Log splitting with black powder

[Paul Denison]

I picked this up from the Breaktime Forum on Fine Homebuilding.


"bob I do a lot of cutting and splitting of larger trees (3-5' across the butt end) and I use the Alaskan saw mill attached to my 3' chain saw . Works fine for slabbing the trees into manageable sizes. Not good for making lumber tho, takes too much kerf (about 3/8") If the tree is in the 5' or better I use black powder to crack it in halves or quarters. And yes I always let the local police know when and where sometimes they like to come and watch. Makes about the same noise as one of those lil' cannons they use to start the sail boat races here in S. MD. The saw mill jig only costs about $160 or so, the chain saw runs around $800. Mine has paid for itself many times over the years. If you want to crack it with the black powder let me know and I'll explain the process step by step. It's very simple. safe and works every time. Good Luck Bill D. QWC "

Any of you guys used this before?

[Paul Denison]

I picked this up from the Breaktime Forum on Fine Homebuilding.


"bob I do a lot of cutting and splitting of larger trees (3-5' across the butt end) and I use the Alaskan saw mill attached to my 3' chain saw . Works fine for slabbing the trees into manageable sizes. Not good for making lumber tho, takes too much kerf (about 3/8") If the tree is in the 5' or better I use black powder to crack it in halves or quarters. And yes I always let the local police know when and where sometimes they like to come and watch. Makes about the same noise as one of those lil' cannons they use to start the sail boat races here in S. MD. The saw mill jig only costs about $160 or so, the chain saw runs around $800. Mine has paid for itself many times over the years. If you want to crack it with the black powder let me know and I'll explain the process step by step. It's very simple. safe and works every time. Good Luck Bill D. QWC "

Any of you guys used this before?

[Paul Denison]

I picked this up from the Breaktime Forum on Fine Homebuilding.


"bob I do a lot of cutting and splitting of larger trees (3-5' across the butt end) and I use the Alaskan saw mill attached to my 3' chain saw . Works fine for slabbing the trees into manageable sizes. Not good for making lumber tho, takes too much kerf (about 3/8") If the tree is in the 5' or better I use black powder to crack it in halves or quarters. And yes I always let the local police know when and where sometimes they like to come and watch. Makes about the same noise as one of those lil' cannons they use to start the sail boat races here in S. MD. The saw mill jig only costs about $160 or so, the chain saw runs around $800. Mine has paid for itself many times over the years. If you want to crack it with the black powder let me know and I'll explain the process step by step. It's very simple. safe and works every time. Good Luck Bill D. QWC "

Any of you guys used this before?

[Bob Smalser]

Well....I've certainly thought about dynamite once or twice....

I still have an Alaska Mill and big Stihl I used before I got a proper sawmill....handy now for specialty work in remote spots.

As a kid we used dynamite for stumps...and explosives were lighter for trees than chainsaws in the infantry...so I've blown a few down.

Messy...and fractures more than you want. BP is a low-velocity explosive that when tamped with a sandbag over a blind borehole done with a chainsaw, is certainly capable of cracking the log with a borehole every few feet.

But the problems include handling and expense. BP costs $12-20 per pound I believe because of the HAZMAT shipping fees these days. And you'd need a bit of it for logs too big for my 36" Stihl. The other is that you'd ideally build a bunker to store it in...significantly more dangerous than smokeless powder or gasoline stored in the garage....or even dynamite, for that matter.

But either way, the usefulness would only be to split a log too big for your tractor...and with considerable waste...it ain't gonna make nice boards.

[Bob Smalser]

Well....I've certainly thought about dynamite once or twice....

I still have an Alaska Mill and big Stihl I used before I got a proper sawmill....handy now for specialty work in remote spots.

As a kid we used dynamite for stumps...and explosives were lighter for trees than chainsaws in the infantry...so I've blown a few down.

