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  • From: Misha Gale-Sinex <mgs2369@attbi.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Firewood splitters/question
  • Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 15:10:09 -0800

Howdy, all--

Here's a gadgetry question for you.

I have periodic bouts with painful (chemical-toxin-related) swelling in my joints. This makes one of my favorite tasks--splitting kindling--impossible. Well, not impossible, but the impact of even a low velocity wack generates more torture than I care to experience. And if I don't shove my body during these bouts of pain, it passes a lot faster than if I add impact trauma to it.

The woodstove has to be fed regardless. The routine here is to start with 14" or 16" split logs, mostly Doug-fir, and use an axe or similar tool to take off corners and poinks, simultaneously making kindling and carving the log into a more compact, slower-burning shape.

I have been researching various body-friendly gadgets for this second-tier splitting that don't use fossil fuels. One that I'm considering is an American-made version of a European tool, called here the Wood Wiz:
http://www.woodwiz.com/

Basically a four-pound weight that one throws down a shaft, attached to a splitting head, whose cutting edge gets planted in a seasoning crack to start. This way the impact is fully transferred to the log, and recoil of the sliding weight, rather than the tool-user's joints.

Has anyone used one of these things?

What's been your experience with it?

Any other tools that folks recommend?

I've also seen a foot-pump powered hydraulic splitter, the Mini Splitter.
http://www.minisplitter.com/

It's considerably more complex and expensive than the Wood Wiz. Anybody used one of those?


peace
mish






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michele Gale-Sinex

Home office: 360-459-5683
Home office fax: Same as above, phone first for enabling
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes a man's gotta do what a woman wouldn't even consider.
--Red Green



  • Re: [permaculture] snakes, Jerome Osentowski, 10/31/2002
    • [permaculture] Firewood splitters/question, Misha Gale-Sinex, 10/31/2002

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