Splitting Elm 

It's really hard to say if elm is worth it. If it were only for the firewood, I would say it's not, but it feels good getting out and swinging an axe, so that makes it worth it to me. I like the lawn chair idea!

@@splittingelm7375 For a lot of years I split with an 8lb splitting maul, but as I got older that started to become a problem, then all I could afford was the electric splitter, and that has worked great for my small job each summer, it will split about 6 cords each summer, then I can put it in the garage and use it all winter to make the pieces smaller, before I take them in the house to burn. When burning season comes I stack a cord in the garage, in three racks, that gives me six weeks worth of wood, but I only work off the first rack, every week I bring in a half a rack, the other 2 racks are for if I get snowed in and can't get to the wood pile out back, then when spring comes, those two racks are burned or hauled back out to the wood pile for next season. I try to have 7 cords by the middle of August, that is all the space I have. When I cut down the big elm tree the main 32" trunk was still alive and green, found out later that the Amish here like to cut the elms into boards to build animal enclosures because they don't like to chew on the Elm wood. If we would have known that before, we would have sold the log . Most of my firewood is Cherry wood.

Your best bet is to split it while it's still green! Or use wedges or even better, a gas powered splitter. I love splitting with an axe, but as you found out, elm is tough.

@@splittingelm7375 Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to split it while it was green. It was a huge elm that had died and remained standing for several years. Then fell over into a ravine during a thunderstorm. I cut off some huge limbs and winch them up into the yard and cut them all down so I have a whole bunch of it and they’re good size. But it about drove me nuts Trying to split it. I thought I must be weak or something. Ha. Stringy, and would seize up on the ax. I had a steel wedge and a steal pointed splitter thing. Could drive those all the way into center and it still wouldn’t split. Ha I did have another go at it and this time just went for slabs off the side and that went a bit better. But I’m giving up on splitting any more. They’re dry as a bone and will burn fine as they are. I have a bunch of maple, hackberry, and some walnut as well.

@@splittingelm7375 When I was a kid,my great uncle,b.1895,had a dead elm in the lower pasture of his dairy farm in New York State. Warned us kids to never go near it,called it a fool-killer. As in,go near it with an axe and a limb was likely to kill the fool trying to fell it. Once I was young adult,I met a couple of guys who were Vietnam veterans. Somehow mentioned this,and to make a long story short,they showed up at his farm with some military grade det cord and other stuff that made a very satisfactory bang. It took just over an hour for them to reduce that tree to firewood. Still had to use a chainsaw for some of it,but about 90% was done by them. And the explosives they brought. I am not suggesting you try this,but I was truly impressed at how guys who knew what they were doing ,plus the right items(tools?) could solve a difficult problem. Asked them about it,they replied "how else to clear a landing zone in a hurry ?" Something about interlocking grain,I am told it is just about the most difficult wood to split. African Ironwood is supposed to be worse. Not sure if any of this will be a comfort to you.

🤠

Got some Ash and maybe silver maple splitting coming up soon. You won't want to miss it!

Yep, good luck! If it's green you might be fine, but otherwise you are going to have to earn it!

@@splittingelm7375 yes it's green 👍

I tried the hammer thing but got nervous that I was going to wreck something. Actual splitting wedges are definitely the way to go for dry elm.

If you get after it while it's still green, it seems to go a lot better. I have a round of old, dry elm that I've hit a hundred times or more without splitting it. It's turning to mush at the top, but refuses to part.

You mean the leg kick? :p

@@splittingelm7375 I chopped tough logs with Buckin' Billy Ray, he uses a flick if his wrist just prior to the axe head contacting the wood, he also reads the grain. See clip where we are working together..HOW TO SPLIT KNOTTY WOOD WITH AN AXE ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-di8LMZOmAVQ.html

@@redcanoe14 I remember that video, that's you? Good times, getting together to split wood! Got an idea in the back of my mind to have a splitting contest some day, but we will see. Maybe once I get the flick dialed in.

@@splittingelm7375 Yes, your double bit is a nice axe but her cheeks are too thin for splitting wood. I have an ugly old double bit that is worn down with fat cheeks, it splits wood real good. I have a few mauls (3.5 to 8lbs) and about 40 axes most of which I have re-hafted or renovated and experimented with. Elm is tougher to split than the majority of hardwoods because its grain is twisted and fibrous.

For elm a wedge and sledge is much more effective. Also, work on your form. You look like you are putting way too much effort in for the kinetic energy you impart to the log. Check out Buckin. He is very talented.

It seems ridiculous, but I think you are right, especially if it's dry.

@@splittingelm7375 I tried splitting a 2 foot elm log. 5t log cutter and a father swinging an axe at the same time didn't get the job done.

@@herrpauk I wonder if the end of the log was a little soft. I have a small pile of logs like that, that seem to be literally unsplittable (even for elm). Haven't quite figured out what's going on with them...

@@splittingelm7375 These few logs were relatively green, year old at best. I've heard wet wood is easier to split, but there are probably some variables (internet say that both are easy...). We kept those few small logs for chopping blocks, obviously, and I now have a good amount of elm plank :)

Invest in a wedge, and alot of time it's easier to take little bites don't try and center it. I'll have half a load split and stackes by the time you get done beating that chunk up

I ain't afraid ;)