Get out your tools. For normal wood splitting, an axe might be all you need, but for gnarly wood, if you don't have access to a hydraulic log splitter, you will need the following: Axe Maul (aka: splitting maul, busting maul, etc) Sledgehammer Steel wedge (preferably more than one).
Cut the wood to the shortest usable length. Because the crooked, irregular grain, (and likely knots) will make the splitting job more difficult, start out with the shortest cut you can use.
Cut a large, flat section of log for a splitting block, to place the segments you are splitting on. This will save a lot of bending over, and make the use of the Sledgehammer and maul much easier.
Look for checks (splits which occur as wood dries) in either end of the block you are splitting. These indicate weak grains, which may be easier to begin a split in.
Try the maul one or two times. Even if the wood looks gnarly, it may not be as bad as it appears. If you see a large check crack on one end, this is what you will want to aim for.
Measure the point of your expected impact by getting into your swing stance (feet spread, knees possibly bent slightly), and while you hold the handle of your maul as you would swinging it, set it on the location you want to hit the block you are attempting to split.
Bring the maul back up over your shoulder on the side of your dominant hand, then bring down in a chopping motion with a hard, solid blow.
Look for a widening of any cracks, if the wood does not split completely when the blow is struck.
Use a steel wedge, if the maul will not split the block of wood. Set the wedge in any crack that you can see, then tap it into the wood like you would begin driving a nail.
Strike the wedge with the sledgehammer. Use a good, solid blow, taking care to place it accurately. The wedge should begin to split the block by forcing the grain to separate where the wedge penetrates the wood.
Continue driving the wedge into the wood. If your wedge is thick and wide enough, eventually, the wood will split. If you end up burying the wedge completely and the wood still hasn't split, you may have to drive a second wedge in further along the crack.
Continue wedging the block of wood apart until it is split. You may find you have to chop apart some splintered wood grain around large knots to completely split the block.
Split large blocks of wood in half, if possible, then split these in half again. As the blocks become narrower, they should split much more easily.
Stack your split wood to dry when you are finished, clean and sharpen any tools that have become dulled with use.
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