# Kindling splitter



## xman23 (Nov 14, 2013)

As usually this year I split a big box of scrap 2X material for fire starting kindling. I do it with a hatchet. It's fast, holding the wood with a leather glove and swinging away, the chunks fly. The issue is it's hard to get it a small as I would like. This year I went back over the chunks and split them in the 1 1/2 direction.

 Do you guys know of a kindling maker machine, or a device to use on the splitter.


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## TNCave (Nov 14, 2013)

This is definitely not what you are looking for, but the above video shows (briefly) a safer way to split kindling.

Cory


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## Seasoned Oak (Nov 14, 2013)

xman23 said:


> As usually this year I split a big box of scrap 2X material for fire starting kindling. I do it with a hatchet. It's fast, holding the wood with a leather glove and swinging away, the chunks fly. The issue is it's hard to get it a small as I would like. This year I went back over the chunks and split them in the 1 1/2 direction.
> 
> Do you guys know of a kindling maker machine, or a device to use on the splitter.


Try to find someone tearing down an old house and get the lathe boards .They will gladly give them to you. They are very dry pine and split easy but make great fire starters even whole.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Nov 14, 2013)

I'm the same, I use my job site scraps for kindling. The 2x scraps I split down using the maul, I hold it just under the head and let the weight do the work. The kindling is usually scrap strapping or rough spruce, I can get finer kindling pieces from this stuff


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## MDFisherman (Nov 14, 2013)

I split 2x4s on my log splitter. U can split them twice ion the small side


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 14, 2013)

When i am starting from cold, I will usually find a split with pretty straight grain and just keep splitting in until it won't stand up on the chopping block anymore then I pick up all my little toothpicks and I have kindling...

Also when i am doing a big splitting job and accumulate some small pieces under the splitter I will gather them up when I am done and put them in a box for winter.  They are so small they dry very fast (no three year rule here) and I can use those to get my fires going too.


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## rowerwet (Nov 14, 2013)

watch craigslist for an old cedar or pine fence, I have enough for the next few years... just knock it apart with a sledge, and sawzall to length.


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## Sprinter (Nov 17, 2013)

I'm sure you've probably considered them already, but I can split anything I have as small as I want with my electric splitter (Homelite 5 ton).


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## Sully (Nov 17, 2013)

Don't use kindling , 1/3 of this get fire going every time


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## Seasoned Oak (Nov 17, 2013)

I bought a box of firestarters from WAll -mart in the off season for a couple bucks. They look like a thin candy bars. Only need a small piece to start a fire. Comes out to a few pennies a light. Well worth it. that box is already 3 years old and i only used a quarter of it so far.


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## velvetfoot (Nov 17, 2013)

In theory, that's what my little electric splitter could be used for in the indoor comfort of my garage.  In practice however, if there aren't enough coals, I use the Rutlands fire starter squares.


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## Sprinter (Nov 17, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> In theory, that's what my little electric splitter could be used for in the indoor comfort of my garage.


That's just what I did all last winter.  It worked out great and left very little mess.  Reminds me that I need to get it in now.


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## CenterTree (Nov 17, 2013)

xman23 said:


> As usually this year I split a big box of scrap 2X material for fire starting kindling. I do it with a hatchet. It's fast, holding the wood with a leather glove and swinging away, the chunks fly. *The issue is it's hard to get it a small as I would like. *This year I went back over the chunks and split them in the 1 1/2 direction...
> 
> .



Question:  How small are you guys making your kindling?    What is a good size?

Are we talking as small as a pencil or the size of a paint stirring stick?   Or even much bigger?


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 17, 2013)

If you can imagine the size of a 2X4 split into quarters that seems like a nice size to me.


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## xman23 (Nov 17, 2013)

CenterTree said:


> Question:  How small are you guys making your kindling?    What is a good size?
> 
> Are we talking as small as a pencil or the size of a paint stirring stick?   Or even much bigger?


 
It's not hard with a hatchet to loop of chunks about 1 inch, until you hit a knot.  They work ok, but smaller slivers would work much better and not waste as much kindling wood. I use a fire starter to light the kindling but if it's thin enough I think it could be match started. 

I've seen store kindling about 1/2 x 1/2. that stuff must be sawed.


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## Bones (Nov 17, 2013)

I use a hatchet also, but....I have the hatchet in contact with the wood and raise both a few inches....then down to a block.

Might take a second strike for the wood to split, but my fingers aren't holding the wood.


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## 1750 (Nov 17, 2013)

TNCave said:


> This is definitely not what you are looking for, but the above video shows (briefly) a safer way to split kindling.
> 
> Cory



Wow, what a gorgeous video.   Thanks for posting it.

That's also a very interesting way to split kindling -- I'll have to figure out some way to try that.


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## xman23 (Nov 19, 2013)

Just had a idea, anyone use a power planer? Do you get a continuous strip of wood like you can with a hand plane?


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Nov 19, 2013)

Thanks for the video, he is definitely a craftsman, I prefer, Using the fiskars hatchet, take 1 split and get 100 pieces of kindling out of it......or so


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## theswampthing (Nov 19, 2013)

xman23 said:


> Just had a idea, anyone use a power planer? Do you get a continuous strip of wood like you can with a hand plane?


The wood comes out pretty much like a circular saw dust, just bigger chunks.


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## blades (Nov 20, 2013)

I Just run a bunch of stuff like willow ,cotton, popple, ect. wood through one on my big bandsaws.  Too much trouble messing with that stuff on a splitter to get kindling. I just use the splitter to bust down the rounds of that stuff. Also most of that stuff goes to the outdoor campfire ( or whatever),  or to others who want stuff for their od burning. I do collect all the notable chips, odds and end from splitter as well.


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## CJRages (Nov 20, 2013)

1750 said:


> Wow, what a gorgeous video.   Thanks for posting it.
> 
> That's also a very interesting way to split kindling -- I'll have to figure out some way to try that.




Good video. Thanks for posting. 

This splitting technique can be done quite simply at home. First take your hatchet or preferred splitting tool and put in vice with pointy end up. Second hold block of wood on top of hatchet and tap the block of wood with a good sized hammer. Split, split, split and repeat.


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 21, 2013)

Making kindling wood with a hydraulic splitter really makes the job easy and it goes super fast too. Many years ago I posted pictures of some I was working on but one of these days I'll be posting a video when we make some kindling. You'll see how quick and easy it is and won't want to go back to hatchet or axe.


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## Sprinter (Nov 21, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Making kindling wood with a hydraulic splitter really makes the job easy and it goes super fast too. Many years ago I posted pictures of some I was working on but one of these days I'll be posting a video when we make some kindling. You'll see how quick and easy it is and won't want to go back to hatchet or axe.


+1.   I just put mine (small 5 ton electric) in a corner of the garage for the winter.  It's always plugged in and I can go out there anytime and split down stuff inside whenever I want to in minutes.  It's all I need for for the main splitting too, although I don't do huge stuff.


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## gerry100 (Nov 21, 2013)

pick up sticks off the ground


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## greythorn3 (Nov 23, 2013)

gerry100 said:


> pick up sticks off the ground




thats what i do, i have big piles of branches from the trees i cut down and use them as kindling.


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