Like most folks, I have kept a hatchet nearby when splitting for cutting stringy wood. However, recently I have been using my pruning shears for this, and it seems to work much better for me. The hatchet would bounce off the two semi-connected splits, and one had to be careful not to hit the steel splitter. The pruning shears zip right through the strings much faster and easier than the hatchet.
![Using pruning shears for strings. Using pruning shears for strings.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/229/229484-3c3bcda46b1d6470286bfdce679fe1c2.jpg)
![Using pruning shears for strings. Using pruning shears for strings.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/229/229484-3c3bcda46b1d6470286bfdce679fe1c2.jpg)