a better way to split wood

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beermann

Feeling the Heat
Jan 16, 2017
318
canada
I've recently started to use bungee cords wrapped around a block of wood when splitting. Works well and allows me to just keep splitting and I can then carry the split wood by the bungee and easily unwrap the round for quick stacking. I don't have a spare tire so cannot place rounds in it.

Do you guys have other easy and cheap methods of splitting wood? I cannot purchase a splitter this year.

Thanks
 
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I've recently started to use bungee cords wrapped around a block of wood when splitting. Works well and allows me to just keep splitting and I can then carry the split wood by the bungee and easily unwrap the round for quick stacking. I don't have a spare tire so cannot place rounds in it.

Do you guys have other easy and cheap methods of splitting wood? I cannot purchase a splitter this year.

Thanks

I've used a bungee with a chain on one end for adjusting the girth, which works great...until I inevitably slice through the damn thing.

I have also wrapped a rope around several rounds at one time, which makes for SUPER fast splitting:

[Hearth.com] a better way to split wood

[Hearth.com] a better way to split wood
 
My only concern would be burying my Fiskars in the ground. How do you not swing through the split into the dirt?
 
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My only concern would be burying my Fiskars in the ground. How do you not swing through the split into the dirt?

I was thinking the same. My only resolve to the problem would be to try and keep the axe handle parallel to the ground so that after the wood is split the handle hits wood and stops the head of the axe from going all the way through. For me it involves a bit of a squat motion while splitting. Since I do it for exercise it all works for me.

After cutting several bungee cords while splitting rounds I took to this strategy to that the maul head does not go all the way through. After a while you get a feel for the amount of force that's needed to split the wood without hurting/vibrating your hands off the handle.
 
What kind of rope are you using? I've managed to snap mine due to outward pressures of splitting.

Just that cheap stuff from Home Depot that looks like climbing rope...I believe it's <$10 for 100'. I just tie a trucker's hitch around the bunch of rounds so I can cinch them nice and tight, then go to work starting at the edges of each round. I've never had an issue with the axe going more than a few inches into the wood before it splits with this technique...but then again, I've only tried it with Poplar.
 
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A tier is a tire spelled incorrectly on a cellphone. :)

That gave me a good laugh.


Just that cheap stuff from Home Depot that looks like climbing rope...I believe it's <$10 for 100'. I just tie a trucker's hitch around the bunch of rounds so I can since them nice and tight, then go to work starting at the edges of each round. I've never had an issue with the axe going more than a few inches into the wood before it splits with this technique...but then again, I've only tried it with Poplar.

Just got word I have 4 tree's coming my way.....im buying some rope.
 
Before I started splitting in a tire set on a large round I had a piece of junk plywood layed out to split rounds on. Kept the Fiskers out of the dirt. The tire up on a large round is the best for me. Other than the hyd. splitter.
 
Although I use hydraulics for the most part (now that I am old and feeble and senile), I've certainly split my share with a maul. In doing so I always set the to-be-split block atop another round (the bigger the better). I've found that unless the ground is frozen hard it absorbs/cushions much of the force of the maul.
 
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does burying the fiskars in the ground even matter? i used to split on top of a small round (4" thick), but gave up and just started driving the fiskars clean into the dirt. there are some nicks and whatnot, but i can't tell a difference in the performance.
 
This works so well for me. I'm making record time splitting wood and carrying the strapped splits in one big clump to the pile.

I've learned that in order to not cut through my strap I need to split the round furthest from where I'm swinging. So if I'm standing to the far right of the pile I'm swinging to the round on the far left acros the pile. This way all the other rounds/splits will stop my maul from going through and cutting my strap.....again.
 

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Does it hurt to hit the ground? Dulls it, but you could just sharpen it.

I also wonder about something other than a tire. I don't like how tires collect water; we have lots of mosquitoes that lay eggs in water.
 
Does it hurt to hit the ground? Dulls it, but you could just sharpen it.

I also wonder about something other than a tire. I don't like how tires collect water; we have lots of mosquitoes that lay eggs in water.
not when you drill a few holes in the bottom/sides and drill them to a stump :)