Kindling splitter

[AKoz]

My wood burning stove has a catalytic combuster that is only supposed to be exposed to wood smoke. Hence I start my fires with small pieces of kindling. I have used a hatchet to split these pieces but I figure that in the 35 years I've done this I've long ago used up my luck and it's just a matter of time before I chop a finger. I am looking for the smallest sizes of wood to be like a wooden matchstick or maybe 1/2 a typical no. 2 pencil. I tried some other options that didn't work out but I feel good about this one. The welding is sloppier than I would like but as long as I don't paint it it's good enough. It stands about 9" tall.

 

[jjef]

Nice idea wish I would have seen or thought of something like it before I bought my xl kindling cracker a few yrs ago.

 

[Yomax4]

Nice one. I built similar to take cherry and hickory down to size for the smoker.

 

[RetiredMike]

I built something similar a few years ago. Not as fancy as the one featured here. Welded a metal felling wedge to a thick base plate and then put it into a square cloth basket I purchased at Walmart to keep the pieces in. I used a rubber mallet instead of a metal hammer to split the wood and to protect the sharp edge from accidental strikes with a hammer. Worked great. No pics of it though. Once I finish unpacking I will take a shot of it. Prior to that for larger work, I bolted two used tires together. Worked great for splitting large pieces as the ax handle only hit the rubber edge if my aim was wrong and the pieces stayed inside - which saved me from having to chase them down.

PS: Glad I joined this site. Lots of good info.

 

[AKoz]

I built something similar a few years ago. Not as fancy as the one featured here. Welded a metal felling wedge to a thick base plate and then put it into a square cloth basket I purchased at Walmart to keep the pieces in. I used a rubber mallet instead of a metal hammer to split the wood and to protect the sharp edge from accidental strikes with a hammer. Worked great. No pics of it though. Once I finish unpacking I will take a shot of it. Prior to that for larger work, I bolted two used tires together. Worked great for splitting large pieces as the ax handle only hit the rubber edge if my aim was wrong and the pieces stayed inside - which saved me from having to chase them down.

PS: Glad I joined this site. Lots of good info.

 

[AKoz]

It didn't take long before I realized the using a metal hammer to split the wood was not a good idea for the sharpness of the wedge. I made a small wood mallet instead and the splitter has turned out to have been a good idea.

 

[old and tired2]

I have an old axe head that I clamp into a vice for doing the same thing. I don't use big pieces of wood, usually 6" long. I have a cardboard box below it to catch the kindling.