Cleaver Ways to Split Wood Easier???

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

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

Member
Hearth Supporter
Oct 16, 2008
43
CNY
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?
 
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?
 
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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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.
Click to expand...

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 :)
 
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?
Click to expand...
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!!!
 
tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down said:
Handle on it is about 12 inches long...
Click to expand...

Get a longer handle.
 
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!
 
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.
 
meathead said:
Wow...you're splitting wood with a hatchet.
Click to expand...

And here I thought "Cleaver" was a typo!!!! :gulp:
 
Edthedawg said:
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.
Click to expand...

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 :)
Click to expand...
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!
 
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???
 
Here's a couple that are "clever" but not too "bright"... and quite dangerous

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

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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". :o)


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

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.
 
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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