Curing and splitting wood for burning

 

Having had some trees pruned I now have a pile of logs.   Cut to length but
will need splitting before I can burn them in the grate.   I have Holly and
Willow wood.

Question is do I split them now or wait until they've cured and then split
them?   I'm expecting to have to leave them about 2 years to cure unsplit,
would it speed the process if I split them now?

On a related note, I've looked at local and national hire shop web sites but
can't immediately locate a log splitter.   I don't expect to have any more
tree logs coming my way for a good few years so hiring seems to make more
sense then spending something like £200 for a splitter (I know you can do it
by hand and I also know that there are splitters for as little as £150).
I'm in "South Somerset" (between
Yeovil/Frome/Wells/Street/Glastonbury/Radstock and, at a push, Bristol,
Bath, Dorchester, Weymouth.).

 



Perhaps ask a local Tree surgeon to assist, they might have even more logs
if you ask and suggest there is beer involved  ;-)

 


|> Having had some trees pruned I now have a pile of logs.   Cut to length but
|> will need splitting before I can burn them in the grate.   I have Holly and
|> Willow wood.

Don't bother with the willow - it's trash.  It won't keep going until
completely dry, and then it burns to nothing in next to no time.

|> Question is do I split them now or wait until they've cured and then split
|> them?   I'm expecting to have to leave them about 2 years to cure unsplit,
|> would it speed the process if I split them now?

Up to you and yes, respectively.

|> On a related note, I've looked at local and national hire shop web sites but
|> can't immediately locate a log splitter.   I don't expect to have any more
|> tree logs coming my way for a good few years so hiring seems to make more
|> sense then spending something like £200 for a splitter (I know you can do it
|> by hand and I also know that there are splitters for as little as £150).

How many tons of wood you you have?  You can split wood with a couple
of hand axes, but buying a couple of wedges and a maul or club hammer
will probably cost you less than hiring a functional mechanical device.
Anything that works is likely to be large and heavy.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

 

Nick Maclaren says...

Splitting logs by hand is very hard work. If the OP has
tons then this is just not an option. We heat our house
with a log burning stove and the logs arrive pre-split from
the farmer. He has some sort of hydraulic splitter
attachment for the back of his tractor. However, a few slip
though that are too big to get on the fire and splitting by
hand can be extremely difficult, particularly if there are
any knots in the wood.

While it is desirable to let the wood cure for two years it
is not essential depending on the type of wood. We ran out
of logs and the local farmer cut down a tree and brought us
the logs. I'm not sure what type of wood it is (possibly
oak) but we are burning it already (no choice) two weeks
after cutting! They key seems to be to have a very hot fire
initially, then it burns well. So while the fire is at full
heat the next log is put on the fire so it can be drying
ready to burn. This probably isn't the most efficient use
of the wood however, as some of the heat is being wasted
evaporating the moisture out of the logs.
--
David in Normandy

 


|>
|> Splitting logs by hand is very hard work. If the OP has
|> tons then this is just not an option.

Not usually, it isn't, though it can be.  With a suitable wood
(e.g. holly) that is fairly free of major knots, one stroke of
an axe is all that is needed.  You don't have to do it all at
once, and it doesn't take long to do a hundredweight.

Some woods and ones with major knots are a different matter,
but I have heard that they are beyond an el cheapo mechanical
splitter, too.  Surprise, surprise ....

|> We heat our house
|> with a log burning stove and the logs arrive pre-split from
|> the farmer. He has some sort of hydraulic splitter
|> attachment for the back of his tractor.

Those work, on almost all woods.  But I doubt the OP is likely
to hire one.

|> I'm not sure what type of wood it is (possibly oak) ...

Oak is one of the harder ones to split.  Not as bad as yew,
though.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.