How to chop or split logs - with a splitting axe, maul through to log buster and diamond shaped log splitter.
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0:00 Introduction
1:30 Today's Toolkit
1:48 The Spitting Axe
4:02 Diamond Shaped Splitter
5:45 Log Splitting Maul
8:28 Tips and Tricks
11:31 Log Buster
14:27 Chains Saw
19:23 Description Links
19:34 Subscribe to Me!
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TODAY'S TOOLKIT:
- Fiskars XXL-X27 Splitting Axe bit.ly/3jsGzCH
- Roughneck 8lb Log Splitting Maul geni.us/ckVFv0R (Amazon)
- Roughneck 6lb Log Splitting Maul geni.us/0tD1 (Amazon)
- Rolson Diamond Shaped Log Splitter geni.us/iCae (Amazon)
- Oregon Universal Field Sharpening Kit geni.us/BRW2j (Amazon)
- Ryobi RCS1830 chainsaw with 5Ah battery and charger geni.us/ArO8 (Amazon)
- 60mm bench vise geni.us/cNtt (Amazon)
- Clarke H5 5 tonne electric log buster bit.ly/3Y4m9iq
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Charlie DIYte
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#logs #chop #split
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Great commentary, no waffle and excellent editing
Protip(25yrs landbased industry) with large rings, forget the chopping it into cake slices. Instead, chop of lumps working your way around the outside, you'll soon find a point where the rest readily chops into cake slices👌🏼 Don't stress too much about chain tension. A bit slack really ain't a problem, obviously if it hanging of the bar like a pair of baggy granny knickers, sort it! I do love my maul, it gets us fit, and you get work out a few life frustrations😂
Hi Charlie Another good video and well researched! I have had a wood burner for 17 years and have tried many methods of cutting and splitting wood. I get through about 8 cubic meters of wood per annum, which I cut to length and then split. I have used the fiskars x 27 for many years, as well as the X17 and X10 /X11 for smaller logs with great results on straight grained rounds, and this is faster than the hydraulic splitter. I use a Scheppach oxt 500 log splitter on a stand (without a safety cage) to split the knotty stuff and even even large rounds. Having the log splitter raised on a stand saves bending, and having a table next to the ram also helps to save your back. When the logs are split, I separate the small or knotty bits from the straight pieces, and build the outside wall of the log store with the straight pieces, and chuck the odd bits behind the "tidy" front face. As regards your long branches, I use an Oregon Easy Cut saw horse (I am not sure if they are still available but there are videos on You Tube showing the principle) Basically these type of saw horses allow you to cut a whole stack of logs in one go to the same length. Other videos on You Tube show similar devices made out of 2x4's, which are probably safer than the Oregon which is made of metal, and can blunt your chain if you are not careful. Like you I always use a round to protect the axe from going into the dirt and becoming blunt.
Got no logs to split but was glued to this vid till the end!
Great video, Charlie. A lot of similarities between us re logs; DIY log store, piles of logs around the garden, virtually the same set of tools! Following this, I'm going to go give my same splitting maul another go. I didn't get on to well with it and then when I came across the Friskars splitting axe, I never picked up the maul again. I originally bought the Friskars XL 25 but just today will have delivered the XXL 27 as it's supposedly better for my height (6' 2"). I'm also going to revisit my splitting 'grenade' as I'd not had much success with that. You've got me thinking it was perhaps more the operator than the equipment that wasn't so great ... LOL Anyway, thanks again for the great content.
