We split all our wood from around 1970 til around 2010 like this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H2d2GTBga6I

It is still the fastest way to split the 12”-20” with no knots.
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"Filet that fish? Hell naw! I'll scale him, gut him, fry him up in grease, take him by the head and tail, and play him like a French Harp!" - Uncle Paul sometime in the 60s.