splitting a log the hard way

[MattJ]

Back a while ago I moved a half dozen white and red oak logs from a neighbors that they gave me.  Most were around 30" in diameter with a few smaller.  They were too big to saw on my mill so I knew I needed to split them and then I wanted to quarter saw them.

Its been a year and this weekend we lost power in the ice storms and I couldn't do woodworking so I gave it a shot.

I started with using a granberg mini mill to cut a starting kerf.  See the framing hammer for an idea of the scale.  My chainsaw is a smaller Stihl (MS251) so I just cut about 8" down so I wouldn't kill the thing.  Once I had a kerf I pulled out the metal wedges and cut up some wooden gluts and started hammering away with the sledge hammer.  Man that was a workout!

The metals wedges and gluts went in relatively easy, but the problem I faced was strands of oak keeping the log together.  I had to cut those away from time to time as it opened with the axe or chainsaw.  At the end it was still held together at the bottom so I rolled the log with the logrite and knocked a few wedges in to finish it off.  Next step will be to rip a flat edge along one side so I can stand it up on the mill and saw it.

Maybe an hour, hour and a half project overall.   Probably can do the next log faster with some lessons learned.  I also didn't have ripping chain in my chainsaw so I now have some on the way for the next time.

@scsmith42 probably not the fastest way to quarter compared to seeing your operation!



  

  

  

  

  

 

[Ugly Tree]

That's work!!  I've come across some big ones and this never crossed my mind.  At least now I know.

[tburch]

Good job!

[Deese]

pretty cool! 

[fishfighter]

Did that with a couple SYP logs. A lot of work and yep, it took about an hour each.



 

[Deese]

Did that with a couple SYP logs. A lot of work and yep, it took about an hour each.



 

Fishfighter, that is a NICE syp log. Do you have any pics of the quartersawn lumber showing the grain?

[fishfighter]

No, sawed it all up in 2x4's got over 50 out of it. ;D I have three more like it just sitting and if the rain stops, one of these days I will do them.

[Deese]

 

[drobertson]

Looks good to me, lots of beating I reckon, but it's in two pieces now!  soon to be more,,

[Kbeitz]

A little black powder will speed up your process.

[MattJ]

I can also say if you have trouble falling asleep you won't after splitting a tree by this method!

[MattJ]

I have blackpowder, but also neighbors, which a few are Raleigh police that might take me for a ride if I tried it  :D

[Kbeitz]

I'm not sure that it would be illegal...

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Black_Powder_Log_Splitting.html

And I found this nessage on google. All new to me...

Dad has a couple old powder-driven wedges (not sure what else to call them). Have a big heavy steel wedge on the end, and a hollow tube in the back to fill with black powder. He's never used them that I know of, but he said the old guy he got them from used them all the time. You'd just drive them into the wood so far, then fill the tube with powder, and light the fuse.

[cuznguido]

Next time roll it over and saw another slit opposite the first one and then hit it with the wedges.

[sandsawmill14]

i have a bigger saw but still have to wedge open some of the bigger ones 

 
this is a 40"+ gum log we split  i saw down the top with a 28" bar then cut down both ends but it still takes alot of hammering 

[WV Sawmiller]

   Bigger than I have split that way but I split a lot of 12-15 inch black locust that way year before last. I'd saw a groove2-3 inches deep as a guide then split with steel wedges. They split pretty straight that way. I split a 40+" white oak 8'6" long a few months back with just my Sthil 441 and 24" (Sthil calls it 25 but everyone else calls it a 24" 84 tooth) chain. It did not take 30 minutes with a good sharp chain. Seems like it took only one tank of gas.

[samandothers]

Nicely done!

Hope your power was not out long, I think woodworking would be a lot easier.

[MattJ]

Thanks, the power came back just in time for the shower I needed after splitting it.  A guaranteed way to get power back on from my experience is to dig the generator out of the shed, fix it if needed, fuel it and get it running.  I've always had power restored within two hours of doing this!