I used to watch "The Woodwright's Shop" on PBS years ago. They were often splitting wood for various projects. For logs, he used two wedges and a sledge hammer/maul Since he was doing the old fashioned way, (really old!!) he had one steel wedge and a fatter wooden wedge. Start with the steel wedge a few inches from the end of the log. Drive it in and then drive the wooden wedge (or fatter steel one) along behind the steel one in the split. Continue down the log and repeat till you have a fence I guess. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
Looking at it from my lazy man's point of view, I think one could built a machine for splitting the logs faster than actually splitting them by hand. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Hope some of my mindless rambling helps.
That would be the way I was taught to do it. You split that way for rail fences and for splits for bowmaking and walking stick (staff) making. I think (but do not remember for certain), that it is also the first step for making strips for basket weaving.
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