The Stikkan® is a kindling splitter made of cast iron and weighing in at over 10 lbs. It’s designed to be wall-mounted, and to offer quick, safe kindling splitting for your home (or cabin) fire place or stove.
Splitting kindling can be one of the most dangerous parts of preparing firewood, as it typically involves using a hatchet or hand axe and holding a larger piece of wood while you split smaller lengths off it. The Stikkan® makes this whole process faster and safer, and it’s built to last for life.
The Stikkan® is a kindling splitter made of cast iron and weighing in at over 10 lbs. It’s designed to be wall-mounted, and to offer quick, safe kindling splitting for your home (or cabin) fore place or stove.
History Speedrun: The Stikkan® Kindling Splitter
The Stikkan® was invented by Tormod Lie, a Norwegian man and a successful engineer who traveled extensively for work. When he was away his wife would chop wood and split kindling at their home in Telemark, Norway. She would complain about how difficult and dangerous it was, and so Tormod set to work to find a better way.
He developed a solid cast iron device that would mount securely to a wall or verandah pillar. It was hinged at the top, and had a handle and a blade on the upper section, with a stepped lower section for holding the wood in place.
To use it you lift the handle, insert the wood, then push the wood down to split off a length of kindling. If used properly, your hand is never in harms way, and the split kindling falls into the fire wood basket placed below.
Splitting kindling can be one of the most dangerous parts of preparing firewood, as it typically involves using a hatchet or hand axe and holding a larger piece of wood while you split smaller lengths off it. The Stikkan® makes this whole process faster and easier, and it’s built to last for life.
Tormod got a patent for his invention in 1982 and it’s now a common sight on homes and holiday cabins in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. More recently it’s been offered for sale internationally, and they’ve been shipped out to 20 countries and counting, including The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Stikkan® is available to buy from Sekelskifte here. Each is made in Sweden and comes with a 10 year warranty, though they typically last many many years thanks to the electroplated cast iron construction.
Images courtesy of Stikkan®
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