Cleaving Axe

A cleaving axe, also called a cleaver, is a form of axe used in green woodworking to split wood lengthways along the grain, a process called cleaving or riving, turning a log into lumber or splitting thick pieces into firewood. Unlike a felling axe it is heavier and more wedge-shaped, with a deliberately duller edge that relies on wedge action rather than sharpness, flat sides that reduce friction while splitting, a shorter handle of about 18 inches since the tool is pushed rather than swung, and a flat poll meant for driving wedges rather than for striking other tools. The term splitting axe is sometimes used as an old name for a related tool, the splitting maul or froe.