I've pretty much gone through the same journey you have after 15 years of log splitting. Steel toe caps - mandatory Gloves - clip gloves shock absorbers Roughneck wood maul - junk, snapped the shaft on 3 of them Log grenade - ok but gets stuck too often Chainsaw - petrol husqvarna but changing to the Makita cordless Log splitter - too slow Splitting axe - The Fiskars X27. The best wood splitting axe in the world. There is nothing I can't split with this, I just handled several ton of knotty eucalyptus with it no bother. Use a Ralph Martindale metal file to maintain the sharp edge after each use. My top tip is to split on a ring as you suggest, but screw an old tyre around the top and split the smaller stuff inside it. Stops you having to pick up each piece to reposition after striking, and you can split several logs in one go. Great video and information as always! kzhead.info/sun/hLWjm8Wbe3qGgoE/bejne.html
The Fiskars X27 is what God made on the eighth day! If your log splitter is to slow then you need a model with a faster cycle time. A splitter with a fast cycle time is hard to beat if you are splitting a full cord of wood. I split about 16 cord a year. A good set of forestry tongs and a Pickaroon are my go to tools for handling material.
If you’re using a tree stump to put the logs on to split, it is a lot easier and kinder to your back if you have one about a meter off the ground. The axe will impact the wood around waist level than foot level. It’s safer too.
That's a fair point. 👊
Came here to say THIS. Glad you already did it :)
Great video Charlie! The trick with wedges is to have two.
Your videos are great, Charlie! Topics are always on the money and your style of presentation is fun, engaging but you still get the information across. As a DIY’er in my first house I’ve really appreciated your hard work over the past few years. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, I really appreciate that.
I was buying a Roughneck maul nearly every year since the fibreglass handle kept breaking, eventually paid the money for an excellent Gransfors Bruk splitter - has an added metal guard where the head meets the wooded handle - had for 4 years now and can not recommend enough. And I love the vids!!
Thanks Gavin, really appreciate that and great tip 👌
Thanks for this. Just noticed your sledge is making a ping noise and that can mean you need to tend to the shaft/handle. It might be slack or dried out and could lead to the head slipping or coming off. Thanks again for the video Charlie.
Thanks, answered all my questions. Also...great editing!
I have a great guy called Yogi who keeps me stocked with split logs for my burner but I still found this an excellent watch! :)
Absolutely love this channel and can’t wait for your new videos. I genuinely like the way you do your research and present a balanced conclusion. Your condensation and mould series enlightened me more than I expected. Keep going Charlie your an absolute DIY inspiration mate.
I bought my first woodstove in 1993 and have cut & prepared 3-4 cu m of wood for it in each of the 30yr since. You've got ALL of the key info in this for someone wishing to follow your path (Bravo!) though there's always more for the keen student to pick up with experience. I agree with the full armamentarium being preferable - with experience it becomes clear in advance which tool will work best for the log at hand. In addition to the wood grenade (diamond wedge) I use two further trad wedges of different angles which are very useful to inset with precision into the cracks in part-dried wood of rather difficult species, or into some very weak woods like poplar which otherwise tend to break out at the top without splitting down their length. Or use the felling axe for these latter. Never bother trying to start a split into a big knot or the top of a fork - you'll bounce out - always start at the other end. You didn't mention the huge variety in readiness to split of different woods, arising from their different physical properties and growth patterns. Spiral grain is the trickiest, and can make me wish I'd taken more care to cut the wood ends square, or that I'd got a bigger stove. Like you, I find the maul most satisfying - it gives a good workout if you are moderately fit, but the jarring in the wrists that occurs sometimes is, over the long term, predisposing to arthritis/tendonitis. There are other possibilities that address this - including captive weights that need less force because of greater precision. I like Clarkes' hand-powered hydraulic splitter - it's a 10ton bottle-jack bolted to an I-beam. Compared to the electric, it's just as fast, and is cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, gives the arms a good workout, is quieter, and can be taken into the woods without power cable considerations. For big logs with the most twisted grain, a pass over the top surface with a coarse-toothed circular saw will sometimes allow an intractable dry log to be split. I think ear defenders are as important as eye protection, especially if working with dry wood or near the house (hard reflective surface).
Safety first - yes, stand with your legs apart. Also, place your piece towards the far edge of your support surface. If you miss, your maul will strike and embed in the surface instead of glancing off the close edge and hitting you.
