2 Metres of Maple

[windsortim]

Hello, I have just been given a 2m length of Maple tree, felled this morning. It is 40cm diameter.I would like to make some furniture with it. I need to divide it up to get it home as it's too heavy. Will it split down it's length if I bang a few wedges in? If so, how many wedges will I need?! Or, should I cut down the length with a chainsaw? It seems a shame to lose the 2m length so I'm not keen to cut it in half! Any advice very welcome! Thanks

[windsortim]

Photos attached...

[Simon Hartley]

A seriously nice bit of wood there! Yes, the usual way to halve a log is with wedges; usually starting with an axe driven in to the end followed by wedges along the length of the log. How many wedges you will need is impossible to predict, but as the split progresses along the log, you can remove the first wedges (and the axe). I would be surprised if you needed more than three or four.

What project did you have in mind? You've probably got enough there for a matching pair of post-and-rung chairs.