Tools of the Trade: Log Splitter
The best kind of wood is free wood. This is true in wood turning and BBQ. This last fall my wife drove past a neighborhood house that was having a huge sugar maple tree cut down. The huge logs were laying in the driveway with a sign: Free Maple Wood! I came home with my truck and tailer full. Four months later, I’ve started to split it for BBQ. Maple has a sweet and smooth flavor and works well paired with Oak, Hickory, or Pecan.
Free wood is great, but splitting it with an axe or maul isn’t. Mechanical wood splitters cost a lot of money and take up a lot of space. For the backyard cook, its a dilemma.
A few years ago I found a tool that fit my wallet and my garage. This splitter uses a 10 ton hydraulic jack with two levers. One lever is set up to move the jack fast while the other moves the jack slower, but with more torque. Both are necessary.
It looks like a lot of work, but I can split a nice pile of seasoned wood like in the picture in about a half hour’s time.
There’s no way you could do this with an axe or maul. The price tag: $99. I’ve seen my money out of this tool several times over with what I save finding my own wood and not having to rent a large hydraulic splitter.
