Abstract: A wood splitting machine has a carriage and a blade assembly mounted to slidable members that are driven slidably on stationary guide members. A stop member is mounted over the carriage in spaced relationship to the blade assembly. The blade assembly comprises a transversely extending blade for making a horizontal cut in wood lying on the carriage between the stop member and the blade assembly. A plurality of laterally spaced apart vertically oriented blades hang from the blade that cuts in a horizontal plane. Hydraulic actuators advance the blade assembly through the wood lying on the carriage. The carriage translates out from under the wood resting on the carriage so that when the blades have completely passed through the length of the wood, the carriage has departed from under in which case the wood pieces that are split by the horizontal and vertical blades are free to drop down.