My dad left me with a lot of great memories of wood cutting. Old school for me was cutting wood with a two man saw. We had one we used for felling and another for cross cutting. I was 9 years old at the time and expected to pull my side. We would cut the logs into 6 or 8 ft lengths and split them with 2 metal wedges and some that we made from the oak limbs. Once they were firewood size we would haul them out and put them on a saw buck and cut them into lengths for the stove with a bucksaw. I'm 63 now and still heat with wood and I do enjoy my power saw and splitter. Thanks for the videos that bring back those great memories.
Nice job Chris. I broke down and bought a small splitter last year. I still do a lot of splitting by hand though with axes, mauls and wedges. It takes me back to simpler times when we didn't have to invest so much money into firewood production and almost always results in a very good nap when I'm done. GNI
First big Free wood job - Clear Yard of 40"+ Tulip Poplar. *Professionally cut down* Average Rounds were 19"- 24" long. All I had was my 18" Senix 4 stroke a 20"Salem Master, a 6lb. Hand Sledge and a couple of Wedges. The Wedges and Sledge turned out to be the best option for breaking them down to manageable chunks. The Yard was fenced and the Truck was over 200 ft away so I also carried a Yard Wagon to move the Splits to the front for loading. Every piece of firewood was well earned.
Heating with wood, enjoy seeing ideas on how to process. Rounds are often too heavy to lift/haul by hand, so I split them to make them easier to move. I usually use the pointy wedge in a check in the end of the round, but I will need to try the flat wedge along the side as you show in the vid!
@@InTheWoodyard The oak I've been dealing with takes a heavy pounding with a sledge before it'll split with the pointy wedge. Sometimes the pointy wedge creates just a small check and goes no further, so I move the wedge over to widen the check. It usually splits after that if you pound on it. It's why I was intrigued by your old school method -- lighter taps. After that it's off to my 7 ton splitter, yep, largely manual for me! And sometimes it's the Fiskars X27. Your automatic splitter is serious -- you need it for all you do! I enjoy watching and appreciate your passion and the way you deal with your customers.
@@InTheWoodyard I split several live oak rounds (18"-20", give or take) in the last day or two using both the pointy wedge and the Old School method. (The trees were taken down because they were arched over the neighbor's house and pool -- DANGEROUS.) For the Old School method I used two flat wedges at either end of the slot I cut into the round. I found that the hits with the sledgehammer didn't need to be as hard as with the pointy method, as you mention. Unless you get the slot cut directly toward the middle of the round, you may split off just a chunk, so I'd have to follow that up with the pointy method, which works easier if you've already taken a chunk out of the round. The pointy wedge at the end of the round seems to work more reliably, but you have to put more effort into the sledgehammer. With some rounds it'll bounce out (usually knotty ones), and you need to hunt for the best spot to get it started or try the other end of the round. The neighbor has several live oaks looming over my house that will be coming down this spring, so I'm going to be inundated. I think either method works, and I'd use the pointy method straight away if there's a visible check and the round's not knotty. For a real solid round or knotty round the Old School method may at least get the round started. I'm just thankful I can split these guys to be able to move 'em. They's heavy! Thanks again for all the hints and tips! Oh, the next tip I'm considering is about not stacking and instead building a palette corral like you do. Off the splitter, toss it in, done. I don't know if the GF will like what it looks like, though. LOL!
Nice demonstration, Chris. My dad would cut or noodle everything everything. Once he knew we were comfortable with the mauls, he would let us swing. Mom was always nervous that we would get hurt.
I split lot wood with wedge and hammer. Never done it in the bark side. Always from the end grain. A splitting ax is definitely the way to go. Till get to what’s to tuff. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Chris! I have a torn shoulder ligament so I can’t swing an axe very well and don’t have the “right tools” available (yet, working on it!). But I do have a wedge. This video gave me some good info for hand splitting.
Chris, so much better than watching the Eastman and dumping the trailer in the driveway. Really good content for the average guy that wants to make some fire wood. 54k views, not to bad. Keep it up with these kind of ideas!
My grandfather use to split wood tree length on the landing. Like full tree length. They had one steel wedge, they made wooden wedges, start with the steel one and continue with the wooden ones. Men were men way back then.
Before hydraulic spilters were invented and everyone used axes or wedges, people really liked oak because it spilt so easily and was readily available. Oak may be overrated now, but when axes were the option, it was the best.
O No ! Having flashbacks from late 70's when all I cut & split was Diseased Elm....massive wood for the UK as well. Had to retrieve 'grenades ' from burn pile when really STUCK. How easy life is now even at 60 👍
That first piece would have made a wonderful chimney fire. The specific term escapes me right now. It would have been interesting to see you attempt this technique without the chainsaw. In and case thanks for the video. I have said it before splitting wood for me is almost zen like, great exercise.
