Safely splitting wood with thin knives

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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
I buy shake blocks of western red cedar for carving. 24" long x 12" x 8", more-or-less. $5 each at the mill.
I had a blacksmith make a froe for me. 12" bevel and 3/8" stock metal. The mallet is a chunk of alder log.
The first strike has to be a big one to set the froe otherwise it bounces.

A knife just won't work at all = not enough of a wedge to be useful.
Some blocks are tougher than others, I have a bunch of WRC wedges that won't dent the wood for splitting .
 

Kepis

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 17, 2005
6,690
2,106
Sussex
A knife just won't work at all = not enough of a wedge to be useful.
Some blocks are tougher than others, I have a bunch of WRC wedges that won't dent the wood for splitting .

If you read what I wrote, I said I use it to split stuff up to a couple of inches diameter, i.e. the same size sticks people generally split with a knife, the froe made from a knife does work and has done so since I made it.

It's not used to make shingles or cracking open 12" diameter logs, for those jobs, I have blacksmith and vintage froes in various lengths and styles to do the job at hand.
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
A thin, sharp knife is excellent of splitting off slivers and fashioning tooth picks.
I never carry a toothbrush so need something to half decent to clean my teeth with.
 

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