Need a splitting axe, or do i?

[bilko]

I have my 8 man lavvu permanently up in the garden complete with stove at the moment and am finding buying wood from normal outlets too expensive. However my neighbour has just passed a tree surgeon course and now has wood for barter or reduced fees shall we say.
At the moment he is providing me with good ash logs but they are at least 2 fists in width. I have a gransfors mini hatchet and SMA but need something bigger for splitting these rounds. The Sma is sharp but barely gets a CM inside the log.
Idealy i would like to stay with gransfors but would also like an axe that will do more than just split. Getting him to saw or chainsaw the whole lot is not realy on if you see what i mean as he already has them cut length ways and besides i would like to do it myself.
The rounds vary between 6 and 12 inches possibly more in the future and are not seasoned.
If there is another equally good make then i would be willing to look at them .
Thanks for any suggestions.
Ps, forgot to ask...
Which axe would do the job best as well as get other uses from?

 

[bikething]

buy your own chainsaw?? LOL

no experience with large splitting axes or mauls, but have a Gransfors SFA which i'm using to chop sections of a tree someone
in work gave me which are about the same sort of diameter and in 12-18" lengths.

Are you trying to split the log in the middle? - i'm finding it easier to aim an inch or two in from the edge so i knock 'slices' off the
side of the log and reduce it's size that way - the slices can be split into smaller sticks quite easily then.

and since they're going on the fire it doesn't matter how neat they are

HTH
Steve

 

[bilko]

Hiya
I tried that too. As soon as the axe contacts the wood you know it's outsized and overworked from the dull heavy thud you get. Ash as i'm sure you know can be burned in it's unseasoned state although i plan to season if i have enough so i know it's not the wood.
How can i put it, you know how sometimes you can just feel instinctively that the tool you are using is inadequate for the job? Like cleaning the loo with a toothbrush.

 

[brancho]

A splitting maul will work better and you can buy one under £20. A heavier tool will make the job easier.
How long are the blocks you are splitting.

Are you driving the axe into the wood with a piece of wood or not.

Split the wood while it is green it will be easier and try and reduce the knots in the section you split.

 

[Chopper]

Right up my street this one.

First thing to remember is that the type of axe you have is not designed to split wood, ok it will do it but you will beat your axe to death doing it.

You do need a maul, it will make the job much easier and quicker, I would suggest one with a fibreglass shaft as it really does absorb the shock a lot more than a wood shaft.

Although the GB maul's are great bits of kit, they do have a wood shaft and cost about £60.
Screwfix direct sell an 8lb maul with fibreglass shaft for £16.99.

One pointer, you must season the wood that you are intending to use for at least a year, or you will be scraping the resin from the inside of you stove and chimney.

I hope this helps, but if you need any more info just ask.

 

[British Red]

For a large round (over about 24") a maul will start the split, but a coupe of steel wedges are likely to be needed to. As the guys say an 8lb maul and two wedges. For up to about 12" a good 3lb felling axe, splitting axe or working axe should work, depending on how deep the rounds are.

Red

 

[JonnyP]

One pointer, you must season the wood that you are intending to use for at least a year, or you will be scraping the resin from the inside of you stove and chimney.

Is this so with ash, ash you can burn green, but will it still clog the flue do you know...?

 

[bilko]

Thanks for the replies guys.
The logs are about a foot long . I never thought about the resin so glad you mentioned it. I made the mistake a while ago of breaking up an old gaden fence panel and burning it in the stove. After a week of fires there was resin running down the chimney from the joins. I was terrified a chimney fire would start so i put the fire out. I had to clean out the chimney then. Hadn't thought about the fact that GB may be a false economy in this instance.

 

[Chopper]

Is this so with ash, ash you can burn green, but will it still clog the flue do you know...?

Having seen several wrecked chimineys in my time I would not chance burning antthing unless it has been well seasond.

I run three wood stacks in my garden, one dry, split and ready to burn. One ready for final drying ie, in an airer. And one of unsplit wood ready for next year. The one that is for next year was felled in February this year and will be split and placed in the airer around December or January ready for next winter.

 

[JonnyP]

Having seen several wrecked chimineys in my time I would not chance burning antthing unless it has been well seasond.

