How to convert 22 tons of oak trees into firewood - How to split wood
Channel: Travel with Manfred
Date: 2012-01-09

This video is part of a series of videos on the topic of producing firewood to heat your fireplace or complete home. The series of videos covers the tools you will need, how to cut tree trunks, how to cut trees into rounds, how to split the rounds with a maul or axe into logs, and how to stack the wood logs for drying in towers or stacks. 

After cutting the rounds the rounds have to be split. Chopping is not the right term, splitting is. Many people use a splitting block, usually knee-high or some 50cm. Other don't. I belong to the category that does not use a splitting block. I split on the ground, and for all my splitting I use an old tire. Below the tire I place a thin (5cm) round or a couple of old used wood planks or boards to make the bottom harder. The tire I use as follows. a) If I split small rounds I fit as many rounds into the tire as possible. The talles pieces I put in the center of the tire, the smallest one on the outside touching the tire. If there are knots or branches in the rounds I place the part with the branch on the bottom. Now with the tire filled I attack the rounds with the maul (or the splitting axe if the rounds are small). I walk around the tire to change my angle. I keep hitting until the rounds are split into the size I desire. I put the maul away and take all the split logs out and throw them on a pile fot later stacking. b) If the round is mid-sized (some 30-40cm diameter) I place just this single round into the tire. Again I make sure any branches or knots are on the bottom. Now I search for cracks. My target for my maul impact is the edge, in a radial direction, hopefully where an existing crack is. Other people recommend the far side. I prefer and swear by the close side, i.e. I hit it on the edge closest to me. Once I have a crack, I start walking around the tire to change the angle and to repeat the process, always hitting in a radial fashion, on the edge facing me. Eventually the mid-sized round turns into smaller pieces. I keep on going attacking it from different angles to get it into small pieces. Once satisfied I put the maul aside and take all split logs out. c) If the round is big and does not fit into the tire, I place the tire in front of the round. I search for cracks in the round and hit it on the edge, on the point closest to me. I keep hitting until I have the round split into 2 pieces. Now I repeat the process until the pieces are small enough to fit into the tire. Then I do as in (b). Using the hire helps me psychologically. I can do a full-hearted swing without hesitation. It also helps me in the rare case of a miss. Should I hit the tire it will soften the blow. It will absorb the shock which makes it healthier on your hands (lesser impact and shocks) and gentle on your maul/axe. Also as the maul goes through a round the handle hits the tire which stops the maul gently, again gentle on your hands and gentle on the handle of your tools. I know that other people use strings and elastic straps, I prefer the tire, and as such I prefer the tire on the ground, not mounted on a splitting block. As I split I always have a wood box handy, as I take the split logs out of the tire I already at this point separate the pieces into 3 piles. The even shappened pieces go on the big pile for later stacking. The odd shapped pieces go on a separate pile as I cannot use them to make stacking towers. And the kindling wood goes right into the wooden box that I later stack one on top of the other. Happy splitting :)

For the other videos of this series look at:
* http://youtu.be/lZv-hQ9TK24 (Tools to use)
* http://youtu.be/YMxZB9wBuMo (How to cut tree stumps)
* http://youtu.be/HXHI7XTzzMo (How to cut trees into rounds)
* http://youtu.be/qvGF8NoqYt0 (How to split wood)
* http://youtu.be/21jVAEe4e8Y (How to stack and store wood)
* http://youtu.be/yypVzmwuMWA (More on tools and splitting blocks)
* http://youtu.be/tXiEPMgl2vY (Ideas for stacking wood)
* http://youtu.be/KDR0EzKQ5iE (Nearly done, wood humidity)