Anyone cut firewood for health/exercise?

[Rustyiron]

I don't know if splitting 26" rounds by hand, especially the knotty Beech that I have an abundance of is humanly possible.
It's definitely not for me, I'm in the hydraulics club.

 

[Oaktree]

My maul is 6 lb. I need to post a picture. It is a non-stick maul that never gets stuck in a split. I have shopped hard for another like it, and have never been able to find one. I can't even find a picture of one on the web. I bought it 25 years ago, the same year I bought my chainsaw, a Husky 51 that is a real workhorse.

I've never been able to split with a maul worth beans, would either get stuck or bounce off. I recall seeing ads for gimmick mauls back in the 80s, one that had some sort of "wings" on the sides that were supposed to prevent it getting stuck, another called a monster maul that was triangular in shape. Never saw either type in a store.
Before I got my splitter, I'd use wedges and a sledgehammer for most splitting, an ax for the easier stuff like ash.

 

[lman]

Splitting elm is a beech.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Splitting elm is a beech.

Yeah, splitting box elder (very like elm) is horrible stuff unless it's already dried out.

Wet, stringy, miserable stuff. Thankful for the hydraulic splitter.

 

[Doughknob]

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I've never been able to split with a maul worth beans, would either get stuck or bounce off. I recall seeing ads for gimmick mauls back in the 80s, one that had some sort of "wings" on the sides that were supposed to prevent it getting stuck, another called a monster maul that was triangular in shape. Never saw either type in a store.
Before I got my splitter, I'd use wedges and a sledgehammer for most splitting, an ax for the easier stuff like ash.

I'll post a picture of the head of my maul. It just has a little thing on one side of the casting that works slick as can be. I had the same problem with sticking mauls until I got this one. In the last 25 years it has probably split 100 cords of wood, and has never gotten stuck in a split.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Speaking of the social life of getting wood

 

[fruitcakesa]

I still log all my own firewood and heat exclusively with wood.
I handsplit 6-8 cords a year for 25 + years then bought an 16 ton electric splitter.
I don't get much cardio from it but I do get a lot of picking up, putting down and walking around.
Logging is a much better exercise routine.

 

[turnkey4099]

Splitting wood by hand, "for fun"?

Sounds like running laps or hauling wheel barrows full of dirt around "for fun".

Nope.

Yep. Sometimes I will split that way just for old times sake. Ejoyable, slow but steady stacks up pile.

I have to watch what I am doing, splitting bhy hand yeilds bigger splits, sometimes too big while with the splitter I tend to split too small.

 

[turnkey4099]

Yes, ‘work’ is a reasonable substitute for “lifting” at a gym, but not a substitute for real aerobic exercise which raises your heart rate to a certain level for a period of time.

i cut and chop wood by hand all summer and still ride the stationary bike 2 - 3 times per week.

sure, any exercise is better than no exercise. Just sayin true aerobic benefit is not typically had with

Yes. I posted that cutting wood is not aerobic on a firewood forum. Nobody believed it but the truth is that most of the work involves mostly standing around and moving in a limited area...and at a slow pace.

At 86 I swing a saw with a 32" bar bucking logs for a good 3 hours or more but can't walk a hundred feet without puffing. Yes I know the cure for that but even taking walks along the road just for exercise is boooorrrinngg.