Types of Old Wood Splitters

Modern mechanical gas or electric-powered log splitters utilizing hydraulics or pistons as a means to effectively split logs are faster, more efficient and much less labor intensive than their predecessors. Before the advent of applying up to 40 tons of pressure to split large logs mechanically, man was left to ingenuity, hand tools and brawn to prepare firewood for winter. But the physical exertion and brain power of the old-fashioned wood splitters oftentimes outweighs the cost of the more expensive modern machinery. Case in point: Many people still use the older, tried and true methods.

A maul closely resembles a long-handled ax except it weighs much more and is more angular than its lightweight cousin. The iron maul is triangular in shape with a point at one end to pierce and begin the wood splitting, but its wide angle exerts pressure outwardly as well. It has a near prying effect on a log that you are attempting to split. Oftentimes a maul is used with a large heavy wooden mallet to maintain the pressure on splitting the wood while striking the blunt side of the maul to complete the split. Unless you're a lumberjack or participate in the World's Strongest Man competition, a 6- or 8-lb. maul is usually sufficient. Since mass times velocity equals force, unless you can swing a heavier maul with the same velocity, you're likely to produce as much force with a lighter maul and greater swinging velocity.

Wedges are shaped much like mauls, with wide angles to exert outward force to split a log, except wedges have no handle. Wedges are used in a number of ways. Usually, after a maul has created the initial split, a wedge is hammered into the split either using a sledgehammer or the blunt end of the maul to maintain exertion on the outward pressure to split the wood. Oftentimes multiple wedges are used, depending on the thickness of the tree trunk. Multiple wedges are also used if the log is split vertically along its length, as opposed to horizontally when the trunk has been cut to lengths that are set flush on a cut end. When they are used vertically (lengthwise) along the trunk, several wedges are almost always used to split the length of the trunk.

Axes are the lightweight, streamlined cousin of the maul and are used much as you would a maul only with thinner trees, cutting limbs or to finish up the work started by mauls or mauls and wedges.

This cast iron cylindrical blaster is lesser known and far less used than the brawny maul, wedge and ax, probably because it's so potentially dangerous. The cast iron splitter flares out at one end, which is enclosed, and funnels down to a smaller opening at the splitting end. The blaster is filled with black gun powder and wadded to ensure an explosion rather than a fizzle. The open narrower end is hammered into the center of a large tree; there is no telling how large a tree this would split. A fuse is inserted and everyone clears away for the explosion. The blaster is as remarkably effective for large trees as it is dangerous. Wise woodsman will buttress the flat end of the splitter with another large log and stake the log in place, preventing the recoil from sending the splitter flying with the log it is splitting. The wood splitters are truly antiques and are difficult to come by. They're also pretty powerful judging from the size tree they can split.