A better wedge

[Tony Shea]

I really think you're over analyzing the usefulness of that specific shaped wedge. I go along with an axe sometimes for my in initial split just to give me a place to start. It may be easier to find an old axe head than it is to find that rare wedge you seem to be after. I personally have no such wedge and have very good luck in splitting trees.

[Paul Saffold]

Good explanation, Tony. Peter's book also mentions using an axe for starting the split.

[Bill White]

If you can get your hands on some dogwood, make the gluts from it. Once dried and waxed, you'll be hard pressed to wear 'em out.
Mine is over 20 years old, and I wish I had more of 'em.
Bill

[paul cottingham]

Yep, make a couple of gluts. Open the wood with a steel wedge, then another, and place the glut in the opening and pound away.

i split a lot of firewood as a kid, its not too difficult. A glut would make life much easier.

[Mike Holbrook]

Actually my interest is in controlling the split(s). I have split a good deal of wood too, in the last decade I have done most of my splitting with one of two Gransfors splitting axes. I have been very surprised at how well those two splitting axes work compared to all the more conventional tools I have used. One swing from one of those axes typically splits the hickory and oak logs with no issue. The only reason I see for those tools to work better is the smooth, gradual taper. When I saw that Langsner, Buchanan and Galbert all use a wedge shaped like those axes I thought there might be a connection. From the pictures I have seen the taper on the hand made gluts resembles the taper I refer to as well.

Since I am about to make gluts and buy additional wedges...In Langsner's book in the chapter on splitting he makes a statement about splitting firewood as being a matter of brute force vs the more subtle tapping and listening necessary to make accurate splits. Maintaining accuracy while picking up speed at getting the job done is where I am at.

[John W Johnson]

I really think you're over analyzing the usefulness of that specific shaped wedge. I go along with an axe sometimes for my in initial split just to give me a place to start. It may be easier to find an old axe head than it is to find that rare wedge you seem to be after. I personally have no such wedge and have very good luck in splitting trees.

i took the Langsner ladder back class a few weeks ago. We used axes to start splits by driving them with long handled mallets. The longest splits we made were about 40-42". I was surprised at how little waste we had. But we had a real good log with just a couple of small knots. Plus, Drew has been around the block a time or two and had a good idea about where to start the splits. Drew had one or two of the flat wedges and we used them more or less interchangeably with the axes.

[Jim Koepke]

Finally remembered to bring the camera out to the shop:

Fat Wedge.jpg

This is how it was found. There hasn't been time to clean it up. That's a winter project.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

Nice Jim, exactly what I was thinking about!

I believe we used an axe for a few splits at the Country Workshops class I took too. The axe we used to split with was different than the axes that Drew sells though. I don't think you will find Drew using his Svante, Karlsson of Gransfors carving/hewing/slicing axes to hammer like a wedge. Some axes are designed to be light, with small, more fragile, lighter heads that could easily break if struck with a hard steel or even a hard wood. Gransfors specifically warns against striking most good axe heads, even in the case of their small and medium splitting axes. I think Svante and Karlsson do too. They suggest using a maul/axe specifically designed to strike wedges for that job. Gransfors sells wedges for splitting too, although they are pricey. There are axes that are designed to serve as wedges and or to strike wedges. I believe the steels used in these two types of axes are different just like the designs.

[David Ragan]

I tried to split a piece of the log Mike gave me last weekend. I could have sworn it was good on each end, but after a whole bunch of pounding, and even drilling out a slot (in desperation) about 1/2" deep to start the dang wedge, and a brand new 10lb full size sledgehammer, on concrete, it still would not split. Wore me out. I guess the wood had a defect in the middle, cause upon close inspection, there was a small blackish hole, and 1/4" in one end.

This has got to get better, or I aint going to get into all this.

I did take the big blank that I rounded up last weekend, and cut the pith out, and then went about using my new LN froe and brake. Started out to make pieces that are QS in orientation. I need a better mallet. Plus there are, of course, pin knots in that wood. Screws everything up.

I plan to make a froe mallet maybe tomorrow. Probably from that diseased green log above.

I still have a couple of white oak sections that appear to be disease free on the ends. Maybe I'll have a go at that tomorrow AM.

[David Ragan]

I am pleased to report that, after about $200 invested in this, that I have indeed managed to split a small 10" diameter, 18" long white oak log.

First, I hacked out an area with my (new) hatchet, then placed the wedge in it. After a few swings, I was able to convey, not a full-on strike of old like a RR spike, but a pretty good wallop. Perhaps a dozen strikes were required which set the wedge, split the log, a second wedge was employed, the hatchet, then the entire affair in a bag in the shop to keep it green. I'll make my froe mallet next, then debark the halves, modify my shavehorse, and get up with Mike to see about a better drawknife.

