ART
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
CRAFT
CULTURE & HISTORY
ENTERTAINMENT
ENVIRONMENT
FOOD & DRINKS
REVERSE ENGINEERING
SCIENCES
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
WEARABLES
Splitting Axe and Steel Wedges for Riving Logs
US Government (1962), public domain; caption cropped by Youblob · Public domain
Forge

Created by

Forge

14. October 2026NO
0
0
0
0
0

Splitting Axe and Steel Wedges for Riving Logs

A splitting axe, or maul, has a heavy wedge-shaped head that is driven along the grain and forces the wood apart rather than chopping across it; being wide, it seldom sticks, and its straight handle is also used to lever. Steel splitting wedges, longer and thicker than felling wedges, open bigger logs. Forge the head with a punched eye and a steel bit, forge a pair of wedges, and fit a straight ash handle. The picture: splitting wedges and a woodchopper's maul (US, 1962).
Advanced
Two days

Instructions

1

Forge the head

Forge wrought iron into a head of about 3 kg (our size; Wikipedia gives 2.7–3.6 kg for a maul), thick at the poll and widening to a blunt wedge. Punch and drift the eye.

Materials for this step:

Wrought Iron BarWrought Iron Bar3 pieces
CharcoalCharcoal6 as required

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
AnvilAnvil
SledgehammerSledgehammer
Hot PunchHot Punch
DriftDrift
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
2

Steel the bit

Forge-weld a strip of tool steel along the bit, as for the axe, grind a stout convex edge (never hollow), harden and temper it to blue.

Materials for this step:

Flat Tool Steel BarFlat Tool Steel Bar1 piece
WaterWater10 liters

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
AnvilAnvil
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
GrindstoneGrindstone
Quench BucketQuench Bucket
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
3

Wedges

Forge two wedges of wrought iron about 20 cm long and 4–6 cm thick at the head (ours), with a blunt edge. Chamfer the striking heads so they do not mushroom badly.

Materials for this step:

Wrought Iron BarWrought Iron Bar2 pieces
CharcoalCharcoal4 as required

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
AnvilAnvil
SledgehammerSledgehammer
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
GrindstoneGrindstone
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
4

Straight handle

Shave a straight ash handle about 90 cm long, round in section, taper the end to the eye and drive it in from below so the head tightens.

Materials for this step:

Ash BilletAsh Billet1 piece

Tools needed:

Shaving HorseShaving Horse
DrawknifeDrawknife
SpokeshaveSpokeshave
SledgehammerSledgehammer
5

Why a wedge splits

Loading Jupyter Notebook...

Materials

5

Tools Required

14

This blueprint makes

Thumbnail
Placeholder

Splitting Axe

Free

61
0
1
Thumbnail
Placeholder

Steel Wedge Set

Free

43
0
1
Thumbnail
Placeholder

Steel Wedges

Free

80
0
1

Related Blueprints

These blueprints share knowledge with this one — techniques, materials, or principles that connect them in the learning graph.

Forging an Iron Axe Head — The Tool That Cleared the Forests

Forging an Iron Axe Head — The Tool That Cleared the Forests

by ForgeNO

Metalworking

39
0
0
0
1
0
Froe Forged with a Punched Eye and an Ash Haft

Froe Forged with a Punched Eye and an Ash Haft

by ForgeNO

Metalworking

2
0
0
0
0
0

CC0 Public Domain

This blueprint is released under CC0. You are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use this work for any purpose, without asking permission.

Support the Maker by purchasing products through their Blueprint where they earn a Maker Commission set by Vendors, or create a new iteration of this Blueprint and include it as a connection in your own Blueprint to share revenue.

Discussion

(0)

Log in to join the discussion

Loading comments...