Basics of firewood splitting
When splitting rounds, you need a Splitting Axe. When splitting big rounds you may need a Splitting Maul and Wedges. Don’t let others come near you while splitting – both the swinging axe and spreading splitwoods constitute risks. The chopping block should be big, heavy and stable. The kind of wood in the chopping block is less important, but hardwood like oak is most durable. The block should be quite low, not higher than up to your knee. Stand the round of wood upright on the far side of a big chopping block. If you miss hitting the round, the axe will normally hit the chopping block rather than your leg. Keep both hands firmly around the handle, close to the knob of the handle, with arms straight. That, and a long handle, will give a good ‘‘swing”. Keep your arms straight and adjust the right distance to the round by help of the feet. Try to keep the axe handle horizontal when hitting the round. For safety reasons, the hands should never be higher than the axe head when the head is hitting the round. The block should be quite low, not higher than up to your knee.	A round is generally easier to split from the top end. When splitting gnarled cross-grained wood, it is very important that your axe is properly sharpe ned. It is common that bigger rounds that do not split from the first chop are split by means of its own weight: the axe’s bit is driven into an end of the round, turned and swung with the poll against the chopping block. This technique with a piece of wood wedged on the bit can be dangerous if a large chunk comes off in the swing.

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