Splitting Hop hornbeam?

[DRon knife]

Hi Guy's,I've got some Hop hornbeam logs that I have some questions about,The HHB was just felled yesterday(for future reference its mid January with below freezing temperatures)  and I'm wondering what I should do. I want to yield as much from the HHB as possible and I was thinking I would like to cut(with a saw) stave's rather than split them,also should I remove the bark and seal the ends,should I let the logs dry for a wile(my only option is to leave them out doors for they are to heavy to bring indoors)?? I'm basically asking for the whole proses,Ive never worked with HHB before.

I would really like to get a couple stave's into the drying box so that I can start working on them as soon as possible,Ron

[PEARL DRUMS]

I 1/4 all my logs unless they are huge. No saws. Just two wedges and a sledge.

[cracker]

Same as P. D.

[Buckeye Guy]

Sledge and wedge !
Split it right thru the middle first !
by tomorrow there will most likely be some checks showing up pick the bigest one that centers in the heart and start a wedge in it ! then place the next wedge in the split from the bark side it will be close to hitting your first wedge drive it home !
move down the log as far as you can see thru it and place your next wedge there, don't go farther than where you can see thru or you are actually starting another split !drive it home and repeat ! till your done !!once you get the hang of it you will have them done faster than you could have gotten a saw out and yield will increase!
I love splitting wood !
Guy

[MWirwicki]

...what they said.  Don't forget to seal the ends of the splits!  This will force all of the drying from the belly wood and eliminate checks at the ends of the staves.  Can you put them in the rafters of your garage?  Lawn shed?  Just try to keep them off of the ground.

[druid]

Hard work, it is able to twist 180 degrees in 3 feet length. Better bandsaw that.

[soy]

Do not band saw if is has twist it will cut through the grain.split by hand like stated ...that bark removal is a subject for debate I leave mine on, have had to many crack.if you have a 3" split(+ -)you can bring the depth yo around 2"and put it in the box for a week or two, than bring it down to rough size and finish drying.than I take the bark down to cabnium draw on that than when you have it shaped scrape the cab.off just until u see streaks of wood it kinda gives a camo. finish ... kinda works for me and any twist you can usually see in the bark..but the majority I would let dry natural out of the weather, just seal the ends, (split)

[Eric Garza]

It's hard to tell how large that log is. I tend to cut smaller trees, up to 4 inches in diameter at breast height so they have relatively high crown and are easy to deal with. I use a hand saw to kerf the large end (i.e. saw into the large end of the log to guide the first split) and split the log in half. Then I split each half in half. If the quarters are large enough I'll split them in half too. Just keep splitting until you end up with staves 2 inches across the back or a little larger, then set them in a dry place to season after sealing the ends.

[DRon knife]

lol...couple different opinions there,I'm gonna seal them and leave them alone to season a wile,I will store them in my shed. They both appear to have a slow twist to them(being from the same tree). The popular opinion is to split them and that's what I'll do.  Thanks for the input,Ron

[PatM]

At least kerf it with a circular saw so you can decide better which sides will actually be your choice staves.
 I like to quarter it and work it to rough bow dimensions and then let it dry to the point where the inner bark is still slightly moist and then remove it while it's still pretty green. At that point the wood will have shrunk to the point where it won't check on the back.
 It could either split pretty easily or be pretty intertwined in grain depending on the log.
 If it's intertwined just cut through the strands with a saw or sharp hatchet as you advance the split.
 That log has little or no twist so it really shouldn't spiral as you split it.

[DRon knife]

Pat,when you say "kerf"the log,do you mean the cut end like Eric said or guide lines down the length of the log? Is it ok to quarter up the logs and seal the ends now,it will make them easier to move around(bad back)? Thanks,Ron

[PatM]

Full length guidelines when kerfing a larger log. Just run a circular saw down a chalk line and do several passes gradually increasing the depth. Don't try to force the blade full depth on the first pass.
 HHB doesn't really warp so getting it split into staves right away is the best plan. You'd never get it split otherwise.