What a great title. There are two easy ways to split wood. The easiest: Have someone else do it. The next easiest: Use a motorized log splitter. Neither is going to be happening around here. Harbor Freight does have a manual hydraulic log splitter that's on sale right now for $99. So lets just say I have to split the wood myself. Bugout renter taught me a trick that I want to pass along.
I have a large flat round that I use as a platform to place the round I'm splitting. I don't split a round that's on the ground. It's too easy to mess up and hit yourself. I place the round on the platform and put a chain and bungee cord around it. I use the bungee cord hooked to the chain so the chain has some give to it but it's not too loose. You place the bungee/chain about 2/3 up from the bottom of your round. You hit the round with the splitting maul. It splits but the piece that you split stays inside the bungee/chain. You just walk around your round of wood and continue splitting it.
Why is this a good way to split wood? Normally when you split the wood your pieces fly off the platform and you have to reach down and pick them up, place them back on the platform, and keep splitting. You split, bend down, pick up, place back, split, bend down, pick up, place back, split and on and on and on. This new way you split, move, split, move, split, move, done! If you can't picture it imagine your round with a big rubber band around it. Each piece may break off but it will still all be held together with the rubber band until you remove the rubber band. Same thing here. The split wood all stays in place and supports each other. It's so much easier to split wood this way. That is if you can't do it the two easy ways I listed first.
I've been splitting wood for over 49 years and didn't hear or think of this. What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI saw something similar. They put the rounds inside a large tire and the tire held them upright as the splitter walked around splitting until all the pieces were the right size.
ReplyDeleteBut what about all that great exercise and bending over you are missing? Or the extra chances to get huge splinters when you pick up the pieces?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh, Max!
ReplyDeleteWe heat our home with just wood. Two wood burners. So we go through a lot of wood during a Montana winter. I have found the best way to split wood is have my 20 year old son do it. HaHa.. Actually he is the one who willingly does most of the splitting. This is a good idea you passed on. Thanks. I just came across your blog.
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