G’morning Chris. That wedge looks like Hardened CobaltAmataniumLuminiteOxide. Sweet action today ! Love the axe eye splitter. I have one. GoodNightIrene
I only cut and split for my own personal use and I just started last year but after my first cord splitting with a axe I knew I needed to get a splitter. I bought a harbor freight electric splitter and it works great for my needs, I split 3 cords with it last spring and my body is thankful.
must have been a slow delivery day. was a fun segment. i havent used a wedge in a long time. i love my little splitter. i have a Fiskars too and use it occasionally, mostly for kindling. starting to breathe a little hard......lol. I'm too old to do it by hand any more. use the tractor to lift the big rounds and roll them on to the splitter. not quite an integrated lift but it works. thanks for sharing
I used to split everything with a maul until my son bought me a used splitter (very thoughtful son) but sometimes in the woods I still split some by hand ro load. Need to try your method next time. Good video.
Good one today Chris... swinging those head knockers sure make you appreciate the modern day splitters !! The older I get the more I shake my head at what we did as young men growing up... everything was done with a powersaw and hand tools... lotsa fun!
Did about 10 rick yesterday kinda tired today have a old wedge like that grampa gave me never used it much but cross cutting and doing it like that seems to work well thanks for sharing 💪
I too split elm with my dad and brothers, back when Dutch elm disease came through here in Maine. The town dumped the big logs in our yard by the dump truck load and dad sawed them up. We used iron wedges most of which were old axes without handles and used them to open up the rounds a little. Then continued with wooden wedges which were 2x4's about a foot long cut from corner to corner to eventually finish splitting. Those were the days!
We had a buddy growing up and before we could go out and play ball his dad made him split wood everyday before he could do anything else. We would all take turns with the mall, wedges and sledge hammer to get it done faster so we could go do our thing. THATS WORK for three 11 year old boys. Kids were different back then. They never did get a splitter. We did that every summer until we drifted apart. Good memories. Thanks Chris.
No, when we where kids our "city" friends would come over and WANT to help out doing things like that because they saw it as an adventure in real world fun, seeing if you could do it. Splitting wood, making hay, stacking wood, cleaning out the barn manure in the spring, painting the house and picket fences, building and burning brush piles...all fun stuff for kids and men.
i did a lot of hand splitting when growing up n saw to make the side cut most of the wood was E L M wedges were wide and long 4 in square top and a foot long. so much fun splitting and 20 below
You are certainly right about the wood processor being faster and getting more accomplished. The other side of that is that if someone had to purchase a processor, then although it's still faster it does create another issue. That issue is that now the person that purchased the processor is not only working more hours, so is the staff . The increased hours are needed so that someone can make more money to pay for the processor. So at the end of the day, which is better? Is more free time what someone wants or are more hours and having to produce more firewood or lumber more important? It's certainly an individual decision, but definitely not an easy one.
Morning Chris, You should try the sthil, alloy splitting wedges, They are light and sharp enough to tap into wood, and stay up right, Steel ones topple over, They also do not damage chain if you need to cut them out, They also stand up to alot of punishment, Once you use them you will never go ba k to steel wedges 😊
Old school!!!! We cut a pine tree down about twice that size one summer and I split it with a sledge hammer and wedges. I worked on it all summer and into the fall. 😳💪👍❤️📹🤔😀
I have a small electric splitter, but it’s at the back of my shed and having to lift big rounds of poplar was not happening. A couple of wedges like what you describe worked well. Hint for you though. The splitting maul can be used as another wedge, and you can use a regular cutting axe to drive them all. It’s thinner, so you can pound the wedges deeper. Still enjoying the channel. Thanks
I split a bunch of wood using wedges but splitting from the end not side. I didn't have a chainsaw and all the wood was pine. This was back in the early 70's when I was 15 yrs old. My buddy and I split wood at a fishing resort for the main cabin as well as our cabin. All the wood was cut to length already. All we had was an axe, sledge hammer and several wedges. No splitting mauls here. A lot of times we split wood sun up to sundown. Hell of a workout for a 15 year old.
You wedge split from the side. I do it from the top. I also sometimes do a ~3" chainsaw cut first. 2, 3, wedges spaced apart helps, if the first one just digs in. I find when it gets below freezing wood splits better. I think it's because the water in the wood expands, and encourages the wood to split. I like splitting large rounds by wedge and axe to then get them on my 6 Ton electric splitter. There's just something nice about swinging the axe, in the middle of winter, with cold temps and snow on the ground.
This was just a demonstration on another way, I to prefer to split from the top. I have over 1300 videos on my channel showing lots of methods and tools. Thanks for watching.
My personal best was two stars, three wedges and one maul embedded in a crack of a round. Bill did not hear any noise, so he came out and asked if I was done for the day. Well, sort of. He asked where all of my wedges were. I pointed to five Shiney objects. Oh but wait, there is more. The maul made a great caring handle.
