# Cleaver Ways to Split Wood Easier???



## tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down (Dec 4, 2008)

I'm looking for some cleaver ways to make splitting wood easier. Am I dreaming? New stove and we haven't invested in a hydraulic splitter. I'm not sure that we would. The wood we got is all 8-10 inches round chunks, not split (Sorry for my lack of wood terminology) I am going through a lot during the day and it seems like hubbie never leaves me enough. I am hurting myself constantly. Friends of our use an old spare tire and fill it up and wack the heck out of all the tops.....don't have a spare tire laying around...(well just my husband's that is.) Still seems like I would hurt myself even with that. My shoulder, my back and now my thumb. OUCH! Any ideas?


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## Pagey (Dec 4, 2008)

Are you in a position to maybe rent a splitter for a day or two on the weekend and knock out a large pile at once?


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## WATYF (Dec 4, 2008)

Hire someone. )

...that's what I did, at least. P


WATYF


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## Risser09 (Dec 4, 2008)

splitter are the only EASY way to split wood. buy wood that is cut/split or get ahold of limbs that don't go past 7" in diameter.


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## edthedawg (Dec 4, 2008)

What are you splitting with?  a light "log splitter" axe?  or a heavier maul?  I'm a big fan of the maul but you have to be careful and listen to your body - trying to swing too much mass the wrong way is going to get you hurt.

I'm no experienced hammer swinger either, only been doing this a few weeks now, but I'm rapidly learning how to get an accurate swing down without missing or hurting anything / anyone.

What'd you do to your thumb?  just dropped a split onto it?


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## meathead (Dec 4, 2008)

When you say you've hurt your shoulder, back and thumb...you mean like bruised shoulder sore back and splinter in thumb or dislocated shoulder ruptured disc in back and cut your thumb off? 

Option 1: convince your husband to get more wood prepped for you - how you do this convincing is up to you...but from a man's point of view angry convincing and sexy convincing are equally persuasive and one is more fun. 

Option 2: get a hydrolic splitter - but be warned if you hurt yourself with that it may be a missing body part instead of a sore one. 

Option 3: if it's just a little bruise or some such thing every now and then, you'll get used to it and it won't bother you for long. Keep swinging the maul and complain about whatever injuries it causes to the husband until he either gets more wood ready or you get a massage out of the deal for your troubles.


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## tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down (Dec 4, 2008)

It is a hand held splitter. Handle on it is about 12 inches long....axe edge on one side and a heavy part on the other....again sorry for my lack of wood terminology.


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## edthedawg (Dec 4, 2008)

tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
			
		

> It is a hand held splitter. Handle on it is about 12 inches long....axe edge on one side and a heavy part on the other....again sorry for my lack of wood terminology.



oh!!  go buy a maul!  holy crap it sounds like you're trying to hatchet the wood apart.  you need to get some more mass and more momentum going for you.  longer handle, more mass - just get it in motion and let the tool do the work for you.

or...  go buy / rent a splitter, and stop killing yourself


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## tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down (Dec 4, 2008)

meathead said:
			
		

> When you say you've hurt your shoulder, back and thumb...you mean like bruised shoulder sore back and splinter in thumb or dislocated shoulder ruptured disc in back and cut your thumb off?


Sore shoulder and back and then I somehow dropped the axe on me left thumb nail when I was pulling some pieces apart. Duh! My pretty girlie nail has a huge black line across it and it's throbbing like a cartoon


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## Jags (Dec 4, 2008)

tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
			
		

> Handle on it is about 12 inches long...



Get a longer handle.


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## meathead (Dec 4, 2008)

Wow...you're splitting wood with a hatchet. I'd be bragging. 

Buy a maul - 6 or 8 lb head - go as heavy as you feel comfortable swinging. Can you post a pic of the wood splitting hatchet just out of curiosity? No wonder you have been hurting yourself!


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## InTheRockies (Dec 4, 2008)

You may be using muscles that aren't that used to rigorous workouts.  If you can't rent a wood splitter, like others have suggested, maybe some repetitive exercises to strengthen your arms and core would help make things go easier.  (I know I don't get fatigued or have problems splitting now that I've got myself in better shape.)  If you don't get the Fit TV channel, you can find some excerpts of workout videos posted on You Tube.  Cathe Fredrich, I know, posts excerpts from her workout videos--it's a way of advertising.  Good luck.


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## edthedawg (Dec 4, 2008)

meathead said:
			
		

> Wow...you're splitting wood with a hatchet.



