Wood Grenades

[kevinlp]

I am very surprised to have never seen any talk about the use of wood grenades. I first saw one from my brother-in-law. I have since used them as the only way I split my wood.

They are also very hard to find. Only place I have seen them is at Tractor Supply Co. But their's seem to be made of Chinese crap metal as I have broken the point off of about 5 in the course of splitting approximately 2 cords.

The only place on the web that I have found them that seems reputable is Lehman's. So far, through about a cord this one has worked good.

(broken link removed)

Any thoughts / experiences??

 

[DonCT]

Hmmmm, I may pick one up and give 'er a shot. Anything that makes manual splitting easier and faster is gold

 

[kevinlp]

A gentle tap and the grenade sticks into the round as it is pointed. Then you are free to blast away. Usually only one or two hits and the two pieces of wood are flying and the grenade is partially buried in the ground.

 

[daninohio]

I have a wood grenade that was left behind by the previous owner of my house. I tried it a few times but I couldn't get it to "stick" in the end of the piece of wood. (Maybe something is wrong with it?)

I split most of my wood by hand using a pair of 4 and 8 pound mauls . . . until I recently found a good deal on a gas splitter so I've been using that and I love it. I could never in a million years have split those 36" rounds that have been sitting in my neighbor's yard for a year without the gas splitter.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

We sell them here, they are from china as well. There painted gold instead of red. I used it untill i lost it, it worked well. I do remember them mushrooming bad, but no worse then my eastwing wedge....

 

[BrotherBart]

Northern Tool sells them online for ten bucks. They call them a Wood Blaster. At the rate of five of them for two cords of wood would pay for a hydro splitter pretty fast though.

 

[Turner-n-Burner]

I have one of those - old hand-me down from my dad. Don't think it was made in china. No breaking, just splitting. If I lost it, I'd get another without hesitation.




-Dan

 

[Mo Heat]

What's the biggest size round (diameter x length x species) you've managed to split with the wood grenade/blaster?

 

[kevinlp]

Probably 20" long and 24" diameter. Not sure of the species.

 

[JAred]

i swear by mine. I 've tried regular wedges side by side and the wood grenade shines thru..........

also the hitting end happens to be the size of the maul end. this allows you to still wack it pretty good if u happen to bury it in a log. this only happened to me spliting some gnarly hard wood I got last year.

 

[Turner-n-Burner]

Agree with Kevin and Jared.

I've done 24" or so Red Oak, 20" long, and sometimes even the grenade won't pop them apart easily. but because it's so wide at the top, you can keep hitting it down a good 3" or so past the top of the log - that'll usually do it!

Even the first few splits from oak that size is often too much for the maul, so if I don't think the maul will split something on the first hit, I'll keep useing the grenade. A couple of light taps to set it, then one or two good blows with the 10 lb sledge. If that doesn't do it, the maul never had a chance anyway!

-Dan

 

[JAred]

I think the gold ones are sold as "wood grenade" the brand. I bet some fake ones are on the market. Don't see how you could break the one I have. it's very stout. Sounds like the ones you are breaking are some poor castings. And not forged like the "real" wood grenade I have, it says "forged" right on the side. wood grenade brand. if it was going to break it would have by now.

I bought mine at the home desperet eerrr home depot I mean.

 

[BikeMedic2709]

I bought mine at Lehmans in North Central Ohio. I like it very well. I use it on the knarley big-uns. BUT... I love my Monster-Maul!! It will give you a great work out!! WoooHooo!

 

[heating a shack]

I have managed to bust the tip off at least 5 or 6 of the gold wood grenades from Tractor supply,
the best wedge I have ever used. Never owned my own Hyd splitter so a strong back makes for easier splitting lol

Wish I still had the access to the machine tools I once had I'd make my own.

 

[mayhem]

Been using these things since I was 10 or so and my mother was buying every odd gadget for wood splitting (except a splitter of course). They're fantastic and so much easier to use than a straight wedge...easy to start, large sweet spot on the head. Need to get a new one for my current needs, just getting by right now with a 6lb maul and a straight wedge (which I hate using).

 

[Gene K.]

I love my wood grenade. I use it exclusively on small rounds, and on really big logs, I use it to start the crack, then use long regular wedges to expand the crack. Using this process, I can split a 4' log along the side in no time, then buck the halves or quarters with the axe.

I am very surprised to have never seen any talk about the use of wood grenades. I first saw one from my brother-in-law. I have since used them as the only way I split my wood.

They are also very hard to find. Only place I have seen them is at Tractor Supply Co. But their's seem to be made of Chinese crap metal as I have broken the point off of about 5 in the course of splitting approximately 2 cords.

The only place on the web that I have found them that seems reputable is Lehman's. So far, through about a cord this one has worked good.

(broken link removed to http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=3334)

Any thoughts / experiences??

 

[Mo Heat]

I love my wood grenade. I use it exclusively on small rounds, and on really big logs, I use it to start the crack, then use long regular wedges to expand the crack. Using this process, I can split a 4' log along the side in no time, then buck the halves or quarters with the axe.

Wow Axeman, bucking with an ax is hardcore and requires some unique skills. I did this back in the 70's when I lived on a farm and only had an ax, no chainsaw. It was particularly tricky with seasoned dead-fall. I'd work my way around the outer wood and then, if the heartwood wasn't too big, it was usually easier to "score and snap it" than keep chopping away at that super hard middle of a 6 - 8 inch oak limb.

It's hard to imagine anyone using this method for more than a cord or two each year. How much do you process this way?

 

[n1st]

In reading the above posts it sounds like some a are junk and some last for years. What are your experiences with the one that Northern Tools sells?

 

[JAred]

I can't speak for others but the gold painted one I bought at Home Desperate shows no major defects since purchase. A little mushrooming at the top but nothing major. Mind you it hasn't seen a lot of gnarly, dense hardwoods like most of the folks here run into. and frankly if your bustin up chunks of metal splitting wood I envy you.

In that case buy three of them and enjoy your hardwood!