For many years I just used a single edge axe 2 wedges a short handle 8 pound slag hammer until my body wore out had to get a wood splitter still doing firewood.
Most of us kids would help each other with either splitting wood or various chores so we could all play together!! Thanks for the memories!! How did you get your Ruby Red Slippers back from Kenny?? Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
winter wood-spring wood consider them as a barrel and the winter wood is the steel banding holding it together, break band that holds together and presto.
I never noodled in a wedge before, not even a relief cut. What i have done is to use my sledge or a smaller lump hammer to set the wedge or glut ( wooden hard wood wedges) and tap them in about 1/3 of the way in. And if I was really going old school a bow saw would be used! When you have maxed out your wedge, grab a glut that is wider than your wedge!
My six year old boy, when im running splitter has a couple hatchets he swings and a lil ax hes playing but still learning work busts a piece sometimes.lol
If your Dad was like mine? He had the right tools for the job, but didn't want us tearing them up. So he would purposely give us the wrong tools for a job and enjoy knowing we were struggling!🙄😡 We had 54 trees in our yard and I trimmed them with scissors 3x a year for years. I grew to hate Oak way back them because it a long way around 6 foot in diameter trees with a pair of scissors!
Elm is just about the worst wood you could have picked for splitting. It is a stringy mess. I didn't get a power splitter until I was 56 and hurt my back. I always loved splitting with a maul. It was great exercise and relieved a lot of stress.
I think the various firewood channels need to throw down an old school firewood challenge doing 1/3 cord fastest time, channel choice bucksaw or swede saw and mauls or wedges or a combination of their choice.
Looks like normal tree service wood I.i have to do that regularly. But with a regular saw..took me 2 weeks to get hugerounds cut and split.drug them out with mower ×rope..gave up hurting myself .trying to use hajd tools .had 130 Rick's or so plus the rest of years removals. Spent entire holidays to get it done plus cutting splitting up all pine and miscellaneous wood .huge mess .handsome hard maple rounds with huge knots..broke 2 teeth of my 🔗. The red oak and hickory was nothing compared to that maple.took down 12 big ones last year..the 3ft bar wouldn't go threw them.its first time my splitter. Got stuck ever..huge knots..hard to cut with mud on them.i use wire brush..then have to qaurter em..way to heavy to lift.slpitter does not go vertical.but it's low to the ground .ññ
22:46 EXACTLY!!!!!! Could not agree more...I LOVE SPLITTING FIREWOOD!!!!🪵Wish I had endless firewood to split! The perfect age to start splitting firewood [alone] is 13. Earlier than that... adults should be with you.
Just a suggestion; when pounding a steel wedge try never to stand in front of the wedges' tapered slopes. This is most often the direction and flight path of a "wedge missile." It is very unlikely to fly out 180 degrees the other direction.
My and my grandpa when he was a live we split wood whit the ax he got. We called the job the 2 ways to get warm job first was the splitting then the heating LOL. We did split some wood in the summer to once. The people who where passing by called us crazy it was like 25 degrees celcius that day so. I didn't mind doing it but of course my grandpa had to proof he coud still do it to even he was over 80 years old at the time LOL. But my unlce has a splitter for behind the tractor he came once after we cut a tree and boy you don't want do it any other way again after you did it like that was so mutch easyer.
I am going to ask why people do not use a chopping block? If you are splitting rounds on the ground you are already slowing down your swing so as not to hit dirt with the axe? Just like when being trained to fight you are taught not to aim for the nose or chin you aim for the back of the head and the nose and chin are in the way. On larger blocks simply work around the outside and little the block down. You might get wide pieces but then just split in half.
At 69 plus I'm still splitting by hand. We have 1.5 cords of maple and 1 cord of red oak boiler wood. Pieces between 20 to 24 inches on maple, and 24 plus on oak. I'm cutting oak in half and splitting. Diameters of 4 to 12 inches on both woods. Splitting with my x27. Just like eating an elephant one piece at a time.
Oh funny story. Long story but one day i was helping my father split wood and i was using the 'sledge and the wedge' to bust up bigger rounds. Took a hard swing and felt a burning in my left arm. Then came a small stream of blood. Went to two surgeons and found a sliver of the splitting wedge in me. They said well, you aren't infected, you aren't in pain, and that is a risky place to cut into. So i have a sliver of a splitting wedge in my left elbow. Probly Forever!😅
Wish I had a dollar for every time I used wedges! I hate the torpedo wedge, regular wedges work muck better. Had to even grind the tops when they mushroomed over from use.
Why would you split from the bark side with the wedge instread of from the open grain end? Why try to split through the middle of tough stringy larger sections instead of taking sections from the outer tangents of the log. Using a chainsaw to get an opening started? Waste of time; just pound the wedge in. This reminds me of how glad I was when I purchased my forst hydraulic splitter...
Makes me glad I don't live where there are real trees . . . 90% of my firewood is small enough it doesn't need splitting . . . (I wonder how much battery cutting that elm would have used . . .)
