thumbsucker
21st November 2014, 08:18 PM
Today I purchase two logs, Oak and Chestnut. Total cost $360. They are both 2.1 meters long between 350 - 450mm wide - I would have preferred slightly smaller diameter however I have split Mountain Ash nearly 700mm wide, but it was short 1meter lengths. The logs was the best I could find at the mill. They are for most part filled the parameters that I have gathered from my readings:
Avoid very close-grained oak, ash, or hickory. Such ring-porous hard woods can be weak if the annual rings are less then 3mm in thickness.
Pith should be in the dead centre.
If it has the end of the log has a split it should be in the centre.
Equally spaced growing rings formed in a nice circular pattern.
Good White oak bark should be soft, you should be able rub off with hand
No branches, nots.
No crotch wood.
No humps or bulges.
No bow, twist or spiralling in its length.
The logs have the following defects - that I can tell:
The chestnut has a few very small branches almost twigs coming from it.
The chestnut pith is not dead centre on one end.
The oak growth rings are not a perfect circular pattern.
The oak has spalting in it, but I will be using the spalted material for making my shave horse.
I hope to get the log delivered next week. Now allot of youtube vids show only very short 1 meter lengths being split. Now Jennie (John) Alexander in his book is shown splitting a log that looks over 2 meters long. However the log is very small in diameter about 300mm.
My question: are there anything that I should be aware or do when splitting a 450mm wide log. I would prefer to split the logs in there full lengths. As I do not have a x-large chainsaw, plus if I split it before I cut it into lengths. I can cut around any defects inside the log.
I have a nice maul, two steel wedges and three gluts. The method as I understand and that I have used in the past. Is find the existing cracks - draw a line with a pencil following the crack radially, place steel wedges on the far ends of the split lines, were the sapwood meets the heart. Drive in wedges until the log opens up. Then insert gluts and drive them in moving down the log as the log splits. Use a hatchet to sever any connecting fibres.
332005332006332007
Avoid very close-grained oak, ash, or hickory. Such ring-porous hard woods can be weak if the annual rings are less then 3mm in thickness.
Pith should be in the dead centre.
If it has the end of the log has a split it should be in the centre.
Equally spaced growing rings formed in a nice circular pattern.
Good White oak bark should be soft, you should be able rub off with hand
No branches, nots.
No crotch wood.
No humps or bulges.
No bow, twist or spiralling in its length.
The logs have the following defects - that I can tell:
The chestnut has a few very small branches almost twigs coming from it.
The chestnut pith is not dead centre on one end.
The oak growth rings are not a perfect circular pattern.
The oak has spalting in it, but I will be using the spalted material for making my shave horse.
I hope to get the log delivered next week. Now allot of youtube vids show only very short 1 meter lengths being split. Now Jennie (John) Alexander in his book is shown splitting a log that looks over 2 meters long. However the log is very small in diameter about 300mm.
My question: are there anything that I should be aware or do when splitting a 450mm wide log. I would prefer to split the logs in there full lengths. As I do not have a x-large chainsaw, plus if I split it before I cut it into lengths. I can cut around any defects inside the log.
I have a nice maul, two steel wedges and three gluts. The method as I understand and that I have used in the past. Is find the existing cracks - draw a line with a pencil following the crack radially, place steel wedges on the far ends of the split lines, were the sapwood meets the heart. Drive in wedges until the log opens up. Then insert gluts and drive them in moving down the log as the log splits. Use a hatchet to sever any connecting fibres.
332005332006332007