Great content as always 👍 I bought the 3.5 tonne version of the log buster you showed (the larger one was out of stock at the time) and as you suggest most people likely do, I didn’t bother with the safety cage. To me it’s revolutionised my log splitting. The wood needs to be shorter than the travel of the splitter anyway to be able to fit into the log store and burner, so I can’t see that this is an issue and my log buster hasn’t met a log that it couldn’t split yet. It powers through all kinds of wood, however big (I’ve split 30” diameter rings of quite dry wood and wet wood and it’s made mincemeat of them, likewise with knotty stuff). Log buster + chain saw is all I use now. No back ache, no blisters, no chance of impaling an axe in my leg because something split funny. All round far better IMO.
I could not agree more with you - a log splitter is wonderful and efficient. We have a large gas driven commercial machine and a small electric 5 Ton like Charlie’s. I think the electric 5 Ton is amazing. My parents keep theirs in the back porch - when they bring in a piece that is too big - they just split it down.
To save carrying stuff into the field, I use the back of the maul as the sledge for the log splitter.
IMO The best tool is a strong neighbour and a bottle of Whisky
I prefer two strong neighbours - just incase one is unavailable.
First thing that I would do is cut the silly guard off the hydraulic log splitter - I have never seen one of those guards on a splitter before - we do not have those guards in Canada. I must say my father has a similar hydraulic splitter and he loves it - He mounted his on a stand so that he does not have to work off the ground - that makes a big difference.
Knotty logs are easier to split if you stand them ‘upside down’. There is then a good chance that the split will follow both branches of the Y, particularly if you align the axe with both of them. BTW, the light weight of the Fiskars X25 is an advantage in maintaining velocity throughout the day. I went through 2 mauls before I bought it, and wouldn’t go back!
Another brilliant video Charlie! I took down a 2ft diameter ash tree that had dieback a few days ago with just a short electric chainsaw. It's amazing what they can do but definitely pushed the limit with that one. Only a few thinner ash to fell and our driveway will finally be safe! Any odd bits of bark are useful as mulch, either in pots or beneath a layer of more decorative mulch. Apparently scattering the chainsaw chippings as mulch in plant pots helps keep the soil damp during summer and possibly deter slugs. Waste not want not 😂 have a great weekend!
Thanks Charlie, a good practical general DIY overview as we have come to expect from you ! I'm sure there will be a lot of commentary here, some of which will add some useful advice on safety etc and as you made clear you are not an expert in certain aspects and there are many good videos out there on the individual tools and skills mentioned ! Hoping your body is not suffering too much as a result of all that research on our behalf !
Fiskars x27 axes are great - not cheap but worth the money
When you consider the warranty on the X27 it is a bargain. My first X27 broke - I sent them an email with a photo and they sent me a new axe no questions asked - break a wooden handled axe and you are on your own!
Great video as always Charlie😀Love a bit of log splitting myself👍
Very Enjoyable video Charlie !! thank you !!
As always, a very helpful video, thanks charlie….take care
Thank you for this!
Great video… and definitely worth the time!
I don't see any need for me to know about log splitting now or in the future. However, still an interesting way to spend 20 minutes and as usual a video packed with information and advice.
Hi Charlie . Log splitter and my cheep 240v chainsaw every time for me . Splitting logs by hand is great when your young fit and handsome like you good self . But when you’re a bit long in the tooth like me , it just isn’t going to happen 😂. And with my spitter which came without a cage, I managed to split a log 2ft across by 18 inches long . In fact I’ve not had a log it wouldn’t split , but it is supposedly rated at 16 tons ? . Love the channel and I always learn something from it . Best wishes and kind regards as always. 😀👍👍👍
Nice one Charlie! One thing you didn't mention was the conical "splitter" drill bit, probably because they're totally useless. Do please warn folk to avoid.
