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This is a bit outside the HN box, but I love our Kindling Cracker[1]. We made a little outdoor seating area with a fire pit and then realized we needed to figu

This is a bit outside the HN box, but I love our Kindling Cracker[1]. We made a little outdoor seating area with a fire pit and then realized we needed to figure out how we were going to fuel it. Plenty of downed trees around us, but we came to realize that logs didn't burn well unless they were split. I did not trust myself to start swinging an axe around and went looking for alternatives. I found this and gave it a shot. We got the King/XL model which can accept a 9" piece of wood which is most of the pieces we would want to use in a fire pit anyway. It is an incredibly simple setup, basically a solid cast iron rig. You place the log standing vertically in it with the end on the wedge. Whack the other side with a hammer until it splits. The thing is actually a bunch of fun to use, and they're not kidding when they show kids doing it. My little one loves to whack the log with the hammer once I get it started and stable, and she is capable of really splitting it on her own power. She won't crack a full on log, but anything smaller succumbs to her mini-might :-) [1] https://www.kindlingcracker.com/ https://www.kindlingcracker.com/

avidal 5y ago
These things are very cool. I buy wood from a local wood yard every year or two (I don't use much here in Texas, but we do love our firepit and fireplace when it's cool enough), but the splits I get are often too large to easily burn. I'll often buy a bag of kindling when I pickup fire wood, but the kindling doesn't last long. The main reason I didn't get a kindling cracker is because I don't have a stable base to mount it, although I suppose I could manufacture one next to the wood rack. I did, however, get a hydraulic wood splitter[1] which at least helps split some of the really large logs into something more manageable. It's pretty simple to use and very effective, even on the very knotty and hard oak wood out here. [1] https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tools/log-splitters/10-ton-hydraulic-log-splitter-67090.html https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tool...

avidal 5y ago

These things are very cool. I buy wood from a local wood yard every year or two (I don't use much here in Texas, but we do love our firepit and fireplace when it's cool enough), but the splits I get are often too large to easily burn. I'll often buy a bag of kindling when I pickup fire wood, but the kindling doesn't last long. The main reason I didn't get a kindling cracker is because I don't have a stable base to mount it, although I suppose I could manufacture one next to the wood rack. I did, however, get a hydraulic wood splitter[1] which at least helps split some of the really large logs into something more manageable. It's pretty simple to use and very effective, even on the very knotty and hard oak wood out here. [1] https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tools/log-splitters/10-ton-hydraulic-log-splitter-67090.html https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tool...