1. Use a maul or splitting wedges to split hardwood. A splitting maul is essentially a thicker, more wedge-shaped axe made for splitting hardwood along the grain, with a blunt sledge-hammer edge on the back of the splitting blade.
Carbon fibre is a material that is made from very thin fibres having carbon atoms. These are bonded together in microscopic crystals, aligned parallel to the long axis of the fibre. It is this crystal alignment that makes carbon fibre so strong. Carbon fibre is used to make composite materials with plastics resins.
To take full advantage of a woods strength, pay attention to the grain direction. Wood is a natural polymer  parallel strands of cellulose fibers held together by a lignin binder. These long chains of fibers make the wood exceptionally strong  they resist stress and spread the load over the length of the board.