And here I thought "Cleaver" was a typo!   :gulp:


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## tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down (Dec 4, 2008)

Edthedawg said:
			
		

> tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
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Like I said....new to this and a little inexperienced. My husband has no problem with what we have. He can split it with one wack! I'm just a quite bit smaller. I saw a wood truck pass by, (funny how you notice wood more when you have a stove heating your house), well. I was so jealous because it was already split wood. We now know what to ask for next time that is for sure!! Keep the ideas coming please! Remember I am a woman without hairy knuckles!


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## edthedawg (Dec 4, 2008)

Here's the skinny:  just guessing, but hubby's probably a bit stronger, eh?  So he puts a lot of OOMPH into swinging what sounds like a small camp axe (or hatchet) and generates a lot of headspeed (momentum = 1/2 M x V^2).  so even with small M (mass), a lot of V (velocity) gets you there.  All that headspeed means when the axe head strikes the wood, there's a massive impact rippling thru the arms and upper body - his body may be able to absorb that impact better, but yours is not able to handle it, so you're getting hurt.  With a heavier maul on a longer handle, you'll be able to generate a smoother swing up, over your head, and then down (this will take practice) that will greatly reduce the impact forces on your (pretty, girlie) body.

I bought 4 cords of split wood and i still go split the big ones down - just ordering pre-split wood isn't necessarily going to get you there.

Good luck and please - go spend the $30 at Home Depot on a nice maul and wedge, before you hurt yourself any more.  

You're at least wearing gloves and eye protection, I hope???


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## karri0n (Dec 4, 2008)

Here's a couple that are "clever" but not too "bright"... and quite dangerous


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## bokehman (Dec 4, 2008)

I haven't got one of these but everyone here seems to rave about them.


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## WATYF (Dec 4, 2008)

haha... that first one doesn't look "clever" or "bright". I can split faster using a maul.

Here are a few that are "clever" and "bright" and "safe"... but unfortunately, also "ridiculously expensive". )







WATYF


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## meathead (Dec 4, 2008)

Looks like the operator of that first one has his arm in a sling. He must have injured himself doing something stupid. I wonder what it could have been.


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## bczubko (Dec 4, 2008)

Check this one out.


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## WATYF (Dec 4, 2008)

here's another nice one... which is out of all our budgets. )

Be sure to check out the video....

http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/log_splitters/default.asp?id=13


WATYF


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## savageactor7 (Dec 4, 2008)

If you're burning chunk wood that should be pretty easy to split with a light 6 or 8lb maul.


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## leaf4952 (Dec 5, 2008)

Your husband should be leaving you split wood until you have mastered wood spliting during the time you are NOT undoubtably doing everything else a woman does in a household. Only a single woman like me should have to suffer the indignities of huge peices of unsplit wood after dark with a cold house & children. Shame on your husband !


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## Hogwildz (Dec 5, 2008)

leaf4952 said:
			
		

> Your husband should be leaving you split wood until you have mastered wood spliting during the time you are NOT undoubtably doing everything else a woman does in a household. Only a single woman like me should have to suffer the indignities of huge peices of unsplit wood after dark with a cold house & children. Shame on your husband !



If you look anything like your avatar, I'll come over and split some for ya 

Also, at 8" just put the whole piece in and be done with it.


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## FLINT (Dec 5, 2008)

I would get a nice 6 or 8 pound maul with a wood handle ( I personally hate fiberglass for any tool as I think it absorbs too much of your energy)  

Don't get a maul that is too blunt as it will just bounce off your blocks since you arent really used to splitting much yet.  put the block you are splitting on top of another block - that will make it easier to hit square and it will split easier.  

Splitting definitely takes some practice to get the motion right.  I've seen very strong guys who didn't know how to split make way less progress than my 70 year old aunt who knows how its done  

Don't get frustrated, you'll get the hang of it, just get some nice leather gloves and wear boots so you don't split your feet  

I don't know about the tire thing - sounds like a hassel getting the blocks in and out of it, never tried it.


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## ikessky (Dec 5, 2008)

Multitek firewood processors are made a few blocks from my house.  Very cool machines.

I use an old LaFont hydraulic splitter.  It does an excellent job, but sometimes I bring some home in the round so that I can use the maul.  I'm a big boy so hand splitting doesn't bother me.


