find it pretty amazing. The only thing I've found that was worse was Southern Catalpa. I no longer remember the count precisely, but it was something like my first 25 stroke literally just bounced off it. I had not been expecting that since the chainsaw went through it as though everything was normal. I did a big swing and nearly got smashed in the face when the axe rebounded. I'll go with forest-grown White Ash as my very favorite splitting firewood.

[@bg147]

+Terry Hale I don't have wedges nor splitting axes, just some vintage and antique axes that I purchased at auction that I like to mess around with. The catalpas around here are tough to split while the mimosas are very easy to split. Great video and tips.

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks Big Guy.

[@tinadan308]

Another great video. Thank you.

[@Platoon3090]

I guess my only question is, if you have multiple mauls, why are you taking the maul out once you’ve driven into the wood? At that point you should just leave the maul in pick up your other maul and either pound pound the seed maul through the split or walk around and swing at the opposite edge of the spilt. Your doing a lot of extra work inserting wedges and pulling out the maul. Wedges are for people who don’t have more than one maul.

[@terryhale9006]

I date from when most maul handles were made of wood. If you pound on a maul head, you are putting a big shock wave into the handle right next to the head. That shear wave will lead to premature cracking of the handle. If you miss-hit a wedge, it's no big deal. If you miss the head of a maul, you may be buying a new handle and going through the hassle of rehafting it or buying a new maul. Wedges are much cheaper than mauls. I'd rather mushroom one of them out than a maul. The split doesn't always follow a straight line. If you start driving in your maul and the handle is going end up against wood, you have to quit driving it. If your ax is seated into the wood and opens a crack adjacent to it, it's easy to place the wedge in that crack. In my opinion, wedges and mauls serve different purposes and those should not be mixed. I feel that every serious splitter should have two or three wedges in their arsenal.

[@Platoon3090]

Terry Hale never really thought about that. All my mail handles are not made of wood. I don’t even give it a second thought. Thanks for the insight.

[@extreemslayer]

I really enjoy watching your videos terry. Would it be possible for you to make a video demonstrating hoe you sharpen a chainsaw chain? once again thank you -Leo

[@terryhale9006]

+extreemslayer Thanks Leo. It would certainly be possible, but there are already several good ones out there that I could not improve upon.

[@larsfrandsen2501]

Terry Hale Which one is your favourite on sharpening a saw chain? Thanks in advance.

[@davidmorse8432]

When all else fails break out the monster maul.

[@rickseifert5139]

Now that's tough wood, that Elm is very stubborn.

[@terryhale9006]

+rick seifert Yes. That's why it is generally ignored as a firewood. I usually take up its challenge "Because it's there". Also burns well. From the way you described them, I got the impression that some of your Gums were very hard. Are they fibrous as well, like Elm? You also mentioned the Silver Gimlet being known to dull chainsaws quickly. I've heard that some wood species, particularly in semi-arid settings, absorb minerals and have those form crystals within their heartwood. Might this be a case in point?

[@rickseifert5139]

Some of the gum species here are quite fibrous and very tight grain structure, the gimlet is a very dense grain to it as well.

[@williamwells7775]

have you thought about getting a hatchet to split kindling

[@terryhale9006]

That would make sense, but I do it quite rarely. I have a wood-working shop and get more than enough kindling from that. Otherwise, yeah...I should get one. (Pretty sure I've actually got one "someplace safe".)

[@teabaggervance8]

I bet he is an engineer

[@terryhale9006]

Darn! What gave me away?

[@lpddawg]

That Elm reminds me of trying to split Sycamore.Tough as nails and full of all those strings.

[@terryhale9006]

I haven't had the opportunity to split Sycamore. I guess I was hoping that, with leaves like Maple, it would split like Maple. Shucks!

[@tractorman4461]

Green sycamore just takes the hit and laughs back at you. It is essentially a wooden sponge when freshly cut. Your maul goes in and moisture oozes out all around your penetration and it rarely opens up on the first swing with the beginnings of a splitting crack. It also lacks the typical grain pattern we all associate with oaks, hickory, ash and many other hardwoods and that contributes to its difficulty in splitting. Also Terry, another good video sir.

[@terryhale9006]

When I lived in Alabama and Korea, I enjoyed the look of Sycamore. Armed with your evaluations, I will no longer regret its absence from my present upstate New York property.

[@panama-canada]

You can hit the side of the log too, you know?

[@terryhale9006]

Of course. Didn't you see it demonstrated?

[@426superbee4]

That sure is a lot of work

[@CAMPINGJOEGRIMES]

Use a tire to hold logs in place when splitting logs.

[@jesseheilman]

Whenever dealing with crotches your most prominent crack in the wood will be on the root side of your peace of wood flip it upside down split from the bottom

[@terryhale9006]

When dealing with crotches, the most prominent crack is not reliable. I definitely find it best to go for planes of symmetry.

[@shermanhofacker4428]

Lay it on it's side and use wood gluts.

[@MsRadagast]

Köszönöm a sok hasznos információt!👍

[@terryhale9006]

Köszönöm!

