Splitting pine...

[JoshG]

I managed to get hold of a reasonable log of pine in the woods the other day, it's felled which has probably made it alot tougher then it otherwise would be. I'm having a hell of a time trying to split it. My hatchet isn't particularly good, it's a cheap B&Q hatchet that has been sharpened. I've tried a few methods of splitting it, in particular with the log between my legs at an angle (as shown in the Ray Mears bushcraft survival book!) but I can't seem to split it at all. I've stuck the axe in the centre a few times with considerable force and I can only seem to split the log about 1/5 of the way down, and it's not even a full split, more of a crack.

Any ideas? I'm pretty new to this so if i'm missing something fundamental I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[wolf]

the axe is a means of making other tools,try making some gluts with it.....

 

[shinobi]

I think you might have answered your own question. Trying to split a seasoned log with a blunt hatchet. You've got your work cut out for yourself.
In that situation, I'd follow Wolfs suggestion of using the hatchet to cut wedges and work on the cracks you've already made.

Hope that helps,

Martin

 

[Carcajou Garou]

If your hatchet is not really of good quality and you are looking for a better one later on, you could use this hatchet as a splitting wedge (make sure the hatchet head can take the pounding) and insert it into the previous crack and hammer it throught the (log?) To split firewood here at home I use a dedicated spliting maul and 2 splitting wedges with a sledge hammer, perhaps you could aquire similar devices where you live.
just a thought

 

[JoshG]

Great ideas, thanks guys.
I thought the mix of a crappy hatchet and seasoned hardwood wouldn't do too much good for splitting and such. The gluts idea sounds like the way forward! And I'll have to find me a splitting maul.

 

[steve a]

'I've stuck the axe in the centre a few times with considerable force and I can only seem to split the log about 1/5 of the way down, and it's not even a full split, more of a crack. '

Don't aim for the centre, aim for the top third to half, that should see you split it. It will of course depend on how thick the log is, profile of the axe head, and your skill.
Practice carefully

 

[rich59]

How do folks split small branches?

When putting together a fire-making drill set, whether bow or hand, I find for the hearth board it is ideal to have a piece of wood with a flat top and bottom and no more than half an inch thick. If I manage to start a split at one end it always seems to rapidly wander off line so only a couple of inches at most are split and instead of being nice and flat you get a slope out to the rounded surface of the branch. And ideally I want to split it twice to make both the top and bottom flat surfaces.

 

[MartiniDave]

Rather than splitting the branch I'd be inclined to carve it down to the thickness you want.

Dave

 

[Ogri the trog]

How do folks split small branches?

..... If I manage to start a split at one end it always seems to rapidly wander off line so only a couple of inches at most are split and instead of being nice and flat you get a slope out to the rounded surface of the branch. And ideally I want to split it twice to make both the top and bottom flat surfaces.

Rich59,
There is a trick to it, but you have to be patient in learning it. If you watch a hurdle maker or a bodger at work, it looks as though a split will magically follow a straight line. What you need to do, is have a long enough length so that you can put a slight bend into the piece you are working. Start the split and use a froe, axe, billhook etc to slowly open up the split - if it starts to wander off to one side, bend the thicker side away from the thinner side and continue the split - it should track back into line. But it will take practice.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Marts]

Rich59,
There is a trick to it, but you have to be patient in learning it. If you watch a hurdle maker or a bodger at work, it looks as though a split will magically follow a straight line. What you need to do, is have a long enough length so that you can put a slight bend into the piece you are working. Start the split and use a froe, axe, billhook etc to slowly open up the split - if it starts to wander off to one side, bend the thicker side away from the thinner side and continue the split - it should track back into line. But it will take practice.

ATB

Ogri the trog

This technique is quite a useful one to practice as it applies to splitting other things like tree roots.

