wedges?

Northern Tool

Do you have a local TrueValue or Ace hardware store? They should have some, plus they usually have someone present who knows a donkey from a large surface excavation.

Peace,
- Sequoia

Harbor Freight. They are cheap and seem to hold up fairly well.

My harbor freight one broke (who has ever heard of that) - like everything else they sell. Buy american from Ace or another store. USA metals are much higher quality than the cheap chinese stuff. They look the same but don't perform the same.

Local saw dealer.

My last one was from walmart. Axe and maul too. They have served superbly.

NoPaint said:

Buy american from Ace or another store.

Click to expand...

You're joking, right? Have you tried lately to find an American-made product in these stores? It's all Mexico or China.

The Home Despot's in my area carry wedges, including a fairly decent one by Estwing...

The other option is if you have an Ace Hardware nearby - I KNOW they carry wedges on their website, and you can order anything on the Ace website shipped to your local store for free, then buy it there...

Gooserider

Ace carries the grenade wedge, among others.

Is there a Farm and Fleet close to you??? how about Tractor Supply?

Have you guys tried the wood blaster from Northern Tool? I've got to split up some large oak and I'm wondering if I should go with that or a few normal wedges. I've seen the "wood grenade" at Hobo Freight too, but doesn't sound like it holds up....

I've tried a "grenade" style wedge that I got from TSC, essentially the same thing, and essentially didn't feel like it did significantly better or worse than a "standard" wedge. :blank: Sometimes it did a little better than I would have expected, other times it did worse. It seemed just as prone to jumping out if the log was one that did that (and yes, I tried putting dirt in the hole, didn't help much...) It was a little easier to start, but you seemed to need to tap it in further before it would stand up so you could hit it. I don't think I ever got one of those multi-way splits that some advertisers claim their "wonder wedges" will do, however I did seem a bit more prone to have logs split with an angular crack rather than straight across like you tend to get with a standard wedge - not that this made a big difference in the end result.

Bottom line, I wouldn't pay a lot extra to get one, but I wouldn't avoid purchasing one either.

I've also tried an Estwing "winged" wedge - which I found was sometimes a minor improvement, but not for the claimed reason... This is a standard style wedge, with a flange coming out on each side starting about 1/2 way up the edge, and ending just below the striking surface giving an effective width equal to about 1.5x the usual standard wedge. The claim is the wider spread increases the splitting force... Probably true, but it just meant that you had to hit it more to drive it in the same depth if the log didn't split... The big advantage I found was that if you were dealing with a really gnarly chunk where you burried the wedge, the wider head spread the crack enough so that you could drive the wedge further below the surface.

Marginally worth while, but I would say the big advantage is that the Estwing wedge seemed to be made with a better grade of steel, so it didn't mushroom as bad as some of my cheaper asian made wedges...

Of course now that I have a hydraulic wedge, I don't have to worry about such things any more.... :coolgrin:

Gooserider

I have metal wedges but I cut a few of them every year with my sawzall out of 4x4 scraps. I use them to split the really big stuff and they work fine. I've cut them on the spot with my chainsaw but the smoother they are the better they work. I can get a year or two out of them before they splinter apart. Start a cut with the saw and then tap them in. I've split pieces over 6' long and 30" wide full of knots this way.

Two points- I have a grenade type which I've also heard called a 'torpedo' style. It's shaped like a top. I think it works better than my regular wedges. I like to start with it, then add wedges if needed. I like it a lot. Second point- I've also seen regular wedges in WalMart sourced form India. I've never bought that item there, so no idea how they hold up