Keep your fingers off the end of the log when splitting firewood if you want to keep them. My cousin was helping a neighbor split wood, and he put a piece on the splitter, and the guy pushed the handle before he got his hand out. It cut the pointer finger, middle finger, and ring finger off. I think it also got the end of the pinky finger, but I can't remember all the details. He got a flight (if I remember correctly) from Maine to Boston for them to be sewn back on, but he never regained full use of them. If your fingers are on the side of the log, you have very little risk of losing them. God bless you all!
Howdy Hank! Maine boy here that uses wood splitter a bunch. One thing I noticed is that you used the splitter vertically. I believe it is so much easier to use it horizontally. It is easier on the back not bent over all the time, granted you have to pick up the rounds to place on splitter. We use 99% hardwood as well. Yup, sometimes it takes two people to place rounds on splitter, but overall, horizontal is better.🔥
Like someone else said, ALWAYS hands on the sides of the logs, never on the cut ends. One day you will chop your hand off. I've always been told to never use pine in a fireplace because of the soot or creosote it will leave inside the chimney is flammable and will cause a chimney fire. But it is fine for a campfire. Hey Papa Ham, can't wait for your video on snow blowers 😂
Hank ~ I was always taught to burn what you got. If you have hardwood forest then you burn hardwoods, if you have pine forest you burn pine. If you burn a lot of pine you might want to clean the chimney a bit more frequently than when you're burning hardwoods.
LOVE Splitting wood it’s therapeutic Here in Nashville Indiana we have both Hardwood and Pine Hardwood for stove and pine for Lumber or Outdoor Campfires I split most my wood in the horizontal position but it’s nice to have the vertical for really large rounds Enjoyed Watching You Guys Work 😂 🔥
Hey Hank! About burning pine. Here in Colorado is what most people burn maybe some Apen thats all we really have. It burns a bit faster than Oak but it does the trick with warming up a house. A lot of people are buying pellet stoves and they work amazing you can get a bag of pellets for around 7 dollars and 1 bag will heat a house for 24 hours easily on a very cold day. It works similar to a smoker but the feeding bin is a lot bigger. I have so many pine trees on my property it'll last me forever.
HankJD here, as has been said hands on the sides of the piece of wood you’re splitting !!! save your fingers, don’t work too fast that’s when something can happen, my neighbor and I always pray before we start…use one of the rounds as a stool - role the rounds from one side- if you’re going to move them , put them in wagon directly after you split them. My neighbor and I split and heat with wood we work together, awesome neighbor , great fellowship… enjoy the channel, blessings to you and yours, keep on keeping on
i live in maine and heat with oil, but i also have a fireplace which i use on occasion like if we lose power or when its not all that cold and i can get away with the fireplace and not use the furnace, anyway i currently have hardwood that i bought but before that i took what ever i could get which was a mix of softwood, it was fine. open fireplace that you cant choke doesnt soot up like a wood stove does. but thats why it burns up so much quicker.
As to renting a log splitter to split wood for a campfire ... up here, in Indiana, we not only don't split it, we don't even cut it shorter than 4 to 8 feet for a bonfire, then once it's down to coals you get your bow rake and flat nose shovel to make the coals into a pile for cooking your meat on.
Why move the wood 3 times . Splitter is easy to move . Split stack repeat . I have to cut and split all my wood by myself . I use it for heat . But i'm 71 years old . I cut mine and split usually the same day or so. Stack it in drying form . Dries a lot faster to me . I don't let it lay around unsplit .
Don’t burn pine in my woodstove, too much creosote buildup, have plenty of seasoned ash, do burn it sometimes in outside fires but have plenty of hardwoods to choose from so it’s a last resort… of course never never burn treated lumber - terrible for the environment & lungs
I live central state and can get no wood here. I would definitely burn pine here. Wouldn't last long but I just use firepit. Up north you burn hardwood cuz you have it in abundance.
The only reason people with wood stoves don't like pine, is soft woods with pine tar in them when burned slowly as with a stove, causes kreasote in the chimney increasing the danger of a chimney fire, a campfire has no chimney, nor air controls to slow the fire, so you're all good in your situation.
Another thing about renting a splitter ... we know he didn't do it out of necessity, it was something he thought ... I have never done this, and think it would be neat. You can buy a rick of fire wood cheaper than the price of a renting. Totally an I would like to have this experience reason, which is admirable, but we weren't fooled into believing it was practical or necessary. 😁
HAY HANK, I REMEMBER ASKING YOU, OH... BACK BEFORE BRUTIS, HANK, HOW COME YOU DON'T USE THE WOOD FOR FIREWOOD. YOU SAID THE SAME THING, I LIVE IN FLORIDA WE DON'T NEED WOOD. IT'S HOT ENOUGH HERE WITHOUT HAVEIN' A FIRE. AND NOW YOU'RE MAKING FIREWOOD. WELL HERE'S TO THROWIN' CURVE BALLS... KEEP PUSHIN ON HANK... PEACE FROM CREEL CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO...
As for the slow cycling, slow is safer for the majority of people. Everyone doesn't do splitting often enough to be proficient. The pros will find equipment that is faster.
I know this is after the fact ,🔥JD here, please keep your hands ,as has been said always on the side of the wood,Work at a pace that is comfortable so you can pay attention it only takes one slip. My neighbor and I work together and we always pray for God’s protection before we start. We get a lot of work done as we both supplement with Wood our normal heating system , it’s great fellowship. If you do this again you might consider using a round as a stool, set up your rounds on one side and if they’re going some other place with the wood immediately load them into a wagon or whatever on the opposite side. enjoy the channel - blessings to you and yours -keep on keeping on
I'm surprised that the guy running the splitter still has his fingers or hand attached to his arm, never have fingers or hand on top of the round that is being split.