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She will miss on occasion, the ring stops her from hitting the cutting edge. I've had to file the edge smooth once or twice. Really the thing works great though, it's pretty durable.
I'm surprised these have not been mentioned more on here. A kindling cracker has been a game changer for me, along with doing top down burns. I'm talking about use for a fireplace. I use it to make kindling and, as other have said, split larger logs into smaller sizes. My tip to this discussion is get a plastic storage tub/tote. It keeps the split kindling from flying all over the place and keeps the fine shavings so you can use them, in rolled up newspaper as a starter for example. If you use the cracker on a hard surface then put a rug or drop cloth under the tub (not shown in the pic) to absorb the hits to prevent the bottom of the tub from breaking.
I have hand split and used a kindling kracker that I made. I always used a dead blow hammer with mine. I have since moved to using the hydro like Backwoods Savage. I do use mine properly horizontal though like a fallen tree lies. I put a home made 4 way on the wedge and split away! You can split a lot of kindling very quickly once you get a system going. I select the larger splits that I am going to rive up and stack them on the side shelf of the splitter. I usually try to use fat or pitchy wood. I have a large plastic tub on the ground. Grab a large split, split it 4 way and keep reducing the size of the splits until I drop them in the tub. I usually do 4 tubs at a time and share with some older friends.
We have the regular model. It’s been great for splitting smaller stuff into kindling. It’s also held up really well. I vote for spending the extra few bucks and getting the original brand. From what I’ve read, it was invented by a young girl who was camping with her family. Great young entrepreneur story.
I have the XL myself. I just made that comment because it looks like that hammer is too heavy for her!
In a way you are absolutely correct. She tried a smaller mallet but found it easier to use gravity over brute force to split the kindling. She loves doing it and I haven't had to make any in a couple years. When I do it, I use the horizontal gas powered log splitting method LOL.
I have the standard size New Zealand one. I like it and use it a lot. I hit the wood with a cheap, old rubber mallet. If you are splitting sections of planks (floorboards, pallets/skids) or thin, straight grain logs it doesn't take much force. I'm going to put two pieces of creosote-soaked 2x4s under my beech base, to stop it rotting. I was going to fix the splitter in the centre of the base, but I put it at one end to leave a space to use as a chopping block, just in case I ever wanted to do some traditional splitting with a hatchet. I don't think I will ever go back to making kindling that way though. My first ever post on FHC was about a vintage kindling splitting tool that works on a similar principle: Vintage Kindling Maker - Just Hit It To Split It
No, I have done the very same thing for years. I find kindling is only needed when I am burning less than stellar, well-seasoned splits. I find that if it's well-seasoned, it'll burn readily. Another reason to use some kindling (not smallish but larger kindling) even if you have well-seasoned wood is that it makes a great blaze once it really catches and it warms up the room fast.
I have one of these. I don’t personally use it as my father in law bought it for my son years ago because he was nervous about my son using a hatchet. Father in law also had one and would split boxes and boxes of kindling for use through the winter. Pretty handy tool and you can pretty much make dimensional kindling with it, and in short order too.very well made and hardy. Can take quite a beating
Those kindling crackers look pretty beefy. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones in that I haven't purposefully made kindling in about 15 years. I generate enough splitter residue plus small pieces from bucking limb wood to currently have four large trash barrels filled plus a couple 5-gallon buckets. I usually end up burning a lot of this stuff during the spring shoulder season to just get rid of it. Sometimes I use these for kindling, but more often I'm lucky enough that if I decide I need kindling, a one-minute walk into the woods will get me all the small dead branches I would ever need. And since the wood stove pretty much stays lit 24/7 during burning season, I seldom use kindling anyway. Years ago, I used to use a radial arm saw and cut dead branches into nice pieces of kindling. Outgrew that very quickly.
