Splitting wood with a jack hammer

[Badger]

  Pat, I think 44 degrees was the coldest it got here all year long. I doubt that is cold enough.

[Pappy]

The Class splitting it is a good idea,at least it will thin the class to them that really want to make a bow ,all that just think they want to build a bow will quite for sure on an Elm log.
Pappy

[Little John]

Badger, what experience do you have making bows from chineese elm? My only experience ended with an exploded bow, I asked this forum a couple of times if any one used it or knew any thing about it with no one who did. It is a common wood in many places and would be nice if it were a good bow wood. As for splitting I would just find some smaller trees and let the class do the work.

[Badger]

  John, I have had very good luck with the few I have made over the years. It seems to behave about the same as American Elm. About 10 years ago the freeway took out about 200 of them, they were too big for me to handle and remove. I think I will organize a volunteer elm force that can be ready on short notice. I am lucky if I can get 4 hours notice to get them out once they are cut. We have a guy with a portable saw mill that will cut them up for 100.00 per hour. He says he can cut one up in less than 30 min, but he usually needs a few days notice.

[Eric Krewson]

My Stihl does a lot of splitting for me, I am too old to bang on wedges hour after hour. I know, I am going to violate some grains and ruin some wood, but wood loss is very minimal, especially with straight grain woods like hickory. On osage I read the bark before I proceed but almost always halve the trunk with my Shtihl.

I always cut and split wood by myself so field expediency during the acquisition is a must, at least for this 66 year old.

[George Tsoukalas]

You can still read the lateral grain during lay out even when using a power tool.

I've seen photos of bowyers using a band saw to "split" an osage log.

A resawing power tool is also a possibility.

http://www.americanwoodworker.com/userdocs/articles/200008/main/index.html

As I age, getting on my knees to split for long periods has become less and less of an option.

I'v e jusut been toughing it out.

Jawge

[Pat B]

The thought of using a jackhammer scares me more than splitting an elm log. 

[PEARL DRUMS]

I use two jack hammers to split wood. My left arm and my right arm..................Clint knows..........

[Pat B]

I thought those things were guns, not jackhammers. Please make up your mind, Pearlie!   

[George Tsoukalas]

PD, you are also 30 years younger than most of us. LOL. Jawge

[Wiley]

I want to see someone come up with a bow stave sized wood splitter with a hydraulic cylinder from an excavator arm. I don't know that it would work but I think if you could get enough force out of it, it would work like an oversized splitter.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Wiley I thought the same. Problem is every piece is different and often times your chasing wedges at different angles as the grain runs here and there. Good ol' fashioned human power is the best IMHO.

[Pat B]

A neighbor of mine used wood chips to heat his home and greenhouse business. He and his maintenance guy built a log splitter that would take a 8'x 36" oak log and split it into 8 staves that he could feed into a chipper. He used an I-beam for the rail, a 4 cylinder Toyota engine for the power, an 8" diameter hydraulic cylinder with a 8' throw and an 8 way star wedge. That thing would walk through a 36", knotty red oak log like it was butta.

[osage outlaw]

I use two jack hammers to split wood. My left arm and my right arm..................Clint knows..........

what were you telling me yesterday about your gunships?   

[Badger]

Pat B that sounds like the hot ticket. If I knew in advance about a bunch of elms comming out I would build one. Some of the lift gate cyl are about 3" and have about a 12" throw, I think they would do the job. 12 volt motor.