Fire wood splitting

I precut the logs with a chainsaw, then split them.
the splits are very even then and little waste.
2.5M Long and a long cut every 120mm or so about three inches deep.
Two wedges and a 12lb hammer.
Then I stand them in used sump oil about 700mm deep for a week.
Drill holes for the wire first while close to the electric!

Dig hole and keep the oil line couple of inches above ground level
If you use ironwood or redgum you can leave them for 50y plus!

 

I usually lay the log on a plank of wood but I don't strike it in the middle . I usually use an axe to split it on one side. I aim the axe on the edge of the side I want to split. This enables me to split smaller pieces. As the log reduces in size, its now easier to split on the centre since the force of the axe blows will create fissures penetrating to the other side.

 

In a real survival situation, you would probably be better off with just collecting small branches for kindling, and make fire with them. When you are deep in the wild with nothing more than your wits, you definitely can't cut large trees for firewood, and you are left with just collecting branches and twigs, making the most out of them, and creating a fire so you can survive the night and chase away any potential wild animals that may get attracted to your make shift campsite.

 

Yes, this is a real requirement in a survival situation that the should have the resources to have a fire going. It could be useful to keep out predators, for boiling water in order to purify it and for cooking food. It may very well be difficult to obtain sizeable logs because the capability to do so is not readily available, therefore, sizeable twigs branches and decaying logs may have to be utilised instead.

 

So you soak the wood in 7 metres of oil?! That's over 20 feet?

What good is a log that is 8 feet long? 2.5 metres.

Are you starting a camp fire, or burning down a small village?

 

Back to splitting wood, I use different methods for different kinds of wood or diameters of round. Most of my wood burners will take up to 20" long logs but the Rayburn will only take small pieces about 6" square. I have a hydro cut splitter mounted on a PTO but for most firewood I use a 7 Lbs splitting maul (and two wedges on tough stuff). If the ends of the log are square it will be split vertically, if they're a bit squewed then I'll split it as Tom Williams described at the beginning of this post. Big stuff will be split with the hydro it. I burn mainly oak and ash...no softwoods

 

Ystranic, you could preserve wood that way, but why?

It would smoke like crazy. Not the best way of being inconspicuous.
Not to mention the smoke would be very harmful. If you cook over that fire, even more so.

This is a survival forum, not a how to poison yourself forum. Try and keep up with that. FFS.

 

its a preservative treatment for a RAIL FENCE, not a treatment for firewood. No one has suggested treating firewood with oil. It is a poor mans coal tar creosote for preserving posts that are set into the ground.
If you read Arkanes post and my comment properly you will see that I clearly state that it is a "preservative treatment for a rail fence" do I need to repeat it again before you understand.
Arkane was describing how he splits and treats a rail fence, you are the one who started asking stupid questions like; "are you burning a village?" or "so you soak wood in 7 meters of oil?"
It isn't my fault that your reading comprehension isn't up to speed.

 

You're quite the mouth piece!
The thread is called "Splitting Fire Wood"
Learn some manners.
At no point does Arkane mention cutting fence rails.
Go F$ck yourself.