Firewood thread!!! Let's see what you got!!!!

[Uzi]

Working up some big elm today. Got a new to me 576xpg giving it a run with a 32” bar

 

[Wolverine]

I wish I could get that far ahead with my personal firewood but something tells me you guys aren't burning 12-16 cord a winter. I added a secondary baffle to my wood boiler, it'll be interesting to see what I burn this year.

Was 5-6 before the stove swap. And about the same for my parents ( I get all their wood for them) the past 4-5 seasons.

 

[KS Plainsman]

I can't get red oak to 20% in that time, maybe if I split it real small but that negates the purpose of nice long burn times associated with it. Most others 2 would get it, but I have the hoarding tendencies, so I stay wayyy ahead. Plus I don't have to sweep the chimney every year.

Takes a load off the mind and keeps a guy from scrambling around, staying as far ahead as possible. I'm years ahead as well and like to stay far enough ahead with split, ready to go wood, that I leave my surplus in log form, so it keeps better, or at least I think it does.

 

[Duce]

My red oak is seasoned 4-5 years and only dead or dying trees are removed. Never checked it's moisture content, neighbor burns freshly cut wood and you can tell from all moisture being burned off, a lot of smoke.

 

[Hinerman]

It's all subjective I think. For people who are used to beautiful hardwoods and 30 ton log splitters, elm may be a pain, but I split around 10 cord by hand, every year and have done so for many years. It's a mostly locust and elm, with some different species scattered in there and I do just fine. Sure, there's some pieces I chainsaw into chunks, because they don't split, but that happens with every species I've ever split. Knots and Y's just don't split good.

I guess my point is, what's hard and a PITA for some, is not so for others. We all have different thresholds as far as what we will tolerate and what we won't. Where I am, we aren't surrounded by millions of acres of hardwoods, so I take what I can get. Also, a lot of the wood I get is from helping out older folks who are on fixed incomes and can't afford tree companies, so I help them out.

Heck, last year I heated my house all winter on cottonwood and I was never cold. Not even the 10 days of single digit highs and negative overnight temps, cottonwood kept the place nice and toasty. I used it because an old lady wanted it cut down and it's what I had ready to burn and most wouldn't even start their vehicle to pick up cottonwood, let alone process it.

Here's some pieces I split off of the stuff with bark. It split better than I was expecting, but it was the trunk with no knots.

View attachment 316804 View attachment 316805

It is hard for me to imagine splitting elm by hand. I tried once. I completely buried a wedge (easton made with ears) and there was no crack, no pop, nothing. It was like i drove it in sand. I had to cut the wedge out with a saw. I have seen elm that would not split with hydraulics or the big super split. The whole tree had to be noodled.

 

[Uzi]

It is hard for me to imagine splitting elm by hand. I tried once. I completely buried a wedge (easton made with ears) and there was no crack, no pop, nothing. It was like i drove it in sand. I had to cut the wedge out with a saw. I have seen elm that would not split with hydraulics or the big super split. The whole tree had to be noodled.

With the elm I get timing makes all the difference. If you try to split it green right when the tree was cut it’s miserable even stalls my smaller hydraulic splitter. But cut down into rounds and left sitting in the sun until the ends checker and it’s more tolerable. It’s still not great and takes more wedge travel to get the pieces apart but not the shearing tearing action you get when it’s completely green.

 

[Wolverine]

After that, I chuck it in the fukit bucket. I have access to better wood.

 

[RI Chevy]

Whew. ugly...

 

[KS Plainsman]

It is hard for me to imagine splitting elm by hand. I tried once. I completely buried a wedge (easton made with ears) and there was no crack, no pop, nothing. It was like i drove it in sand. I had to cut the wedge out with a saw. I have seen elm that would not split with hydraulics or the big super split. The whole tree had to be noodled.

That seems to be the consensus with most. There's quite a bit of variation. As Uzi said, timing makes all the difference it seems. I never split anything when it's green. I always cut things into rounds and let it sit for awhile, then attack it. Even locust has to sit a week or so, or longer, before it splits good. Even the rounds I split the other evening, started getting a bit tough towards the middle, because they were still wet, but I was splitting chunks all around the outside, in a swing or 2 of a Fiskars X27. Towards the center, my axe started sticking, so I will wait another couple weeks.