 

[JoshG]

'I've stuck the axe in the centre a few times with considerable force and I can only seem to split the log about 1/5 of the way down, and it's not even a full split, more of a crack. '

Don't aim for the centre, aim for the top third to half, that should see you split it. It will of course depend on how thick the log is, profile of the axe head, and your skill.
Practice carefully

Thankyou for the advice.

 

[demographic]

I have a poll axe/splitting maul that is much wider than a felling axe and has a hammer back to batter wedges in.
As I currently have open fires it's usefull for splitting firewood.

Not needed wedges yet though cos it weighs about 8 pounds and the wider cross section is great for splitting wood.

Not even very sharp but the shape does all the work

I have also heard of a product called a wood grenade which is used to split firewood although I have never used one yet...

 

[Eric_Methven]

To split long branches using a froe, have a look at the photos page on my website. There's lots of pictures there.

To split a large felled trunk you need to make some wedges. Take a straightish branch about three or four inches in diameter and about twelve to sixteen inches long. Stand it up on a stump and keeping your fingers towards the top, start chopping bits off at the bottom, equally on both sides until you have a nice wedge. Now turn it over and do the same at the other end. You'll end up with a long piece of wood with a wedge at either end. Now saw it in half through the middle. Now you have two wedges.

With the log to be split lying on the ground put one end of it up against a stump. Place your axe on the end grain and give it a whack with a big heavy stick to knock it into the wood. The wood will start to split at one end. Leave the axe in the end and take one of your wedges. Pound the wedge into the crack that has started along the side of the trunk. By pounding the wedge in, the axe should have become loose. Remove the axe and place somewhere safe. Take the second wedge and pound it into the split a little further down the trunk. The first one should have loosened off. Remove it and place further down the split. Keep leapfrogging the wedges all the way down and you'll find the log pops open into two halves after you are past the halfway mark. You can then use the same method to split the two halves into quarters, eighths, sixteenths and so on.

The diameter of the tree being split is only determined by the size of the wedges and how hard you can pound them in. Early man used to make planks that way before saws were invented. The only tool you need for the whole operation is an axe. You can make the rest from what you find lying around.

Hardwood is best for making the wedges (ash being one of the best) and if you have time fire harden them to make them last longer. If you are only doing the one log, then use anything to hand. It doesn't matter if they get trashed at the end, it's not like they cost anything except a bit of muscle power.

Have fun,

Eric

 

[JoshG]

To split long branches using a froe, have a look at the photos page on my website. There's lots of pictures there.

To split a large felled trunk you need to make some wedges. Take a straightish branch about three or four inches in diameter and about twelve to sixteen inches long. Stand it up on a stump and keeping your fingers towards the top, start chopping bits off at the bottom, equally on both sides until you have a nice wedge. Now turn it over and do the same at the other end. You'll end up with a long piece of wood with a wedge at either end. Now saw it in half through the middle. Now you have two wedges.

With the log to be split lying on the ground put one end of it up against a stump. Place your axe on the end grain and give it a whack with a big heavy stick to knock it into the wood. The wood will start to split at one end. Leave the axe in the end and take one of your wedges. Pound the wedge into the crack that has started along the side of the trunk. By pounding the wedge in, the axe should have become loose. Remove the axe and place somewhere safe. Take the second wedge and pound it into the split a little further down the trunk. The first one should have loosened off. Remove it and place further down the split. Keep leapfrogging the wedges all the way down and you'll find the log pops open into two halves after you are past the halfway mark. You can then use the same method to split the two halves into quarters, eighths, sixteenths and so on.

The diameter of the tree being split is only determined by the size of the wedges and how hard you can pound them in. Early man used to make planks that way before saws were invented. The only tool you need for the whole operation is an axe. You can make the rest from what you find lying around.

Hardwood is best for making the wedges (ash being one of the best) and if you have time fire harden them to make them last longer. If you are only doing the one log, then use anything to hand. It doesn't matter if they get trashed at the end, it's not like they cost anything except a bit of muscle power.

Have fun,

Eric

Ta, Eric.