Kindling cracker?

[Wood Doctor]

I have used a splitter to make bunches of kindling for starting brush piles. Slab a chunk then stack the slabs and split the pile several times.

Harry K

Same here, Harry. Thought I would revive this thread because I got a kindling cracker for a birthday present this week. I tried it out and yes, it does work provided you select dry logs with a straight grain and barkless. Kind of fun, actually, and no need to worry about fuel, electricity, or batteries. If there are knots on board the log, forget it. Stuck logs that don't break free are also not that easy to remove.

Regardless, I can split down ordinary firewood logs two or three times using my hydraulic splitter and just about keep up with the New Zealand kindling cracker. I usually carry a couple of empty boxes to the hydraulic splitter and pack them. In an hour I will produce almost a month's supply.

And, my firewood customers are always happy when I bring them a batch along with their truckload. One gal threw in an extra $10, and I have to wonder if the box of dry kindling generated that.

 

[dwasifar]

I chuck my hatchet into my bench vise sharp side up, hold the wood on the blade edge, and smack it on top with a hammer. No mooshed thumbs or severed fingertips, and the splits fall into a box on the floor.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Same here, Harry. Thought I would revive this thread because I got a kindling cracker for a birthday present this week. I tried it out and yes, it does work provided you select dry logs with a straight grain and barkless. Kind of fun, actually, and no need to worry about fuel, electricity, or batteries. If there are knots on board the log, forget it. Stuck logs that don't break free are also not that easy to remove.

Regardless, I can split down ordinary firewood logs two or three times using my hydraulic splitter and just about keep up with the New Zealand kindling cracker. I usually carry a couple of empty boxes to the hydraulic splitter and pack them. In an hour I will produce almost a month's supply.

And, my firewood customers are always happy when I bring them a batch along with their truckload. One gal threw in an extra $10, and I have to wonder if the box of dry kindling generated that.

I just stack the kindling in. Probably end up with 2 5 gal pails worth per cord or so. I don't make any special effort to make it, just what comes out the processor.

I get tips sometimes no exact rhyme or reason. Like last night, bill was $349 and she gave me $360.
Last year I had a customer give $100 tip on 1 cord of wood!

 

[Wood Doctor]

I chuck my hatchet into my bench vise sharp side up, hold the wood on the blade edge, and smack it on top with a hammer. No mooshed thumbs or severed fingertips, and the splits fall into a box on the floor.

Seems like the hatchet could produce two halves that do not come completely apart. The kindling cracker allows the sides to drop another 7 inches or so. Your bench vise jaws would tend to block the drop and not divide the two splits nearly as much. And, the vise mounted up on a 3' bench seems too high. Just MHO.

 

[Tenderfoot]

That looks like a far more complex way of doing what I did when I was doing more blacksmithing. I just used my hot cut hardy tool and whacked kindling in half on a hammer. They probably saw someone doing that and got the idea.
Looks like this:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8ri0YOYTM5M/hqdefault.jpg

 

[Philbert]

I have see it at sales demos. Seems like a great idea, with a great story, and a good choice for some folks. But priced at about twice what it should be for what you get. Also a little concerned how the cast pieces will hold up. Patent will run out in a few years, and you will see it for a lot less. I'll be older then, and maybe want one to use for re-splitting small stuff for kindling.

Philbert

 

[dwasifar]

Seems like the hatchet could produce two halves that do not come completely apart. The kindling cracker allows the sides to drop another 7 inches or so. Your bench vise jaws would tend to block the drop and not divide the two splits nearly as much. And, the vise mounted up on a 3' bench seems too high. Just MHO.

You're saying all that like I haven't tried it.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I have see it at sales demos. Seems like a great idea, with a great story, and a good choice for some folks. But priced at about twice what it should be for what you get. Also a little concerned how the cast pieces will hold up. Patent will run out in a few years, and you will see it for a lot less. I'll be older then, and maybe want one to use for re-splitting small stuff for kindling.

Philbert

I have to agree with Philbert's strength assessment. It could get beat up if the 3-lb sledge hits the frame square. So far I've missed the frame and hit the log each time. A 20" long round, about 12" dia. would be a good support for it, assuming the ends are cut square. However, there are times when the splits jam inside, and if it were screwed or bolted to the support, you might find it tough to get rid of the log jam.

 

[Johnny Yooper]

that's what I like about our species......we make a gadget for just about anything; faster, easier, safer, maybe or maybe not worthwhile depending on your individual situation.