Messy...and fractures more than you want. BP is a low-velocity explosive that when tamped with a sandbag over a blind borehole done with a chainsaw, is certainly capable of cracking the log with a borehole every few feet.

But the problems include handling and expense. BP costs $12-20 per pound I believe because of the HAZMAT shipping fees these days. And you'd need a bit of it for logs too big for my 36" Stihl. The other is that you'd ideally build a bunker to store it in...significantly more dangerous than smokeless powder or gasoline stored in the garage....or even dynamite, for that matter.

But either way, the usefulness would only be to split a log too big for your tractor...and with considerable waste...it ain't gonna make nice boards.

[Bob Smalser]

Well....I've certainly thought about dynamite once or twice....

I still have an Alaska Mill and big Stihl I used before I got a proper sawmill....handy now for specialty work in remote spots.

As a kid we used dynamite for stumps...and explosives were lighter for trees than chainsaws in the infantry...so I've blown a few down.

Messy...and fractures more than you want. BP is a low-velocity explosive that when tamped with a sandbag over a blind borehole done with a chainsaw, is certainly capable of cracking the log with a borehole every few feet.

But the problems include handling and expense. BP costs $12-20 per pound I believe because of the HAZMAT shipping fees these days. And you'd need a bit of it for logs too big for my 36" Stihl. The other is that you'd ideally build a bunker to store it in...significantly more dangerous than smokeless powder or gasoline stored in the garage....or even dynamite, for that matter.

But either way, the usefulness would only be to split a log too big for your tractor...and with considerable waste...it ain't gonna make nice boards.

[Ed Harrow]

Originally posted by Bob Smalser:
...As a kid we used dynamite for stumps...ROTFLMHO - that reminds me of a story (nope, didn't involve me). The participants were a large stump, a large boulder, a stick of dynamite, and a large barn's roof. I bet you can figure it out. ;)

[Ed Harrow]

Originally posted by Bob Smalser:
...As a kid we used dynamite for stumps...ROTFLMHO - that reminds me of a story (nope, didn't involve me). The participants were a large stump, a large boulder, a stick of dynamite, and a large barn's roof. I bet you can figure it out. ;)

[Ed Harrow]

Originally posted by Bob Smalser:
...As a kid we used dynamite for stumps...ROTFLMHO - that reminds me of a story (nope, didn't involve me). The participants were a large stump, a large boulder, a stick of dynamite, and a large barn's roof. I bet you can figure it out. ;)

[NormMessinger]

My dad split cottonwood logs with potash and sugar, 50/50. Much safer to handle the black powder.

[NormMessinger]

My dad split cottonwood logs with potash and sugar, 50/50. Much safer to handle the black powder.

[NormMessinger]

My dad split cottonwood logs with potash and sugar, 50/50. Much safer to handle the black powder.

[Bob Smalser]

Yup...and we used ammonium nitrate in a diesel slurry, too.

But the problem is that it takes a card-carrying blasting cap to set it off....and these days caps are harder to get than dynamite...the ease at which BP is set off is what makes it do dangerous.

No powder monkeys left in my state any more...ya gotta bring one up from Oregon if you need to split a granite eratic in half to move it.

[ 10-27-2003, 10:34 PM: Message edited by: Bob Smalser ]

[Bob Smalser]

Yup...and we used ammonium nitrate in a diesel slurry, too.

But the problem is that it takes a card-carrying blasting cap to set it off....and these days caps are harder to get than dynamite...the ease at which BP is set off is what makes it do dangerous.

No powder monkeys left in my state any more...ya gotta bring one up from Oregon if you need to split a granite eratic in half to move it.

[ 10-27-2003, 10:34 PM: Message edited by: Bob Smalser ]

[Bob Smalser]

Yup...and we used ammonium nitrate in a diesel slurry, too.

But the problem is that it takes a card-carrying blasting cap to set it off....and these days caps are harder to get than dynamite...the ease at which BP is set off is what makes it do dangerous.

