You’ve Been Splitting Kindling Wrong This Entire Time But Not Any More…

wood chop

Sometimes, getting a log to stand up for traditional splitting is nigh on impossible. Other times you may find yourself in an area where it’s not safe to swing an ax. In those circumstances, you should reduce your risk of injury with the splitting method known as contact splitting. Learn this method below.

1. To contact split kindling, first cut a round piece of dry hardwood 3 or so inches in diameter and 16 to 24 inches long. Place the axe along the wood lengthwise, with the cutting edge pressed into the top of the piece. Hold the opposite end of the wood tight against the axe handle. This will create a triangle of sorts, with the wood on the bottom and the axe handle forming the downward slant.
2. Holding the wood securely centered on the axe handle and the cutting edge, lift the axe and wood together, then slam the axe-head end of the wood against a solid surface. This stroke will drive the cutting edge into the wood, splitting it
3. Repeat the process with split lengths, dividing each piece until the desired thickness is achieved.

While you won’t be able to use this method with large logs, due to the difficulty of holding both a log and your ax in your hands, you can certainly apply this technique to smaller lengths of wood in order to make kindling for your fire. It will be far safer and far more effective than most other methods.

It’s important that you keep your ax as sharp as possible in order to ensure that the blade bites easily into the wood. Try this technique out for your next campfire!

For more tricks like this, check out the original article at Field and Stream.


5 Comments

  1. Nicholas Brown said:

    Less work and easier..Use the back of your hatchet to put a 3 inch by 2ft into the ground about 6 inches or so.. lay the log youre splitting down with one butt against your post and just pop it from the side on the ground or elevated

  2. Jeff Ovington said:

    May I point out..
    Most important.. Stay away from Dept Store made in China Crap..
    Spend the money, Get yourself an Ox, HB, Wetterling, Husqvarna are made by Wetterling.
    World of difference..
    Yeah you spend the money, but true to the word of survival..
    Only the strongest fittest and smartest will survive.

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