What do you mean your chain is not sharp? Throwing threads of wood and not large flakes or dust shows your chain is in new or like new condition. I'm already after watching you and all the work you're putting into it going to just stick with my splitting maul. 😅. By the time you get that chunk split I would of already had it in quarters and been done with my break! Lol
Ahhhhhh it was taken from its mama before it became a big strong chainsaw. Just makes me think of those save the dogs ads, for just a dollar a day you can save..the chain saws..
My dad left me with a lot of great memories of wood cutting. Old school for me was cutting wood with a two man saw. We had one we used for felling and another for cross cutting. I was 9 years old at the time and expected to pull my side. We would cut the logs into 6 or 8 ft lengths and split them with 2 metal wedges and some that we made from the oak limbs. Once they were firewood size we would haul them out and put them on a saw buck and cut them into lengths for the stove with a bucksaw. I'm 63 now and still heat with wood and I do enjoy my power saw and splitter. Thanks for the videos that bring back those great memories.
Yup, it is easy now compared to the old ways!
maga!
Fun video today Chris! 🔥💯👍. Thanks for having us along and showing us this method 😊. See you soon! Andrew from NB :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good Tuesday morning Chris! thanks for sharing this type of video today..
Thanks for watching Bobby!
Nice job Chris. I broke down and bought a small splitter last year. I still do a lot of splitting by hand though with axes, mauls and wedges. It takes me back to simpler times when we didn't have to invest so much money into firewood production and almost always results in a very good nap when I'm done. GNI
Agreed. There is something about splitting with an axe that isn’t quite as satisfying as using a splitter.
Good stuff! Yup, you eat sleep and dump better with real work!
yup!!!
First big Free wood job - Clear Yard of 40"+ Tulip Poplar. *Professionally cut down* Average Rounds were 19"- 24" long.
All I had was my 18" Senix 4 stroke a 20"Salem Master, a 6lb. Hand Sledge and a couple of Wedges.
The Wedges and Sledge turned out to be the best option for breaking them down to manageable chunks.
The Yard was fenced and the Truck was over 200 ft away so I also carried a Yard Wagon to move the Splits to the front for loading.
Every piece of firewood was well earned.
Yup, free is usually not so free!
You are climbing the food chain of efficient wood splitting equipment!
Ha, maybe so!
Heating with wood, enjoy seeing ideas on how to process. Rounds are often too heavy to lift/haul by hand, so I split them to make them easier to move. I usually use the pointy wedge in a check in the end of the round, but I will need to try the flat wedge along the side as you show in the vid!
Try it if you want but splitting wood from the end is by far easier and faster.
@@InTheWoodyard The oak I've been dealing with takes a heavy pounding with a sledge before it'll split with the pointy wedge. Sometimes the pointy wedge creates just a small check and goes no further, so I move the wedge over to widen the check. It usually splits after that if you pound on it. It's why I was intrigued by your old school method -- lighter taps.
After that it's off to my 7 ton splitter, yep, largely manual for me! And sometimes it's the Fiskars X27. Your automatic splitter is serious -- you need it for all you do!
I enjoy watching and appreciate your passion and the way you deal with your customers.
@@InTheWoodyard I split several live oak rounds (18"-20", give or take) in the last day or two using both the pointy wedge and the Old School method. (The trees were taken down because they were arched over the neighbor's house and pool -- DANGEROUS.)
For the Old School method I used two flat wedges at either end of the slot I cut into the round. I found that the hits with the sledgehammer didn't need to be as hard as with the pointy method, as you mention. Unless you get the slot cut directly toward the middle of the round, you may split off just a chunk, so I'd have to follow that up with the pointy method, which works easier if you've already taken a chunk out of the round.
The pointy wedge at the end of the round seems to work more reliably, but you have to put more effort into the sledgehammer. With some rounds it'll bounce out (usually knotty ones), and you need to hunt for the best spot to get it started or try the other end of the round.
The neighbor has several live oaks looming over my house that will be coming down this spring, so I'm going to be inundated. I think either method works, and I'd use the pointy method straight away if there's a visible check and the round's not knotty. For a real solid round or knotty round the Old School method may at least get the round started.
I'm just thankful I can split these guys to be able to move 'em. They's heavy!
Thanks again for all the hints and tips! Oh, the next tip I'm considering is about not stacking and instead building a palette corral like you do. Off the splitter, toss it in, done. I don't know if the GF will like what it looks like, though. LOL!
Those early memories you jarred loose are making my back ache. Lol
sorry!
Nice demonstration, Chris. My dad would cut or noodle everything everything. Once he knew we were comfortable with the mauls, he would let us swing. Mom was always nervous that we would get hurt.
Yup, splitting wood is good work for kids!
Good morning Chris yes we used that we my Dad 75 old here love your video ty ( Ron
Thanks!
