In the old days, wood was used as fuel for heat. Oftentimes, in preparing for the winter, someone would go out and split logs. Log splitting is otherwise known as splitting firewood. Logs that have been precut into sections are often used to split firewood. Another word for wood splitting is riving. Riving is an ancient technique used in carpentry.

Wood splitting is different than wood sawing in that the wood is split along the grain using hammers, wedges, or a froe. People split wood for other reasons as well. Some Native Americans were known for making baskets from black ash trees. They pounded the wood with a mallet and pulled long strips from the log. Watch the video to see how this man splits wood in a way that is definitely unique.