Most people with a wood burning stove, will already have their logs seasoned and cut to the appropriate size. However, there are still people who prefer to split fire wood themselves. If you are considering splitting your own wood for your wood burning stove, here are a few pointers to help you:
Safety First – Ensure that there is no one nearby, and also there is nothing you don’t want damaged nearby either! It is also a good idea to use safety goggles and steel toe capped boots or shoes.
Finding a maul or axe – A maul tends to be heavier than your usual axe. It also has a wider head, which makes it more suited to splitting wood. Sharpness isn’t as important as many people think, as after all you are not cutting the wood, but splitting it.
Wood – Ideally wood should be seasoned before splitting, as it can help – although people still successfully split wood, which is still green. Look for anything, which could cause an issue in splitting, such as nails in the wood or knots in the wood structure – this will make it very hard to split, even if the knot is sat inside a nice, splittable line in the wood.
Split along the wood – Place the wood you intend to cut on a chopping block if you can, or somewhere where it can safely stand up on its own. Look for a split or a line in the wood, using this as an “aim” point will produce the best results, as the line or split is where the wood is most able to quickly, and cleanly separate. Always aim for the centre of the wood to reduce the chances of it breaking its stance, falling over, or firing off at an angle when being hit. Also marking the line or split you have seen with chalk or similar can help you when using the axe.
Your positioning – To ensure the maul or axe will hit the wood in the desired location, place yourself in a way that when you swing with straight arms, the head of the maul or axe will hit the wood in the centre. A word of caution here is to err on the side closer to you. If you do miss, and this can happen often, the maul or axe will hit the ground nearest to you. If you miss and your aim is too far the other side, you will risk the arm of the maul or axe violently hitting the wood. This hurts, can be dangerous and can break the tool you are using too.
When you are going for the split, don’t reply on brute force, but stand with your legs apart a little, pull the axe over your head and then swing it straight forward, building up speed and allow the weight of the axe to do the work. Trying too hard could mean you could over stretch yourself, risk missing the wood totally, and possibly doing yourself an injury.
Remember to take your time, and be safe. Before you know it you would have successfully split a load of wood, all ready to season or burn on your stove!