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## Valhalla (Dec 5, 2008)

tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
			
		

> I'm looking for some cleaver ways to make splitting wood easier. Am I dreaming? New stove and we haven't invested in a hydraulic splitter. I'm not sure that we would. The wood we got is all 8-10 inches round chunks, not split (Sorry for my lack of wood terminology) I am going through a lot during the day and it seems like hubbie never leaves me enough. I am hurting myself constantly. Friends of our use an old spare tire and fill it up and wack the heck out of all the tops.....don't have a spare tire laying around...(well just my husband's that is.) Still seems like I would hurt myself even with that. My shoulder, my back and now my thumb. OUCH! Any ideas?



Tryin...

Back to your question. Since the rounds are 8-10 inches, spliting them in half would produce some very nice 4-5 inch splits, or smaller. 

It is very good exercise that most wood burners actually enjoy! ;>)


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## tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down (Dec 5, 2008)

My husband read this and told me I am not to try splitting wood anymore.....so I did find a cleaver way for me to split wood. Hee Hee. Thank you to all


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## Danno77 (Dec 5, 2008)

Here's how I've been doing it. YMMV.


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## Valhalla (Dec 5, 2008)

My wife has just stacked 3+ cord of wood for some of next year. All at her request. She is the best!

She is now going to start splitting some frozen rounds! ;>)

Does it get any better!


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## Adios Pantalones (Dec 5, 2008)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> Here's how I've been doing it. YMMV.



Ahh- immediately preceded by a "Wtch this", no doubt.


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## Jags (Dec 5, 2008)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> Here's how I've been doing it. YMMV.



98% of drivers will say "oh Sh$t" when they hit ice.  The other 2% are from Illinois and say "watch this Sh$t".


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## Danno77 (Dec 5, 2008)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Danno77 said:
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yes, of course. Also, I enjoy doing things that are preceded with the "Holdma beer ferme."


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## Adios Pantalones (Dec 5, 2008)

Famous last words in the south- LOL

I also like Emo Phillips "In the last words of my grandfather: 'A truck!'"


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## JustWood (Dec 5, 2008)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> Here's how I've been doing it. YMMV.



Have you ever been stopped for SWI?! :lol:


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## Danno77 (Dec 5, 2008)

"Hello Occifer, I ain't a Drinkin' and drivin', I'm justa splittin' sum wood."


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## uptrapper (Dec 5, 2008)

meathead said:
			
		

> Looks like the operator of that first one has his arm in a sling. He must have injured himself doing something stupid. I wonder what it could have been.



Guess we will never know, lol.

Mike


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## Bigg_Redd (Dec 5, 2008)

tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
			
		

> I'm looking for some cleaver ways to make splitting wood easier. Am I dreaming? New stove and we haven't invested in a hydraulic splitter. I'm not sure that we would. The wood we got is all 8-10 inches round chunks, not split (Sorry for my lack of wood terminology) I am going through a lot during the day and it seems like hubbie never leaves me enough. I am hurting myself constantly. Friends of our use an old spare tire and fill it up and wack the heck out of all the tops.....don't have a spare tire laying around...(well just my husband's that is.) Still seems like I would hurt myself even with that. My shoulder, my back and now my thumb. OUCH! Any ideas?



This is a multi-step process:

1) Remain calm

2) Practice

3) Repeat


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## LLigetfa (Dec 5, 2008)

tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
			
		

> My husband read this and told me I am not to try splitting wood anymore.....so I did find a cleaver way for me to split wood. Hee Hee. Thank you to all


Yes, clever... maybe even cunning.


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## Summertime (Dec 5, 2008)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> Here's how I've been doing it. YMMV.



OMG!! I am still laughing at this classicWay too freakin funny!!


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## brother abel (Jan 11, 2009)

I'm thinking of getting one of these 'Cleaver' devices.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Smart-Log-Splitter-easy-safer-than-Axe-or-wedge_W0QQitemZ200291337230QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item200291337230&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1301|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

Anyone tried it it seems too bloody clever by half!

Note uk site

Cheers


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## LLigetfa (Jan 11, 2009)

brother abel said:
			
		

> I'm thinking of getting one of these


I haven't tried it but it looks fussy having to attach it to a chopping block.  I think a telescopic handle type sliding hammer would be more versatile, wouldn't require you lift rounds up onto and balance on a block, and lots cheaper.
http://www.amazon.com/Anaconda-878-Slide-Hammer-Log-Splitter/dp/B000VL6L24


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## brother abel (Jan 11, 2009)

Interesting piece of kit and;-  yes nearly half the price...

but would it tackle fresh logs brought in for splitting and drying?

Also noticed this on the web

http://www.wolf-online.co.uk/product.asp?id=001360&gclid=CJbtv-f8hpgCFQoi3godZXdrDQ

Overpriced overkill?....(overhyped?)

