This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

If you don't need the wood now (3 trees is very little) Wait till the
logs have frozen in the winter time. Easier to cut frozen logs then
wet green ones.

wrote:
If you don't need the wood now (3 trees is very little) Wait till the
logs have frozen in the winter time. Easier to cut frozen logs then
wet green ones.


You're probably thinking of Eastern Washington. It's very mild here in
the winter and never gets cold enough to freeze logs. Thanks for the
advice anyway.

tenplay wrote:
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

The Chopper1 is a fancy version of a splitting maul (regular mauls have
the thick head but don't have little levers). I have never used the
Chopper but with a regular maul, it's usually good to have a wedge too
for the specially tough logs. And a separate sledgehammer to hit the
wedge with when the maul is stuck in the log.

If you have stumps left standing, they work real good as a place to do
the splitting. Or you can use a big thick round (if any are wider than
they are tall, for stability) as a base. Or just put the log to be
split on the ground.

Most wood will get easier to split as it dries out, and also when its
frozen. On the other hand it will dry out faster once it is split (if
you are in a hurry to be able to burn it).

For drying, you want the wood stacked loosely, up off the ground,
exposed to air but out of the rain if possible. It will be nice and
dried out by NEXT winter, questionable for this one. -- H

"tenplay" wrote in message
...
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as firewood.
To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is supposed to
split wood without having to use a wedge. I would appreciate any tips on
how best to do the chopping. How do you stabilize the rounds so that they
stay put while you are chopping?

By "rounds" I'm assuming you mean the short section of log, maybe 16" long.
How large a diameter are they? If they are 10" to 18", not so bad. Larger
than that, rent a splitter.

Step one is to get the height right. Take the largest one you have and use
that as the base. Put smaller ones on top. Now, the total height will be
about 32" or so. This gives the maximum force when the maul comes down and
hits the wood.

Change your shoes and put on a steel tipped work boot in case one piece fall
on your toes. Long pants is not a bad idea either. Gloves are a must too,
and safety glasses helps.

As for stabilization, I've never done anything but to get one piece to stay
on top of the other. Once split they will fall anyway. Take a few practice
swings to be sure you are hitting the right place. Once you do, just swing
that sucker as hard as you can right in the center of the log.

Dry logs split best. If you have a hard time (you will at first) let them
sit a few day after splitting in half before you do the quarters. The
longer the better.

Accuracy is not as important as repeatability. If you are off center by two
inches, that is OK, but you want the next blow to hit as close as possible
to the first, and on and on until the wood splits. Some woods split cleaner
than others. Shorter splits easier than long pieces

Practice, practice, and pay attention. That swinging maul will take an arm
off so keep family and pets away.

"tenplay" wrote in message
...
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as firewood.
To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is supposed to
split wood without having to use a wedge. I would appreciate any tips on
how best to do the chopping. How do you stabilize the rounds so that they
stay put while you are chopping? What is the best way to dry and store
the cut wood? How long before I can use them? I live in Western
Washington. Thanks for any advice to this novice lumberjack.

Return the ax and rent a hydraulic log splitter for the weekend. Unless you
are into getting some exercise, then chop away.

"tenplay" wrote in message
...
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

All the below assumes normal mauls and wedges. I've never tried a "chopper 1".
I suspect that it won't be too useful on large tough rounds.

Try to split along established cracks, avoiding knots (where smaller branches
were).
With some wood, splitting the bark a bit where you want it to split will help.
For tough breaks, make a line across the round with several maul strikes,
then hit it really hard at the near edge. Then pound the maul in with a sledge
as needed. Sometimes, pounding the maul in is not enough, and pounding
a wedge into the opposite edge will help. On large rounds, I've had good luck
after the initial split by criss-crossing strokes. Split across the grain a few
inches
from the edge. If it doesnot give on one hard stroke, make the next stroke
with the grain (right angles to the previous stroke) a few inches from the edge.
Often, criss-crossing like this will break chunks out without additional
hammering.

Stack it on something which will allow air flow under the pile. Any
wood in contact with the ground will wick up huge
amounts of water. It is best if you stack the wood on something non porous, or
use a non-porous layer somewhere below the wood.
Cover the top of the stack in the winter.
A cover with a "drip line" beyond the wood is best, so the water doesn't drip
on any wood. 2 ft wide corrugated fiberglass or metal panels work very
well. Do not wrap the stack in plastic - it needs to breath. If you use plastic
on top, avoid dips that will collect water and cause the plastic to move
or tear.

