Splitting wood by hand

[PhysAssist]

I may have to buy the wife one of those Fiskars and show her the budgie trick......we do have an anniversary coming up! She likes presents and this would definitely increase her productivity!!:thumbsup:

My boss has serious back issues, so I bought her a Fiskars hatchet, and she splits cedar for kindling..

It helps her feel she is doing her part and she truly is.

Thomas

 

[PhysAssist]

Do not get the Fiskars X27 splitting axe if you want a workout!
It takes all the work out of splitting firewood, the Fiskars X27 splitting AX is awesome.
Harvesting firewood just got a little better.
Thanks for everyone's help in selecting the right splitting AX.
sherpa

Congrats on the new tool!

I am very glad that you like it!
T

 

[PhysAssist]

I haven't split wood in decades, was one of my choirs when I was a youth. I always did it on days that were well below freezing so the wood would be frozen. Now that I burn wood again and have a hydraulic splitter the only splitting I do is to make kindling to make starting a fire a breeze. I would like to get something better than the cheap axe that I use now. It has to be light enough for one handed operation and short enough to split while kneeling. Since I can pick and choose which pieces of wood I'll split into kindling I usually pick the straight grain, no limbs wood. But that's not always the best wood to start a fire with. Lots of times yellow birch will not split cleanly. The small fibers often start quickly but it's hard to split into kindling. Any ideas which Fiskar would work well? They have so many different lengths and both splitting and chopping models. I assume chopping is for felling trees.

The hatchet or smaller camp axe, that is what my wife uses for kindling.
T

 

[Fidler4]

I just got a Fiskars X27 and love it. This is my first experience with splitting wood so I was surprised at how easy the logs split with one of theses. I do have a question. There is an old pile a logs that were on my property when I bought it. Some of the logs are rotted and others are partially rotted. A couple of pieces I split had ants living inside of them. Is it ok to use this wood for an outside firepit? Can I add it with my other newer unrotted logs? I don't have an inside fireplace to everything I burn will be outside. Thanks.

Jeff

 

[oosik]

When we first moved down from Alaska in '82 we had a wood stove and harvested our own firewood. It only took one day of trying to split our Ponderosa Pine for me to purchase the largest hydraulic splitter I could find. You can beat on a P pine round until you have a heart attack and not get anywhere. It is too fibrous and knotty. Most of the trees harvested here are from 30" to 38" on the butt. My property still has virgin pine and was selectively logged eight years ago.

 

[dmccarty]

I just got a Fiskars X27 and love it. This is my first experience with splitting wood so I was surprised at how easy the logs split with one of theses. I do have a question. There is an old pile a logs that were on my property when I bought it. Some of the logs are rotted and others are partially rotted. A couple of pieces I split had ants living inside of them. Is it ok to use this wood for an outside firepit? Can I add it with my other newer unrotted logs? I don't have an inside fireplace to everything I burn will be outside. Thanks.

Jeff

Let the wood dry and it will burn. It might not burn as long as a non rotted log but it will burn.

Later,
Dan

 

[turnkey4099]

... like this:

Yep. Took more effort and time than one swing with a good ax (Fiskar's) would have.

Harry K

 

[PhysAssist]

I just got a Fiskars X27 and love it. This is my first experience with splitting wood so I was surprised at how easy the logs split with one of theses. I do have a question. There is an old pile a logs that were on my property when I bought it. Some of the logs are rotted and others are partially rotted. A couple of pieces I split had ants living inside of them. Is it ok to use this wood for an outside firepit? Can I add it with my other newer unrotted logs? I don't have an inside fireplace to everything I burn will be outside. Thanks.

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

The only thing I try to stay away from burning outside is pressure treated, because of the toxic smoke. Burning rotten logs and ant-infested ones is a good way to get rid of both, and may be less green house gas producing than letting it rot completely away naturally.

Take care,
Thomas

 

[Fidler4]

Hi Jeff,

The only thing I try to stay away from burning outside is pressure treated, because of the toxic smoke. Burning rotten logs and ant-infested ones is a good way to get rid of both, and may be less green house gas producing than letting it rot completely away naturally.

Take care,
Thomas

Thanks for the reply Thomas. I add them all to the stack.

 

[bacrow]

I'm late to this forum. I was looking for better ways to cut and stack wood. When I first started reading it I was just going to contribute my 2 cents. I have a old maul that my dad gave to me that never comes out of the shed. I used his old double bit axe with a wood handle when I was a kid, and I still use it today. I bought a single bit with a fiberglass handle to teach my son how to do it. I thought that was safer.

After busting my back and shoulders this weekend on white oak with those axes and the old wedges with an 8 pound sledge I think I may have to try the Fiskars.

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

 

[HillStreet]

My brother-in-law is 68 years old and cuts his own wood and splits 6 cords a year with maul and wedges. He does it for the exercise and actually likes doing it. I am really feeling my age at 64, I would be better off following his example.

 

[grnspot110]

I'm 63, have a hydraulic splitter for my JD 790, I prefer to split by hand (Fiskar's splitting axe). I use the tractor splitter when I need to split a trailer load in warm weather! ~~ grnspot

 

[s219]

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

In your case, the X25 would probably be a better choice. Back when the X27 first came out, my understanding is that it was mainly intended for taller people, for which the X25 was dangerous -- an over-swing could potentially aim it right at the foot/shin area on a tall person. With the X27, and over-swing will still hit the ground even for taller people.

I'm 6'1" and the X27 fits me well, but I sure would not want it to be any longer! Based on that, I'd suggest an X25 for you.

 

[2458n]

I did not care for the Fiskar at all the handle was some type of plastic and the end of the handle was hollow, Just never felt right. It may have just been a axe, and not the splitting type axe mentioned. Grandfather had a farm and alot of oak and hickory trees. Here is my best tip buy a gas log splitter and use it while your young....

