Thread: Cut vs split firewood

I've been busy dismantling a few 60-70yr old pines. Once they are on the ground (always the fun bit) whack them into rings making sure the knotty bits are off to one side. As I am young, stupid and don't like going to the gym I use this strange thing called a splitting axe... Except for the knotty ones that get the saw chopping the ring into square blocks. Know of two others folks that don't bother with the axe and keep a spare saw set up to cut with the grain and do all theirs that way

I've been doing it this way for a few years but the pine I sell (prefer to burn macrocarpa or native) has anyone noticed a difference in burning between split wood with the axe vs cut blocks of wood? With the surfaces being flat I imagine they take a bit more heat to get started, being knotty bits ensures they throw a bit of heat so outs a bias on it...

I thought i was the only one that did this.
yes I saw the hard parts so end up over with 3-4sided, straight sided firewood with no bits hanging off to get it started

Better to have an already established base going to start these bits burning.
I've noticed no difference in heat efficiency.

The ripped/cut blocks burn with incredible heat and last the night

Due to their size the 60cc and up saws have enough clearance around the clutch cover to exit the noodles when ripping

To manage engine/bearing heat under full load for long periods of time use 33 to 1 fuel/ husky oil and to maintain the right engine rpm sharpen your chains to have a 30 degree top plate angle and a 55 degree down angle

Some chains like the 10 degree compound angle and some (stihl) don’t, watch barrel heat as much as you can and monitor with a hand held temp gun

Theres four saws here for ripping and the bar length determines what’s used in what tree dia

Sharp chains are compulsory or an axe will be more productive.


The smallest - a 562xp rips 18 inch blocks in blue gum

Are what I can,rip what I can't.....or use a wood splitter

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Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

The ripped/cut blocks burn with incredible heat and last the night

I Have not used an axe for 40 yrs, the 60cc and up saws have enough clearance around the clutch cover to exit the noodles when ripping

When ripping make sure you use 33 to 1 fuel/ husky oil and your chains have a 30 degree top plate angle and a 55 degree down angle

Some chains like the 10 degree compound angle and some (stihl) don’t, watch barrel heat and monitor with a hand held temp gun

Theres four saws here for ripping and the bar length determines what’s used in what tree dia

Sharp chains are compulsory or an axe will be more productive


The smallest - a 562xp rips 18 inch blocks in blue gum

Attachment 198699

Saw looks sharp.
I prefer the axe myself.
Don't need to cut too much with the saw.

Original Crossfit workout.

Cheers for the replies, I do enjoy swinging the axe, something about going back to being a cave man (ignore the fibreglass handle). Have thought about filing a chain to rip them up but only do the knotty stuff that isn't worth the sweat we with the axe.

While I'd like a log splitter, the exercise is needed! But I sure enjoy the chainsaw after a bit of time on a crosscut saw

Originally Posted by 223nut

Cheers for the replies, I do enjoy swinging the axe, something about going back to being a cave man (ignore the fibreglass handle). Have thought about filing a chain to rip them up but only do the knotty stuff that isn't worth the sweat we with the axe.

While I'd like a log splitter, the exercise is needed! But I sure enjoy the chainsaw after a bit of time on a crosscut saw

If you get a splitter @223nut you will have time at the end of the day to go for a hunt for some exercise

My hunting on the island involves a 10min walk to a clearing and sitting on my bum.... I'm to clumsy to be a bush ninja.

The older you get the crunchier your shoulder joints sound. I used to split 15 odd cube for a year's firewood by hand. Then after about ten years abuse on the body I bought a hydraulic splitter and now directly load the split wood into IBC cages, and move them about on rear mounted forks on the small tractor. As the body ages I tend to save up the abuse I am going to dish out to it, to activities I really enjoy, instead of activities that I simply have to do.

