Screw splitter: gimmick or replacement for wood splitting axe?

Do we think screw splitters are replacements for an axe when it comes to splitting firewood? Or, is it simply a gimmick. Here’s what Mark had to say…

I’ve been eying this style of wood splitter for an age. They come in much larger units to fit onto the PTO shaft of a tractor, right down to the smaller unit like I’ve purchased, convenient for packing in with the camping gear.

Yes, I was dubious about how well it might work, not just on soft straight-ish grain pine, but how it would tackle a gnarly piece of Aussie hardwood. It turns out my ankles and wrists would suffer in the attempt to see if a Screw Splitter works!

The shaft of the screw fits any standard drill or driver. Once the chuck is tightened, it’s ready to go. The course thread is supposed to screw itself into the targeted timber. The further it screws in, the wider the hole or split it makes to, hopefully, split the wood in two.

Does it work? Yes. But it does have its limitations, like most products. Those twisted gnarly pieces of Aussie artwork with no slither of parallel grain to be seen were a bit much for the Screw Splitter. Not surprising really, as even an axe or log splitter would have trouble with similar pieces. The splitter quickly drew itself into and split lengths of about 20 to 30cm. And could be repositioned if a second hole needed to be drilled. Kind of the same as a second blow with the axe.

That hurt!

Like any tool, care must be taken when using a Screw Splitter; there are two main ways of hurting yourself. Yes, I hurt myself both ways. All in the name of product testing!

Firstly, when the screw bites into a piece of timber that doesn’t split, you need a good amount of weight and restraint with your feet to prevent the wood from spinning and whacking you in the ankles. I copped my fair share of blows on both feet. 

Secondly, as a result of a good firm hold of the timber with your feet, something has to give when the screw bites in. Well, instead of the timber spinning and hitting the closest available person’s hoof, depending on the power of your drill, the drill tries to break your wrists. Yep, that hurt too! Of course, the more powerful your drill, the more damage you could potentially do to yourself. The same goes for an axe; the more wayward your strikes, the more chance you have of losing a digit.

Having a good firm hold with two feet and both hands is paramount with this tool. Done right, it makes short work of most types of timber, with the proviso that softer, straighter-grain timber is much easier.

Soft versus cranky ol’hardwood

The soft, designer pine timber stood no chance against the Screw Splitter. In no time, I had a great pile of kindling, no fuss, no damage and no worries. The Splitter could easily pull its way through any part of the soft timber, splitting off full-length pieces.

The piece of hardwood I used was another story. My first attempt at screwing straight through the guts of the timber saw the Screw Splitter jammed fast, deep in the grain. Removing it in reverse was of no avail, as that just undid the chuck, and the whole splitter fell out of the drill. A bit of leverage, repeated attempts on the drill trigger and a wee bit of foul language saw the splitter removed. Lesson learnt. Just like splitting with an axe, taking small bites from the outside was much more manageable. 

With the correct technique, I managed to devour the lump of timber into perfect kindling without further mishap.

The verdict

No, a Screw Splitter wouldn’t replace an axe or hatchet for splitting firewood. But for many, it presents a potentially safe way of quickly producing a great pile of kindling to get a roaring campfire started.

I purchased my Screw Splitter online, although I have recently seen them in some hardware stores. There were a few different diameters and cone sizes; I chose the largest suitable for a hand drill, plus I picked one with a hex-shaped drive so it wouldn’t slip in the drill chuck.