Cutting down trees for either commercial or home use is often a complicated endeavor, since you need to bring the tree down safely, use a chainsaw to trim away the branches, and then cut the trunk into sections. In the past, something called a maul has been used, which resembles a cross between a sledgehammer and a hatchet.

The woodsman drives the sharp end of the maul through the middle of the trunk. The trunk would then be sliced into halves, then quartered, and then stacked and allowed to dry for before being used as firewood.

There is, however, a much better way to chop down trees. An electric log splitter is a piece of heavy-duty equipment that replaces the maul and does the job in much less time. Most electric splitters utilize a rod and piston assembly, often exerting more than 10 tons of pressure

Gasoline-powered log splitters are useful for logging work that's far from a power source. The log splitter can be taken to the site and the logs thrown into a truck for transport. There are also models advertised as being "all season," usually electric, so that it can be used outdoors in even the worst weather.

All models use a piston to drive the log through a stationary blade. Some models of log splitters that have additional features that prevent the just-split tree parts from falling away, allowing the operator to move the logs around speedily, if necessary, for a second pass.

Although a log splitter is very useful, none are completely safe. Only people with the right training should operate a log splitter, since any object unlucky enough to be between the blade and the log will be hit with 10 tons of force. You can't predict how each log will behave, so there should be a safety zone around the splitter. Helpers can retrieve the individual pieces, but they should stay clear of the log splitter while it is still in operation.