So it was heaving down with rain last night, I'm not the most patient person and anyway I needed to get away from the referendum coverage. I figured I'd have a bash at splitting one of my 2 remaining willow rounds. To be honest I wasn't sure it would work as I have minimal tools, but anyway, I planed a few wedges out of a bit of plank, and gave it a go.
You have to do a fair amount of hammering, but it does work:
I then split the 2 halves into clefts.
I ended up with 1 big one, 2 medium sized, and one small wedge:
I smoothed one cleft a bit. Not beautiful, but it's pretty much the right size and shape. Hopefully I can avoid the big knot at shoulder level:
Next step, take the 3 clefts over to my friend the joiner, and fire up the ripsaw.
So, I've found that it is definitely possible to do this, even with very basic equipment. Another interesting step.
I'll keep you up to date with developments.