Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Smallhold Farming and Rural Living => Property, Buildings, Equipment and Alternative Energy => Topic started by: arugula on December 16, 2010, 18:35

Title: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 16, 2010, 18:35
Have many people any experience of using a log/wood grenade like THE ONE IN THIS LINK (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290457016802&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT)?

If so, how do the results compare to those of a splitting axe? Bearing in mind, our wood is delivered by the multiple tonne load in 3 metre lengths, the main question is how it copes with wet logs, as the splitting axe struggles with these sometimes. Is it worth having both?

:)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: Goldfinger on December 16, 2010, 19:13

Waste of money IMHO. Any kind of axe will have to work harder on wet wood.

I've been getting timber 'kickers' off FIL as he works at the Harbour, they're even cut to nice 10 inch lengths.   :D

Only problem though, The wood is coming from China/Japan because...

The 'East' can't get enough of scrap metal, (Seen the news??). And so we export scrap metal, and import 'worked' metal.

My problem is, some blocks are 10x7x7 and boy do they take some splitting AND burning!
Not a clue what kind of wood it can be!  :blink:

Back to the question, I use an axe (which is heavy even on it's own) and hit that (doesn't even have to be hard), with another 'mell'. The combined weight is very effective.  :D
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 16, 2010, 19:21
The mell trick is worth a try Goldfinger as we have one of those. Thanks! :)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: Trillium on December 16, 2010, 20:10
I've not used the one in the ad, but I have used a curled wedge effectively when hit with the back of a maul.
With just a good maul, the trick is never to hit the wood in the centre as you've the strength of the whole piece to deal with. We found that whacking a small slice off one side first worked best as it weakened the integrity/strength of the rest of the piece. Then the rest of the log piece could easily be 'sliced up' with several whacks. The other trick is to look for the grain of the wood and learn whether to go with it or against it, again, never dead centre.
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: 8doubles on December 16, 2010, 20:24
I've not used the one in the ad, but I have used a curled wedge effectively when hit with the back of a maul.
With just a good maul, the trick is never to hit the wood in the centre as you've the strength of the whole piece to deal with. We found that whacking a small slice off one side first worked best as it weakened the integrity/strength of the rest of the piece. Then the rest of the log piece could easily be 'sliced up' with several whacks. The other trick is to look for the grain of the wood and learn whether to go with it or against it, again, never dead centre.

I have just seen a youtube clip where the maul was used as you describe , he also put an elastic bungee around the log to hold the segments together and upright till all the segments were cut.
Saves your back a bit of wear and tear. :)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: Dirt Diver on December 16, 2010, 20:29
We use, an Axe, Maul and a Genade.

When the circumference is large the grenade helps to split the log in half. We only have wood for our heating so we use a lot of logs and it is cost effective to have as many helps hands as possible.   :tongue2: :tongue2:
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 17, 2010, 14:28

I have just seen a youtube clip where the maul was used as you describe , he also put an elastic bungee around the log to hold the segments together and upright till all the segments were cut.
Saves your back a bit of wear and tear. :)

Is this an axe maul or a mell maul? Could you point me in the direction of this Youtube clip with a link?

Saving the back is a good thing!

:)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: joyfull on December 17, 2010, 14:40
not found the one with bungees but have found this one with a tyre  :)

-Wsuo4VDwfE
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: 8doubles on December 17, 2010, 15:14
Not the one i found earlier but using a bungee,
 WoAOYLMU1Wcfeature=related
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 17, 2010, 15:23
Thanks both, for those! :D I notice in all these clips that the logs are very dry indeed. Our wet and probably partially frozen logs are not behaving like this at the moment, hence my question. We've not had this problem before either, so I guess its the weather causing the problem this year! ::)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: joyfull on December 17, 2010, 15:26
so looks like you need a fire going to dry out those logs so you can then chop them for the fire (this is a bit like "there's a hole in my bucket dear Liza"  :lol:)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 17, 2010, 15:32
Yes........ :D

There is a fire going, but the logs are too big to bring inside! ::)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 17, 2010, 19:25
We use, an Axe, Maul and a Grenade.


Well prepared Dirt Diver! :D
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: compostqueen on December 19, 2010, 22:28
I am a weak and feeble woman and I use a long handled axe and a grenade to split my logs. My husband thinks I do a really good job  ::)     It's good exercise and helps burn some calories  :D
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 20, 2010, 06:59
Don't you let your husband take a turn then, CQ? ;)
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: compostqueen on December 20, 2010, 16:28
I certainly do  :lol:  I bought myself a small hand axe but it's not beefy enough for splitting logs and is ok for the sticks.  I just started off seeing if I could split logs with the grenade thing. I start off using a small lump hammer to get the grenade in and then switch to the long axe.  I find it quite easy on some of the logs but the very thick ones get left to him indoors  :lol:

I don't do many at once as I don't want to do my back in again so I go very carefully. 

It makes one rather out of puff so I know it's definitely exercise  :tongue2:
Title: Re: Chopping logs for the woodburner
Post by: arugula on December 20, 2010, 16:31
That's useful, thanks! :D