Dense hard wood

Czarbecue · Dec 31, 2017

I’m using one of those 10 ton manual hydraulic wood splitters and most of the cherry logs I’m splitting were easy. I hear the crackling almost on the first touch. Then I have some that are hard as rocks, with the first one taking 3 minutes on the low pressure lever. Both sides of the log shot out 25 feet from all the pressure and pretty much almost made me wet my pants.

I bought 1/4 cord of the cherry in August and they have been sitting in the elements. These are also the same logs that kill my coal bed when I use them. Are these just bad wood?

pjtexas1 · Jan 1, 2018

I've had a couple of these. It does scare the crap out of you when they go flying. Some say the tree was stuck by lightning as they just don't burn. Now if they don't start cracking after a few cranks I pull them out and set them aside.

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Czarbecue · Jan 1, 2018

Setting them aside... like not use them at all?

pjtexas1 · Jan 1, 2018

Czarbecue said:
Setting them aside... like not use them at all?

Mixed results. Most I can season longer and they split easier. A couple just would not burn so I pulled them out of the fire and tried them on a later cook and they did the same thing... Smolder and never really light.

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hurricanedavid · Jan 1, 2018

WTF...:shock:

pjtexas1 · Jan 1, 2018

hurricanedavid said:
WTF...:shock:

Yep. Only takes a couple of those and you learn to take it out and try a different split.

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guero_gordo · Jan 1, 2018

Sounds like a moisture problem, got any woodworker friends with a moisture meter?

guero_gordo · Jan 1, 2018

guero_gordo said:
Sounds like a moisture problem, got any woodworker friends with a moisture meter?

......actually, General makes a cheap one, I was not aware you could get one for under $200
https://www.lowes.com/pd/General-To...MIuZi1m-G32AIVkIF-Ch2RawwxEAYYBCABEgLNT_D_BwE

Czarbecue · Jan 1, 2018

Damn, that’s not bad at all

Monkey Uncle · Jan 1, 2018

Nothing mysterious going on here, you just got a knotty piece. Even though cherry is pretty soft wood, the knots will be very difficult to split.

If it's not lighting off, it's either too big for the fire you have going, or too moist. Cherry, if it was cut green, needs to season in the sun for several months before you try to burn it.

Czarbecue · Jan 1, 2018

I bough it in August and It was supposedly cut in June. So it’s been awhile, just maybe some knotty logs then. My firebox is 16x20x16 so it’s on the small side.

BBQ Freak · Jan 1, 2018

Cherry wood is weird to split for me and always twist when split and think it just the nature of the wood .

el luchador · Jan 1, 2018

guero_gordo said:
......actually, General makes a cheap one, I was not aware you could get one for under $200
https://www.lowes.com/pd/General-To...MIuZi1m-G32AIVkIF-Ch2RawwxEAYYBCABEgLNT_D_BwE

I have that meter. It works well but I can't get a reading with mesquite wood

hurricanedavid · Jan 1, 2018

guero_gordo said:
sounds like a moisture problem, got any woodworker friends with a moisture meter?

wtf...?:-?

pjtexas1 · Jan 1, 2018

Good info! My only experience is with pecan and oak. If they have knots they usually split at the knot and leave me with an award fat-bottom split.

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Monkey Uncle · Jan 2, 2018

Czarbecue said:
I bough it in August and It was supposedly cut in June. So it’s been awhile, just maybe some knotty logs then. My firebox is 16x20x16 so it’s on the small side.

Are you splitting the wood shortly before using it? It needs to season for a while after you split it. If the rounds were cut in June and have been whole since then, they will have seasoned some, but not enough to just split and burn. Also, knots are denser than straight-grained wood and will take longer to season.

gcs · Jan 2, 2018

I've split a lot of wood, some pieces are just tough.
You can try splitting from the other direction or splitting the edges off, but if your using a hydraulic splitter, and it's not happening, just chuck it and move on, burn it in a fire pit, chuck it in the woods, use it for a doorstop, but forget about it, it's not worth the aggravation or potential injury.

Czarbecue · Jan 2, 2018

I have a good pile of the bad stuff now. I always pictured knotted logs would be the one with the grain in different directions but these seem rather straight. This stuff just went up to the wedge and it made an indention like it was a piece of clay.

Maybe I’ll wait until I have a larger firebox and burn the crap out of them. They’re about 18 inches long and half of a round branch so it’s freaking huge in my Bandera firebox.

Czarbecue · Jan 2, 2018

Here’s a pic of the firebox last night. Look at that cherry split in the middle not giving a damn. Had to drop in some charcoal to help out but in the morning the whole log was still intact. It was one of the flyers.

Pappy Q · Jan 2, 2018

Czarbecue said:
Here’s a pic of the firebox last night. Look at that cherry split in the middle not giving a damn. Had to drop in some charcoal to help out but in the morning the whole log was still intact. It was one of the flyers.

IMO, your splits are way too big. Half that width will work much better

Dense hard wood

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