I am just finishing a project that involved me splitting and hauling about 5 cords of oak. The slices of trunk were about 3 -4 feet in daimeter and I needed to belay the hydraulic splitter down into this guys back yard to split the big rounds so they were small enough to carry out.

Looks like it will end up costing some fuel for the chainsaw and $75 for the one day rental of the splitter. Its good excercise and I save a few bucks...Whoever said that burning wood heats you twice is WAY underestimating....Rob M Concord, MA

The spilt wood also seasons must faster, harbors more rodents and increases the size of the stack for the same amount of wood.

We have about 70 or so trees on our lot, and with most 35 years old, there is usually one or so a year that has to come out. These are big guys, some 60' high. They give lots of wood. I chain saw them into 12-18" sections, and then split it all by hand. It's a huge amount of work as those sections require some hard work to get the first split. But, I love it. I pick a coolish day and work until I'm weak as a kitten. I take a few days off, and find a few more days that are perfect. My muscles are sore as hell, but the big wood pile is all mine.

Sometimes the hard way is the best way.

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

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so how big is A cord of fire wood? How can you make sure your getting the right amount if you buy it and not get screwed. Also do you split wood when it's green or do you wait for it to dry out.

A cord of wood is 4' x 4' x 8', reasonably tightly packed.

With regard to splitting green or dry, I've found that sawing it green and splitting it dry works best for me. On one occasion, I had a splitting wedge get squirted straight up in the air while trying to hand split green oak.

Cheers,
Wes

I guess I'm missing all the fun. I have no trees to split so when I want a nice fire in the fire place for a cozy effect, I have to light one of those presto logs which burns for hours unattended. When the inside temp gets down into the 40s. the FAG or forced air gas furnace kicks in and warms the house which is well insulated with double pane windows. What you guys are talking about is why my folks came out west from upstate Wisconsin when I was 5 years old. My mother would hang sheets out to dry and bring them in looking like plywood. The downside to living in California is having to deal with all the trash that migrates to this state. Whole towns in the mid west have no fences in the neighborhoods. Out here every square foot of land is fenced in.

Peter

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