Dear Sir, I appreciate you have made a modified splitting wedge. In the time and energy you expended in the demo I could have split much more wood and I am 76. With all due respect. I wish you much happiness. From my perspective, you made a lighter, less effective, splitting wedge.

great idea--- thinking outside of the box!

A splitting wedge... I have also seen them made out of hardwood. I think if I was doing it out of metal I would shape the long edge and add a handle. Maybe about twice the length, then I could hold down one side and bang the crap out of the other side. I liked the discussion on the edge geometry though. Take a look at the several KZfaq videos on the wooden ones. My experience with wood moving through or over wood vs. Metal is that there is much less friction.

If you have a saw, make a small cut on the end of the wood you want to split, and use a wooden wedge. Wooden wedges have been used since before there were steel.

This is exactly what I was wanting, but hadn't arrived at using aluminum yet. Thank you!!! Going out to the shop to make one now!

I wish you had ANY video showing it working well!

Looks Great to me!❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉 🎉🎉 5 stars

Nice idea. All I could get is some 6061 to try. 2" stock.

An analogy for the concave shape would be the bow of a boat. It improves the boat’s efficiency and maneuverability for all the same reasons.

Just made one in my workshop from some old scrap aluminium and brought in on 2-night bikepacking trip. It rocks compared to battoning with a knife or trying to use an axe on smaller logs. And its light and not really dangerous compared to a big knife or axe. The shape and the thickness of the material makes it so quick and effortless to use.

No axe of hatchet or machete I carry a cleaver & often baton with it. I also carry a pocket chainsaw. I can deal effectively with wood with just these two lightweight items. The cleaver also serves as a shovel. I keep a file handy to stay sharp as the task requires. 🤠

You have a axe, but baton with a knife? Mad! Right tool for the job!

Also you can just carve your own wedge with your knife at the campsite. I second the Rogan tool the other commentator wrote about, I have one I keep in my pack to use when I don’t want to mess up my knife. Splits wood pretty well amongst other uses.

Since it's so light, make it longer? Maybe a handle. Then you could extend the splitting edge around to (part of?) the side and just start batoning horizontally? One of my favorite tools is a fiskars "brush axe" , similar to a british hedge layer's bill hook, but it would be nice if it was a bit thicker and sturdier and could have better splitting ability like your tool.

I applaud you for doing what most won't, thinking outside of the box. I made a very good living teaching manufacturing facilities that concept. Great work and thanks for showing us all how to carry an idea out to completion. For you naysayers, in 30 years you'll still be doing things the same old way.

Nice video. I am curious about a hollow grind for chopping. I know my chisels all have a hollow grind on them. Maybe that's just cuz they're easier to sharpen then any other kind of grind.

so basically it's a froe sans handle with a end blade. Nice

Hatchets and small axes are probably popular because it's a bit of a general purpose thing? (For falling and chopping small trees, splitting, quick shaping.)

Knives are for cutting, not splitting, I definitely can do a much better job of spliting by batoning a hatchet than was shown in the video.

You are allowed to batton your hatchet. It works the same way.

But how to get those nicely cut wood pieces?

Is anyone paying attention to the fact that his goal is to create a device lighter than a knife? Yes a hydraulic ram, cleaver axe or kindlecracker+mallet is way better, but that's not the point. Thanks for a great video ✌️

People think that scandi grinds or convex grinds make the blade duller quicker which is technically true but not when splitting

Thats what she said!!

Next up, something new. I call it ... the wheel. Hold onto your hats. This could change everything. Make pizza deliveries easier.

Just get a big chisel and sharpen one edge...

Weight doesn't bother me I carry a 19 inch carpenters axe with me in the woods

Ur hatchet edge is fatter( more blunt) then ur knife edge.....so it wont penetrate the wood as easy while striking ur hatchet while batoning

Baronial the axe head will ruin the axe, by opening the eye. A axe is designed to split wood. So you designed a wedge? Really?

just buy a bigger axe