 

[MortalWombat]

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

If it makes any difference, I'm 5'8" and have the X27. I like the length because it puts some more distance between the ax head and my feet if I ever happen to miss (which I haven't so far, but it puts me more at ease). My wife even tried it and she's 5'3" and had no problem swinging it.

 

[dmccarty]

I'm late to this forum. I was looking for better ways to cut and stack wood. When I first started reading it I was just going to contribute my 2 cents. I have a old maul that my dad gave to me that never comes out of the shed. I used his old double bit axe with a wood handle when I was a kid, and I still use it today. I bought a single bit with a fiberglass handle to teach my son how to do it. I thought that was safer.

After busting my back and shoulders this weekend on white oak with those axes and the old wedges with an 8 pound sledge I think I may have to try the Fiskars.

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

I have a Fiskar 27 and I wish it was a bit longer but I am 6 foot tall. An X25 should work for you. My two cents is that the handle should be as long as your leg height. Course you can't get axe handles as easy as you can pant sizes. If the axe handle is too short, and the ax does not hit the splitting "stump", you could get whacked in the foot or leg by the axe.

With my hydraulic splitter it would take about 12 hours to split a cord. Last week, I split wood with the Fiskar for about 6 hours and got 3/4 of a cord. This was nice red oak with only a few pieces of forked wood. The Fiskar's axe handle has held up much better than the fiberglass handled splitters I have used in the past. I really like the Fiskar though I wish it was an inch or two longer and a bit heavier. Danged thing is sharp too and holds and edge.

As soon as I finished goofing off on TBN, I am going out side to split more wood. I really like the exercise. I have been wearing a heart rate monitor and I am burning 350-500 caloris an hour when splitting. The day I split wood for almost 6 hours, I burned around 3,400 calories and really got my heart rate up. I can get my average and peak heart rate to a level that matches what I do in the gym using a stepper or rowing machine. With splitting wood I burn calories, get exercise AND get firewood to heat the house! :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

 

[s219]

I did not care for the Fiskar at all the handle was some type of plastic and the end of the handle was hollow, Just never felt right. It may have just been a axe, and not the splitting type axe mentioned. Grandfather had a farm and alot of oak and hickory trees. Here is my best tip buy a gas log splitter and use it while your young....

The handle is pretty much indestructible. Don't know the material, but it is very tough.

As for the hollow part, it's per the design which tapers the weight distribution so the max weight is at the head. Almost like the concept of a golf driver. The whole key here is high head speed, which gives you more momentum than you could get with a heavier maul.

 

[dmccarty]

The handle is pretty much indestructible. Don't know the material, but it is very tough.

As for the hollow part, it's per the design which tapers the weight distribution so the max weight is at the head. Almost like the concept of a golf driver. The whole key here is high head speed, which gives you more momentum than you could get with a heavier maul.

Yeppers. My guess is that the plastic handle is put on the ax head while hot and the plastic shrinks as it cools. I beat the heck out of the Fiskar and use it to pry loose wood that did not quite split off the round. I have a couple axes and mauls where the head has loosened from the handles. I think one handle has broken and I could not fix it. These were the yellow fiberglass handles. I think I will have to really abuse the Fiskar to break its head loose from the handle.

The end of the handle has a little nub. If the edge of your strong arm hand is just up from that nub, you can flick/twist your wrist just before the ax head hits the wood. That wrist flick really can accelerate the ax head with very little effort.

I was splitting again yesterday and "training" my left arm to split wood. I am right handed so it is taking a bit of effort to use the left arm but it worked surprisingly well. The left arm is not as precise as my right arm when using the ax but it will not take much time to get "train" the left arm. Using the left arm to split the big rounds helped give my right arm a rest. It was cold out there yesterday though and I had to put on a light coat to keep from getting chilled when I was stacking the wood. I think I am getting addicted to splitting wood. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing: I really wanted to split wood today but my back, after three days of splitting, was whispering that I needed a break. :laughing::laughing::laughing: Plus I needed to make some Navy bean and ham soup and some bread. Both are almost done and we can eat soon. :licking::licking::licking:

Later,
Dan

 

[turnkey4099]

I'm late to this forum. I was looking for better ways to cut and stack wood. When I first started reading it I was just going to contribute my 2 cents. I have a old maul that my dad gave to me that never comes out of the shed. I used his old double bit axe with a wood handle when I was a kid, and I still use it today. I bought a single bit with a fiberglass handle to teach my son how to do it. I thought that was safer.

After busting my back and shoulders this weekend on white oak with those axes and the old wedges with an 8 pound sledge I think I may have to try the Fiskars.

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

Just keep in mind that the Fiskars is not a maul and is not a replacement for a maul. It shines in clear grain wood. If you expect to split only with the Fiskars, you will be disappointed. A good arsenal is:
Fiskars, 6 or 8lb maul, wedge/10lb sledge. I'm 78, put in time everyday the weather allows and use primarily the Fiskars and 6lb maul (to "tap" the back of the fiskars when the split doesn't finish) but all three get used.

Harry K

 

[cqaigy2]

Just keep in mind that the Fiskars is not a maul and is not a replacement for a maul. It shines in clear grain wood. If you expect to split only with the Fiskars, you will be disappointed. A good arsenal is:
Fiskars, 6 or 8lb maul, wedge/10lb sledge. I'm 78, put in time everyday the weather allows and use primarily the Fiskars and 6lb maul (to "tap" the back of the fiskars when the split doesn't finish) but all three get used.

Harry K

Pretty close to what i have and use. The long Fiskars splitting axe, 8lb splitting maul, wedge. I just can't bring myself to "tap" the fiskars with the maul though, but i will take another swing with the splitting axe at the incomplete split.