Hi Charlie - Next time you get a maul/axe stuck in a round, hang the axe/maul over your shoulder with the blade down and the round/log hanging down your back swing a wide ark over your head and down onto the stump with the heal of the axe/maul hitting the stump (ie blade up) At the very least you will free the axe/maul, as you get your technique in the momentum of the round will spit itself on the axe/maul (it uses less energy/time than rocking/knocking out)👍
Love your video's
As someone who has split a lot of logs - your logs must be dry and seasoned before chopping - this will make your life much easier. Oh yeah - go with a maul. Axes are for cutting down trees.
Just like that scene with Captain America in Avengers :)
I had a large tree stump as my base on a brick pathway. When I eventually moved it, the bricks underneath had been pushed down by all of the chopping.
Doesn't surprise me. The bricks were probably on a sand base? 👍
Nice video, thanks. If your chain won't tighten then maybe the chainsaw bar is worn and needs replacing, they are consumable items.
Hi Charlie, do you have a link to the footwear you mentioned? Great content as usual.
I have the Makita 36 Volt chainsaw, so I have standing in commenting 😅 In terms of the mass of the maul head, you are spot on about the velocity being nominally more relevant than the mass. The kinetic energy of the maul is linearly proportional to the mass, but proportional to the square of the velocity. My observation, not having split a log for decades, is whether the maul lands on the log mostly under gravity (letting the tool do the work) or whether there is a downward driving effort required (the user doing the work). Do you let it fall, or do you swing it down (again the user doing the work). Both have to be initially lifted to the high position. I have half an idea that the overall effort in aggregate is probably the same, but the lighter head is easier to use, because it doesn’t tax muscles not used regularly as much as the heavier maul. If you split logs for a living, and were physically accustomed to the job, I think the heavier maul is the tool of choice.
Hi Charlie. Great video once again. I'm thinking of getting a tent for my DIY work. Can you tell me where you got yours from pls?
Thanks. Yes it's from Clarke (machine mart) and it's been brilliant. I promised DIYfe it would only be up for a few months whilst I built the wardrobe and it's been up for over 2 years with no obvious signs of wear. You do need to anchor it down though as a friend bought one and it flew over his garages and into the neighbouring field, trashing it, in a storm.
Best to use a 8 tonne vertical log splitter
Do you find splitting newly cut trees is easier or harder than older logs? I tried some 100yr old cots pine and some beech 1 week after felling, average 50-60cm diameter and 40cm long. They were a nightmare to split most of them. I hired a 20T petrol splitter and even that really buckled with a a lot of them. I was wondering if the high moisture made it harder.
A few poiints from my experiences.... If the logs are very dry the maul does not work so well and the fiskars with its sharp blade is much more effective at splitting. Again, if the wood is very dry when in the hydraulic log splitter it can sometimes almost snap apart rather than cleave apart and I've had the wood jettison sideways with some force from the log splitter. Moral - stay at the end of the splitter when operating. Moisture in the wood is your friend when splitting as it help the wood cleave apart in a more controlled way.
Great video, I usually cut my logs to size with a Stihl MSA200 chainsaw then split them with a log splitter. I've found that marking the chainsaw cuts with a piece of chalk works well. Do you have the essential bit of kit???? - a moisture meter !
Thanks mate. Makes sense. I thought of that but the reviews are mixed. You find yours useful?
I was always nervous about hitting the roughneck maul with another hammer incase they exploded/shattered. This can happen if you hit two ball peen hammers together of the same hardness.
In my youth, about 50 years ago, I regularly split logs for firewood. If when splitting a large log, the first chop did not make much of an impact, I would turn the log 90 degrees and the second chop would usually make a bigger impact. I've no idea why. The logs were usually fairly fresh cut, so there would be no drying out cracks to follow.
Recently sold my 18v Ryobi, yes the 36v Makita is better but I really think I should have kept the 18v Ryobi for mobile purposes and bought a modern corded chainsaw for processing at home. 36v really does eat the batteries, I reckon I cut just as much with the 18v Ryobi (x2 batteries) as I did with the Makita (which uses 2 18v), just a bit slower...
For log splitting a lot of logs, there simply *nothing* that beats a kinetic log-splitter, ideally a mains electric powered one, if practical.
