splitting wedge sharpness

[Charles2]

How sharp should the tip be? Should the tip be ground to the same angle as the body of the wedge? How does anybody know for sure what the ideal angles are?

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

How sharp should the tip be? Should the tip be ground to the same angle as the body of the wedge? How does anybody know for sure what the ideal angles are?

Good question, Charles2. I have four wedges- the Wood Grenade, an old sharp traditional one, one that looks like a big railroad spike, and a new one with an short angle that I cannot set into the top of the logs. I have beat the piss out of the first three (put a mighty bend in the Wood Grenade in a tough crotch). I want to sharpen that new one that has a worthless steep angle. This same question applies to mauls.

 

[barmstrong2]

The wedge I use is not sharp. It is approximately 10" long and only 2" to 2-1/2" at the wide end. I make a cut with my maul to start it and drive it easily with a 3 lb hammer. So, I'm saying sharpness is not important. Of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[bioman]

I like mine pretty sharp,seems to help getting it started. That being said I don't use them much anymore. I have a really old on that is round & heavy, You drive it in the wood & pour black powder in it & stick a fuse in, Light & run for cover. anymore it's just a conversation piece. I think originally they used it to split rails with.

 

[johneh]

Pray tell why you want a sharp splitting wedge ?
I have 3 types of wedges 1 -Fairley short with steep angles made of steel for splitting fire wood
2 - nylon felling wedges used for what the name implies
3 - Home made by my Grandfather fence rail splitting wedges very long and heavy
With a handle to beet on.
None of them are sharp or need to be

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Pray tell why you want a sharp splitting wedge ?
I have 3 types of wedges 1 -Fairley short with steep angles made of steel for splitting fire wood
2 - nylon felling wedges used for what the name implies
3 - Home made by my Grandfather fence rail splitting wedges very long and heavy
With a handle to beet on.
None of them are sharp or need to be

So it will stick into the round before I start swinging the sledge at it!

 

[billb3]

seeing as your title refers to splitting wedges:
Currently I have three that look like this :

with rather blunt tips. That's how they were when they were new. They do 'bounce out' sometimes when started.
I had one with a curved tip that was quite sharp and was easier to get started but it also could cut it's way in and get stuck. Left it somewhere, I really don't miss it.

 

[Hasufel]

seeing as your title refers to splitting wedges:
Currently I have three that look like this :View attachment 172012 with rather blunt tips. That's how they were when they were new. They do 'bounce out' sometimes when started.
I had one with a curved tip that was quite sharp and was easier to get started but it also could cut it's way in and get stuck. Left it somewhere, I really don't miss it.

I got two "grenades" from Northern Tool: and find they work best for starting a split. It's a little hard to tell from this picture but there's a gradual slope along the top/bottom edges and a much steeper one along the left/right. The serrations help keep them from bouncing out but also make it easier for them to get stuck. For opening a crack once it's started I prefer the flat-headed wedges like the one you showed, but I don't like them for starting a split.

 

[heavy hammer]

Just get a nice edge that will stick in the wood then swing away. Never have sharpened a wedge or maul if it bounces out hit it harder, if it keeps bouncing out get a bigger hammer. I have a 20 lb sledge it will put just about any wedge into a piece of wood.

 

[CincyBurner]

It seems that the newer (cheap) wedges these days (See pic in post #7) are being made with an initial steep angle, which makes them difficult to get started in tough wood.
I took a grinder to them, not to so much to sharpen them, but rather to grind to a less abrupt angle. Much improved.
Tip: Paint wedges hi-viz orange. It makes them easier to find in the splitting debris later.

I hand split and find that I don't use wedges that much. Perhaps I'm passing over wood that I'd need to split with wedges, or I'm cutting out the less than prime portions in the field. So I find that I'm using splitting maul for most of the work (~85%), chain saw for the worst (10%) and wedge & sledge for those logs that fall in between (5%). I also use wedges to quarter (or eighth) big, but easily splittable rounds into manageable pieces to haul out.

 

[PDXpyro]

I have two newer traditional-style wedges, and don't end up using them much because they have such a tendency to bounce out of the wood after being initially set. The problem isn't with the cutting edge itself, but rather with their overly abrupt wide taper right behind the edge. CincyBurner observed that "It seems that the newer (cheap) wedges these days are being made with an initial steep angle, which makes them difficult to get started in tough wood," and this seems to be the problem with the standard wedges I have.

I also have a couple of "grenade" wedges as pictured in #8 above, and use them for 90%+ of the real work. The traditional wedges are used mostly as a supplement when I get into trouble, and need to insert a second wedge into a wider but stubborn crack started by the grenade type.

I don't see why it wouldn't be an advantage to have the cutting edge relatively sharp on a trad wedge. Not "sharp" by felling axe standards of course, but why would duller be somehow better at the extreme edge?