I would like to build my own splitter as my shoulder suffers after sawing/chopping/splitting.

I have a 3ton trolley jack with 18" of lift....I could easily fabricate a steel adjustable frame.

I would be splitting Birch about 6 inches dia.

Any thoughts/suggestions welcome.


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## wolfkiller (Jan 11, 2009)

Splitting with is maul is a lot easier if you wait for the right weather. It is -56 right now, perfect splitting weather. Even the gnarliest hardwood rounds pop with little effort at this temp. The greatest challenge is convincing yourself to go outside.


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## Gooserider (Jan 13, 2009)

brother abel said:
			
		

> Interesting piece of kit and;-  yes nearly half the price...
> 
> but would it tackle fresh logs brought in for splitting and drying?
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Most have reported the manual hydraulic setups are not real good for production splitting - too slow and too much work...  I've used one of the slide hammer / spear type units, and while it was a different motion than an axe / maul, it wasn't any less effort.

Gooserider


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## TreePapa (Jan 13, 2009)

I started out by using the Woodwiz (www.woodwiz.com ... sliding weight on pole, wedge on bottom). When I discovered that doesn't work well on tough wood, rented a 20-ton gas splitter (I suggest OP's hubby do so), then inherited 3# ax, got better w/ that, and bought super-splitter maul/ax. My next step is prolly a "mega maul" tho' I've seen mixed reviews on the short steel handles. OP should get her hubby a decent single-bit ax from local hardware store and maybe the super splitter (http://www.amazon.com/Ames-True-Temper-Splitter-Maul-1190400/dp/B000EM2SJ0  .... local hw may have a better deal, esp. considering shipping). After hubby gets a routine going w/ the maul, maybe OP can try splitting with the lighter ax. After all, if you can split 10" rounds w/ a hatchet, you should be able to really do some serious splitting with a proper ax.

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## GKG-MO (Jan 13, 2009)

When I was younger I worked for my Pap on his farm. Once we cut down a huge black walnut about 5' across and 30' long to sell for lumber. Even back then I think Pap got around $1500 for it. When the lumber guy that came to pick it up saw it he about freaked. He brought a goose neck trailer 24' long to pick it up but the log was still to big soooooo. The guy leaves and comes back with a big drill and three sticks of dynamite. drilled three holes into the log, dropped in the dynamite, got way back and set it off. The thing popped open like a roll of Pillsbury biscuts LOL. Never seen anything like that agian. He had to take it in two loads.


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## Wet1 (Jan 13, 2009)

TreePapa said:
			
		

> I started out by using the Woodwiz (www.woodwiz.com ... sliding weight on pole, wedge on bottom). When I discovered that doesn't work well on tough wood, rented a 20-ton gas splitter (I suggest OP's hubby do so), then inherited 3# ax, got better w/ that, and bought super-splitter maul/ax. My next step is prolly a "mega maul" tho' I've seen mixed reviews on the short steel handles. OP should get her hubby a decent single-bit ax from local hardware store and maybe the super splitter (http://www.amazon.com/Ames-True-Temper-Splitter-Maul-1190400/dp/B000EM2SJ0  .... local hw may have a better deal, esp. considering shipping). After hubby gets a routine going w/ the maul, maybe OP can try splitting with the lighter ax. After all, if you can split 10" rounds w/ a hatchet, you should be able to really do some serious splitting with a proper ax.
> 
> Peace,
> - Sequoia



This is the Super Split I use... haven't found anything better yet!
http://www.supersplit.com/


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## Stevebass4 (Jan 13, 2009)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> Here's how I've been doing it. YMMV.



that's awesome :lol:


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## Stevebass4 (Jan 13, 2009)

whoops dup post - still funny though


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## crazy_dan (Jan 13, 2009)

Gooserider said:
			
		

> brother abel said:
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Not any less effort, but it does make hitting the same spot twice or three times a lot easier  so it could translate to less work.


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## bigdog (Jan 13, 2009)

tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
			
		

> It is a hand held splitter. Handle on it is about 12 inches long....axe edge on one side and a heavy part on the other....again sorry for my lack of wood terminology.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Try a Fiskars maul with a 4 and a quarter pound head. It really blows through the wood.  Easy to swing and virtually unbreakable.  Got mine for 33 bucks.


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## Gooserider (Jan 13, 2009)

crazy_dan said:
			
		

> Gooserider said:
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Except that with the maul I'd usually hit it once, If I needed to hit it two or three times with the maul, I'd be needing to hit it ten or twenty times with the spear unit.  Each hit was easier, but I would need to make four or five hits with the spear for every one hit I'd make with the maul on average...  Thus the only "work savings" is that you had a smaller unit of energy per hit, so you didn't waste as much on the "overkill" splits where the maul blasts through the round and buries itself in the block.  

