How to Split Firewood

Pro Tip: Thomas Baker, This Old House building technology editor, notes that traditional wedge-shaped axe heads have a tendency “to get stuck, or skip off and slice into the ground, or, heaven forbid, a foot.” If you’re splitting wood regularly, investing in a purpose-built splitting axe with a leveraging head design can pay for itself in both efficiency and safety.

In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares a quick tip to make wood splitting easier.

Steps:
1. Set the log to be split on top of a chopping block.
2. Tightly wrap a bungee cord around the bottom third of the log. If necessary, extend the reach of the bungee with a length of plastic chain.
3. Split the log into at least four pieces using a maul. The bungee cord will hold the log together and prevent the split pieces of firewood from falling off the chopping block.
4. Carry the split log over to the firewood pile, then disconnect and remove the bungee cord.

Why Split? Wood needs to be split for two reasons: to reduce it to manageable pieces, which burn more efficiently, and to dry it out. Bark seals in moisture. Green wood is more than half water, which robs a fire of energy—and therefore heat. A colder fire smokes and produces creosote, which can contribute to chimney fires.

Choose the Right Tool: While some people like to use an 8-pound splitting maul, a 6-pounder can be swung faster with less effort. Others prefer a splitting ax, which has a thicker, more wedge-shaped head than a felling ax and is lighter than a maul. Don’t confuse a splitting maul with a standard ax—an ax head has a thin profile designed to cut fibers, whereas a maul’s wide head is designed to drive down and separate the wood apart.

Pro Tip: Always stand the log on a chopping block, such as a stump, which preserves sharp tool edges and puts your energy into the log being split rather than into the ground. When swinging, aim for checks—the natural cracks visible in the log’s end grain—as they are weaknesses that make splitting easier. And always bend your knees at swing’s end to ensure that a glancing blow ends up in the dirt, not in your foot.