Bob

tenplay wrote:
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

Get a book.

Don't know what a Chopper1 Axe is. What you need
is an ax (won't split much) and a splitting maul
and two wedges. It all depends on the wood, some
of it will split easily when green, some of it
just about won't split. Make a chopping block,
use a big round about 12-18" high. If the rounds
are cut flat, they will be stable. You need to
split, stack and let green wood dry for at least 1
year. Keep the rain off the stacks--tarp, shed, etc.

Hey you are not even a novice lumberjack or you
would have cut the tree up.

tenplay wrote:
wrote:
If you don't need the wood now (3 trees is very little) Wait till the
logs have frozen in the winter time. Easier to cut frozen logs then
wet green ones.


You're probably thinking of Eastern Washington. It's very mild here in
the winter and never gets cold enough to freeze logs. Thanks for the
advice anyway.

No he's not, doesn't know what kind of trees grow
in eastern Washington or how they cut. Chopping
in the winter is a good idea though, it's a lot
less sweat, than chopping in the summer.

Here you go:

http://www.chopperaxe.com/whatis.htm





On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 22:02:52 GMT, "George E. Cawthon"
wrote:

tenplay wrote:
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

Get a book.

Don't know what a Chopper1 Axe is. What you need
is an ax (won't split much) and a splitting maul
and two wedges. It all depends on the wood, some
of it will split easily when green, some of it
just about won't split. Make a chopping block,
use a big round about 12-18" high. If the rounds
are cut flat, they will be stable. You need to
split, stack and let green wood dry for at least 1
year. Keep the rain off the stacks--tarp, shed, etc.

Hey you are not even a novice lumberjack or you
would have cut the tree up.

Nobody asked you what kind of wood it was. Most wood isn't worth the
effort. What are your trees?

I have used the device you mention. It works pretty well, but I prefer the
feel of a splitting maul more; but that is just my preference. Wedges come
in handy on tough pieces; the alternative is to just keep wacking until it
splits, and that can take a while.

Can't you get someone to show you how to do it? Hard to describe over the
internet (put the piece on end and hit as hard as you can; the rest is
commentary...) and dangerous if you screw up.

"Toller" wrote in message
...
Nobody asked you what kind of wood it was. Most wood isn't worth the
effort. What are your trees?


Really? If not wood, what do you burn in a wood burning stove?

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news

"Toller" wrote in message
...
Nobody asked you what kind of wood it was. Most wood isn't worth the
effort. What are your trees?


Really? If not wood, what do you burn in a wood burning stove?
Black locust. Best wood there is; only one I use. I sure wouldn't bother
splitting soft woods or many of the lesser hardwoods. I suppose oak, hard
maple, hickory, and a few others are okay if black locust isn't available,
but "most wood isn't worth the effort".

MOST wood IS indeed worth the effort. Some woods are not as worth it as
others.

You just have it a little bit backwards.


--James--

Pay attention to what Bob sad. He's obviously been there and done that.

There's a bit of an art to it, its not all brute force, and if you have a
neighbor or friend with experience splitting alder or doug fir or vine male
or oak, you can learn a lot in a half hour demonstration.

TWO wedges, a sledge and a maul, and if you can find one, an "Oregon Wood
Grenade" are about the minimum tools you'll need. You will get the maul
stuck at some point and the pair of wedges and sledge come in real handy at
that point.

I've split a lot of wood here in Western Oregon over the past 30 years --



--
Jim McLaughlin

Reply address is deliberately munged.
If you really need to reply directly, try:
jimdotmclaughlinatcomcastdotcom

And you know it is a dotnet not a dotcom
address.
"Bob" wrote in message
. ..

"tenplay" wrote in message
...
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

All the below assumes normal mauls and wedges. I've never tried a "chopper
1".
I suspect that it won't be too useful on large tough rounds.

Try to split along established cracks, avoiding knots (where smaller
branches
were).
With some wood, splitting the bark a bit where you want it to split will
help.
For tough breaks, make a line across the round with several maul strikes,
then hit it really hard at the near edge. Then pound the maul in with a
sledge
as needed. Sometimes, pounding the maul in is not enough, and pounding
a wedge into the opposite edge will help. On large rounds, I've had good
luck
after the initial split by criss-crossing strokes. Split across the grain
a few
inches
from the edge. If it doesnot give on one hard stroke, make the next stroke
with the grain (right angles to the previous stroke) a few inches from the
edge.
Often, criss-crossing like this will break chunks out without additional
hammering.

