Best (Car) Camping Splitter?

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pinnah

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Jul 28, 2011
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Folks,

I need advice on the best tool/technique for splitting firewood while car camping.

Here's the typical situation... Firewood needs to be purchased locally due to pests and is sold pre-split to fireplace size; typically about 6" to 8" across. The campsites have no splitting blocks but typically have a nearby downed tree, exposed roots or large rocks laying around that can be used as a block sort of.

We like to burn our fires with 3" to 4" logs (small fire through the evening), which typically means we need to quarter the purchased wood. We also need to split off kindling from the quartered sections.

A few words on techniques I've tried... Full force splitting with a strong 2 handed swing and the wood standing vertical is a 2 person affair due to the lack of flat, stable foundations. We rely on a 2nd person to hold the wood with a stick while it's balanced on a downed log or root. I'd much rather find a solution that allowed me to split by myself.

I've batonned hatchets before but I understand that a) wood handled hatchets aren't designed for this (opens up the hole) and b) the only solid tang hatchet I have is an Estwing, which is horrible for splitting due to its full and high hollow grind.

I've used the Ray Mears style side splitting technique where by the hatchet and wood are held together and then struck against a log. This works fine for splitting off kindling from 3" - 4" logs but doesn't work for me for quartering 6" to 8" logs.

I would consider using the "golf swing" technique (See video here: http://www.equip2endure.com/WatchVideo.aspx?id=6e529ccbd73c40778aa35bfe5a9a8e31) but would want a longer handle I think.

I should emphasize that I don't need a splitting tool for any reason other other than splitting.

Tools I'm considering and seeking advice on...

0) Considering packing a 2' section of 2x8 lumber to serve as a portable splitting base. Thoughts?

1) Considering replacing the 14" handle on my 1.5lb hatchet to 18" for more swinging power when swinging 2 handed.

2) Considering a heavier splitting hatchet like the Estwing Fireside Friend or Fiskars 17" Splitting Axe.

3) Considering packing a full length axe but it would be more cumbersome to pack.

Thoughts and advice greatly appreciated.
 
How about buying a full size splitting maul/axe? I think Harbour Freight has them for around $20
 
I'd certainly not baton any prized hatchet through anything as dense as, say, a neutron star.

But I have yet to see any discernible evidence that striking the poll w a wooden bat to drive the blade through conventionally available firewood causes any issues with the tool. Would the use of a baton not provide essentially equivalent wear on the tool as the wear caused by swinging it into the wood? I'd love more info about this since I tend to go this baton route out of the considerations for safety.
 
Find a branch—maybe 4” thick—that splits into a Y shape. Cut each side of the Y to about a foot from the stem. Lay it on the ground.

Lay the log you want to split in the crotch. Stand where the axe would hit your Y brace if the log wasn’t in the way. Swing to split.

In a less PC age they used to call this arrangement a “schoolmarm”.
 
I keep a home depot hatchet with a fiberglass handle and a hammer just for car camping. To date the hatchet hasn't deformed. I've must of hit it with a hammer a 1,000 times.
 
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If your primary need is splitting, then I'd say get the Fiskars splitter - it's a great tool for the price. But I would recommend the X17 (23.5"). Still very packable. :thumbup:
 
Thanks for the tips folks.

Smithhammer, is the 28" Fiskars still nimble enough to 1 hand split off kindling from small logs/boards (using the drop the blade and wood at the same time)?
 
Pinnah -

I have the 28" (X25) and I would say it's a bit big for one-handed work. But the 23.5" would likely work for that when choked up on. Some of it is going to be preference, of course, but I prefer a little more length than 17" for an axe that will be doing mostly splitting work.
 
Have you ever considered a khukuri? The campsite I went to earlier this month had similar considerations with the locally bought firewood. I don't own a hatchet, so the khukuri handled splitting duties. Batoning the steel blade won't be a problem, though I used a different technique. I would stand the wood on a stump and give it a nice controlled whack. Once the blade embedded itself in the wood I would just pick up the entire thing, wood and blade and bring it back down. 2 or 3 whacks was enough to split most pieces.

 
What you describe is what I often do with the 14" hatchet. Set the blade, lift the whole kit and kaboodle in the air and repeatedly whack on something hard.

I'd like to get to something that delivers one strike splits more consistently, with the caveats that I'd prefer to not pack a full length axe and I can't assume the availability of a stump.
 
One hit splits huh? Other than a maul or a full-sized axe I can't think of any other tools that deliver that kind of performance.
 
pjackst said:
I'd certainly not baton any prized hatchet through anything as dense as, say, a neutron star.

But I have yet to see any discernible evidence that striking the poll w a wooden bat to drive the blade through conventionally available firewood causes any issues with the tool. Would the use of a baton not provide essentially equivalent wear on the tool as the wear caused by swinging it into the wood? I'd love more info about this since I tend to go this baton route out of the considerations for safety.
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I'd like to hear more on this from people more experienced than I am.

My understanding, which could be wrong, is that this could open up the hole over time.

I do do this quite a bit and I think it's fine when chipping off small kindling sized bits off of a bigger piece. But I worry about it when trying to center split a larger piece.
 
I was taught that treating a wood handled axe as a wedge would deform the eye. So I didn’t.

I still use the same Plum axe I bought in the sixties. It’s still in great shape.

It must be a coincidence.
 
Long ago axe heads were made of wrought iron folded over and forge welded to a sliver of hard steel that formed the edge. It was widely believed that using the poll to hammer iron splitting wedges could cold-forge the iron and widen the eye, and maybe it could have. If you hammered the wedge and it didn't move at all you'd be hammering wrought iron with wrought iron....

Axes are no longer made that way, but somehow the belief has persisted. But now you're talking about cold-forging tempered steel with a wood baton? Even if you and your descendants try for the next 10,000 years you're not going to be able to do that.
 
Cougar Allen said:
Long ago axe heads were made of wrought iron folded over and forge welded to a sliver of hard steel that formed the edge. It was widely believed that using the poll to hammer iron splitting wedges could cold-forge the iron and widen the eye, and maybe it could have. If you hammered the wedge and it didn't move at all you'd be hammering wrought iron with wrought iron....

Axes are no longer made that way, but somehow the belief has persisted. But now you're talking about cold-forging tempered steel with a wood baton? Even if you and your descendants try for the next 10,000 years you're not going to be able to do that.
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Makes perfect sense. Thanks for that. :thumbup:
 
I use an Estwing Fireside Friend for splitting wood for the fireplace and when car camping. I'm not going to say it's the best tool for the application but I will say I have never been disappointed in it's performance. If you have plenty of room and need to split a lot of wood a full size maul would be better. I would recommend getting one with a fiberglass handle.
 
Well if you want to split wood any size fast, easily and be the talk of the campground then get a Woodwiz. My dad bought one years ago and it makes splitting really easy when an axe can't or won't do.
 
Smithhammer said:
If your primary need is splitting, then I'd say get the Fiskars splitter - it's a great tool for the price. But I would recommend the X17 (23.5"). Still very packable. :thumbup:
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I might get the 17. I got the hatchet and x25 for the trunk. I find the x25 to be on the heavy side, but it sure does split up those camp fire logs.
 
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