I split lot wood with wedge and hammer. Never done it in the bark side. Always from the end grain. A splitting ax is definitely the way to go. Till get to what’s to tuff. Keep up the good work.
Yup, I agree!
Thanks Chris! I have a torn shoulder ligament so I can’t swing an axe very well and don’t have the “right tools” available (yet, working on it!). But I do have a wedge. This video gave me some good info for hand splitting.
Glad to help, thanks for watching!
Chris it’s good to see you exercising, you said it was the reason for starting your fire wood 🪵 business. Keep on cutting
Yup, I like to get the kinks out once in a while!
Chris, so much better than watching the Eastman and dumping the trailer in the driveway.
Really good content for the average guy that wants to make some fire wood. 54k views, not to bad. Keep it up with these kind of ideas!
Glad you enjoyed it! I try to do variety but with making a video EVERY day I can only show what I do each day.
❤❤@@InTheWoodyard
My grandfather use to split wood tree length on the landing. Like full tree length. They had one steel wedge, they made wooden wedges, start with the steel one and continue with the wooden ones. Men were men way back then.
Yup we are pretty wimpy now compared to them!
Before hydraulic spilters were invented and everyone used axes or wedges, people really liked oak because it spilt so easily and was readily available. Oak may be overrated now, but when axes were the option, it was the best.
yup.
Nice boots, looks just like the pair your brother Ken wears!
They are! I had to steal them back!
He owes me
O No ! Having flashbacks from late 70's when all I cut & split was Diseased Elm....massive wood for the UK as well. Had to retrieve 'grenades ' from burn pile when really STUCK. How easy life is now even at 60 👍
Yup, we sure do have it easy compared to back then!
That first piece would have made a wonderful chimney fire. The specific term escapes me right now. It would have been interesting to see you attempt this technique without the chainsaw. In and case thanks for the video. I have said it before splitting wood for me is almost zen like, great exercise.
swedish candle?
Yup, it is good exercise! Chimney fire/swedish candle.
Yup!
G’morning Chris. That wedge looks like Hardened CobaltAmataniumLuminiteOxide. Sweet action today ! Love the axe eye splitter. I have one.
GoodNightIrene
It is probably made out of chineesium!
Good morning Chris , fun husqvarna didn’t sent you there new splitting maul axe just came for 2024 . Very good looking maul axe 😊
Maybe I will get one soon!
I only cut and split for my own personal use and I just started last year but after my first cord splitting with a axe I knew I needed to get a splitter.
I bought a harbor freight electric splitter and it works great for my needs, I split 3 cords with it last spring and my body is thankful.
Good stuff! Keep cuttin'!
must have been a slow delivery day. was a fun segment. i havent used a wedge in a long time. i love my little splitter. i have a Fiskars too and use it occasionally, mostly for kindling. starting to breathe a little hard......lol. I'm too old to do it by hand any more. use the tractor to lift the big rounds and roll them on to the splitter. not quite an integrated lift but it works. thanks for sharing
Hard work is good for you. People who avoid work ...look like it.
I used to split everything with a maul until my son bought me a used splitter (very thoughtful son) but sometimes in the woods I still split some by hand ro load. Need to try your method next time. Good video.
Thanks for sharing! Keep cuttin'!
That brought back memories! My stepdad split with a wedge into his early 90's. He finally is relaxing lol I have to find a wedge like that 4 point 👍
That is awesome! The 4 point tends to bounce out on the tough ones.
Good one today Chris... swinging those head knockers sure make you appreciate the modern day splitters !! The older I get the more I shake my head at what we did as young men growing up... everything was done with a powersaw and hand tools... lotsa fun!
You got that right!
Did about 10 rick yesterday kinda tired today have a old wedge like that grampa gave me never used it much but cross cutting and doing it like that seems to work well thanks for sharing 💪
That's awesome work !!
One of the best workouts that you can do. Who needs to go to a gym.
Yup, splitting wood is great exercise!
I too split elm with my dad and brothers, back when Dutch elm disease came through here in Maine. The town dumped the big logs in our yard by the dump truck load and dad sawed them up. We used iron wedges most of which were old axes without handles and used them to open up the rounds a little. Then continued with wooden wedges which were 2x4's about a foot long cut from corner to corner to eventually finish splitting. Those were the days!
Yup, and men where men!
The aluminum wedge looks more like a felling wedge. In Europe they sometimes use aluminum felling wedges.
The X27 is my favorite splitting axe.
Yup, I will use it for that too!
Still chop by hand "Old school" doing it that way for 45 yrs!3-4 cords a yearthnx for the video Chris
That is good work!
We had a buddy growing up and before we could go out and play ball his dad made him split wood everyday before he could do anything else. We would all take turns with the mall, wedges and sledge hammer to get it done faster so we could go do our thing. THATS WORK for three 11 year old boys. Kids were different back then. They never did get a splitter. We did that every summer until we drifted apart. Good memories. Thanks Chris.
