On Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:08:34 +0100, andrew
wrote:

T i m wrote:

Anyone know if fairly green ash is particularly hard to split and
would one of the Wolf 10 tonne splitters the OP has now gone for do
the trick? This chog, only 12" long and about 14" in diameter, once
split in half showed a very dark 'V' up the middle? It also seemed
very fibrous, not wanting to let go even when actually split in half?

Ash is easy to split, it sounds like your bit was from just below a crotch.

At least one bit seems it was yes. Not sure if this shows anything:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5772409/Knotty%20ash.jpg

The art is in crosscutting to avoid knots and forks in the middle of a log.

I think he did take some note of that (to make cuts easier for himself
etc) but we hadn't thought of the idea of the firewood thing till
after (there wasn't so much coming down initially).

I still have a log processor rusting away somewhere but most of my logs
come from one of the tree gangs who just cross cut enough to facilitate
getting it into a transit.

Heavy logs! ;-)

My rule when splitting by hand is if it takes
more than 3 blows I re cut it with a saw.

That was also the thought with this batch but in the heat neither of
them fancied putting their PPE on. So, I de-rusted the two new steel
gate posts instead (for the 3rd time now) and got some zinc primer on
them at last!

Despite high prices for logs we still find it best to give arisings away to
people who ask, saves having to load it.

If it wasn't for it being ash and being a smallish load and worse case
us having a few friends who would take it (in exchange for other
favours) and the owners not wanting it, I don't think they would have
bothered either (the tree surgery thing is currently on the slower
burner as he's van driving 6 days a week (it was supposed to have been
a part time job) and she's part time in a cash office).

Cheers, T i m