Splitting & Stacking Firewood

Splitting wood causes foot and leg cuts from glancing swings, eye injuries from flying chips and wedge fragments, crushed and amputated fingers from log splitters, and back strain. Good technique and the right tools prevent almost all of them.

• Homeowners
• Rural

Gear

• Safety glasses or goggles
• Leather gloves
• Steel-toe or sturdy leather boots
• Long pants; chaps if you’re also running a chainsaw
• Hearing protection near gas-powered splitters

Splitting by hand

• Use a splitting maul or splitting axe. Thin felling axes tend to stick.
• Split on a sturdy chopping block, not on the ground. The block stops the head from hitting your feet if you miss.
• Clear a full swing circle: no people, pets, branches or clotheslines within reach, plus a few feet.
• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, and let the tool’s weight do the work.
• Aim for cracks or the edge of the round, not straight into knots.
• Check that the head is tight on the handle before every use. Replace cracked handles. See Axes & Hatchets.

• Don’t hold the log with your hand while swinging.
• Don’t split when you’re tired. Most misses happen late in the day.
• Don’t split on ice, mud or uneven ground.

Wedges

Drive splitting wedges with a sledgehammer, not the back of an axe. Steel wedges and sledges develop mushroomed heads that can throw metal chips into your eyes. Grind them smooth or replace them. See Sledgehammers.

Hydraulic log splitters

• One person runs the controls. Most splitter amputations happen when one person loads the log while another works the lever.
• Keep hands on the ends of the log, never between the log and the wedge or ram.
• Use two-hand controls if your machine has them, and never bypass them.
• Let go of the control and wait for the ram to stop before adjusting the log.
• Run gas splitters outdoors only. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide.
• Refuel with the engine off and cool.
• Keep kids and spectators well away.

Stacking and storing

• Build stacks no taller than about 4 feet, with crisscrossed ends, so they don’t topple onto kids.
• Keep the woodpile away from your house. Wildfire guidance recommends at least 30 feet. See Wildfires.
• Raise the wood off the ground and cover the top so it dries. Bring in only what you’ll burn soon, to avoid bringing in insects.
• Watch for spiders, wasps, snakes and ticks when moving old stacks.

Burn seasoned wood

Wood should dry for about 6 to 12 months before burning. Wet wood burns poorly, makes more smoke, and builds up creosote in your chimney, a leading cause of chimney fires. See Fireplaces & Wood Stoves.

Last updated: October 2, 2026