Thats kinda rude on your Dad's part.....i mean he put your FRIEND to work?!?
@@stevenbrown5210 wrong dad and it was friends helping friends.
No, when we where kids our "city" friends would come over and WANT to help out doing things like that because they saw it as an adventure in real world fun, seeing if you could do it. Splitting wood, making hay, stacking wood, cleaning out the barn manure in the spring, painting the house and picket fences, building and burning brush piles...all fun stuff for kids and men.
Awesome!
Yup, exactly, good live skill training and making good friends to help each other when they need help!
Good morning Chris!!
Snowing by you!! LOL!!
It's 10:am and has kinda let up here.
Take care buddy!!😀😀 TTYL!!
Logger Al
Morning! No not much yet. Maybe an inch but more is coming!
Definitely old school. Shows my age when I was taught to use the same wedges as a kid🤣 Take care Sir Chris👍🏻👍🏻GNI
Thanks 👍 Sr Toddeth!
i did a lot of hand splitting when growing up n saw to make the side cut most of the wood was E L M wedges were wide and long 4 in square top and a foot long. so much fun splitting and 20 below
Yup, elm is tough stuff!
You are certainly right about the wood processor being faster and getting more accomplished. The other side of that is that if someone had to purchase a processor, then although it's still faster it does create another issue. That issue is that now the person that purchased the processor is not only working more hours, so is the staff . The increased hours are needed so that someone can make more money to pay for the processor. So at the end of the day, which is better? Is more free time what someone wants or are more hours and having to produce more firewood or lumber more important? It's certainly an individual decision, but definitely not an easy one.
Good way to start the day!
Morning Chris, You should try the sthil, alloy splitting wedges, They are light and sharp enough to tap into wood, and stay up right, Steel ones topple over, They also do not damage chain if you need to cut them out, They also stand up to alot of punishment, Once you use them you will never go ba k to steel wedges 😊
Okay!
Old school!!!! We cut a pine tree down about twice that size one summer and I split it with a sledge hammer and wedges. I worked on it all summer and into the fall. 😳💪👍❤️📹🤔😀
Very cool!
I have a small electric splitter, but it’s at the back of my shed and having to lift big rounds of poplar was not happening. A couple of wedges like what you describe worked well. Hint for you though. The splitting maul can be used as another wedge, and you can use a regular cutting axe to drive them all. It’s thinner, so you can pound the wedges deeper. Still enjoying the channel. Thanks
Yup, good idea! thanks!!!
Hi Chris,i still have metal wedges i still use,but i never used plastic wedges until i watched your channel.Ed from Vermont
Plastic when cutting, steel for splitting.😉
yup!
Steel for splitting and plastic for felling.
@@InTheWoodyard or holding the kerf open to keep from binding when bucking.🤪
I split a bunch of wood using wedges but splitting from the end not side. I didn't have a chainsaw and all the wood was pine. This was back in the early 70's when I was 15 yrs old. My buddy and I split wood at a fishing resort for the main cabin as well as our cabin. All the wood was cut to length already. All we had was an axe, sledge hammer and several wedges. No splitting mauls here. A lot of times we split wood sun up to sundown. Hell of a workout for a 15 year old.
Nice work!
Chris's New Year fitness plan... Do everything the hard way!
it is fun to try and do thing that most avoid some times just to know you still can.
I’ve always wedged from the top. How did the method you showed compare to that? And man what a difference having the right saw makes!!!
Once was enough for me!
You wedge split from the side. I do it from the top. I also sometimes do a ~3" chainsaw cut first. 2, 3, wedges spaced apart helps, if the first one just digs in.
I find when it gets below freezing wood splits better. I think it's because the water in the wood expands, and encourages the wood to split.
I like splitting large rounds by wedge and axe to then get them on my 6 Ton electric splitter. There's just something nice about swinging the axe, in the middle of winter, with cold temps and snow on the ground.
This was just a demonstration on another way, I to prefer to split from the top. I have over 1300 videos on my channel showing lots of methods and tools. Thanks for watching.
I JUST BOUGHT THE FISKARS 6 POUND SPLITTING MAUL......BEST THING I EVER BOUGHT!!!
Yup, they make great stuff!
My personal best was two stars, three wedges and one maul embedded in a crack of a round.
Bill did not hear any noise, so he came out and asked if I was done for the day.
Well, sort of. He asked where all of my wedges were. I pointed to five Shiney objects. Oh but wait, there is more. The maul made a great caring handle.
Yup, knotty wood likes to eat wedges!
need to get the old railroad maul out.... and show some really old school tricks....
Yup, maybe so!
For many years I just used a single edge axe 2 wedges a short handle 8 pound slag hammer until my body wore out had to get a wood splitter still doing firewood.
Yup, the good old days!
