Expert Wood-Splitting Tips

Expert Wood-Splitting Tips WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 33-6-31 You can take some of the work out of splitting wood with some simple ideas from a Minnesotan who works with wood for a living. Scott Hendershot is a chainsaw carver and log home builder. His first tip is a method to hold wood blocks in place. "I screw three 6 to 7-in. screws into the top of my wood-splitting block, about 2 in. apart in a triangle," Hendershot says. "Leave about 1 1/2 in. sticking out, and grind the heads of the screws into points." Drop the block of wood down hard on the points so it stays in place as you quarter it or split it into kindling. He also uses spikes to hold blocks of wood horizontally when he wants to make wood shavings for starting fires by cutting along the grain of the wood with a chainsaw. "You just have to be careful you don't cut too far and hit the spikes," Hendershot says. "When you've cut all you want, just turn the block upright and split the rest of it." His final tip regards splitting technique, to avoid getting the ax stuck. "It's not about how hard you hit. It's about how you hit," he says. "Just as the ax hits the block and goes in 1/4 to in., flip the ax sideways like it's prying the wood." Think of that motion and practice, he suggests, and wood splitting will be a lot easier. "One more thing," Hendershot adds. "For safety, make sure you put a block of wood over the spikes when you're done splitting wood for the day." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Scott Hendershot (ph 877 410-2580).

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