( OT ) I need to split some logs ...

#11

"C. E. White" <cewhite3 (AT) mindspring (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1qdd$aja$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...
and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these
machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one
ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I don't
know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key
points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems
to me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with log
splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we did
get an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the
Freak Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they
fit my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time
I'm done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half
(I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

I'd recommend against using pine for firewood.

I'd suggest checking around at local rental places like:
http://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/equipment.aspx?itemid=0700060&catid=s456.
See what they have - the selection is likely to be limited, so I doubt you
are goign to have much of a choice to decide between.

In Raleigh, firewood is so cheap, I wouldn't bother splittign it myself, I
would just buy a pre-split cords. At my farm, I have ash trees growing all
over the place and I need to to remove them, so since I ahve to cut them
down for other reasons, I often use them for firewood. These are so easy
to split, I just use an axe. I can spit a 12 inch diameterash log with an
axe faster than I can load it into the splitter. We have a splitter, but I
have not used it in a decade. If I was goign to split oak, I'd dust it
off, but ash is so much better for "prettty fires" I don't know why I'd
bother with oak. And for sure, I would not burn pine. If you don't get the
fire hot enough, pine leaves a sticky tar residue in the flue. Eventually
this will ahve to be cleaned out, or it will eventually build up to a
point and then catch on fire which might lead to a house fire. The only
time I have ever burned pine was when we lost power for a week after an
ice storm. By the end of the week we were burning almost anythign we could
get to and pines were the closest.

Ed

I've always bought split wood too. I went to a customer's house to do some
work, and he asked if I would like the logs out on his driveway. He has a 5-
or 10-acre parcel, and had some trees cut down, and the logs were left along
the side of his drivway. I loaded them onto my trailer and brought them
home. Free wood, all I have to do is make it useful.

A couple of you guys have said that pine makes poor firewood. That's about
80% of the wood we get around here. We get eucalyptus, avocado, and some
oak, but mostly pine trees. Eucalyptus is hard to burn unless you have
natural gas to light it and keep the flame going. Oak is hard to burn too
because it's so hard. Avocado burns pretty easily, but goes fast. The
avocado logs don't have to be split, usually, because they aren't very big
around anyhow. The trunks can be large enough to split, and exposing the
inside of the wood helps for lighting the wood, but lots of an avocado tree
is only about 4 or 5 inches around, or smaller.

Nothing is absolute, but I think I've been burning pine trees in my
fireplace since I was a kid. My house has a chimney that runs up the inside
of my house, and I think it's only about 6 inches in diameter. It actually
fits inside of a wall, so some of it is 4x8 or 4x10 (it fits inside a wall
that's constructed of 2x4s, my house is made of 2x4s, but this wall might be
2x6s because the chimney is made of sheet metal, and it would need a heat
shield to contain the heat.) In any case, my chimney is not made of the
large clay pipes that typically are attached to the outside of the house.

#12

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these
machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one
ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I don't
know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key
points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems to
me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with log
splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we did get
an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the Freak
Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they fit
my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time I'm
done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half (I'm
not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

As several people have mentioned, it is generally not a good idea to burn
pine in an indoor fireplace because of creosote/pitch buildup on the inside
of the chimney. If that buildup catches fire, the heat can easily breach
the chimney and spread to the rest of the house. I have also heard that
artificial logs that you buy at the store can also cause similar problems,
depending on what they use to bind the log together.

Hydraulic splitters have an electric or gas motor that powers a pump, and a
series of valves allows hydraulic pressure to move rams, which move a wedge
to split wood. Electric splitters are usually less expensive than gas ones
but are also less powerful than gas powered splitters.

Unless you have pretty steady supply of wood to split, it is probably more
cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have to deal
with storing it somewhere.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

#13

"Ray O" <rokigawa (AT) NOSPAMtristarassociates (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1qdd$aja$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...
and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these
machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one
ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I don't
know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key
points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems
to me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with log
splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we did
get an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the
Freak Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they
fit my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time
I'm done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half
(I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

As several people have mentioned, it is generally not a good idea to burn
pine in an indoor fireplace because of creosote/pitch buildup on the
inside of the chimney. If that buildup catches fire, the heat can easily
breach the chimney and spread to the rest of the house. I have also heard
that artificial logs that you buy at the store can also cause similar
problems, depending on what they use to bind the log together.

