Splitting Firewood

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JW IN VA

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West Central Highlands of Va
For those of you who split firewood by hand,what do you prefer? I've always used an 8 lb maul.Tried a 6 lb and didn't like it as well.I hear great things about Fiskars X27 and Isocore mauls but I not wanting to buy another maul which doesn't do anything my current ones don't.
 
I use to use a double bladed axe, for the tough ones a couple of wedges and maul. But a few years back a rented a gas powered splitter. My mauls and axes have been hanging in the wood shed since.
 
Always used an 8lb. Used the 'grenade' wedge on especially challenging pieces. Broke down and bought a splitter last year with all my 'help' slowly leaving the nest.
 
6lb works good for me but probably should be swinging an 8lb. I am way to cheap to buy a splitter. I haul in and split a little year round so it never seems like too big of a job.
 
Have always enjoyed splitting firewood by hand... kind of therapeutic for me in some odd way and also a great workout. The wife bought me a new gas-powered splitter for Christmas last year and I must say, it would be hard to go back doing it by hand!
 
Several years ago I found a splitter on cl. Hooks up to my tractor rear remotes. It sure does a good job. It is slow but does not tire out like I do.
 
Whatever I can to split 36" long logs for the outdoor stove. Too cheap for wood splitter as I would have to buy a pricey electric one that would work on those -30 days when any motor is temperamental. Have a 8 lb maul on a wood handle and one on a steel handle. If I can't get it with the wood handle (usually butts and twisty logs), I slam the steel handled one with a 10 lb sledge. A lot of my logs are 20" plus diameter so I only have to split about 3 to fill the stove.
 
Preferably no splitting, if I can pick it up and get it in the truck them it'll go in my stove. Dad wants all of his split so it looks better in his fireplace, I've got an outside boiler so looks are trumped by ease
 
SoILcattle":b6ofq0yr said:
14lb. the triangle type ones.

I have one of these and a ten lb sledge and wedges

but I use a lot of firewood and a couple of years ago I could not swing them fast enough or long enough to keep up with the need...

I bought a tractor mounted 3 point splitter and can now keep up....
 
TN Cattle Man":h3iy3rp5 said:
Have always enjoyed splitting firewood by hand... kind of therapeutic for me in some odd way and also a great workout. The wife bought me a new gas-powered splitter for Christmas last year and I must say, it would be hard to go back doing it by hand!

I built a 3 point hydraulic unit. Someone bought it so I built another one then sold it. Now I've built my third and wound up breaking it on 38 inch thick pecan logs. I should cut those things 16 inches thick or so instead of 22 inches. Lesson learned.

So now my unit is laying our there in need of repair. I'll get to it when I have to. I'm not selling any more of these. Don't plan to build any more either.

If I were splitting a few logs, I could get it done by hand. Mesquite splits great with just an axe. Red oak too. Live oak and pecan can eat your lunch if you have a lot of it to split.
 
I use the big Monster Maul most of the time. Only problem is it doesn't work as fast as it did 26 years ago when I bought it.

I always have a 6lb splitter, an ax and a sledge and some wedges. Sometimes one way works better than the other.
 
I have a couple 8 pound mauls I use. But if it is going to take more than a couple swings I lay them on their side and rip them in two with a chain saw. An 066 Stihl with real sharp chisel bit chain makes it fast easy work. A couple times when I had lots of hard to split wood I rented a splitter. I can rent a gas powered wood splitter for $30 for 8 hours. I can't afford to buy one when rent is that cheap.
 
pdfangus":14z4856j said:
SoILcattle":14z4856j said:
14lb. the triangle type ones.

I have one of these and a ten lb sledge and wedges

but I use a lot of firewood and a couple of years ago I could not swing them fast enough or long enough to keep up with the need...

I bought a tractor mounted 3 point splitter and can now keep up....

:nod: If you REALLY need a lot of firewood then splitting by hand isn't realistic.
That said I use the 14 triangle type as well.
 
I've busted many loads of oak and cherry with various mauls and wedges. Fiskars splitting ax is easily the best of the lot.
 
Unless it's twistest or hard knots I can split much faster with a maul than a splitter. Probably won't be able to one day but I can for now.
 
SoILcattle":nt3geuy6 said:
Unless it's twistest or hard knots I can split much faster with a maul than a splitter. Probably won't be able to one day but I can for now.

You'll have to show me for me to believe that. My Yankee cousin from Wisconsin "Paul Bunyan" was going to show us how to split wood, he said damm your wood is hard. I usually split wood with the splitter vertical for a few reasons. The first is you can roll the log to the splitter, and the second reason is you don't pick the log up after splitting it. Split the log and put the split wood in a wheel barrow, the less you handle it the better and faster.
 
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