chopping wood

[Dexter's Shed]

brilliant idea

http://youtu.be/2vThcK-idm0

[Wendelspanswick]

I prefer this one, I would have thought it was right up your street.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmtMv7Cz0HA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[SimonFisher]

He's standing too far away from the splitting head, see this is how it should be done

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEfbvZJYEio

[oldclaypaws]

Reminds me of my pal Robert who spends much of the day feeding wood into a circular saw to make chopping boards. He has eight fingers and one thumb. One slip or miscalculation........health and safety would have a fit.

[SimonFisher]

Going back to the original idea of the chain around the log ... fine until you get a log that doesn't cleave quite so readily as that one in the video, and the chain ends up coming between your blade and the block.

A loop of elastic and rope dispensing with the chain might be preferable. I can see that the chain and hook gives a means of adjusting the required length / size of loop, but you could easily have a few different lengths made up for whatever size logs you're splitting.

[oldclaypaws]

You could use a bungee cord and a thin nylon rope or string about 3mm thick, instead of a metal chain. Just double the string up and tie a series of knots along the length to make a 'nylon chain', it'll do the same thing without any risk of damaging the axe from a chain v axe argument. - Or just use plastic chain, available from DIY outlets @ about £3 / metre.

[Andy M]

.....or old bicycle wheel inner tube

[Truncator]

I like this splitter!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1HZztie5ac

[Wendelspanswick]

I wonder if he leaves the splitter attached when he's not using it?

[oldclaypaws]

An entertaining hillbilly character here demonstrating a similar device called a stickler. Checked and they don't appear to be available in the UK. Not sure how the wife would feel if I borrowed her Ford Ka to try one on. The sound takes a few seconds to kick in on the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99U-_ckFn2Q

There's another one of someone who converted a Honda Civic to drive one !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89O6j1SOUVs