Stack it on something which will allow air flow under the pile. Any
wood in contact with the ground will wick up huge
amounts of water. It is best if you stack the wood on something non
porous, or
use a non-porous layer somewhere below the wood.
Cover the top of the stack in the winter.
A cover with a "drip line" beyond the wood is best, so the water doesn't
drip
on any wood. 2 ft wide corrugated fiberglass or metal panels work very
well. Do not wrap the stack in plastic - it needs to breath. If you use
plastic
on top, avoid dips that will collect water and cause the plastic to move
or tear.

Bob

"James" wrote in message
. ..
MOST wood IS indeed worth the effort. Some woods are not as worth it
as
others.

You just have it a little bit backwards.


--James--


"worth the effort" is subjective...everybody has their own opinion on what
it means.
I saw a chart on btu per cord of different wood.I will have to try to find
it again.

"Toller" wrote in message
...

Black locust. Best wood there is; only one I use. I sure wouldn't bother
splitting soft woods or many of the lesser hardwoods. I suppose oak, hard
maple, hickory, and a few others are okay if black locust isn't available,
but "most wood isn't worth the effort".

Can't prove it here
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm

There is a correlation between density (weight to be hauled into the house)
and Btu, but that correlation also means greater physical effort to split
the harder woods compared to the softer. There are plenty of good woods
that produce a lot of heat. More volume to carry, but not so much weight.
There are tradeoffs that many of us are willing to make. Especially since
there are not that many black locust trees around here.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
et...

"Toller" wrote in message
...

Black locust. Best wood there is; only one I use. I sure wouldn't
bother splitting soft woods or many of the lesser hardwoods. I suppose
oak, hard maple, hickory, and a few others are okay if black locust isn't
available, but "most wood isn't worth the effort".

Can't prove it here
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm

There is a correlation between density (weight to be hauled into the
house) and Btu, but that correlation also means greater physical effort to
split the harder woods compared to the softer. There are plenty of good
woods that produce a lot of heat. More volume to carry, but not so much
weight. There are tradeoffs that many of us are willing to make.
Especially since there are not that many black locust trees around here.
I have 14 acres of Oak/Maple/Hickory, so I have burned it all. I get my
black locust from suburban trees that have gone down; black locust tends to
do that.

If I fill the wood stove up with BL, I still have a fire the next morning;
while O/M/H will all have gone out. I also have significantly less ash with
BL, And BL doesn't rot it you leave it out for a few years.
Don't know about your chart, but I find BL to significantly superior for
wood stoves. For fire places I use other woods because they show more flame
and are easier to light.

Toller wrote:
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news

"Toller" wrote in message
...
Nobody asked you what kind of wood it was. Most wood isn't worth the
effort. What are your trees?


Really? If not wood, what do you burn in a wood burning stove?
Black locust. Best wood there is; only one I use. I sure wouldn't bother
splitting soft woods or many of the lesser hardwoods. I suppose oak, hard
maple, hickory, and a few others are okay if black locust isn't available,
but "most wood isn't worth the effort".

That is the most rediculous thing I have seen in a long, long time.
You just did away with heating with wood for about 90% of the people
living in the north lands. Those cadillac woods you mentioned aren't
available in the needed quantity up there.

The question of "what should I burn?" if being practical abouit it is.
What wood will give me the most BTU per $ I spend. That is how I look
at it.

I cut my own and get it for free from the landowners or (with permit)
the national forests. Here is how it works out.

If I am willing to cut/burn Willow I can get all I want withing 10-20
miles of my house.
If I want Tamarack or Fir I have to go to the forests = 100 mile
minimum round-trip drive.

You do the math on cost/mile of haulage - gas ain't cheap and neither
is my time.

Time wise it was an all day operation to the forests. Yesterday I was
out and back with a load of Willow in 5 hours.

I burn about 1/3 again as much Willow as I will Tam or Fir.

Thus Willow wins out hands down cost/BTU wise.

As for the others you mentioned. You ain't gonna find any of them
except for a few take-downs around this country.

If you are serious about that comment I rank you in with a bunch of
others I call "firewood snobs".

Harry K

MOST woods are fine to burn, but some more than others. It is true that
locust is a very good wood to burn, better than most, but not the exclusive
one. As others have pointed out, most folks have to burn what they can
get.

Equally important to what species are good to burn , is to have dry and
seasoned wood. That makes at least as much difference as the species.

