Wood grenade

[AngelofDarkness]

I was out splitting the other evening with a friend and he had a Wood Grenade wedge that I tried out. I stuck that thing in the center of big block of sugar maple and proceeded to bang away with the business end of my 12-lb monster maul. It went into the log about maybe an inch and a half and stopped dead. I wailed on it harder and harder. Nothing. Finally I hit it so hard it bounced out!

I gave up.

It seems like a cool idea that would really work well. I think that maple was so green it acted like a sponge, absorbing the energy of my blows. There was no natural cracks in the wood. Maybe if it dried a bit and became a bit more brittle it would work better.

I also found a way to bend the tip of the Wood Grenade slightly. I was impressed.

 

[JBinKC]

The wood grenade works well but the durability of it is suspect. Had way too many fracture about 2 inches above the tip on rather low amount of usage. I much prefer using the estwing wedge for durability.

 

[saginaw22]

I have one and split a about 20-30 face cords of wood......

works well i like it goes in a lot easier than a regular wedge, but
the hard stuff with knots might need another wedge to help out.

No complants over here just have to work around the out side of the
log and work your way into the log.

 

[AngelofDarkness]

I tried it again tonight with some success. I have to hit it really hard, a real 12 lb. sledgehammer works better than the hammer face of a maul. Me and some friends hand split about 1/2 cord tonight, lots of work but lots of fun, its very rewarding seeing a pile of split firewood that you did all by hand.

 

[CharlieG]

The estwing is a good wedge, and American made. Get a few and you won't be dissappointed. Its got little ramps on the side toward the striking face that further forces the wood apart.

 

[JPE]

The estwing is a good wedge, and American made. Get a few and you won't be dissappointed. Its got little ramps on the side toward the striking face that further forces the wood apart.

Couldn't find it on the estwing website. Do they still make them? Know anywhere I could get one?

 

[starter]

Couldn't find it on the estwing website. Do they still make them? Know anywhere I could get one?

+1

 

[JBinKC]

Couldn't find it on the estwing website. Do they still make them? Know anywhere I could get one?

Try any Ace hardware or the Ace hardware website. Type in splitting wedge for a description. Last year, I bought one at a retail Ace Hardware store.

 

[CharlieG]

I think I bought my wedges at the local Ace hardware store. Home Depot also had them, and cheaper. They also have the imports, which I try to avoid.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I think I bought my wedges at the local Ace hardware store. Home Depot also had them, and cheaper. They also have the imports, which I try to avoid.

I have a wedge that I got from my grandfather that he said he just always had probably 80 years old, the thing is still good. I bought a Chinese wedge from home depot 3 years ago that just had a huge chunk of steel shoot off the side that had the force of a 12 gauge (slight exaggeration). Why is everything junk anymore!!!????

 

[JPE]

Here it is on the Ace Hardware page:
http://www.acehardware.com

 

[EastwoodGang4]

estwing wedges

The home Depot by me carries the estwing wedges but they're hidden in the section below the estwing claw hammers right down by the floor . check it out. they don't have them over by the mauls and such...DUH

I tried a grenade too..... in wet wood they bounce or slip out really easy. in the dried rounds with cracks they work better and a heavy sledge works the best I've also found.

I really like the estwing wedges BTW

 

[CharlieG]

When using my wedges, I find that working the wedge into the wood closer to the bark splits it easier. On difficult wood I'll use the chainsaw to cut notches to help start the wedge penetration, so that it doesn't come back on me. The Estwing wedge (Model # E5) has worked well for me and I recommend it. Like Eastwoodgang said, Home Depot doesn't make it easy to find them. But they are worth the effort. The additional bump outs toward the stiking end of the wedge really helps to force the wood apart. After reading the post, I got my Estwing wedge out and into some red oak. Tapped into start, then some light blows to seat it into the wood, and about three real hits later it was in two big pieces (30" round).

 

[Butch(OH)]

Thought that "wood grenade" was just another name for a Poulan saw??

 

[Smokerr]

Estwing Wedge:

Design wise I think it is the best mix of all features. Narrow enough to cut into the wood and start the split. Does a great job until it hits the ramps, and then if all is well, it blows the round wide open, and if it does not, it has it broken open so wide that you can follow on down through the split with the mall.

It does have some problems,

Too Soft: That's the worst, if you pound on it (and I have to with the fibrous birch and nasty Spruce we run into) it starts to dent and fold over. That's with only 3 or 4 days chopping, and only like a weeks worth of burning wood. I alrady had to grind down the head to get the head cleaned up (so soft it does not look like it will split off and hit someone or something but bad news). I would guess by the end of winter its no longer usable. Will see. I have a bench grinder so I can keep in good shape, but it will keep moving down the shaft and wind up too short to be useful.

Other part is more minor but also fixable. It tends to bounce out if the round has a lot of spring back resistance. I.e. its going in, but not staying split yet. That exists from the start and particularly bad with that type round when you hit the fins and it wants to blast it open, but even more rebound due to the much wider split attempt.

Solution would seem to be to roughen it, or put revers ridges (i.e. barbs) along the whole thing so it does not do that. You would not be able to remove, but with two wedges and an maul, I have yet to run into a round that it won't blow open. Design wise its perfect function wise from the shape and action.

Cutting rounds in half with a chain saw seems seriously counter productive. A lot of time and gas when better options (including a powered splitter, preferably electric as that's more efficient)

http://www.arboristsite.com/images/smilies/hammer.gi

 

[peterc38]

I have a wedge that I got from my grandfather that he said he just always had probably 80 years old, the thing is still good. I bought a Chinese wedge from home depot 3 years ago that just had a huge chunk of steel shoot off the side that had the force of a 12 gauge (slight exaggeration). Why is everything junk anymore!!!????

There was a guy here in Maine that died from a piece of a wedge breaking off a few months ago. Severed his femoral artery and he couldn't get to help in time.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20080924-NEWS-80924006

I split everything by hand and I agree to stay away from the chinese junk. I have the estwing super-split wedge that I have used a lot and been very satisfied with. Got it at Home Cheapo. Still, after reading that story about that guy dying that way, I can't help but be a little nervous. Right now, I'mn trying to talk the CFO into buying a gsas splitter.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...og.beans.EndecaDataBean@7a880a9a&ddkey=Search

 

[fbh31118]

I also have a wood grenade. It is not a good tool for wet wood, it does tend to pop right back out of the hole. If your wood is in decent shape though, it does a pretty good job and I have yet to get any splits or pieces to break off mine yet and that's after 4 years.

 

[crowbuster]

All mine broke in a short while, thats why I thought they called them grenades, they blow into shrapnel.

C.B.

 

[BaldSawRunner]

Are these wood grenades the squarish 4-way looking ones? Or are they the round ones? I have a round one and that thing is a waste of time and effort. All it does when you pound it in is bore a tapered hole into the round.

My dad bought it a long time ago.

 

[nmr1981]

I was a skeptic at first. I put the grenade in the center of a large round of ash it went in about an inch and that was it. I had to use 2 traditional wedges to get it out. The key is to use the grenade about 2 inches from the edge of a big round and hit it a couple of times and the round will break cleanly in half! it worked great for the price!