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Woodstove Science question for pointy heads.
self | 2 January 2010 | incredulous joe

Posted on 01/02/2010 3:01:30 PM PST by incredulous joe

Natural wonders never cease!

I was just splitting firewood.

It is about 20 degrees with a 10 to 15 degree chill factor, and noticed a spark come off the head of my ax while I spilt one particular log.

I examined the log, but did not find any metal in the wood.

Is it possible that a spark can be generated from steel to wood contact. I have split a lot of wood in my day and I have to say that I have never had this occur previously ~ ever.

Has anyone else? Theories?


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To: blueplum

Good theory.

Don’t think so.

I like the ax chip theory and had thought of that myself.


41 posted on 01/02/2010 3:39:50 PM PST by incredulous joe ("I like smiling! Smiling is my favorite!!")
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To: Candor7

That’s right. Hard wood will cause sparks. I once ran a piece of pecan lumber through my table saw. There were sparks everywhere. Pecan is hard as hell.


42 posted on 01/02/2010 3:40:46 PM PST by badgerlandjim (Hillary Clinton is to politics as Helen Thomas is to beauty.)
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To: taillightchaser

We couldn’t heat our home otherwise.

I susspect that there is some kind of backasswards form of regs coming my way ~ a carbon tax on my woodstove or something of the like.

I’ve heard of insurance agents going into homes and finding inserts then jacking up the rates.

It’s all about control of the people.


43 posted on 01/02/2010 3:42:25 PM PST by incredulous joe ("I like smiling! Smiling is my favorite!!")
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To: incredulous joe

Cool! :D


44 posted on 01/02/2010 3:44:15 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: SumProVita
My husband gets lots of sparks when he cuts frozen wood with a chain saw (not recommended, by the way).

You do have insurance on him, right?

45 posted on 01/02/2010 3:45:27 PM PST by GOPJ (Success is cast as evil and punished while failure is blamed on others and rewarded.-Rand)
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To: incredulous joe

I’ve seen plenty of sparks fly. Never bothered to analyze why.


46 posted on 01/02/2010 3:47:14 PM PST by fso301
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To: incredulous joe

Many moons ago, when I wore the clothing of a confused white boy, I liked to smoke Kool menthol cigarettes in the dark. Those Kools would snap, crackle & pop, and spark.
I’m thinking cherry wood must also have menthol crystals embedded within it, so be careful burning it.


47 posted on 01/02/2010 3:47:32 PM PST by tumblindice (Injunction Junction, what's your function? Keepin' inlaws, off my doorstep)
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To: badgerlandjim

Yep! WHn would is hard , it tales of miniscule steel chips from the blade, and the sparks are visible.

I used to split wood ocassionally at 30 below zero fahrenheit. The axe would spark almost every time.What’s more, you have to keep sharpening the axe more frequently in that kind of cold weather.The harder the steel, the more brittle it gets with the cold and the more it sparks.

Soft carbon steel axes make better cold weather wood choppers.

I bet that pecan wood smelled good on the table saw!


48 posted on 01/02/2010 3:49:01 PM PST by Candor7 ((The effective weapons Against Fascism are ridicule, derision , truth (.Member NRA))
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To: incredulous joe

Lay off the Jack Daniel for several hours before splitting wood.


49 posted on 01/02/2010 3:54:01 PM PST by Tucker39 (I Tim. 1:15b " .....Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.")
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To: GOPJ

“You do have insurance on him, right?”

Lol! He still thinks he’s 35 and indestructible.


50 posted on 01/02/2010 3:54:19 PM PST by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified Decartes))
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To: incredulous joe

All joking aside ij, my little brother almost cut his foot off with an axe. He was working on through the evening, too hard/long & got tired. And he was trying to save a few bucks.
Rent a log splitter!


51 posted on 01/02/2010 4:01:32 PM PST by tumblindice (Injunction Junction, what's your function? Keepin' inlaws, off my doorstep)
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To: incredulous joe

Yeah, not so wee hours of Sunday AM here after all night trying to connect. Getting a little punchy.

Cheers


52 posted on 01/02/2010 4:03:30 PM PST by petro45acp (Free Republic, the only thing working on this sorry Bagram interweb thingy! Thanks Free Republic!)
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To: incredulous joe

You nailed it. The agenda of these commies that are running our government is control of the people.
Forget the insurance agents, it won’t be long before some fedinazi comes to your home and shuts down your stove.
The people need to wake up and stop this insanity.


53 posted on 01/02/2010 4:36:05 PM PST by taillightchaser (When a democrat says "The American people" you know the next words out of his mouth will be lies.)
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To: Candor7

I think you’re right. It’s a tiny flake of the steel blade breaking away...


54 posted on 01/02/2010 4:41:13 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Impeachment !)
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To: taillightchaser

BTW If they ever ask you if you burn more then 10 cords of wood a year, say no!

Insurance agent told me that they wouldn’t cover people that burn more then 10 cords of wood; then asked me how much wood I buy every year! lol true story~ they think more then that is dangerous liability due to people not cleaning their chimneys.


55 posted on 01/02/2010 4:42:21 PM PST by starzed_
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To: starzed_

I cleaned my chimney twice a year and I only used about 2 cords a year. I had about 4 cords saved up in my wood stack. Guess I should have built a shack around it so the feds couldn’t see it.
I don’t see how anyone could burn 10 cords unless they had a 6000ft house with three or four fireplaces.


56 posted on 01/02/2010 4:54:30 PM PST by taillightchaser (When a democrat says "The American people" you know the next words out of his mouth will be lies.)
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To: TLEIBY308

LOL.

My golf buds used to joke and call me Tiger because I hit it so far.

I used to punch it over 300, but those days are gone. A few eagle putts in my day. Now I just concentrate on accuracy.


57 posted on 01/02/2010 4:55:37 PM PST by PA-RIVER
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To: SumProVita

“Lol! He still thinks he’s 35 and indestructible.

Silverbacks rule!


58 posted on 01/02/2010 5:06:08 PM PST by incredulous joe ("I like smiling! Smiling is my favorite!!")
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To: tumblindice

I normally do and get it done in one big session, but I haven’t had the chance this fall and been hauling wood in piecemeal and trying to split as I have the time.

It is pretty much safer and worth the rental price.

Hope that your bro is okay. I’ve had a couple “oops” opportunities; whacked my shin with the blade, gotten “splitter’s elbow” and hyper extended my thumb pushing down on an ax that had been driven into a splitting stump.

Dumb stuff.


59 posted on 01/02/2010 5:11:39 PM PST by incredulous joe ("I like smiling! Smiling is my favorite!!")
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To: starzed_

My insert is just a rustic and decorative embellishment. ;0D


60 posted on 01/02/2010 5:13:06 PM PST by incredulous joe ("I like smiling! Smiling is my favorite!!")
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