Abstract: Method and apparatus for splitting wood such as logs, comprising a prime mover selectively connectable to an elongated screw member to rotate the screw member in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction, the screw member being mounted for rotation with a thrust bearing at one end of the screw member, an elongated bed structure, a trolley mounted for movement along the elongated bed structure, a nut having screw threads complementary to the screw member defined therethrough attached to the trolley and receiving and engaging the threads of the elongated screw member, and an abutment and a cutting blade, one of which is mounted to the trolley and the other of which is mounted to the bed structure adjacent the thrust bearing such that a log may be placed between the splitting blade and abutment and the blade urged into the log by moving the trolley towards the log by rotation of the screw member with the screw member being in tension during the splitting operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for splitting logs, comprising an engine or prime mover actuating a reciprocating trolley through mechanical linkages along a fixed bed such that the trolley may urge a log to be split against a blade or wedge with mechanically amplified force sufficient to accomplish the splitting but may be instantly reversed and withdrawn to starting position at a rate of speed substantially higher than the speed of the splitting stroke as a result of differing mechanical advantages of the forward and reverse mechanical linkages.