We never had a cold snap all winter except for a few below freezing days which were not enough to freeze the entire log. That experiment was abandoned. But there was still a pile of oak to deal with and projects looming...
So Yngivald and I got together, at relatively short notice, with more power at our disposal on April 14th to get the job done. It was an experiment in itself as I didn't know how a 14" electric chainsaw and 14A circular saw would handle it.
First, start with sharp blades - duh!
Second, plan how you want to cut. Much of the oak was going to be used for kubb sets so we started with the chainsaw to cut some of the oak into short chunks which later can be cut into the blocks.
For the material to be made into planks it is very useful to have the log split lengthwise in nice straight lines. But our experience is that the log doesn't cooperate. It was obvious that the chainsaw we had was not up to the task of ripping the logs lengthwise. Also, it is back-breaking work.
So we tried cutting a line with the circular saw, as deep as it would go in a straight line along the length of the log and down the end. Then drive wedges along the cut lines, starting at the narrow end, or the end opposite any major knots. This was important.
What we ended up with were very nicely split pieces that would need minimal dressing and provide a good starting point for further splitting to get planks.
