How To Split Wood For Weaklings - Splitting Large & Tough Rounds By Hand With A Splitting Wedge

For a 66 yr old woman with a yard full of huge maple rounds, this was informative. I may (or may not) split these rounds myself, but understanding the process helps me understand How Wood Works - which seems to be my new passion since moving to Maine and living with wood stoves. Thanks a million!

I have split wood by hand for 40 years, get a bigger sledgehammer and use multiple wedges. It's actually great strength training.

Commenting since this video is for weaklings like myself. Thanks for the video. I'll be sure to apply it appropriately and pass it on to my weakling nephew. Take care and God bless bud.

Great info...I split same way...it keeps me in shape for a 63 yr old...thanks

Struggled with splitting logs before. Now, it’s much easier. Thanks for the advise. 👍

Placing the wedge radial you try to "crosscut" fibers which is far more difficult. Fibers grow in circular pattern, so I cut "slabs" off around the perimeter wich is more like ripping fibers and easier to split.

Wow, this guy's sense of humour is just excellent!!!

I just got done with splitting pine and juniper logs with sledge and two steel wedges. At 54 years old. Keep on trucking.

Got a stihl battery powered saw and cut a few quick plunges where I think the splits will be. Also carry 4 wedges a sharp hatchet and a digging iron with a semi sharp edge. You swing just like I do at the beginning but you do lose your patience...... I can relate. Been working on a huge red oak the last couple days. 38 inches at the base. I'm over 2 cords from this beast and still not done. 67 years old and retired so I have alot of time to play around.

Idk I’ve split some nasty knotty maple rounds with a maul but wedges make it soo much easier to split into half’s where you can than get it done with the maul.

Rubber Duc 3:16 "For he so loved the world that he shared his log splitting knowledge" Thanks!

Hi just been investigating how to do this for my own channel (UK based) loved the 2001 Space Odyssey theme, I think I prefer yours to the original. Got myself a fiskars x27 recently but will try the wedge method in my next vid as I have some ash rounds to split. Love your ethos, blessings.

Good video. Those big rounds sure produce a lot of splits quickly. You can also quarter them with your saw regardless of ones strength level.

I split some red oak prb varied between 30to36 inch dia and i am 49yrs old and have been swinging an 8 lbs maul that whole time it was a good workout especially if you have any knots whats made a big difference for me was switching to a 6.6 lbs muller it has impressed me

I like using 2 diamond wedges to break the giant pieces down. They bite into the wood much easier and when you use 2 it gets a nice crack started. The wedge like in this video is good when you need to make more precise splits.

Thank you! 66 yr old lady with an oak lying in my driveway. The chainsaw work was fun, (10” Black and Decker 20V cordless - I can handle it safely) but if I can split it folks will be delighted to take it away. Firewood is a commodity. Tree parts are trash. 🤔

I made some wedges out of a white oak limb. For the chain saw assist method they worked better than my metal splitting wedge. Eventually discovered that a 8 pound Fiskars splitting maul was best. Don't swing the Fiskars maul hard. Let the weight of the maul do the work. Hunt for an existing crack if possible. Keep hitting the round in a line going across the round. It always comes as a surprise when it starts splitting. The wooden wedges really work great on that first crack.

I felt your pain. I was splitting ash rounds yesterday as well using a wedge and mallet. It didn’t take long for the Husqvarna to come out. A whole bunch of elm yet to do, yuck!

I’ve never had much luck with that style of wedge starting a split on wood that is dense or green/wet. They always bounce out like yours. I use an very old Oregon wedge to get the split started. It has a much broader and curved face to it. If for some reason I get the Oregon down in the wood a long way and the round has not split apart, then I bring a wedge like this in play, starting it further in toward the center of the split that the Oregon has made. Then of course I bring out the splitter after the round is not of back breaking size. I mean the splitter is a hand tool, right? I have to wheel it out there by hand, start it by hand and feed the wood to it by hand… lol

thank you for your patience