log splitting

[Hu Lowery]

Looking for the how-to so maybe not the right forum but a post in another thread on this forum mentioned splitting the blank rather than ripping it.

This seems like a good idea to me. Somehow I fail miserably however! I have three steel wedges and after cutting bowl or hollow vessel blanks to length I have tried splitting them a handful of times. Fresh cut cherry, old cedar, and about eight month old oak logs just recently given to me. Doesn't matter whether I start from scratch or cut a few inches with a saw to start, I get too much tearing of wood to either side of the split. Same story splitting from the end or the side. I was planning to buy or build a froe or two but have to admit this is discouraging. I am either losing or badly damaging one blank and still having to do considerably more work on the "mirror" blank before using it.

I have split a fair amount of wood over the years and it always burned just fine! Splitting turning wood seems a little tougher but seems like a good way of doing things if I can get it to work. I would prefer riving into quarter sections or even smaller pieces if it is working well before shaping up to turn a lot of spindle work, including walking canes, staffs, tool handles, and finials.

Granted I need to start with straight grained sections of log and some are noted to split far more nicely than others like white oak, but what can I do to improve my riving success?

Hu

 

[David Wilkins]

I have an electric chainsaw in my basement shop for just this task. It is accurate, fast with a sharp chain and easy. I have a steel wedge, but I expect damaged wood and splits where the wood is weakest, not necessarily where I would want them.

 

[hockenbery]

Hu,

I cut most of my spindle blanks ripping on the bandsaw parallel to the bark so I get fairly straight grain.

Splitting takes longer, has more waste, but follows the grain. It is always fun to take split pieces to demos for the public. Gives the impression of less processes wood like turning a bowl from a 1/2 log.

For me splitting works best attacking from the end grain. Important to cut the log sections square and long enough to allow for end check waste when drying.
You covered the key points. Straight grained wood. Poplar, walnut, red oak all split cleanly.
Sweet gum does not split well...

I have split some poplar billets with wedges 10 feet long.

A froe and heavy mallet works best. I friend of mine made a froe from an old car spring.

Have fun!
Al

 

[Hu Lowery]

Thanks!

David, Al, Thank you for the replies!

I do have an electric chainsaw and have been released to use it and a gas saw for the first time in six years a few months ago, some high dollar electronics in my side restricted a high voltage ignition system or motor near my side. The unit had to be replaced and the new one is better shielded.

This gas saw is one of the big box toys I bought when I bought out half of a garage wood working shop and it is a tough call between it and the electric saw, neither very impressive. Both saws involve oil, more mess, and more clean-up than splitting. Splitting is actually considerably quicker than using either of these saws even though I am noddling with the saws, cutting from the side all the way down the side of the log section. The chainsaw can leave an interesting texture to form the rim of an occasional bowl although I don't think it would go over too big if I tried to make it a feature of most of my pieces!

I'm going to have to try to score an old leaf spring for the steel. I have occasional use for the spring steel. It will be a little painful to buy one, I have sold thousands for a few cents a pound as scrap when I owned an auto-salvage. Eventually I will acquire a prosumer or pro chainsaw which will make cutting with the chainsaw more attractive. I do have a 14" Rigid bandsaw and can put riser blocks on it but I don't think it has a lot of umph for dealing with logs. I have a simple idea for rounding bowl blanks on it but that will be about maximum use I suspect. It is still in storage but I'm getting closer to moving it here, hopefully by the first of next year.

Hu

 

[MichaelMouse]

Poplar, walnut, red oak all split cleanly.
Sweet gum does not split well...

I have split some poplar billets with wedges 10 feet long.

Note for the north - he's talking about tulip-poplar, not true poplars. With the interlocked grain, the true poplars from cottonwood through aspen can be a real pain in the back to try and split. Up here they go under the group appellation of "popple," because the other name is taken.

Hu, you can get a reasonable split if you start your steel wedges at 45 degrees on either end of what will become your straight line across the piece. We did some hard and soft maples for a guy who made benches out of them by starting them that way. The eight footers took a lot of oak gluts to keep in line, but resulted in minimum work with the scrub plane when the time came to smooth them out.

I like "unnatural edge" pieces quite a lot. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/Waitsand-2.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/Waitsand-1.jpg They can be gently wire brushed to just clean up the fuzz hanging from the edges, or charred lightly for a good black smooth rim. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/216695ce.jpg

 

[Hu Lowery]

beautiful!

Note for the north - he's talking about tulip-poplar, not true poplars. With the interlocked grain, the true poplars from cottonwood through aspen can be a real pain in the back to try and split. Up here they go under the group appellation of "popple," because the other name is taken.

Hu, you can get a reasonable split if you start your steel wedges at 45 degrees on either end of what will become your straight line across the piece. We did some hard and soft maples for a guy who made benches out of them by starting them that way. The eight footers took a lot of oak gluts to keep in line, but resulted in minimum work with the scrub plane when the time came to smooth them out.

I like "unnatural edge" pieces quite a lot. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/Waitsand-2.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/Waitsand-1.jpg They can be gently wire brushed to just clean up the fuzz hanging from the edges, or charred lightly for a good black smooth rim. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/216695ce.jpg

Michael,

Your unnatural edge piece is indeed beautiful!

I'll give the wedges a try at forty-fives. I haven't done too much experimenting splitting because my river of wood is still more like a tiny brook and I don't like ruining half of my wood after I have work in it. I did cut a V in the end of a section of oak log so I can work higher now. Not perfect but an improvement.

A lot to deal with starting from scratch and seems there are always things getting me sidetracked. A few hours weed eating today and picking up behind a two day storm system passing through. Probably some trees down in the area, might find some wood too. Might be something down on this hundred acres too, more work than I want. Gotta go to town first thing this morning, think I'll do some great circle navigating and see if I turn up any downed trees.

Thank you for your post, always helpful!

Hu