Derek Smith has been farming all of his life, and is an professional landscape gardener with over 22 years experience. He owns a 25-acre farm in Aberdeenshire with a focus on self-sufficiency, living off the land, and working with nature. Starting with safety, there are a few really good options out there. I should also mention that using a hatchet to split kindling can be dangerous but when done correctly, you greatly reduce the risk of harming yourself. I’ll explain more about that later. The opening at the top of the cast iron frame measures 6.5 inches, which should be enough for the average log, while the whole unit stands at 12 inches tall. It’s relatively compact and, unlike many of the other wood splitters out there, is quite quaint and charming to look at. It’s not something that you’ll have to hide away after each use – it’s almost a decorative item in itself. This is not what you should expect from either of the log splitters on display here. If you want to turn your logs into small splinters of wood to get your fire started, then stay right here. A machine like this is meant to make your life easier and to save you time. Not frustrate you, slow you done or simply not work. Best Type Of Wood For Kindling

The sharpness of the blade: For the blade to work effectively, it must be of the correct sharpness. This will ensure that your work goes on efficiently and no inconveniences caused by it being blunt. Eighteen-inch seasoned logs need at least 20 tons of driving force, while a green 18-inch log can require as much as 30 tons of force. Most gas and electric log splitters are full-beam, which means the bed is long enough to support the entire log. While there are a few other differences, the main difference with a half-beam log splitter is that the bed is shorter, so part of the hydraulic cylinder—that’s the moving part of the tool that applies the splitting force to the log—is unsupported. That doesn’t affect the power or performance of the tool, however; there are half-beam log splitters with just as much tonnage as their full-beam counterparts. I have found that this kinetic splitter is an outstanding splitter, for making kindling. In my eyes the thing that makes this great for a kindling splitter, is a mix of a few things. The first thing that stands out is just how fast this splitter is. If you’ve never used a kinetic splitter, you are in for a treat. Kinetics larger than this model have incredible cycle times to as low as 1 second. This particular model is a bit slower then that, but it still splits at an incredible speed. It does take a lot of the physicality out of splitting wood into kindling, which is also very nice. Write: DIY Garden (Harris Creative Ltd), Lytchett House, 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6FAIt is very durable being made in Australia with cast iron. It’s also cost-effective because it is maintenance free. No cost will be incurred trying to repair and maintain it. Whether you’re looking for a traditional approach to making kindling or your main concern is safety, you have several devices to choose from. It all comes down to what is important to you.

Out of all the hatchets in the world, the one I’m listing here is the one I believe is the best hatchet for the money. That doesn’t mean it’s the best overall, the cheapest, the lightest, etc.What I mean is, I think you get an incredible value for the price. You can use this Firewood Splitter for all your range of activities be it indoor or outdoor. It is durable as it is made of the highest quality alloy. The sharpness of the blade is very efficient to fulfill the intended purpose. The splitter does not favor either the right or left-handed people. All can use it comfortably. Blade: The blade doesn’t have to be razor-sharp to be effective because the applied force splits the wood grain quite easily. More advanced blades are contoured to split the log into numerous pieces of kindling with one blow. Most blades are cast as part of the structure. We have also seen removable blades made from a mixture of steel and titanium. These are very hard and take a good edge, which helps if you have particularly dense wood to split. Normally, that’s not an issue, and the fixed-blade type is more than adequate. As a general rule, gas log splitters are far more powerful than their electric counterparts. You’ll find gas log splitters with well over 30 tons of driving force, but 25 tons is about average. That’s enough to split logs up to around 24 inches in diameter.

Whatever your case is, I’ll go over some things to consider before deciding which tool is best for you and your family. Using this wood splitter is simple. You place your wood through the ring at the top, and then hold it steady while you tap it a couple of times with something weighty. This embeds it into the wedge. Then, hit it with a bit more strength a few times to push it down the wedge, and, as it moves down, it will split into smaller pieces of kindling. Depending on your own strength and the striking power of the hammer you use—a sledgehammer is the best choice—you can split logs as big as 12 to 14 inches in diameter. And at only 5 pounds, the wedge is light enough to carry around with you for splitting while camping or out at a cabin in the woods. This kindling splitter is very efficient because it splits the firewood faster, using less effort and with much ease when compared to a normal ax. It is safe to use because there are no sharp objects or the blade moving which may cause harm to you. Keep clear of the wedge while it does its work splitting the log. Never use your foot or hand to hold or steady the log while the wedge is in motion.

The scope of the patent is extensive. The key elements are the upward facing blade (and even multiple blades) beneath a safety ring/guard in all shapes and sizes. Any imitation featuring these elements is an illegal copy.As soon as you hold this wood splitter in your hands, you can feel its quality. This is a very sleek-looking, single-piece item that has been made entirely from cast iron. It features a round cast iron frame with a cast iron wedge in the middle – this is where the blade is. I used the Faithfull FAIFG4 4lb Club Hammer with this wood splitter, and found it to be the perfect weight and size. However, you could also use a mallet, or even a heavy piece of wood – so long as you have some weight in your hands, just about anything would work. Powerhouse kindling cutter removable titanium hand forged body and hand sharpened blade log splitter... Well, more so than trying to split the log in one fell swoop. Swinging both the axe and the wood together greatly reduces the chance of hurting yourself because you no longer have to hold the log with your other hand. That’s great but there is an even better approach; a method to remove the chance of a glancing blow to your fingers.