Hydraulic splitters have an electric or gas motor that powers a pump, and
a series of valves allows hydraulic pressure to move rams, which move a
wedge to split wood. Electric splitters are usually less expensive than
gas ones but are also less powerful than gas powered splitters.

Unless you have pretty steady supply of wood to split, it is probably more
cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have to
deal with storing it somewhere.
--

I'm planning on renting. I was exploring the purchase option, but I find
that there is a wide range of capacities, not to mention being driven by a
gasoline engine or an electric motor. They can be found with 4 or 5 ton
capacity or 12 or 15 ton capacity. One distributor said they dropped the
small machine due to customer complaints that it was too weak.

That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I
should ask before I rent something and drag it home.

#14

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

"Ray O" <rokigawa (AT) NOSPAMtristarassociates (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1uui$jv6$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1qdd$aja$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...
and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about
these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not
use one ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I
don't know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key
points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems
to me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with
log splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we
did get an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the
Freak Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they
fit my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time
I'm done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a
half (I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

As several people have mentioned, it is generally not a good idea to burn
pine in an indoor fireplace because of creosote/pitch buildup on the
inside of the chimney. If that buildup catches fire, the heat can easily
breach the chimney and spread to the rest of the house. I have also
heard that artificial logs that you buy at the store can also cause
similar problems, depending on what they use to bind the log together.

Hydraulic splitters have an electric or gas motor that powers a pump, and
a series of valves allows hydraulic pressure to move rams, which move a
wedge to split wood. Electric splitters are usually less expensive than
gas ones but are also less powerful than gas powered splitters.

Unless you have pretty steady supply of wood to split, it is probably
more cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have
to deal with storing it somewhere.
--

I'm planning on renting. I was exploring the purchase option, but I find
that there is a wide range of capacities, not to mention being driven by a
gasoline engine or an electric motor. They can be found with 4 or 5 ton
capacity or 12 or 15 ton capacity. One distributor said they dropped the
small machine due to customer complaints that it was too weak.

That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I
should ask before I rent something and drag it home.

Rental ones are generally 10 or 12 ton and are trailerable, that is, you can

hook it right up to a trailer hitch to tow home. 10 or 12 ton should be
more than enough to split pine.

I saw that you have been burning pine in your fireplace for a while. If you
routinely do this, you should have a professional chimney sweep come out at
least one a year to remove any creosote buildup, or you can buy a kit and to
it yourself.

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

#15

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

"Ray O" <rokigawa (AT) NOSPAMtristarassociates (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1uui$jv6$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1qdd$aja$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...
and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about
these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not
use one ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I
don't know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key
points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems
to me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with
log splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we
did get an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the
Freak Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they
fit my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time
I'm done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a
half (I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

As several people have mentioned, it is generally not a good idea to burn
pine in an indoor fireplace because of creosote/pitch buildup on the
inside of the chimney. If that buildup catches fire, the heat can easily
breach the chimney and spread to the rest of the house. I have also
heard that artificial logs that you buy at the store can also cause
similar problems, depending on what they use to bind the log together.

Hydraulic splitters have an electric or gas motor that powers a pump, and
a series of valves allows hydraulic pressure to move rams, which move a
wedge to split wood. Electric splitters are usually less expensive than
gas ones but are also less powerful than gas powered splitters.

Unless you have pretty steady supply of wood to split, it is probably
more cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have
to deal with storing it somewhere.
--

I'm planning on renting. I was exploring the purchase option, but I find
that there is a wide range of capacities, not to mention being driven by a
gasoline engine or an electric motor. They can be found with 4 or 5 ton
capacity or 12 or 15 ton capacity. One distributor said they dropped the
small machine due to customer complaints that it was too weak.

