Splitting Elm - Any advice?

[sawsaw]

I was recently given 2 elm trees - which was great until I came to split the wood . A 9llb splitting maul just bounces off and to splt a ring 12" thick has taken up to 40 blows to a wood grenade with a sledge!

[Stubby]

I was recently given 2 elm trees - which was great until I came to split the wood . A 9llb splitting maul just bounces off and to splt a ring 12" thick has taken up to 40 blows to a wood grenade with a sledge!

 

Thats about right for elm . The heart wood usually has a helical grain and the outer wood is more strait grained . I used to struggle like you but I have 2 mechanical splitters . Its the only way to go ! Its cracking fire wood by the way , especially if its dead standing ......

[mendiplogs]

Thats about right for elm . The heart wood usually has a helical grain and the outer wood is more strait grained . I used to struggle like you but I have 2 mechanical splitters . Its the only way to go ! Its cracking fire wood by the way , especially if its dead standing ......

 

HI STUBBY your right had to cut and split mate but it wood for fire thanks jon

[hedgesparrow]

get what ustace had on mountain men a black powder wedge ram it in end light the blue touch paper and withdraw to a safe distance split some hard wood they where trying to split:biggrin:

[rowan lee]

yeah , try and knock off side chunks first, and work your way round the sides of a lump first rather then trying to 1/2, 1/4 etc the entire round in one go. Its the only way with seasoned elm, that or the chainsaw and lots of sharping.

[Big J]

Many types of elm - some split very easily, others not. I tend to find that it's the English elm that is a cow to split. The heartwood and sapwood seem to have spiraling grain that goes in opposite directions. Split off the sapwood first, using your axe to cleave it off. Then proceed with the heartwood as normal.

 

Great firewood.

[ewd ripper]

I had some through the processor last week for the first time, 10" round in 9/10" lengths, just stopped the ram dead (10 ton ram) up to the fourway knife and it would't push any of it i cut through the knife! Had to get the big home made splitter out to get on top off the stuff !!

[timbernut]

Hi I've had 6"x10"long bits of it stop 15t on my processor! Cut em all at 8" an would then split up to 10"di.

[FJMatt]

i can remember being at one of the APF shows a lot of years ago , talking to a man at the " HY CRACK" stand where they where showing there screw splitters

i asked if there screw tips would fit a KIDD splitter, he said yes and that there splitters were made first and when dutch elm diesase came in the 70s they couldnt keep up with demand as hydraulic type were no good and so asked kidd to make them for them,

then later kidd, made and sold them under there own kidd name

[david wood]

done loads of elm with my splitter, out of hundreds of lumps one or two have been put to side and done by chainsaw. did once try some by maul - didnt mark it!

 

best advice if you dont have a splitter is try to hire somebody with one in.