I have no idea how many cords of firewood I have split with an ax and a maul over the many years I have burned firewood - at least twenty, and probably more.
I always balanced the log on a splitting stump and then smashed the upper end with a ax or maul. The old saying is that firewood heats you twice: once when you cut it an split it and again when you burn it.
Over the past two days I have split about a cord of wood with my new log splitter - and I love it. It is a six ton unit and works just fine on regular size firewood. The instructions state that you can split logs up to twenty inches long and ten inches in diameter. I have cut my logs at sixteen inches length; but I also have some logs over ten inches in diameter. When I first tried to split the larger logs the splitter didn't seem to handle them. Then I remembered a video I had seen on YouTube of a Russian splitting firewood with an ax.
It seemed worth a try so instead of putting the log longitudinally on the splitter I stood it up vertically.
It worked beautifully. The logs easily split every time.
Who says you can't teach an Ol'Buzzard new tricks?
the Ol'Buzzard
Very clever. Sure wish I had that video back in the 1980s when I had to split 8 cord a year to keep my house warm. Watching it made me feel stupid. The Russian technique makes so much more sense.
ReplyDeleteBut what is really cool is you adapted the Ruskie way to make your new splitter cover chunks it was not meant to split. Good job.
Glad you are happy with it...My DR product stated the same limitations...If you have a tuff sucker just go for a small side of it. Once it's split the rest are easy.
ReplyDeleteI split some today and am now sitting inside with a swell campfire..It's 35* outside and 80* inside.
Upriverdavid
I use the wood stove just to initially heat the house when the temps are in the forties and thirties - I cant actually stoke it up until the temps drop into the twenties or below or the house will get uncomfortably hot.
DeleteO'B
Very clever adaption of the principle. Next you will be getting one of these and clearing the northwoods.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/KdXzaGFkWfU
you're so fecking smart
ReplyDelete