I heard someone ask an old man once, could've been a video, or documentary maybe, but they asked him how he could still be splitting wood by hand, at 80. He said because he started well before he was 80. Splitting by hand is all I've ever done, so it's just what I do. I don't have any other option. Not to beat my chest, but I'm a big dude, 6'5, 275 lbs, who works a very physical job, so I'm sure that makes a bit of a difference. I wouldn't want to do this if I worked at a desk and was 5'6 and 145 lbs.

 

[KS Plainsman]

View attachment 317090 View attachment 317089 View attachment 317088

After that, I chuck it in the fukit bucket. I have access to better wood.

Good grief. I've never had anything look like that, not even close. How long had that sat before this was split?

Just throwing this out there, but does type of elm tree make a difference in how it splits? Is there a certain species of elm in your area that produces messes like this picture, or is it across the board, any type of elm tree splits like crap?

I'm horrible at ID'ing trees, but no matter what type of elm it is, people just call them elm, so I never know what type of elm I get. I wonder if that makes a difference possibly. Maybe not, just trying to figure out why some struggle and some of us don't.

 

[Wolverine]

Good grief. I've never had anything look like that, not even close. How long had that sat before this was split?

Just throwing this out there, but does type of elm tree make a difference in how it splits? Is there a certain species of elm in your area that produces messes like this picture, or is it across the board, any type of elm tree splits like crap?

I'm horrible at ID'ing trees, but no matter what type of elm it is, people just call them elm, so I never know what type of elm I get. I wonder if that makes a difference possibly. Maybe not, just trying to figure out why some struggle and some of us don't.

I’ve had 2 experiences with elm. Both produced the same results. With the first one, I tried the whole * split it while it’s frozen* thing and it made zero difference. Elm also left me horrible huge clinkers, or big bricks of ash, that wouldn’t break up and go through my shaker grates.

https://youtube.com/shorts/vZOnXlclQxk?feature=share

 

[KS Plainsman]

I’ve had 2 experiences with elm. Both produced the same results. With the first one, I tried the whole * split it while it’s frozen* thing and it made zero difference. Elm also left me horrible huge clinkers, or big bricks of ash, that wouldn’t break up and go through my shaker grates.

https://youtube.com/shorts/vZOnXlclQxk?feature=share

I have noticed the clinkers sometimes. Here's the small pile I did the other evening after you'd mentioned to try splitting it and the center of one of the rounds that was too wet as I got away from the edge. You can see a few pieces are a little stringy, but nothing like your pictures.

 

[Hinerman]

I have noticed the clinkers sometimes. Here's the small pile I did the other evening after you'd mentioned to try splitting it and the center of one of the rounds that was too wet as I got away from the edge. You can see a few pieces are a little stringy, but nothing like your pictures.

View attachment 317098View attachment 317099

that does not look like elm that I am familiar with. Mine splits like the pics above, nasty stuff. Your wood resembles Black locust, but I am no expert, and almost never see black locust around here

 

[KS Plainsman]

that does not look like elm that I am familiar with. Mine splits like the pics above, nasty stuff. Your wood resembles Black locust, but I am no expert, and almost never see black locust around here

You could be right. I looked at a bunch of pictures and the light ring around the outside and darker center does resemble black locust, from the pictures I looked at.

 

[Nutball]

View attachment 317090 View attachment 317089 View attachment 317088

After that, I chuck it in the fukit bucket. I have access to better wood.

Built in kindling right there

 

[Nutball]

I’ve had 2 experiences with elm. Both produced the same results. With the first one, I tried the whole * split it while it’s frozen* thing and it made zero difference. Elm also left me horrible huge clinkers, or big bricks of ash, that wouldn’t break up and go through my shaker grates.

https://youtube.com/shorts/vZOnXlclQxk?feature=share

I get the ash thing. My preferred wood is oak for that reason. Debarking is the most helpful for avoiding lumpy ash, but not always practical.

 

[Wolverine]

I have access to so much premium hardwood, I don't need to mess with it. Those shredded pics came from a lot clearing I did for a friend. I ended up with about 6 cords of shag bark hickory and there was one elm, so I just bit the bullet. I ended up selling wood to a friend and threw all the elm in the back of his truck as an insurance policy that I gave him full cord on his trailer. He didn't care as he has an OWB.

 

[bradb123]

Here is some white oak. I cut for land owners in the winter time. I block all the big wood 25-26 inches. Here's some pics .

 

[bradb123]

Here is a video of tree from yesterday morning.

 

[RI Chevy]

Certainly runs nice!