How to get firewood - 4) Storing and splitting wood

Whenever we can, we get our wood by snowmachine. If there's snow on the ground it's much easier to haul logs out and our machine can drag impressive loads up steep inclines and over bumpy terrain. We can get logs straight from where we cut the tree down to where we're going to store the wood.

And we make sure we park our snowmachine more than the tree's height away, you never know which way it could fall.

Strapping it down
We stack our cut lengths on a flat sled, trying to make the load as even as possible and the weight evenly spread. We fasten it with a couple of ratchet straps, making sure the straps are tight as the load can shift as you drive. It's a good idea to stop after a steep ramp or bumpy patch and retighten the straps as they often work loose as the load shifts. Otherwise you may find logs slip off.

Storing the wood
If we're storing wood, rather than using it immediately, we stack it in lengths at the back of our cabin. We try and have all of next winter's wood ready the year before. We lay a couple of sturdy pieces of wood perpendicular to the pile to keep the logs up off the ground (so they won't rot and air can circulate underneath). They're stacked under cover to keep rain and snow-melt off them as far as possible. Good air circulation all round is important because if the logs do get wet they can dry more easily.

If the wood is damp and / or green then we buck (cut) it into logs and split them so they dry better. We stack them, usually between two trees where the breeze can get to them. We cover the wood pile to keep the worst of the rain and snow-melt off it and leave it for a year at least.

Splitting wood
Dry, split wood burns more easily than round logs and some logs are just too big to burn whole in our woodstove, so we spend a lot of time splitting wood. The technique is simple but it takes a little practice to get your eye in.

Maul and splitter

We use a maul for splitting the wood with an 8lb head. This usually works to split most of our logs. But for more difficult ones we also have a metal splitter - like a sharp-nosed rocket cone. We hammer this into a log with the blunt end of our maul. We try to split the thickest and most difficult logs (twisted and / or knotty) when the temperature is -20C at least. At colder temps the wood is more brittle and splits much more easily.

Assume the position
Stand with your legs wide but comfortably apart either side of the log you're going to split. Always keep your legs wide apart because if your blow glances off (or you miss) you don't want the first point of contact to be your knee!

Legs in wide stance

Have your hands together near the end of the haft with the head resting on the ground in front of your log. Grip the maul firmly but not too tightly. It's important you keep the maul's head straight so the blade falls exactly where you want it to. Swing it to the side and up until it is directly over your head, then sweep it down smoothly and 'follow through'. Don't just aim to hit the log, imagine the maul hitting the chopping block or ground under the log. I find it helpful to breathe out as I swing the maul down.

Some logs will split neatly on the first hit. Others will take a number of blows especially if they are thick, twisted or knotty. Watch out for knots. If you are trying to split one with a knot at the top this can be very difficult. Turn the log over and try the other end. Also if you're having difficulty splitting a log, try turning it 90 degrees. Sometimes logs will split in one direction more easily than another.

If it's a big log, sometimes it can help to take a chunk off the edge. This can relieve pressure and will make it easier to split.

With well-seasoned logs you can sometimes get a split down the side of them caused by checking (drying). If there is one, position this pointing away from you and aim to hit the log in line with it.

Logs with splits caused by checking

If a log is rotten it may just disintegrate or chunks chip off it rather than splitting cleanly. Don't waste your energy on it.

The more you practice, the better you get and the better you'll be able to 'read' a log and know the best way to split it. If you're not used to splitting or rather your muscles aren't - don't do too much in one go.