This month's kindling story:
Was up at deer camp earlier this month and since there are no deer (due to large canine predators, but that's another story) I left the bow at home and packed the huskies for some firewood cutting. Also threw a dozen cedar stumps in the back of the truck for the trip as I knew there'd be time to chop some kindling, and I was plum out at camp as well as at home; camp and sauna both have barrel type stoves; home has freestanding stove in living room, outdoor boiler, outdoor fire pit and syrup stove that operates March & April each year; so we go through a fair amount of kindling. Felled a bunch of cedar trees at camp this spring/summer yielding about 75 logs for a building project coming up next summer, and since those trees taper quite a bit at the stump, there is some "waste" at the bottom, but I cut the trees close to the ground and then simply whacked off the tapered part when cutting log lengths. Then I went back in the swamp to retrieve every one of those bottom cut offs; must have had over 30; never seem to have time at home to chop kindling, so a dozen or so of the cutoffs came to camp with me; that resulted in six boxes, five in the pic below, left one box at camp; all that done in an hour so, with an ax and a large basswood stump for a working platform, the guys sat on the porch, drank beer and watched while I chopped. Sometimes I don't wear a glove on the holding hand but with this last session I did just because I was cutting so much at once. I've been using this method for over 40 years and no stitches or band-aids. I guess I wouldn't spring for one of those kindling crackers, but to each their own. Happy chopping!

 

[Wood Doctor]

I never thought about using cedar logs to make kindling. I must be brain dead. I have a dozen or so dry, split cedar logs lying around and that would work to perfection. I just plain forgot about how easy cedar is to split, and it burns like popcorn. I'll try it next week with the cracker and try to post a Pic of the results.

Johnny, I do note that you tend to take the kindling down further into thinner strips that than I did so far. That would light the fire faster yet, so I'll give that a shot with a few extra whacks. Bravo!

 

[muddstopper]

I usually just pull off some splinter of wood I have already split. Doesnt take but a minute and there are always splintters.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I usually just pull off some splinters of wood I have already split. Doesn't take but a minute and there are always splinters.

Yep, but you need a container to collect the splinters. I never seem to have one handy to collect them all. And, the splinters are random length, random width, and a mixture of dry and green wood. Regardless, it's a good idea. I hate dumping splinters into my burn bin.

 

[Johnny Yooper]

I never thought about using cedar logs to make kindling. I must be brain dead. I have a dozen or so dry, split cedar logs lying around and that would work to perfection. I just plain forgot about how easy cedar is to split, and it burns like popcorn. I'll try it next week with the cracker and try to post a Pic of the results.

Johnny, I do note that you tend to take the kindling down further into thinner strips that than I did so far. That would light the fire faster yet, so I'll give that a shot with a few extra whacks. Bravo!

you're right, burns like popcorn, and the wife and kids love the crackling sounds when we start a fire in the living room stove. As far as splitting small, well......that's just me being frugal, and I agree it does help get the fire going a little faster. The guys at camp were giving me crap for splitting so small but no one wanted the ax when I offered

 

[muddstopper]

Yep, but you need a container to collect the splinters. I never seem to have one handy to collect them all. And, the splinters are random length, random width, and a mixture of dry and green wood. Regardless, it's a good idea. I hate dumping splinters into my burn bin.

I usually take a 5gal bucket down to the splitting area and fill it full of bits and pieces that come off the splitter. Using a 6way wedge, I end up with a lot of good fire starters. I pushed a couple of FEL buckets full of pieces and dirt over the hill this week just to get rid of them. If you have a multi wedge splitter, you will have a almost endless supply of kindling wood.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I usually take a 5gal bucket down to the splitting area and fill it full of bits and pieces that come off the splitter. Using a 6way wedge, I end up with a lot of good fire starters. I pushed a couple of FEL buckets full of pieces and dirt over the hill this week just to get rid of them. If you have a multi wedge splitter, you will have a almost endless supply of kindling wood.

Yup. I've almost filled my burn pit already and it was dug 12ft deep, and around 10x10ft square. We had 5 or 6 fires in it. It's now about 3ft deep, filled with that much ash!

 

[Wood Doctor]

Today I cut some really dry ash with a friend and eventually split the logs with him. Several of the rounds were so large that we had noodle cut them in half to load them onto the tailgate. Noodle shavings were everywhere. My friend had two 5-gal pails with him and started stuffing them with the noodles. He said, "These are fabulous fire starters."

From now on, I'm carrying an empty container to the worksite as well.

 

[Philbert]

Neighbor wanted all my noodles for mulch.

Philbert

 

[Tenderfoot]

I have a hippy type paying me for my chips and bark. Take a truckload (long bed 1 ton) every week. Make a big pile and help them shovel. Saves me taking it to the dump.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Neighbor wanted all my noodles for mulch.

Philbert

Hard to believe, but I was cutting noodles on some big old oak rounds last year. A rancher showed up who raised horses and watched me for awhile. He left in his truck and came back with three barrels. We filled them all with the noodles. He handed me a $20 bill. He said, "My horses and I all love these a lot more more than hay. They work better."

 

[muddstopper]

My brother raises racking horses. He goes to a local sawmill and gets their sawdust to put in their stalls. They poop the stalls full, he shovels them out and puts in a big pile, and I put it in my garden. Free fertilizer.