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cassandra

Splitting kindling

If, like me you are regularly narrowly missing (or not quite missing) your fingers when splitting kindling, this seems like a brilliant invention. If not appropriate, mods please remove.

http://www.kindlingcracker.com/the-product.html
sean

Looks quite neat. I wonder how easy/hard it is to sharpen.
jamanda

Kindling Crackers are shipped from New Zealand to the United Kingdom for $120 GBP (1 unit)..... $210 GBP (2 units)
Delivery is included, even to a rural address (Usually 4- 5 working days)
sean

Not for 120 quid though.
Hairyloon

Looks quite neat. I wonder how easy/hard it is to sharpen.

Shouldn't need to be particularly sharp.
Not for 120 quid though.

Nor even dollars.
A stout knife placed atop the stick and whacked with a bat is a way to cut kindling without risking your fingers.
Treacodactyl

Looks like it makes small logs rather than what I regard as kindling. For that I would just stand a suitable log on a level chopping block and hit with a suitable axe - no fingers need to be near the sharp bit.

For finer kindling, lay the log flat, hold one end with one hand (to stop it flying up) and split the other end with the axe.

Having said that, I tend to find enough kindling is produced when splitting logs to not need to specifically split kindling.
dpack

i try to choose bits that can be split into short,thin, boards with an axe or maul,hammer and wedge and them turn em into sticks with a gentle double bump with a decent general purpose woodsman's axe or short heavy general purpose knife (saxe,kukri,small cleaver,etc ,even a good quality bushcraft knife )and a log as a mallet can make wedges ,boards and kindling and so on.

to do it properly some sticks should be feathered to create the initial kindling
dpack

ps the thing above looks like a "log grenade" or similar pointy twisty thing welded into a frame.

pps if the log is fully driven in but not split how easy is it to free it and reject it or start again?
cassandra

I imagine that is what the flanges at the bottom are for dpack - they drive the split open as the log travels downward under the force of the blow. But yes, if the log shifted sideways and got wedged one side or the other of the central splitting face that could be a problem! Mistress Rose

It looks like a good idea for small quantities, but as Treacodactyl says, looks as if it would make small logs, and they would have to go in again. Certainly useful for someone who can't safely use an axe of hatchet, but could use a hammer or mallet. It has given me an idea for something that might suit us and make our particular set up, which doesn't use logs, but split stuff, faster. Will have to discuss it with husband and work out about things like how to sharpen before it goes any further than my head though.

I always wear a leather glove on the hand not using the hatchet in case of accident, so that gives me some protection anyway. Thanks for posting Cassandra.
Hairyloon

The most impressed I have been at a kindling machine was simply a small motor driving a large flywheel with a crank to a blade.
Blade constantly goes up and down, you put the log in: bam, bam, bam, it's in pieces.
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