A glut of gluts

Am working on a chairmaking project (see adjacent post) -- and as part of that I'm splitting some wood, to ensure that the chair components are reasonably straight-grained (i.e. minimizing grain run-out, to maximize the strength of the wood).

I have a splitting "kit", with a small mallet, about eight (would have to count them) metal wedges -- and, as you can see here -- a glut of gluts.

Gluts are essentially wooden wedges -- usually longer and wider than the metal wedges -- which are used to further the split as well as free the trapped metal wedges.  Typically they are user-made.

Most of the ones you see here had the point created by my hewing hatchet (which has a bevel [i.e. angle] only on one side -- which makes it easier to aim, and thus achieve the desired angle of cut.

As with most of my tools that I use outdoors (e.g. pruners; pruning saw), I've painted the ends pink:  makes them easier to find when I'm working over a brown and/or cluttered surface -- e.g. dirt, leaves, branches.

If you look closer at the photo (click to enlarge?), you'll see that I've marked most of them with the word "GLUT":  some of them are rather beat-up, so I don't want to accidentally mistake them for firewood -- and then have to craft new ones.  Instead, I plan to use these until they fall apart (had to discard two today, for just that reason).  


--GG