"It makes most other splitters as old fashioned as a horse and buggy," says John O'Brien, of Webster, Wis., inventor of the "Log Hog", a two-way, two-log log splitter.

"With most splitters, you split one log then wait for the return stroke. You spend as much time waiting as you do splitting wood. With the Log Hog, you cut two logs, and then cut two more on the return stroke, which makes it four times as fast as conventional splitters," explains O'Brien.

The Log Hog is built around a steel I-beam. There's a 3-in. dia., 24-in. cylinder mounted on either side of the beam, attached to the splitting blocks on the cutting table. At either end of the cutting table, there is a single-edged cutting wedge and, in the center, a two-edged wedge. Forward splitting pressure is 34,000 psi, and back stroke 23,000 psi.

The splitter's detachable Briggs and Stratton engine can be used for other chores when splitting chores are done. Mounted on a two-wheeled frame, the splitter is equipped for down-the-road travel.

"We build this splitter out of the best materials and the heaviest steel. The stress on a piece of wood-cutting equipment over the years is tremendous and the materials have to be top quality," says O'Brien.