[@RESTORED_REPUBLIQ]

i dont like how you do the kindling but to each his own.

[@terryhale9006]

It's actually very safe and the best way of making sure the split goes exactly where you want it to.

[@philh1830]

Very helpful !

[@JimmyHagar]

I would be dead by the time I got done splitting that shit it take so long

[@rnilazarev2553]

STIHL 👍👍👍🤝🤝

[@samuelluria4744]

Elm!! BOOOOO!!!!! Great job!!!

[@belindawhittlock5818]

Very nice

[@terryhale9006]

Thanks, Belinda.

[@nerazzurro182]

I dont see many people splitting wood with an axe take the piece of wood over their head and smash it on the block on the back of the axe head....(Like a wedge) This works better especially if you are tall like me. :)

[@terryhale9006]

+Cyber EMR Estrella I've seen that done. I even vaguely remember having used it a few times years ago. If the wood has enough mass, you may actually get more energy out of driving the wood onto the blade than you can get out of driving a lighter axe head into the wood. I'd be a bit worried about discovering that the wood was not solidly onto the axe when the wood is directly overhead. Another minor concern would be that the poll of the axe head would often not be coming down squarely onto your chopping block, possibly introducing some stresses that could damage the haft. All things considered, however, if it works consistently for you ... Great!

[@MrKrowDog]

I hate knots. I need some ax like you. I'm over chopping wet wood with to much knots. so I'm over here wasting to much energy for one log. but good video.

[@terryhale9006]

Knots definitely suck, but the trees insist. For me, it's often about not wanting to admit defeat to a hunk of wood.

[@jaydekaytv]

Good work on the video/tips!

[@terryhale9006]

jaydekaytv Thanks!

[@adamasz54]

Logical and clear communicative speech over stump, real 'homo sapiens et ratus regnare'! Terry - no offence, you can teach it academically. Apart from that, I do prepare my kindling with an old granddad's 2,5lb hatchet instead of 6,6lb mallet, even of decent german make.

[@Chuck88keys]

I've been there, done that got some FREE ELM from a neighbor across the street. "NEVER AGAIN" will i bother with elm.....It's NOT worth it. Elm isn't rated that high plus it tends to smoke a LOT. WARNING!!!! "STAY AWAY from Elm" You'll be glad you did.

[@terryhale9006]

Southern Catalpa was the only wood I've encountered that was tougher to split. I would avoid elm if looking for firewood. However, If I have to cut dead elms down on my property, I feel obligated to split it and put it in the wood pile. (Love a challenge.) I have not had a problem with it smoking. Was yours still a bit green?

[@Chuck88keys]

You're right. The pieces i have were really green and i should have waited. I had 2 straight wedges and one "GRENADE" buried in it at the same time. Water was coming out everywhere. That was a very long time ago. I guess we learn as we get older I'm 78 now, no more hand splitting here. Actually, a neighbor out back has a dead elm that she is going to have taken down soon. Nah, i was thinking but.......forget it. I'll let her give it to the kid a couple houses away. He can bust his ass Gotta LOVE it. Happy burning.

[@terryhale9006]

Wet or not, good idea not to give it a second chance. Cheers!

[@whitezin65]

Silly wood splitter! When your ax gets stuck good into the wood, DON"T pull it out! Leave it there. Flip the whole thing over & slam the back of your ax head onto your splitting stump. Of course this only works on pieces that aren't too heavy to lift over your head. You think splitting elm is tough? Try sycamore. Stringy like elm, but twisty & wavy as well.

[@terryhale9006]

Interesting. I find sycamore easier to slit than elm and Southern Catalpa the worst I've ever tried to split.

[@nathanduckeorth806]

Elm absolutely sucks for splitting in my opinion! Ya need a log splitter and a hatchet or just leave it alone and cut some other species

[@terryhale9006]

Southern Catalpa is the only thing I have encountered that is harder to split than Elm.

[@tubesockets120v]

Never have your hand by the swing of the maul head. A dangerous situation is created and increases the chances of hurting yourself.

[@terryhale9006]

Try it. You'll like it. Much, much safer than hammering nails. It's a low-energy swing, Your hand is well removed from any fixed-object surface. The maul's blade is not sharp and the combined swing practically ensures that your hand will never be touched by the blade.

[@tubesockets120v]

Terry Hale The Fiskars X27 blade cuts paper and is extremely sharp. You sound comfortable with this technique but a lighter and quicker maul might surprise you how fast and can come down and throw off the timing.

[@terryhale9006]

tubesockets120v If you're using an X27, I can understand your desire for some extra caution. The X27 is designed to work both as a splitting axe and as a felling axe. For the latter mission, it does need to be kept sharp. Sharpness is not nearly as important for a sole-purposed splitting axe, as most of its work is done by the cheeks of the axe, not the cutting edge. All that said, I would still be comfortable using a sharp felling axe to split kindling in the manner demonstrated. The key is to keep the blade in contact with the wood throughout the lift and the swing. That way, the edge is "locked" into a specific location on the wood and there is essentially no issue with a poor aim. The axe is used more in a pushing mode than in a real swing.