Graham Harrison wrote:
Having had some trees pruned I now have a pile of logs. Cut to length but
will need splitting before I can burn them in the grate. I have Holly and
Willow wood.

Question is do I split them now or wait until they've cured and then split
them? I'm expecting to have to leave them about 2 years to cure unsplit,
would it speed the process if I split them now?

Having failed to do it at the time, fer chrissake split the willow
before it dries. Its a complete ******* to split once it is.


Guess what my afternoon task is today..



On a related note, I've looked at local and national hire shop web sites but
can't immediately locate a log splitter. I don't expect to have any more
tree logs coming my way for a good few years so hiring seems to make more
sense then spending something like �200 for a splitter (I know you can do it
by hand and I also know that there are splitters for as little as �150).
I'm in "South Somerset" (between
Yeovil/Frome/Wells/Street/Glastonbury/Radstock and, at a push, Bristol,
Bath, Dorchester, Weymouth.).


Buy a splitting maul.
Or a bomb if you can find one.


I am using a hatchet and a sledge for the willow. Since the bomb broke.

At least when wedged right in you can knock it out.

Any thing more or less wedge shaped steel will work if it can be driven
in HARD.

The beech I had doesn't need the sledge. It splits (after a year), with
one mega whack from the hatchet, once sawn to 12" long pieces.

Blackthorn, hawthiorn and maple are a shade tougher, as is fruit wood.

Not done holly yet.