Most of us kids would help each other with either splitting wood or various chores so we could all play together!! Thanks for the memories!! How did you get your Ruby Red Slippers back from Kenny?? Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
Absolutely!! I bought him a case of beer and waited until he was full and took them off his feet! Haaa!
Idle entertainment for RUclips $’s, well seen that firewood sales have dipped 😜😊
I make a video every day and have for 3 1/2 years ..over 1300 now it is what I do. Firewood is just for fun and exercise.
winter wood-spring wood consider them as a barrel and the winter wood is the steel banding holding it together, break band that holds together and presto.
okay?
I never noodled in a wedge before, not even a relief cut. What i have done is to use my sledge or a smaller lump hammer to set the wedge or glut ( wooden hard wood wedges) and tap them in about 1/3 of the way in.
And if I was really going old school a bow saw would be used!
When you have maxed out your wedge, grab a glut that is wider than your wedge!
Sounds good!
Good morning!
Morning!
Good morning!!!
Hello!
I’ve split locust logs into fence posts like this. It’s a lot of work but it works.
Yup, it is that!
Could you imagine cutting a whole truck load with that little saw?! 😳
Yes ...but no thanks!
My six year old boy, when im running splitter has a couple hatchets he swings and a lil ax hes playing but still learning work busts a piece sometimes.lol
That is great for him to work and learn!
Yeah I'm proud of him he's gonna be a good man
What kind of saw was that? I’ve never seen you come up short. Lol
Its a 540xp
A Husqvarna 540. Nice little saw.
If your Dad was like mine? He had the right tools for the job, but didn't want us tearing them up. So he would purposely give us the wrong tools for a job and enjoy knowing we were struggling!🙄😡 We had 54 trees in our yard and I trimmed them with scissors 3x a year for years. I grew to hate Oak way back them because it a long way around 6 foot in diameter trees with a pair of scissors!
Ha!!! Scissors !!?!? Ouch!
@InTheWoodyard Yep, scissors!👍
Could you imagine running a wood service back in the day with just hand tools . lol
No. I doubt there was much wood sold, most people kept what they needed!
Elm is just about the worst wood you could have picked for splitting. It is a stringy mess. I didn't get a power splitter until I was 56 and hurt my back. I always loved splitting with a maul. It was great exercise and relieved a lot of stress.
Yup, that is why I picked it...a challenge!
Elm isn't a job, it is a career.@@InTheWoodyard
Like the snowman!!! lol
That is the woodyard guard!
I think the various firewood channels need to throw down an old school firewood challenge doing 1/3 cord fastest time, channel choice bucksaw or swede saw and mauls or wedges or a combination of their choice.
I do not think many would do it, we are all out of shape and bad shoulders and other parts might put us down permanently!
@@InTheWoodyard yes might be a bit much for the group.🤔
I like that idea we might have a chance
You must be kinda bored Chris......however: very good tutorial!!!
No, I am not bored at all. I have made a video EVERY day for 3 1/2 years now...over 1300... so variety is what makes it fun for me.
Looks like normal tree service wood I.i have to do that regularly. But with a regular saw..took me 2 weeks to get hugerounds cut and split.drug them out with mower ×rope..gave up hurting myself .trying to use hajd tools .had 130 Rick's or so plus the rest of years removals. Spent entire holidays to get it done plus cutting splitting up all pine and miscellaneous wood .huge mess .handsome hard maple rounds with huge knots..broke 2 teeth of my 🔗. The red oak and hickory was nothing compared to that maple.took down 12 big ones last year..the 3ft bar wouldn't go threw them.its first time my splitter. Got stuck ever..huge knots..hard to cut with mud on them.i use wire brush..then have to qaurter em..way to heavy to lift.slpitter does not go vertical.but it's low to the ground .ññ
Sounds like good work!
22:46 EXACTLY!!!!!! Could not agree more...I LOVE SPLITTING FIREWOOD!!!!🪵Wish I had endless firewood to split! The perfect age to start splitting firewood [alone] is 13. Earlier than that... adults should be with you.
Yup, thanks!!!
Whats the difference in splitting from the side or from the end?
The end is way better, faster and easier, I just did a demonstration to see and now I know!
Just a suggestion; when pounding a steel wedge try never to stand in front of the wedges' tapered slopes. This is most often the direction and flight path of a "wedge missile." It is very unlikely to fly out 180 degrees the other direction.
Yup, firewood is work and not safe like most other things, that is what makes it fun!
Ever used black powder to split the log? That would be fun!
No...not yet!
My and my grandpa when he was a live we split wood whit the ax he got. We called the job the 2 ways to get warm job first was the splitting then the heating LOL. We did split some wood in the summer to once. The people who where passing by called us crazy it was like 25 degrees celcius that day so. I didn't mind doing it but of course my grandpa had to proof he coud still do it to even he was over 80 years old at the time LOL. But my unlce has a splitter for behind the tractor he came once after we cut a tree and boy you don't want do it any other way again after you did it like that was so mutch easyer.