No powder monkeys left in my state any more...ya gotta bring one up from Oregon if you need to split a granite eratic in half to move it.

[ 10-27-2003, 10:34 PM: Message edited by: Bob Smalser ]

[Jack Heinlen]

Never used eplosives, but a friend had an Alaskan mill. After some contemplation, he decided, rightly so I think, to regrind the teeth on the saw so they were rip configured, rather than for cross cutting.

I chuckle whenever I think of sawing up a walnut he and another fellow and I went in on. We were about done, having sawn, I dunno, maybe a dozen nice wide slabs outa two but logs, when the saw bogged, badly. We finished the cut, opened the book, and there was a pocket of concrete someone had once repaired lighting damage with. It was invisible from the outside, and invisible to our metal detectors.

To the dump with that chain.

[Jack Heinlen]

Never used eplosives, but a friend had an Alaskan mill. After some contemplation, he decided, rightly so I think, to regrind the teeth on the saw so they were rip configured, rather than for cross cutting.

I chuckle whenever I think of sawing up a walnut he and another fellow and I went in on. We were about done, having sawn, I dunno, maybe a dozen nice wide slabs outa two but logs, when the saw bogged, badly. We finished the cut, opened the book, and there was a pocket of concrete someone had once repaired lighting damage with. It was invisible from the outside, and invisible to our metal detectors.

To the dump with that chain.

[Jack Heinlen]

Never used eplosives, but a friend had an Alaskan mill. After some contemplation, he decided, rightly so I think, to regrind the teeth on the saw so they were rip configured, rather than for cross cutting.

I chuckle whenever I think of sawing up a walnut he and another fellow and I went in on. We were about done, having sawn, I dunno, maybe a dozen nice wide slabs outa two but logs, when the saw bogged, badly. We finished the cut, opened the book, and there was a pocket of concrete someone had once repaired lighting damage with. It was invisible from the outside, and invisible to our metal detectors.

To the dump with that chain.

[Bob Smalser]

I buy rip chains from Baileys...easier than doing your own.

[Bob Smalser]

I buy rip chains from Baileys...easier than doing your own.

[Bob Smalser]

I buy rip chains from Baileys...easier than doing your own.

[Jack Heinlen]

I buy rip chains from Baileys...easier than doing your own.
I bet. We weren't that sophisticated twenty years ago. Rich's regrinding of that chain's teeth seemed a breakthrough. smile.gif

[Jack Heinlen]

I buy rip chains from Baileys...easier than doing your own.
I bet. We weren't that sophisticated twenty years ago. Rich's regrinding of that chain's teeth seemed a breakthrough. smile.gif

[Jack Heinlen]

I buy rip chains from Baileys...easier than doing your own.
I bet. We weren't that sophisticated twenty years ago. Rich's regrinding of that chain's teeth seemed a breakthrough. smile.gif

[Gerald]

I ran into the blasting cap problem when trying to open 70 year old 200' well. The 2" galvanized pipe was clogged at the bottom and my plan was to open it with a blasting cap. Couldn't get one so did the following:
1" PVC, 2 caps, black powder, thin copper wire. Wrapped the thin copper wire around a pencil slid it into the PVC, with the two wires exiting a couple of small holes, along with the powder. Sealed everything with bondo, wired it up to some romex and down the hole. Touched the romex to the car battery, the copper wire heated up, and pop. That little bit of powder didn't work so after several tries put about a half can of powder down the hole. Even at 200' the ground shook! I pumped irrigation water from the sand point, that I drove down beside the collapsed 2" pipe, for several years.
Happy bombing
Gerald

[Gerald]