It makes sense that the cut ones are more heat dense as they will have more resin in the knots and discarded branch sites
trees just compartmentalize areas off if its no longer used or damaged, it gets filled with resin to block it off to protect the conductive tissue

Originally Posted by Bill999

It makes sense that the cut ones are more heat dense as they will have more resin in the knots and discarded branch sites
trees just compartmentalize areas off if its no longer used or damaged, it gets filled with resin to block it off to protect the conductive tissue

Yeah, the tougher stuff that's saw cut tends to be a bit more of an issue to get going but burns longer for similar heat output. Never noticed any difference with ash residue so no real difference in that regard. I don't think it makes much difference if the edges are smooth and square versus lumpy, even with the surface area and whatever other calculations you want to overthink about it. After all pallets are nice and square and they when cut up are some of the best bits of kindling you can get.

I find with sawing rounds up, the oregon chains really lose their edge quickly and start pulling dust - Stihl chains are a lot better in that regard and keep their edge which cuts a lot cooler for longer. Also any crap in the bark when crosscutting seems to knock the chains about too. I don't see any issue with the same chains when felling, only doing the rounds. I'm bloody careful not to drop the tip into the dirt too.

Everything else about warming the saw up and keeping the temps down is gold standard advice - but I'm a little screwy about changing from 50:1 oil mix to something else when the saw isn't retuned. If you have a need for a stiffer mix I'd settle out at 40:1 and use it for everything so you can tune for that mix, as increasing the amount of oil changes the density and how the carb meters the fuel out. That 40:1 brew what I use on all of my 2stroke stuff - more from the fact that it's a lot harder to accidentally stuff the mix up and lean out a tool at 40:1 than at 50:1 especially if you mix your fuel in bulk amounts at a time. I saw a worker on a site I was on do just that mixing up for the next few days, put the oil into the drum and added the full volume of oil which filled the drum to the top rather than adding the fuel minus the oil amount making up 60L total mixed fuel. At leaner than 50:1 it was enough to lean out a couple of the saws and score the bores, I forget what the final decision was on what the actual mix ended up but I think south of 60:1...
Unhappy boss, tears were shed over that one. It wasn't bugger all lean either, a bit of a wake up call for everyone else how close some of the bigger gear runs with the leaner mixes.

I have noticed that if I stack them in the fire box with the grain stand pointing up that they burn a lot better producing more heat and a lot less ash.
I also use a lot less wood.
Just my 2 cents.

Well one big bonus of the square blocks is they are easy to stack, the old truck wasn't so keen on the extra weight though.

Currently making a firewood mountain and covering with a couple of tarps for 2+years so going to be plenty dry but with the flat sides I wonder how much air flow you get around the bits.

As for oil mixing I've always used 50:1 but purposefully mix it a little on the rich side. At the moment I'm running stihls which are only a few years old.

At some point I'm going to have to experiment with my chain filing, I happen to have two ms180s so can compare them aide by side and work on filing technique.

yeah 50-1 still gums up our plugs with the light use we do(loads of idleing) even with the better oils

25-1 is just for running things in and when you enjoy the extra smoke

Originally Posted by 223nut

Well one big bonus of the square blocks is they are easy to stack, the old truck wasn't so keen on the extra weight though.

Currently making a firewood mountain and covering with a couple of tarps for 2+years so going to be plenty dry but with the flat sides I wonder how much air flow you get around the bits.

As for oil mixing I've always used 50:1 but purposefully mix it a little on the rich side. At the moment I'm running stihls which are only a few years old.

At some point I'm going to have to experiment with my chain filing, I happen to have two ms180s so can compare them aide by side and work on filing technique.

I do everything by hand with either a guided file (clamp on guide on the bar) or hand filing with the height guide that clips to the back of the file. I've given up taking the chains in to be ground, too many chains ballsd up and destroyed by wrong angles or taking too much off one side and ending up with a chain that cuts around corners. I tried square filing but didnt really see any advantage over vanilla grinding for the extra hassle and also the square ground seemed to be a bit more prone to denting or being damaged.

I've pretty much settled on micro chisel for firewood duties and keeping the full chisel for felling. I have a couple of tungsten carbide tipped chains, one Maya and one Stihl but they are painfully slow for cut rate. Apart from that keeping the angles on the leading edge (either 25deg or 30 depending on what was there to start with), aboutt 10deg on the top angle, the tooth length the same, and depth gauge to 25thou and thats about as good as I need and can get.

I tried one of those nifty Stihl do everything in one pass multi files, but I dont rate them as its a pain turning the files to keep the edges fresh.