Yup, old times can be tough!
Looks like Chris woke up today and said 'I want to be sore tomorrow morning'
I need exercise like most of us I do not get enough.
That saw cuts good for its size. That wood is hard to split. Elm and cotton wood.
yup both are tough stuff!
I am going to ask why people do not use a chopping block? If you are splitting rounds on the ground you are already slowing down your swing so as not to hit dirt with the axe? Just like when being trained to fight you are taught not to aim for the nose or chin you aim for the back of the head and the nose and chin are in the way. On larger blocks simply work around the outside and little the block down. You might get wide pieces but then just split in half.
Yup, good points.. but you have to lift the rounds up so....
Oddly enough, if I'm not sleeping well, I go back to splitting with my maul. It might be slower, but it definitely burns up that extra energy, lol
Yup, splitting wood will do that!
At 69 plus I'm still splitting by hand. We have 1.5 cords of maple and 1 cord of red oak boiler wood. Pieces between 20 to 24 inches on maple, and 24 plus on oak. I'm cutting oak in half and splitting. Diameters of 4 to 12 inches on both woods. Splitting with my x27. Just like eating an elephant one piece at a time.
That is awesome, great exercise! Keep cuttin'!
This reminds me that I need to split firewood when I get home from work. Old school..
Yup, good exercise!
🤘
Thanks!!
Another tactic in the arsenal.
If it is the only way but other ways do work better!
I've done that before. Only because i had to. 40" red oak i couldn't get to the splitter. ¼ it with wedges then it was manageable
Yup, I prefer my big saw to rip it down.
@@InTheWoodyard I was trying to save money on gas. It wasn't worth it
Oh funny story. Long story but one day i was helping my father split wood and i was using the 'sledge and the wedge' to bust up bigger rounds. Took a hard swing and felt a burning in my left arm. Then came a small stream of blood. Went to two surgeons and found a sliver of the splitting wedge in me. They said well, you aren't infected, you aren't in pain, and that is a risky place to cut into. So i have a sliver of a splitting wedge in my left elbow. Probly Forever!😅
Nice one!
Wish I had a dollar for every time I used wedges! I hate the torpedo wedge, regular wedges work muck better. Had to even grind the tops when they mushroomed over from use.
Yup, with lots of use they do turn into mushrooms.
Dad Made men out of you! Piles to do do! Lol 😂
yup.
Do you need wood gym good exercise
Yup it is great exercise!
Why would you split from the bark side with the wedge instread of from the open grain end? Why try to split through the middle of tough stringy larger sections instead of taking sections from the outer tangents of the log. Using a chainsaw to get an opening started? Waste of time; just pound the wedge in. This reminds me of how glad I was when I purchased my forst hydraulic splitter...
Did you not listen to the video? It was explained as to why. It is a old school technique that was used before hydraulics for big knotty rounds.
@@InTheWoodyard Yes. I heard Ya, but old school or not, it does not make sense. Sorry
Makes me glad I don't live where there are real trees . . . 90% of my firewood is small enough it doesn't need splitting . . . (I wonder how much battery cutting that elm would have used . . .)
Big trees are a good time, fun to see if you can win!
What do you mean your chain is not sharp? Throwing threads of wood and not large flakes or dust shows your chain is in new or like new condition. I'm already after watching you and all the work you're putting into it going to just stick with my splitting maul. 😅. By the time you get that chunk split I would of already had it in quarters and been done with my break! Lol
Yup, it was not a good result!
Good morning all!
Hello!
Ahhhhhh it was taken from its mama before it became a big strong chainsaw.
Just makes me think of those save the dogs ads, for just a dollar a day you can save..the chain saws..
Haa! That is funny!
👍👍
Thanks!!
Meanwhile in Wisconsin this the way not to split firewood nowadays 😎
Yup, I agree! Now we all know!
didn't you gave the red shoes to kenny????
No, he "borrowed" them from me for a couple days and I had to steal them back!
Steady rain and 34° here in Ashville Ohio ... Rain sleet all day they say...
Ya'll enjoy the day!
43’c here that 110 in the old scale
Yup, weather again.
icky!
Tree Service Wood?
No, this was from a local logging job at a school forest.
Thanks
Thank you for watching!
From experience, if you want to split elm by hand, wait until the logs are frozen solid. GNI
Yup, but I needed to make a video and waiting for perfect conditions would mean I never work.
@@InTheWoodyard Indeed. And who wants to split wood by hand, in minus 40º ?
Good Morning Woodhounds!!
Hello!
Dear Firewood Maniac from Maine, if Chris can't use it, don't send it. And thank you.
No, I can and will use it! Thanks Maniac!
9:40 High fiber coleslaw anyone ? Or, would you prefer shredded cheese ?
Yup, pretty much!
Someone stole my good wedges I gotta get me some more
Ooops!
Just do kung fu chop dont need a wedge 😂
Ha! Not this old fart!