Yes, there are wood snobs, for sure.

---James--

I think your first step should be to find out what kind of wood it is.
While hardwoods are generally good, soft woods, like pine are not much
good. They burn quickly and explosively, and will gum up your chimney.

Assuming you have good wood, measure the length of the "rounds" and your
fireplace or stove. You don't want to end up with 22 inch wood and a 20
inch capacity fireplace.

Next, consider your capabilities. We are a lot more sedentary now than
we used to be, and I would guess that far fewer of us have the strength
and talent to split wood with an axe (I looked at the picture of your
axe and it has been around for many years with many names, and almost
certainly you will have instances where you will get it jammed in the
wood, so have something ready to get it out). It would be quicker and
easier to just rent a splitter.

I started swinging a sledge at age 12, making gravel out of a concrete
driveway with a 12 pound sledge. I hated it, but eventually I developed
some skill and strength, so when hockey season came around, all of a
sudden I had a great wrist shot. I should have thanked my father for
that experience. After that, I split a lot of wood with the sledge and
wedges. Sometimes I tried an axe, but always went back to the sledge
and wedges. Today, having put on a few years, I would rent a splitter.
My point would be that people, when I was young, had a lot of
experience doing that type of work before they were even adults; I doubt
that's true today.

I usually put the "round" on top of another one to split it, but
eventually you get some smaller pieces that need splitting, and won't,
for whatever reason, stand on end securely. Hitting an unsteady piece
with anything is not a good idea; you can damage your tools and
yourself. I ended up making a sturdy V frame, which held the pieces in
the right position while I finished them off.

tenplay wrote:
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

tenplay wrote:
This is the very first time I am cutting rounds (cylindrical sections of
tree trunk) into firewood. A few weeks ago a tree trimming service cut
down three dying trees and left piles of rounds for me to use as
firewood. To make the task easier, I bought a Chopper1 ax, which is
supposed to split wood without having to use a wedge. I would
appreciate any tips on how best to do the chopping. How do you
stabilize the rounds so that they stay put while you are chopping? What
is the best way to dry and store the cut wood? How long before I can
use them? I live in Western Washington. Thanks for any advice to this
novice lumberjack.

I took into consideration all of your suggestions and just finished
splitting 6 rounds with my Chopper1. I don't burn a lot of wood since
we have central heating. It's more to get the ol' lady in the mood on
especially cold nights. So I pretty much burn whatever I can get my
hands on. Instead of wearing sandals this time, I wore heavy boots and
shades. The logs cut ok. Some of the larger rounds were tougher than
others. I figure I will be ok if I cut only a few whenever the mood
hits me during the summer. That way I won't overtax myself. Thanks.

Not@home wrote:

Next, consider your capabilities. We are a lot more sedentary now than
we used to be, and I would guess that far fewer of us have the strength
and talent to split wood with an axe (I looked at the picture of your
axe and it has been around for many years with many names, and almost
certainly you will have instances where you will get it jammed in the
wood, so have something ready to get it out). It would be quicker and
easier to just rent a splitter.

Moderation. I think most any doctor will tell you that splitting wood is
going to be good for you if done with moderation. No rush to get it done,
build up slowly. IMO, it is very good exercise.

Bob wrote:
"Harry K" wrote in message
At 71 I still split almost all my wood by sledge/maul/wedge although I
have a hydraulic splitter sitting right there. I will admit that I
broke down today and put the splitter back in operation at 10 when the
temp got up near 80. I am hoping I have the intestinal fortitude to go
back to the manual method tomorrow. I have about 3/4 cord on the PU to
be split and stacked. Manually it will take me 4 or 5 days. While the
exercise is good, I figure there is no need to be a masochisst about
it.

My recent (educational) experience was splitting 1 cord or so of pine
with my 85 YO father. The next few days, it hurt to laugh. My arms
and chest were very sore. My father said he had no such problem.

Bob

It's all in what you're used to. Every spring after sitting on my
fundament all winter it takes about a month to get back to where I can
one hand the 10 pound sledge to start wedges again. Rather shocking to
shift over and find my left hand can't come close to doing it. Just
checked, have about 6 cord in the stacks from this year's cutting.
Will be out there again finishing up 1/2 load on the PU in a couple
hours. It does take me some intestinal fortitude to split it manually
as I have a hydraulic splitter sitting right there. I use that for any
tough to split stuff (knots and stringy stuff).

Harry K