That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I
should ask before I rent something and drag it home.

Make sure your home insurance has no exclusions for ignorance of firewood
quality.

#16

On Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:45 -0800, Jeff Strickland wrote:

Quote:

Unless you have pretty steady supply of wood to split, it is probably
more cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have
to deal with storing it somewhere.
--

I'm planning on renting. I was exploring the purchase option, but I find
that there is a wide range of capacities, not to mention being driven by a
gasoline engine or an electric motor. They can be found with 4 or 5 ton
capacity or 12 or 15 ton capacity. One distributor said they dropped the
small machine due to customer complaints that it was too weak.

That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I
should ask before I rent something and drag it home.

When I was working at the CarQuest store, there were a couple people on a
Volun. FD in the next town so they kept a scanner under the counter.

One Saturday there was a call that came in:
"xxx Main street reports hand caught in log splitter..."

One of the guys went, "ooooh...."

And then about a minute later:
"Follow up to xxx Main street splitter incident: fingers are on the lawn..."

We ALL went, "EEEWWWWWW!"

#17

On Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:13:47 -0500, JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

Quote:

I'm planning on renting. I was exploring the purchase option, but I find
that there is a wide range of capacities, not to mention being driven by
a gasoline engine or an electric motor. They can be found with 4 or 5
ton capacity or 12 or 15 ton capacity. One distributor said they dropped
the small machine due to customer complaints that it was too weak.

That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions
I should ask before I rent something and drag it home.

Make sure your home insurance has no exclusions for ignorance of firewood
quality.

We used to burn pine all the time.

In Mass wood stoves sold since about 1993 or so have been required to have
catalytic converters in them. The CC gets so hot not much can build up.
It's all burned off.

And the stove gets HOT!

Also, we installed the chimney with no bends, which also helps prevent
build up.

#18

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these
machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one
ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I don't
know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key
points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems to
me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with log
splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we did get
an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the Freak
Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they fit
my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time I'm
done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half (I'm
not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

Before you SPLIT the logs, you have to CUT the logs into those 12 or 15 inch
lengths. For that, you need a CHAIN SAW.

#19

"JoeSpareBedroom" <newstrash (AT) frontiernet (DOT) net> wrote

Quote:

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1qdd$aja$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...
and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these
machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one
ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I don't
know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key
points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems
to me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with log
splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we did
get an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the
Freak Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they
fit my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time
I'm done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half
(I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

Do you plan on using this wood for an indoor fireplace, or what?

Are you fucking dense? I QUOTE from his post "so they fit my fireplace".

#20

"JoeSpareBedroom" <newstrash (AT) frontiernet (DOT) net> wrote

Quote:

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1ql2$cua$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...

"JoeSpareBedroom" <newstrash (AT) frontiernet (DOT) net> wrote in message
news:G2_Im.10174$6c2.3697 (AT) newsfe03 (DOT) iad...
"Jeff Strickland" <crwlrjeff (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:hd1qdd$aja$1 (AT) news (DOT) eternal-september.org...
and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about
these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not
use one ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but
I don't know a good machine from a bad one.

I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the
key points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away.
Seems to me that snow and trees are things that people with experience
with log splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever.
(Well, we did get an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that
falls into the Freak Storm category.)

The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish
inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they
fit my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the
time I'm done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and
a half (I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...)

Do you plan on using this wood for an indoor fireplace, or what?

Didn't I say that I had to cut logs to 12 to 15 inches so it would fit my
fireplace?

There are indoor and outdoor fireplaces, at least around here. You are not
supposed to use pine for indoor fireplaces. It deposits too much pitch
inside the chimney and can cause the kind of fire you don't want. Some
people say they've gotten away with it for many years. Our local fire
department says otherwise, as did fire departments in three other locales
where I've lived.

But go ahead & try it if you like.

Bullshit. Whatever wood you use in an indoor fireplace, you should have it
swept and examined every 2 years.