[Reinis Kanders]

I made froe mallet from a split triangular oak piece about 24 inches long. Used hatchet to hack out a roundish handle on one end, flattened one aspect of the triangle to use as hitting surface. Basically looks like a big club. Took a very little time for a handy thing to keep in the shed.

[Mike Holbrook]

David, the froe mallet may be a good piece of wood to practice on with drawknives. I am planing to take down a dogwood for gluts too, hope to work on that tomorrow, another possibility for drawknife practice.

[Jim Davis]

I split a lot of 6-foot long Osage to make bows.

Two things of highest priority about straight splits:

1. As said above, cut the right tree. If the grain twists so will the split.

2. You don't want to "control" the split. The split must follow the grain, so back to point 1. above.

On the subject of axes, striking an axe head is certain to spread the eye and eventually ruin the axe.

There are slim starting wedges that show up less than once in a blue moon at flea markets and such. They are about 2 inches wide, 3-1/2 inches long and a quarter inch thick at the back edge. They are made for opening a crack in which to start a splitting wedge. They have a forged eye on one side in which to tie a lanyard, the other end of which is tied to something (belt, wrist???) to avoid losing the wedge.

Jim

[David Ragan]

David, the froe mallet may be a good piece of wood to practice on with drawknives. I am planing to take down a dogwood for gluts too, hope to work on that tomorrow, another possibility for drawknife practice.

That is great, Mike. We going to use the Dogwood root, right? If we can get one big enough. If now, I can ask my people about it. Come to think about it-I am not excited about digging up a Dogwood root, ha ha.

Two things of highest priority about straight splits:

2. You don't want to "control" the split. The split must follow the grain, so back to point 1. above.

On the subject of axes, striking an axe head is certain to spread the eye and eventually ruin the axe.

There are slim starting wedges that show up less than once in a blue moon at flea markets and such. They are about 2 inches wide, 3-1/2 inches long and a quarter inch thick at the back edge. They are made for opening a crack in which to start a splitting wedge. They have a forged eye on one side in which to tie a lanyard, the other end of which is tied to something (belt, wrist???) to avoid losing the wedge.

Jim

That is what I thought, Jim......if you're trying to get straight grain, you just let the wood split along anyline it wants. that is what I witnessed after some crude drawknife work on the oak this weekend. I just put the wedge in the middle of the log and pounded the crap out of it till it was fully in. Can you go wrong with that method?

Then, To start the wedge, I had just chopped out a small area with the hatchet and set the wedge.

Here's another question-

Under what circumstances do you start the split from the end of the log, when the log is short enough?

And, what is a good way to steady the log on the ground, to keep it from rolling when splitting. A log on each side? A wooden stake to each side? How about a Rube Goldberg special sled with adjustable width sides to secure the log? Of course, you still need something solid underneath.

Not trying to hijack

[Tony Shea]

Since I am about to make gluts and buy additional wedges...In Langsner's book in the chapter on splitting he makes a statement about splitting firewood as being a matter of brute force vs the more subtle tapping and listening necessary to make accurate splits. Maintaining accuracy while picking up speed at getting the job done is where I am at.

While I do agree with Langsner's statement I don't think it applies when initially opening up a log in halves, or even quarters for that matter. To get a log into halves it basically requires all the brute force you can muster up, and I will guarantee that you will NOT be controlling that initial split! As long as your log is not twisted your initial split should be relatively straight and end up roughly halving the log. Even splitting the halves into quarters is basically all brute force (depending on the size of the log) and again, you do not have that much control of the split.

Once you have pieces small enough, roughly quarters, then you begin to gain control of the split especially when using a froe.

2. You don't want to "control" the split. The split must follow the grain, so back to point 1. above.

I agree and disagree with this comment. The initial splits are impossible to control but once you use your froe on the quartered and smaller pieces one can make that split go just about anywhere they want. There is a ton of control to be had in using a froe and a brake. I can typically get my pieces dimensioned extremely close to finished thickness using this technique.

Having said all this, the absolute most important part of all of this is finding the right log!!

And as for striking axes, they are certainly not meant to be struck with a metal mallet. But I have no problem striking my beater axes with my maple froe club to get splits started, if nothing else but to score my initial starting line. I have pounded my axes, including my Gransfors, all the way through some shorter stock because I didn't have my wedges. I never worried about hitting it hard enough to open the eye up, especially using my wood mallet. I would never use a metal mallet for any of axes or froes.