The splitting of firewood or cooking wood is one of the most important steps in creating high-quality wood.
When you split logs with an ax or a hydraulic log splitter, you get smaller, easier-to-burn pieces of wood.
It might make sense to split dry wood if you’re preparing for winter, but if you’re splitting wood wet, you might be wondering which is easier.
The Purpose Of Splitting Wood
In order to understand whether splitting wood is easier with wet or dry wood, let’s look at what splitting wood is used for. The main purpose of splitting wood is to create firewood that is easier to burn than whole logs.
The bark of most hardwood trees, including many common species, is fire-resistant. It is possible to ignite bark less wood at higher temperatures than bark less wood at lower temperatures.
Compared with whole logs, split wood ignites and stays lit more easily because it is made up of smaller pieces with less bark.
In addition to expediting drying, splitting also produces a “seasoning” effect. Whenever possible, firewood and cooking wood should be burned dry.
Otherwise, it will produce a great deal of smoke and very little heat. In general, wood stacked properly and covered will dry out within six to 12 months after being exposed to the outdoors.
When wood is split, however, this process is sped up, allowing it to dry more quickly. Again, this is due to the fact that bark’s surface area is reduced by splitting.
Because split wood has less bark covering its surface, moisture will evaporate more quickly from its pores.
By splitting wood, you can produce smaller pieces of firewood that are suitable for a variety of fire pits, fireplaces, grills, smokers, stoves, and fireplaces.
Several wood-burning accessories will not accommodate whole logs. But once the logs are split, they are divided into pieces that are about one-third the original size.
It Is Typically Easier To Split Dry Wood
There is a difference in the organic composition of different tree species. It can be more difficult to split some types of wood than others, for example, because they’re denser.
Wet wood is usually harder to split than dry, seasoned wood. Dry wood contains less moisture, so splitting and cutting it is less difficult regardless of the species from which it was harvested.
Due to the low moisture content of dry wood, an ax or log splitter blade will easily cut through it.
Is It Possible To Split Wet Wood?
You betcha! The process of splitting wet wood may be a little more difficult than splitting dry wood, but it encourages a faster drying time, which many people prefer.
Split wood contains less bark, which means it releases moisture more quickly than solid wood. It may take a year or more for a stack of whole logs to fully season, whereas it might take just six months for a stack of split wood.
In these circumstances, it’s not unusual for individuals to split wood as soon as they harvest it and then let it dry afterwards.
Split Wet Wood With A Log Splitter
An ax may not be able to split wet wood properly, so you may want to invest in a log splitter. With this machine, the task of splitting wood can be automated, which otherwise would be time consuming and laborious.
A log splitter usually is powered by a gas engine that cuts through wood with a force of 10 to 30 tons.
With a log splitter, you can easily split whole cords of wood, regardless of whether it’s wet or dry. Anyone who regularly harvests his or her own wood can benefit from this investment.
There are, however, some people who may not be interested in buying log splitters due to their high price.
There are a wide variety of log splitters available, with the average cost ranging from $500 to $5,000, with commercial-grade log splitters costing even more.
In order to determine whether you should invest in a log splitter, you need to consider how much wood you plan on splitting.
There Are Some Types Of Wood That Split Easier When Wet
Some wood types are easier to split when wet. Oak, for instance, is a popular hardwood that splits easily when wet.
As soon as oak is harvested, it can be split without having to wait for it to dry. You’ll probably find that splitting dry wood is easier for most other species, though.
Final Remarks
It’s important to note that you can split both dry and wet wood. Most people prefer to split the former in order to dry it out faster, although the latter is usually easier to split. With a log splitter, however, you shouldn’t have any difficulty splitting either wet or dry wood.
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