Hand-Forged Splitting Froe, Blade - 25.5 cm (10 inches)

Impressive Splitter, Unexpected Sharpness—and a Shrinkage Surprise

The tool is very effective—it was my first time using this type of tool, and I'm extremely satisfied with it. It's sturdy; you can strike it to split very hard logs, and it holds up well. There are two points worth noting, however. Normally, tools of this kind aren't meant to be razor-sharp, as their purpose is to split wood rather than cut it. This one arrived extremely sharp—razor-sharp, in fact—so I also ended up using it as a drawknife. So, what might seem like a minor flaw actually turned out to be somewhat practical. The other issue is that I suspect the handle was made under more humid conditions than those in my workshop. Here, the handle has dried out and shrunk enough that it no longer holds the blade securely. I'll therefore need to either make a new handle or keep the current one in a more humid environment, as the tool is practically unusable unless the handle is firmly attached. That said, it's still a good purchase—especially considering the handle, while problematic, is fairly easy to replace if you have the right materials.