Do you use something like a Wood Splitting wedge or you go all Axe man?

Do you go all cavemen when it comes to wood splitting? Are you still using Axe to split the wood or logs? It can be tenacious and can destroy the firewood you are splitting. Axes are better if you have to chop the trees and cut small pieces of wood. Whenever logs are concerned it gets hard to cut them with Axes. Why don’t you consider using something like a wood splitting wedge?

Wood splitting wedge – All you need to know

Wood Splitting wedge is a tool that can be used to split the woods which are hard and are tough to be split by an axe. It is used to apply outward or downward force. Woods that are soft can be split by using the axe, but when hardwoods or knotted woods are concerned it becomes tenacious and a lot of work is required.

To make it a little easier for oneself you can consider using something like a wood splitting wedge. The design of a wedge plays an important role as it will determine the ease with which the wood will be split. You will most likely find two designs in the wedges.

• The diamond wedge or wood grenade wedge – These are made of softer material but they can easily split the hardest wood into the small pieces. Even if your log doesn’t have cracks they can be driven easily into it. They give you exact cuts means in comparison to traditional wedges they will give you almost equal logs. The only disadvantage they have is that there edge or point (which is the focal point of this design) gets ruined after one season and for another season you have to buy a new one.
• The Traditional Wedge – These are made of thicker and harder material and don’t have any weak points like the wood grenade. It is very basic in design and resembles a lean and extended form of the axe. You just need to place it in the crack on the piece of log you need to split. It may not give you an exact split, you may get the bigger and smaller split piece but as the head is small the hit is generally dealt into the wood with greater force.

The process of splitting a Wood with a Wedge

Using something like a wood splitting wedge can make your life easier. Splitting down woods for the fire will become little hassle free but this can only be achieved if you are ready to learn the process to use the wedge, have a small amount of patience and practice hard to learn the trade.

We have listed down here all the things from the process to follow, to the material you will need to become a pro in this art and follow through flawlessly. These tips will help you in getting logs of firewood split in no time.

• Check the materials that you will need for splitting the wood. The first thing that should come in your mind is your safety so safety gear which includes gloves, boots and safety glasses is a must. Other than this you will need a wedge and an axe. A chopping block is also required so that the wood you will split can be provided with support.
• The area where you are planning to go ahead with the process needs to clean any plant, limbs and should be leveled so that you can stand firmly while swinging the axe. This area has to be wide enough so that the process can be carried out without any hindrance.
• Having a good chopping block is a must when thinking of splitting the wood. The ideal size of the block is around 12 inch in height and about 15-18 inch wide. It could be a section of old tree or an old stump. Splitting against the ground is not advisable as you may end up destroying the edge of the axe and splinters can fly in the wrong angle. If your axe is ruined you will be putting in double hard work.
• Where you place your wedge will determine how neat and easy your splitting experience will be. While driving in the wedge look for the weak points in the wood and do the splitting from that point while driving the wedge in that point. If not so you place the wedge in the middle. How do you use a thing like a wood splitting wedge to split the wood from the middle? Hold the wedge at the point you want it to drive in, be careful hold it from little lower so that you don’t harm your arm and use the hammer side of axe to place it in.
• The most crucial step in the process of splitting of wood has arrived. Since the wedge is placed at the right angle and you may think that you just need to strike, but driving the Wedge is not that easy, you may need to practice a lot. Just be patient and keep trying. Splitting a soft wood is still easy but for a hard or knotted wood, you may even need to put two wedges each in opposite direction to do the deed.

Once you excel in the process you may never look back to the days of getting split and cut pieces of woods from the shop. Most of the time the wood can be split using an axe but the need to use something like a wood splitting wedge arises when you encounter wood which is hard, knotted and is capable of sweating you and still not able to be split into pieces.

You just need a lot of patience and practice hard to become a pro in splitting up woods. Winters will be no more headaches when you can store your own logs and you know that a man who knows his tools and basics is a hot commodity.