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Heathcliff

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

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

If you're buying the wood, it should come split already, at least that
is how it is sold in my area. Otherwise, perhaps someone who has a
splitter would be willing to split yours in return for part of the
wood.

Using a splitting maul is good exercise. Bear in mind you don't have
to split all your wood at once, you can just do enough for one or two
fires at a time. Hence the old saw (hehe) about how it "warms you
twice."

Cedar and other softwoods (pine, fir, etc.) will burn OK but are
reputed to cause a lot of creosote buildup in your chimney, so that it
has to be cleaned more often to avoid the chance of a flue fire. Among
hardwoods, any wood will burn fine if dry and the heating value is
pretty much a function of weight. Heavy woods like oak will burn a
longer time than lighter woods like poplar. Elm is somewhere in the
middle. It is also somewhat harder to split than most wood. I am not
familiar with "Hedge." There is a great book on wood heat, I think
it's called "Heating with Wood" from around 1980. -- H