Craftsman Splitting Wedge

[Joe in MI]

My folks got me one of these:
(broken image removed)

I've never been able to get it to work. I usually can't even get it started. The crescent shaped cutting edge just doesn't want to bite. Am I doing something wrong, or have others found this as well?

I grew up splitting wood with a 3 pound camp axe. When that axe failed (which was often) we had wedges and whatever sledge didn't have a broken handle at the time. Ever see a 90 pound 14 year old boy swing a 10 pound sledge with a 3 foot handle? It defies the laws of physics. And breaks a lot of handles. :red: Those wedges always bit easy, and were shaped like this:

I'm thinking about grinding the end flat to get rid of that stupid rounded edge, but I'm also thinking I should just buy a few more "standard" wedges.

And yes....this is a lame topic.....but I'm bored.......

 

[zzr7ky]

Since my boys also helped I let them pich whate3ver struck their fancy. The sears one you pictured didn't make the cut. One favors the traditional style in the second picture, the other is a Wood Grenade man, and the ability to 'stick it' in easily seems to be his primary criteria. They are also very fond of the 6# maul and 8# sledge. My 10# and 20# sledges gather dust.

 

[mayhem]

Smack the round with a maul or axe first, then drive the wedge into the mark you left.

Personally I've never cared for the plain old 2 way wedges, I prefer to use something more like the wood grenades, which tend tobe 4 way wedges and taper to a point...easy to drive, like a big nail. Rarely have I ever had one actually split a round into more than two pieces, but they're way easier to drive in.

$15-20 wherever axes, mauls and sledgehammers are sold.

 

[mecreature]

i have a round and square tip.. seems they both work the same to me.

I use a small sledge to get them started into where I to the first whack at it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

When that axe failed (which was often) we had wedges and whatever sledge didn't have a broken handle at the time. Ever see a 90 pound 14 year old boy swing a 10 pound sledge with a 3 foot handle? It defies the laws of physics. And breaks a lot of handles. :red: Those wedges always bit easy, and were shaped like this:

I'm thinking about grinding the end flat to get rid of that stupid rounded edge, but I'm also thinking I should just buy a few more "standard" wedges.

And yes....this is a lame topic.....but I'm bored.......

Joe, that is still the type of wedge I use whenever I have to use one. That first one just does not look that great to me. Actually I have 3 standard wedges that are almost always with me but I rarely use them any more but I have had to use a couple to fell a contrary tree now and then. For splitting wood, they work great in my book.

 

[pyper]

I've got one like this:

(broken link removed to http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100351738/h_d2/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&keyword=splitting+wedge&jspStoreDir=hdus&Nu=P_PARENT_ID&navFlow=3&catalogId=10053&langId=-1&ddkey=Search)

Works well. The top of it is as wide as the maul, so you can keep pounding it all the way through, if necessary.

 

[Captain Hornet]

Gentlemen, I use the standard wedges and have for years. I find that on green water oak or red oak the wedge well bounce and be spit right out, usually right back at you. To stop this I took two wedges and ground the bulb leading edge flat so the wedge has a almost knife edge to it. If it's sharp it'll stick in the round and not bounce out when hit. Also I find that if I stand about 45 degrees from the face of the wedge it'll miss me if it does bounce. I find that if I use a 12 lb sledge it'll get the job done. The 8 lb sledges were too light and I had to swing them a bunch more to get the same result. David

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

I find that if I use a 12 lb sledge it'll get the job done. David

I've sat ringside while David gets the job done. :bug: Very impressive.

 

[trailmaker]

That's an interesting wedge, I've never seen that one before. I've got a variety of different wedges and the only one that came sharp off the shelf was the Estwing version that Pyper put a link to. It makes it much easier to get the wedge started. I imagine if you took a grinder and sharpened that wedge it would work just fine.

 

[Danno77]

I think they should make a thing that has one of those first two wedges with a 3ft handle, then maybe they could increase the weight of the wedge to like 6 or 8lbs. I'd buy that tool. I think it would work well for splitting wood.

 

[Joe in MI]

I think they should make a thing that has one of those first two wedges with a 3ft handle, then maybe they could increase the weight of the wedge to like 6 or 8lbs. I'd buy that tool. I think it would work well for splitting wood.

Nah......That would never work!

 

[snowleopard]

Consider climbing a tree and putting it in a high fork. About 80 years from now, someone can post a picture of it on that `weirdest thing you found in wood' thread, and the Dennis can explain where it came from.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Wow! I hope I'd be alive in another 80 years! :lol:

 

[MrWhoopee]

Here on the west coast, it seems that the hardwood (black oak) splits easily green, the softwoods (pine and fir, etc.) split better when dry. I've used the wood grenade style wedge and like them quite a lot. They start easily and frequently produce 3 or 4 pieces on the first split. I have found, however, that they tend to fatigue and break about 1.5 inches back from the point. Tried both HF (China) and HD (Vietnam), both broke. After giving myself a first class case of Tennis Elbow splitting some 30 in. oak rounds, I split smarter instead of harder. Cut a groove, let the splitter do it.

Craig

 

[Wood Duck]

Are you guys splitting all the time with wedges and sledges? Why not a maul or splitting axe?

 

[MrWhoopee]

Are you guys splitting all the time with wedges and sledges? Why not a maul or splitting axe?

Wedge and sledge is for when it's too big for the splitter and too tough for the maul or Fiskars.

Craig

 

[Thistle]

Are you guys splitting all the time with wedges and sledges? Why not a maul or splitting axe?

Wedge and sledge is for when it's too big for the splitter and too tough for the maul or Fiskars.

Craig

+1 Yes. They definitely still have a place in your kit.I'm just glad I dont need them very often anymore.

 

[Biff_CT2]

My folks got me one of these:
(broken image removed)

I've never been able to get it to work. I usually can't even get it started. The crescent shaped cutting edge just doesn't want to bite. Am I doing something wrong, or have others found this as well?

I grew up splitting wood with a 3 pound camp axe. When that axe failed (which was often) we had wedges and whatever sledge didn't have a broken handle at the time. Ever see a 90 pound 14 year old boy swing a 10 pound sledge with a 3 foot handle? It defies the laws of physics. And breaks a lot of handles. :red: Those wedges always bit easy, and were shaped like this:

I'm thinking about grinding the end flat to get rid of that stupid rounded edge, but I'm also thinking I should just buy a few more "standard" wedges.

And yes....this is a lame topic.....but I'm bored.......

I use the Craftsman wedges all the time - I've got four, all with mushroomed heads from smashing them with my maul.

The trick is to tap the round with maul first to define a groove, then beat the wedge into the groove. It takes a bit of practice, but it works like a charm once you're dialed in.