Great tool for splitting wood

I’ve used a number of tools and methods for splitting wood into useable pieces - whether for handles, planks or just for kindling.

They include the splitting maul (good for short sections of trunk and thick branches), sledgehammer and wedges (good for large and long sections of trunk), the hatchet (for splitting fire wood into kindling) and the coachmaker’s side axe (good for squaring up).

However, by far the best for all-round use is the froe, also known as a riving axe.

Mine is from Gransfors Bruks, one of the few remaining makers of axes that still uses hand forging.

They’re not cheap £59.95 from Tamarack Outdoors - but you get a high-quality, hand-made tool that’s far better than the cheaper (and handle-less) froes sold by some UK tool retailers.

It’s also of a much higher quality than most of the older froes that appear on ebay from time to time.

The froe is fairly simple to use - drive the blade into the end of the piece of timber to be split using a wooden mallet (make one from green timber) and then apply torque using the wooden handle. Repeat until the wood is split.

The piece of timber to be split should be held, preferably in the crotch of a piece of tree trunk (ie where a branch comes out of the trunk).

You can guide the split surprisingly well using the handle, making the froe ideal for cutting handles, splitting out rails for a post and rail fence, and planking. On top of that, there are its traditional uses for splitting shingles and shakes.

You can also push the froe through the wood using hand power alone, giving more accuracy.

And for those who fancy forging their own froe, have a look at Jock Dempsey’s guide.