Turn the log on it's side, then hit the cone in. You'll find it's excellent
Great tip 👌
Funny how in the UK we're so against burning soft wood, in much of the US and Northern Europe its all they burn. As you say there's nothing wrong with it if seasoned correctly.
Thanks. Yes I agree. Seasoning is key. It actually burns with a lovely intense heat. 👍
Axes were used by people who had enough wood to basically discard all the hard to cut wood (where it Y's off into multiple branches).
1:55 borrowed lol.
U've got your stop end outlet on your gutter the wrong way round! You should've bought a left stop end outlet so you could fix it to the facia!
Unless you are experienced with a chainsaw, it is not particularly safe to cut a log while standing on it, if the teeth catch it could pull the log out from under you and then it's a trip to a and e if you are lucky.
No matter how much experience you have with a chainsaw your feet and legs should never be near it - cut yourself with a knife and the wound closes - a chainsaw on the other hand removes 3/8” of material. I am trained to use a saw and have 35 years plus experience working with them - it worries me that the big box stores sell battery powered chainsaws to the general public. The only thing more dangerous at the store than a chainsaw is a gun.
Charlie screw an old tyre to your stump as you can put a few logs in at once but they don't all fly around which saves heaps of time when splitting by hand.
I'd recommend to always wear safety glasses, always
As always good video. Personally I think your trying to run you chain too tight. And with all your DIY skill, please make a simple saw horse so you don't have to put your foot on the log whilst chainsawing it. Chainsaw boots are a great investment too 👌
Here is a link to a DIY version of the Oregon Easy Cut for cutting multiple small branches at tge same time to the same length. kzhead.info/sun/hcekcb2hi6VjmJ8/bejne.html
Wood warms you twice. Once when you're chopping it and again when you burn it. I'm lazy. My fire is gas and is even remote control.
I now use a hydraulic splitter - to me is seems safer.
Mass x velocity!
Good video but you are chopping the logs in a unsafe manner.Totally agree that the maul log splitter axe is the way to go but the safe way to chop logs is to measure your arms stretch that when you contact the log you actually hit the middle also place the log at the back of the block its resting on as if you miss or if you have a deflection it will just hit the block not your shins,your logs were way too close to the front of the block but admit your block has a high diameter plus I have never figured out why people bend their knees when they come down for the strike ,use the weight of the axe and if it doesn't split the wood then its too lite ,pick a heavier gauge axe , 2 years working in Canada in a saw mill that's my take on it
Re sharpening saw chains, The Stihl 2 in 1 chainsaw sharpener will be the best 35 quid most of us back yard lumberjacks will ever spend. You will stop struggling to get the angle right and does the depth guages at the same time, excellent product in my view. Dont buy the cheap versions, the files are poor.
Thanks Paul, just bought one. Interested to see how it works. 👊
gordan ramzey
Top tip, take a wedding ring off before a big session of loggercise.
Never chopped a thing in my life. Got a old normal axe head from a friend. Had to cut it and rewelde it due to the new handle being different, sharpened it with a angle grinder and off i went. Coulnd't believe it how well it chopped. My friend who has a specific wood splitting axe said this one works better. Its pretty easy, even for a beginner. Just keep your feet apart and be careful.
You're a lumberjack and you're ok.
firstttttttt
Or you could buy all that equipment, for our lovely government to ban log burners, a bit like what they are looking at doing now..
All that loverly TAX money. They are hell bent on skinting every last one of us.
@@UberAlphaSirus absolutely right..This Country gone to the dogs ..
If people need to be shown how to split wood they shouldn’t be swinging a axe , maul or using a chainsaw
That's very arrogant.
Why’s it arrogant, Your obviously getting stuck for things to show !! It’s very arrogant of you to say that , swinging an axe ,Maul or using a chainsaw are very dangerous , I suppose using your foot to stabilise a log while using a chainsaw with no PPE is correct way😂 .
Mauls need sharpening. They are sold blunt for safety