Splitting Timber

[echnidna]

While a broadaxe and a froe are the usual tools for splitting green timber for woodworking I was wondering if the primary breakdown would be a lot easier using a firewood splitter.

As long as you could find one long enough to do the job which may be another story altogether. Even the petrol powered splitters I've seen only hold logs up to about 2 feet.

[journeyman Mick]

Bob,
I know the old sleeper cutters used to use a broad axe then steel wedges and presumably a sledgehamer to split off sleepers. All sounds like bloody hard work though. I guess you need to have it split off so your billets follow the grain, rather than sawing it up.

Mick

[sawdustmike]

Many years ago I use to split fence posts from jarrah trees (I shudder now at the timber I wasted). I used steel wedges and a 14lb sledge hammer. After a while you could "read" the log and splitting would be a breeze, you could do a 100 posts and be at the bar for lunch! Others would not be so good- I have had all my wedges in the log (6' long) and still no sign of splitting, then you use the chain saw, very carefully.

With the right timber you could split very accurately with little waste, but don't expect to do it with long lengths.

Have fun.

[tashammer]

yea, there are limits to how long you can keep it straight. Splitting with the grain for short lengths is the easy bit (relatively speaking). It's what makes the wood longer lasting whereas sawing broaches the cell walls and allows entry of all the nasty little buggers. Totally agree SawdustMike, reading the logs is the only way to go and then listening to them when you drive the first wedge in and maybe the second cos the log starts to sing as it splits and it does most of the work for you. I am weird cos i really loved post splitting and fencing. I suppose the other thing is that the less power tools you use then the more woody you are. You put more of you into something when you make it with your own hands. Not that we always have the time for that and some of us don't have the health either, but the hiss of a keen plane as you work the wood rather than the scream of the power tool. ahem, scuse i.

[outback]

You heathens using a sledge hammer to drive wedges, where was your maul.

I used to use a sledge hammer too. :D

I have just bought a firewood splitter, a big bugger. They are all governed as to what length you can split by the hydraulic ram. Most have a 500mm ram, and you lose some with the wedge on the end.

Following the grain is heaps harder than with an ordinary wedge, as the hydraulic splitter tends to bludgen its way through willy-nilly. ( techo term)

It may be OK for really straight grained timber, but then I'd reckon you'd be ahead with the old fashioned steel wedges and a maul. I doubt you could but really good wedges in these days of computer engineered mass produced crap.

[echnidna]

you mean the pretty coloured plastic wedges?