Back when I was doing manual splitting, (I'm now using a 30 ton HF hydraulic) I used a Monster Maul clone, sledge and wedges, and the Wood Wiz spear unit, and the spear was definitely not my first choice tool after having done a considerable amount of experimenting.  There were three situations that I did tend to use it, first if a round was cracking but not separating after multiple hits, second was if I got a wedge driven down below the surface of the log, and third was for the rounds that were cut in such a way that I couldn't get them to stand up so I could hit them with the maul - it was sometimes easier to hold them up with the handle on the spear while slapping the hammer on it with the other hand....

Gooserider


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## LLigetfa (Jan 14, 2009)

The spear would not be my first choice either since I'm built large and strong enough to swing an axe and could always resort to a sledge and wedges.  I do use sliding hammer tools for other jobs and they certainly have a place.  I actually was considering getting a sliding hammer spear to use in place of a sledge and wedges before I got my hydraulic splitter.  The problem with a sledge and wedges is that often you can have two or three wedges in a row sunk to the hilt and the large sledge being too large to fit down the crack formed by the wedge.  Driving another wedge along side as a double-wide is a PITA and an exercise in frustration.


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## Gooserider (Jan 14, 2009)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> The spear would not be my first choice either since I'm built large and strong enough to swing an axe and could always resort to a sledge and wedges.  I do use sliding hammer tools for other jobs and they certainly have a place.  I actually was considering getting a sliding hammer spear to use in place of a sledge and wedges before I got my hydraulic splitter.  The problem with a sledge and wedges is that often you can have two or three wedges in a row sunk to the hilt and the large sledge being too large to fit down the crack formed by the wedge.  Driving another wedge along side as a double-wide is a PITA and an exercise in frustration.



I agree, about there being places where slide hammers are useful, but IMHO given a choice, a free swinging hammer will give more impact with less effort, all else being equal.  However there are exceptions, and this is one of the few places where the spear does do nicely - at least on mine, the slider is the same diameter as the wedge part, so I can drive the wedge below the surface of a round.  In addition, once it's seated, I find it is sometimes effective to use the entire unit as a lever to pry the splits apart - especially with stringy wood like elm where the problem isn't so much making it split as it is separating the peices....  However this does have the downside of possibly bending the guide tube (ask me how I know...  :-/ )

Gooserider


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## TreePapa (Jan 14, 2009)

Gooserider said:
			
		

> LLigetfa said:
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## jtdiesel65 (Jan 14, 2009)

Go to HomeDepot and buy one of those splitters that has an axe handle. They kinda look like an axe, They don't have the super sharp edge, but have two "nubs" that stick out on each side of the axe face. I'm not talking about the Fiskar's thingy mentioned here in other threads. This will have a yellow handle and be in the same tools rack as other mauls. The axe handle will reduce hand a wrist fatigue and lets you swing harder.. The "nubs" provide the wedge without the weight of normal maul. I have 5 of these and they work like a charm.

Never pick up the wood to put it on another piece of wood to be split. Leave the wood on the ground. When you split make sure the piece you are splitting is on a hard surface. If the wood is bouncing or sinking into the ground when you hit it, your energy is being wasted. If you get good enough, you don't even set small-medium sized rounds up on end. You simply step on one end to push the bottom edge into the ground and rock the other end up a bit and then swing. The key is not to handle the wood.

If you try to split a piece and it looks like its going to split but never does or you get it started, but can't quite get it, flip it over.

If you encounter a stubborn piece move on. Don't waste time and energy on something you can't do. If the piece has knots or is twisted, it will be hard to split. If you must, save the gnarly ones for last and just do a few swings on them at the end of each session and they will eventually crack.

Another thing you can do is look at the piece and instead of trying to split it across a diameter, try to shave a piece of a clean face (one without a knot). This will break the bark and make the rest of the piece easier. After a while and by seeing what works, you'll figure out where the best location is to hit.

My wife splits wood all the time. She's 150 lbs. Sometimes what I'll do is spend my time breaking large block wood (rounds) in half because those are hardest for her and rounds are easier to split once the bark "band" has been broken. After I do that she comes thru and finishes the job.


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## Badfish740 (Jan 14, 2009)

No matter what you're splitting, anything is going split easier in these temperatures!  There are fewer more satisfying feelings than popping open a completely frozen round.


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