wrote in message
ps.com...

Does anyone have a suggestion other than a splitting maul on splitting
logs? I can't afford a $1,000 log splitter.

I use a 5 lb. axe head on the longest handle I can
safely swing, which handles most work, but I enjoy
the exercise and burn only 2 full cords per winter.
Chunks that do not split after about three strikes are
stacked face to the sun for a few months.

Also, does it matter if I burn stuff like Hedge, Cedar or Elm in my
fireplace, they seem to be the cheapest species available.

Cedar is OK only for kindling. Elm is so dense you
need to age it extra (say 3 years minimum) and burn
it with other types of wood. Elm is the main exception
to the rule that thermal value varies with weight.
Hereabouts maple is best, split and stacked for two
years before use, yellow birch is OK, white birch
best for kindling, poplar is burned only because
abundant: poplar from trees less than 30 years
old is hardly worth burning.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)