[TheForge] Hard to split

[David E. Smucker]

Andy,  What makes you think it was oak?  Maybe it is elm.  What does it 
smell like?  (piss?)  Elm is really hard to split by hand and this was the 
reason it was a favorite wood for the hubs of wagon wheels.  In a tree that 
has been down for a bit it might look a lot like oak.  If you plane some of 
it then you should be able to look at the grain better and are more likely 
to know if it is elm.  (Elm makes good fire wood, just a bitch to split.)

Dave


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Vida" <osan at netlabs.net>
To: "Stephen Snow" <shsnow at mindspring.com>; "Sponsored by ABANA" 
<theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 2:27 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Blacksmith sledge hammer


> Speaking of which, I cut up a fallen oak a couple weeks ago.  It's been 
> down for what looks to have been several years.  Tree was suspended off 
> the ground and the wood is top drawer material for the wood stove.  The 
> one branch of the trunk was only about 8" in diameter, so after bucking it 
> up I took the maul to it.  I never have problems with logs that wide but 
> this stuff was like steel.  I am not sure I have ever encountered a wood 
> that was this tough to split for fuel.
>
> Anyone know why this wood was so tough?
>
> -Andy
>
> Stephen Snow wrote:
>> if you are splitting wood, you can use it to drive in a wedge on the 
>> tough-to-split logs.
>>
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