 

[Charles2]

Surely a sharp wedge is easier to drive than a blunt one? Easier labor was the motivation for my question.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Just get a nice edge that will stick in the wood then swing away. Never have sharpened a wedge or maul if it bounces out hit it harder, if it keeps bouncing out get a bigger hammer. I have a 20 lb sledge it will put just about any wedge into a piece of wood.

Heavy hammer is right! I'm not man enough to swing a 20 pound sledge (mine is 8, and my accuracy is still not 100%), and my joints don't even like the 8 pounder.

 

[Jags]

Surely a sharp wedge is easier to drive than a blunt one?

Not sure that this holds true. Sharp, cuts. Blunt, splits. For the same reason that most hydro splitters don't use razor sharp wedges...let the wood do the walking. A sharp wedge might get you into a bind that a blunt one following the grain might not.

 

[tymbee]

The problem isn't with the cutting edge itself, but rather with their overly abrupt wide taper right behind the edge.

Exactly! The taper at the edge is far more important. Sharpness isn't particularly important.

A friend of mine had a very large sugar maple taken down last fall and I offered to help clean up. He kindly bought two shiny new wedges thinking he was helping. I bought a couple of wedges that looked like they were a hundred years old. He good-naturedly scoffed at my antiques and I just watched as he tried to use his new ones. Even with great effort his wedges just popped right out after the first couple of hits given how dense the rounds were. I let him bang away to the point of exhaustion then offered to try my wedges. You might guess the rest...

Also, I'm surprised to read so many using 8 pound hand splitters. To me 6 pounds is the ideal and the only thing an extra 2 pounds would get me is tired more quickly.

Finally, over the hears I've at least tried all kinds of splitting wedges from grenades to those 4 finned gizmos. All IMO were pretty useless compared to a simple wedge.

 

[Charles2]

Not sure that this holds true. Sharp, cuts. Blunt, splits. For the same reason that most hydro splitters don't use razor sharp wedges...let the wood do the walking. A sharp wedge might get you into a bind that a blunt one following the grain might not.

Seems to me that the wedge body is what is doing the splitting, not the tip. Hydros don't need sharp edges because they don't get tired! What sort of bind? I'm actually using one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-slide-log-splitter-93360.html

 

[Jags]

What sort of bind?

Think of wood grain that has a wave to it (even mild). A blunt wedge will have a tendency to follow the grain. A sharp wedge can have a tendency to cut in and try to shear in a straight line. Very much like the difference between an axe and a maul.

Hydros don't need sharp edges because they don't get tired!

You are correct - they don't get tired, but I doubt if that is the engineering behind the design.

 

[Charles2]

Think of wood grain that has a wave to it (even mild). A blunt wedge will have a tendency to follow the grain. A sharp wedge can have a tendency to cut in and try to shear in a straight line. Very much like the difference between an axe and a maul.

I was just splitting some wavy wood yesterday, which prompted me to ask the question. Are you saying the task would have been even more difficult if my tip were sharper? Currently it is blunted, about 1/32 inch thick.

 

[Jags]

I was just splitting some wavy wood yesterday, which prompted me to ask the question. Are you saying the task would have been even more difficult if my tip were sharper? Currently it is blunted, about 1/32 inch thick.

I would venture a guess as to "yes".

 

[Charles2]

I would venture a guess as to "yes".

So would you recommend that I blunt the tip even more?

 

[bioman]

just get a blunt piece of steel & try beating it thru a piece of wood ! If axes where not sharp we prolly wound'nt be here I'm just glad tires are round. Think I'll go out & torch the sharp wedge of my splitter & see how that works. Have you ever skinned a deer with a dull knife blade, not fun. there ya have it.

 

[Vikestand]

just get a blunt piece of steel & try beating it thru a piece of wood ! If axes where not sharp we prolly wound'nt be here I'm just glad tires are round. Think I'll go out & torch the sharp wedge of my splitter & see how that works. Have you ever skinned a deer with a dull knife blade, not fun. there ya have it.

Skinning a deer is not equal to a splitting a piece of wood. A narrow angled tip on a wedge will do nothing but keep you busy sharpening it during the winter. Never in my life have I ever sharpened nor, my dad, nor do I remember seeing grandpa do so. It's worked well to this point, with little issues. In fact I've never heard of anybody doing so.

That isn't to say people do.

 

[cptoneleg]

Some of my wedges are over 20 yrs old and never considered sharping

 

[Firefighter938]

I think the newer wedges do not have the proper angle to get them started. I haven't sharpened any wedges, but I have changed the taper to make them easier to get started. I have bought several old wedges at flea markets, and if you compare them to the newer box store wedges the shape is different.

JMHO.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I have four splitting wedges that I never use. Every year there are about 3-5 rounds that cannot be reasonably split by hand. I pile them up and, every five years or so, toss them on a hydraulic splitter that my neighbor has. If I didn't do this, I would simply throw them back in the woods to rot.

There should really be no reason that your are needing splitting wedges on a regular basis unless you are feeding super long splits into an outdoor boiler.