How does a chimney become wrecked..? Won't a good brushing sort it, or does a big build up of tar, soot etc become unbrushable and may flare up...
I am very interested in chimneys. I have taken down many, repointed loads and rebuilt a few, but I had to build a chimney from scratch once on an extention I was building...It was a nightmare, no one I could find would help me with advice and the building inspector was hopeless.. I was worried that I would build it and it would not draw or work. Turned out ok in the end, but there is lots more to chimneys than meets the eye...

 

[spamel]

Stop being a wuss! Bung the whole log in the fire!

 

[bikething]

Stop being a wuss! Bung the whole log in the fire!

might have trouble getting it through the door of the stove ?

 

[mr dazzler]

12 x 12 inch ash logs should be a doddle to split (unless they are well riddled with side branche's and knot's.) I would concur dont use your best sharp sharp axe to split logs. And its essential to have a solid base to rest the logs so all the splitting energy you impart goes into parting the log not whacker plating your garden . I have basically a square metre of "motorway" next to the wood shed, 6 inches or so of hard core, 8 inches of concrte, and concrete slabs on top of that, and the wooden chopping block sits on that. Only this morning I split down some ash and oak butts (where you get the flared wavy grain) to smallen them down to 4 inch squares or so. I first tried a purpose built maul (approx 4 pound) and after 2 focussed and hefty hits it hadnt split. Then tried the lighter 3 pund french splitting axe (ancient car boot find from Normandy) set up by its previous owner and virtually unalterd by me except for new handle. The logs all popped first time. And they have been drying well over a year.
Also has no one ever thought of usig a froe to split firewood. You are using lever mechanical advantage rather than weight impact, its surprisingly easy to open a log with one vorsprung froe tecknik
I think chimney's can be wrecked by fire if the pointing all drops out or the bricks melt and then they'll leak=>no draw or greatly reduced draw. If it was a metal flue it could burn through then your in the #####

 

[Chopper]

How does a chimney become wrecked..? Won't a good brushing sort it, or does a big build up of tar, soot etc become unbrushable and may flare up...

Very much so, once you have a good coating of tar / resin it becomes almost impossible to remove, and once warm it is flamable.

This is generaly how chimney fires happen.

 

[spamel]

might have trouble getting it through the door of the stove ?

Stove? Bah, just build a bonfire inside your tent, what's the worst that could happen?

 

[Matt Weir]

Very interesting thread as I have recently bought a lavvu and stove. Looks like I will get into the seasoning game.

Thanks.

 

[Bob the Blacksmith]

Hydraulic splitters are available from £100 http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=50879&ts=11710

 

[mr dazzler]

Very interesting thread as I have recently bought a lavvu and stove. Looks like I will get into the seasoning game.

Thanks.

You have to think long term and plan but its well worth it as you will get more heat quicker, better efficiency, more value for money, cleaner chimney. You wont be wasting part of the log's potential energy on driving out moisture still contained in the log before it will burn. Smoke is unburnt fuel and steam. Dry wood is virtually smokeless. Its definately worth building a proper storage shed with open sides. then your logs will dry faster and not go manky and mouldy. Also its worth investing in a stove with proven fuel efficiency and a proper flue. Welded up steel boxes might seem quaint but arent always fuel efficient. How efficient is your stove? I heat an entire 3 bed detached house on around a cubic foot of wood a day in a franco belge stove, rated at around 95% fuel efficiency, very rarely need rad's on now. Just a small pan of ashes once a wek. We have good insulation as well.
Some fire wood dealer's are honest, some arent. Some sell you "dry" logs that actually were just heaped up like rubble wirth no proper air flow around them. And they might throw in pallet's etc. Resins in softwoods also foul up chimneys and flue's. If you got a good supply of ash your fortunate, best fire wood (alongside hawthorn). You dont live anywhere near brocklehurst street (new cross) do you?
cheers Jonathan

 

[Matt Weir]

I have a slightly knackered wooden bike shed at the side of the house that would fit the bill perfectly.

This is the stove.

The only issue is how much seasoned wood am I prepared to lug about for a camping trip? Obviously major factors include length of trip and ambient temperature so how much will be decided on a ad-hoc basis.

On any trip I always buy a bag of seasoned logs to take anyway and this will be more important using the stove so if I can build a stockpile then it will save me quite a bit.

I'm a few miles west from Brocklehurst St Manchester M9 Jonathan, why?

 

[Chopper]

Buy fire wood :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: