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Firewood Splitting Simulator

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Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#221

Post by AngryData »

nutjob2 wrote: post #137
CamouflagedKiwi wrote: post #112

This is kinda fun, but doesn't match most of my experience splitting firewood. The wood barely moves after it's split. If you split it perfectly, the two halves will almost certainly both fall to each side (they're pushed outwards by the axe). You can't just randomly split it across the grain into slices like you're slicing bread. I guess mostly: it's not tiring, which sort of sucks when you're doing it for real, but…

> This is kinda fun, but doesn't match most of my experience splitting firewood. Neither mine, I have a machine that does it for me. Much safer and efficient.

Not if you also want to get excellent exercise. It would take me no time at all to build a splitter for my tractor if I wanted one, but I plan on chopping by hand until I can't because otherwise I will either be significantly less fit or have to take out additional non-productive time to workout.

Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#222

Post by AngryData »

embedding-shape wrote: post #88
Daub wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Experienced wood splitter here. All your points are valid. I had to ruin one perfectly good axe handle before I learned how to swing. However, the sim is still a lot of fun.

> I had to ruin one perfectly good axe handle before I learned how to swing. Is it really that difficult? Maybe my memory is vague, but chopping wood in autumn/fall for the winter just took a bunch of time, and wasn't very fun, but wasn't that bad, especially compared to other things like harvesting veggies stuff where you have to be on the ground. I'm not sure how you'd manage to ruin a axe handle before understandi…

I think it very much depends on the wood too, the species and how seasoned it is and how dry it is. Some chunks you can hit it almost anywhere and it will cleave across the entire block, but other woods you will hit a half inch in from the edge of the bark and the board will split under the blade and let it through, but leave a half inch near the edge unsplit that the axe handle hits with full force. Do it enough times and the front edge of the handle can get messed up.

Sometimes you will see wire or something else wrapped up near the top of the handle for that reason to help protect it a bit. But if you get enough practice you can reliably hit with the bottom half or quarter of the axe sticking out of the log so that can't happen.

Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#223

Post by AngryData »

JackFr wrote: post #121
embedding-shape wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I had to ruin one perfectly good axe handle before I learned how to swing. Is it really that difficult? Maybe my memory is vague, but chopping wood in autumn/fall for the winter just took a bunch of time, and wasn't very fun, but wasn't that bad, especially compared to other things like harvesting veggies stuff where you have to be on the ground. I'm not sure how you'd manage to ruin a axe handle before understandi…

I spent a summer chopping a whole bunch of wood with a steel handled 10 lb maul. Many was the evening where my hand was numb until the morning, but by the end of the summer my shoulders were ripped. You quickly learn the differences between locust, pine, maple, oak or, god forbid, cherry.

I see a lot of people that split infrequently use mauls. But personally I think an axe works better once you get a bit of practice. The trick with the axe a lot of people miss at first is to focus on the swing speed, and not as much as delivering force and mass behind the blow. Some species the maul can work better, but 90% of the time I feel like an axe is just a bit less effort and a bit quicker.

Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#224

Post by AngryData »

1dontnkow_ wrote: post #36
sklargh wrote: post #15

If this triggers your interest in IRL firewood splitting it’s a very meditative and satisfying yard job. Also great mild to moderate workout between the splitting and stacking, especially on a crisp Fall afternoon.

This reminded me when we I was a kid we had to split the wood for the whole winter and that was actually a huge job all day or few days and way harder than just a moderate workout. I hated it then but actually now I miss the time I spend with my father and brother.

I absolutely hated it as a kid, but once I got into my late 20s I started loving it. A great workout and you can go at your own pace as long as you don't wait until the last minute to get it done.

Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#225

Post by defrost »

_carbyau_ wrote: post #213
NuclearPM wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try to burn hardwoods? What does that mean?

As a fellow australian but now former wood chopper: "Try" should be "prefer". IE when you get a load of firewood for the winter, you want it to be hardwood. The person you buy the wood from may mix in softwood depending on their trustworthiness... Why prefer hardwood? Hardwood density means it will burn for ages. So you have to mess with the fire less and it'll still have at least hot coals in the morning if you put…

Jarrah, one of the hardest of the hard woods burns hot and long and (well ventilated) leaves almost no ash behind.

If you want hot coals in the morning, throw in a log or two of river gum / softer ashy woods before bedtime and the Jarrah coals will not burn out and disappear while the house sleeps but get buried in ash and stay hot but smothered.

Stir and throw in light kindling at dawn and it'll be roaring by the time you get back to the house for breakfast.

Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#226

Post by coderenegade »

Enginerrrd wrote: post #127
JackFr wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spent a summer chopping a whole bunch of wood with a steel handled 10 lb maul. Many was the evening where my hand was numb until the morning, but by the end of the summer my shoulders were ripped. You quickly learn the differences between locust, pine, maple, oak or, god forbid, cherry.

Splitting Eucalyptus and big madrone by hand will test a man.

I have a few black wattle rounds that have been sitting around for years. I have a go at them whenever I feel like I need to be humbled. There's also a fallen tree at the bottom of our property that blunts chainsaws. It's been there for years and nothing seems to eat it. I harvest what I can from it, and a good sized chunk will burn through the night.

Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#228

Post by cyberax »

thenewwazoo wrote: post #159
kmoser wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it much easier to use AI to vibesplit my firewood. Sure, it costs me lots of money to buy axe tokens, and sometimes all I end up with is a useless pile of splinters or sawdust, but it's the way of the future; just imagine how efficient it'll be when the tech has matured?

You're right, and I'm sorry. You specifically instructed me to split the logs in the side yard, and I split the cat. I recognize now that this was a strategic error, and cutting the cat into chunks does not accomplish the goals. edit AGENTS.md + Only chop things made of wood. Meat does not split well. NEVER cut up the cat. I've updated the AGENTS.md file to track this mistake in the future. Should I continue chopping…

Never set the cat on fire, it surely will annoy it.

Re: Firewood Splitting Simulator

#229

Post by razorbeamz »

CamouflagedKiwi wrote: post #112

This is kinda fun, but doesn't match most of my experience splitting firewood. The wood barely moves after it's split. If you split it perfectly, the two halves will almost certainly both fall to each side (they're pushed outwards by the axe). You can't just randomly split it across the grain into slices like you're slicing bread. I guess mostly: it's not tiring, which sort of sucks when you're doing it for real, but…

That's because the AI that generated this doesn't know what splitting wood is like.
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