I ran into the blasting cap problem when trying to open 70 year old 200' well. The 2" galvanized pipe was clogged at the bottom and my plan was to open it with a blasting cap. Couldn't get one so did the following:
1" PVC, 2 caps, black powder, thin copper wire. Wrapped the thin copper wire around a pencil slid it into the PVC, with the two wires exiting a couple of small holes, along with the powder. Sealed everything with bondo, wired it up to some romex and down the hole. Touched the romex to the car battery, the copper wire heated up, and pop. That little bit of powder didn't work so after several tries put about a half can of powder down the hole. Even at 200' the ground shook! I pumped irrigation water from the sand point, that I drove down beside the collapsed 2" pipe, for several years.
Happy bombing
Gerald

[Gerald]

I ran into the blasting cap problem when trying to open 70 year old 200' well. The 2" galvanized pipe was clogged at the bottom and my plan was to open it with a blasting cap. Couldn't get one so did the following:
1" PVC, 2 caps, black powder, thin copper wire. Wrapped the thin copper wire around a pencil slid it into the PVC, with the two wires exiting a couple of small holes, along with the powder. Sealed everything with bondo, wired it up to some romex and down the hole. Touched the romex to the car battery, the copper wire heated up, and pop. That little bit of powder didn't work so after several tries put about a half can of powder down the hole. Even at 200' the ground shook! I pumped irrigation water from the sand point, that I drove down beside the collapsed 2" pipe, for several years.
Happy bombing
Gerald

[Bob at Compass Boat]

Paul,

Brings back memories. Grew up on a farm in Southern Wisconsin in the '40s and '50s. My dad split logs and also blasted very large rocks in farm fields with black powder and or even some stick dynamite. He seemed to have tne inate(sp) abilityto know the right amount, placement etc. Just used a regular string like fuse. After logs were split were cut to burning length with a tractor mounted buzz saw blade about a couple of feet in diameter. No OSHA then, not much of a guard on the saw either.

Carried a lot of that wood from the wood shed to the house for cooking and also heating the Sat. night bath water.

Bob V.

[Bob at Compass Boat]

Paul,

Brings back memories. Grew up on a farm in Southern Wisconsin in the '40s and '50s. My dad split logs and also blasted very large rocks in farm fields with black powder and or even some stick dynamite. He seemed to have tne inate(sp) abilityto know the right amount, placement etc. Just used a regular string like fuse. After logs were split were cut to burning length with a tractor mounted buzz saw blade about a couple of feet in diameter. No OSHA then, not much of a guard on the saw either.

Carried a lot of that wood from the wood shed to the house for cooking and also heating the Sat. night bath water.

Bob V.

[Bob at Compass Boat]

Paul,

Brings back memories. Grew up on a farm in Southern Wisconsin in the '40s and '50s. My dad split logs and also blasted very large rocks in farm fields with black powder and or even some stick dynamite. He seemed to have tne inate(sp) abilityto know the right amount, placement etc. Just used a regular string like fuse. After logs were split were cut to burning length with a tractor mounted buzz saw blade about a couple of feet in diameter. No OSHA then, not much of a guard on the saw either.

Carried a lot of that wood from the wood shed to the house for cooking and also heating the Sat. night bath water.

Bob V.

[NormMessinger]

Just used a regular string like fuse.

Did you dad treat the string with anything to assure sustained combustion. I soaked heavy, soft cotten string in a saturated solution of salt peter otherwise the glow would die. Dad wouldn't let me play with dynamite but it worked to lengthen the fuses on the good fire crackers we could order by mail in those days.

[NormMessinger]

Just used a regular string like fuse.

Did you dad treat the string with anything to assure sustained combustion. I soaked heavy, soft cotten string in a saturated solution of salt peter otherwise the glow would die. Dad wouldn't let me play with dynamite but it worked to lengthen the fuses on the good fire crackers we could order by mail in those days.

[NormMessinger]

Just used a regular string like fuse.

Did you dad treat the string with anything to assure sustained combustion. I soaked heavy, soft cotten string in a saturated solution of salt peter otherwise the glow would die. Dad wouldn't let me play with dynamite but it worked to lengthen the fuses on the good fire crackers we could order by mail in those days.