Splitting firewood correctly

In general, felled wood should be processed as quickly as possible. The longer it dries, the harder it becomes and the more difficult it is to split.

For the size of the logs, 33 centimeters is the usual measurement. In other words, a third of a meter piece. For clean burning in the fireplace, smaller sizes are better than larger ones. If you can grasp a log with both hands, it has an optimum circumference.

Splitting wood can be an enjoyable and satisfying but also strenuous task. To make it as safe and back-friendly as possible, a knee-high chopping block should always be used as a base.

It protects the tool when hammering and is easy on the back.

A chopping block height at knee height has proven to be effective and ensures that the splitting axe hits the log at maximum speed.

The diameter of the chopping block should not be less than 40 cm.

To minimize the effort required, special splitting axes should be used for splitting wood. Thanks to their wedge-shaped blade, they are ideal for splitting wood in the direction of the grain.

The sharp cutting edge penetrates the wood easily and the wedge-shaped, widening form of the blade pushes the wood apart.

Ideally, the splitting axes are equipped with a leather handle guard, which protects the tool in the event of mis-hits and thus increases its service life. A leather edge guard also prevents wear on the sharp blade during transportation. The axe head should be oiled for longer storage to protect it from rust. If the cutting edge does become blunt, it can usually be sharpened by resharpening.

Some logs or types of wood are so knotty or hardened that even a splitting axe reaches its limits. The only solution here is to use a splitting wedge and splitting hammer. Splitting wedges come in different shapes, sizes and designs. The wedge surfaces are scaled on the sides or also provided with grooves and ridges to achieve a better effect – like the splitting axe. Rotary splitting wedges are a special type of wedge that transmit the force of the impact even more effectively into the wood due to their twisting and significantly increase their splitting effect due to the wider wedge angle. Splitting wedges are usually driven in with a special splitting hammer. Hitting steel on steel can lead to splintering of parts and poses a great risk. Our “Safety” version of splitting hammers and splitting wedges is ideal for this, as they are protected by a hard rubber head.