[TheForge] Hard to split

[Peter Hirst]

If it smells so strong, maybe its still green.  Logs years old may not be 
seasoned, especially if the bark is still intact and they are large 
diameter.  If its cold where you are, you could cut it into the shortest 
billets you think you could use, stack so they get plenty of air 
circulation, and split em after the next two or three days of hard freeze. 
If they are in fact green, the frozen moisture will do a lot of the work for 
ya.

Keziah

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Vida" <osan at netlabs.net>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 6:44 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Hard to split


>
>
> David E. Smucker wrote:
>> Andy,  What makes you think it was oak?
>
>    It's oak alright - all sour vomit smell.
>
> > 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.)
>
>    Does elm have medulary rays?  If not, then this was definitely oak.
>
>    I never knew elm was that tough to split.  Learn something new every 
> day.  Thanks.
>
>    -Andy
>>
>> Dave
>>
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