Core77
e
- Topics
- Features
- Awards
- Careers
-
Firms
- Firms
- Search Firms;
- Firm Projects
- Forums
-
More...
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Advertise
- About
- Terms of Use
Core77 is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
13-Year-Old Kiwi Girl Invents Device That Safely Turns Firewood Into Kindling
Ayla Hutchinson turns the axe on its head (literally)
By Rain Noe - August 17, 2016
Ayla HutchinsonNew Zealand isn't a place one thinks of as needing firewood. But Ayla Hutchinson lives and hikes with her family near New Zealand's snow-covered Mount Taranaki, where "it can get VERY cold in the winter," she writes. "When you are cold, you can never get the fire going fast enough. Lots of little kindling helps fires to start quickly." So when she was just 13, Ayla invented a device to help swiftly and safely turn firewood into thinner kindling.
Here's how it works:
Enter a caption (optional)The Kindling Cracker, as it's called, is undeniably clever. It's not meant to replace an axe altogether—you'll still need a pre-split piece of wood to insert within the cast-iron device's 6.5"-diameter top ring—but it makes good sense on a campsite where division of labor is beneficial. While dad is splitting logs with an axe, for instance, mom can be turning the split pieces into kindling using a mallet or even another piece of wood. "[Part of the reason I invented this was] to make sure my mum kept all of her fingers and limbs intact!" Ayla writes.
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)Ayla originally invented the device for a school science project. That was seven years ago. Today Kindling Cracker LTD. is a going concern, and their eponymous device is sold around the world.
The Kindling Cracker's U.S. distributor is Northern Tool, and it retails here for USD $85.
-
oFavorite
-
Q3Comment
-
&
Rain Noe
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
Hiring Now See all industrial design jobs
-
Industrial Designer InternshipNew York, New York | Onsite or Remote PossiblequipNew -
Industrial DesignerHenderson, NevadaXtreme ManufacturingNov 30 -
Senior Industrial Designer.Melbourne, AustraliaWhistle Design Group Pty LtdNov 25 -
Creative Industrial DesignerFranklin, TennesseeSchneider ElectricNov 24 -
Sr. Industrial DesignerSan Francisco, CaliforniaPopSocketsNov 24
-
K1:1 | with Michael DiTulloA New Core77 video podcast series. Fresh interviews weekly. Subscribe on Youtube.
-
Hot On Coroflot
-
Design Jobs
Igor Sirotov
Fateh Zid
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
13-Year-Old Kiwi Girl Invents Device That Safely Turns Firewood Into Kindling
Such devices have been available decades in Finland... I believe the article is a hoax and a marketing trick that tells cute little story.
The Kindling Cracker is amazing. We are happy to have in our store i Denmark. We receive only good feedback. Jonathan from http://www.outdoorcooking.dk
Great idea! Simple design with safety features. I would love to see a more portable version that folds down to conserve space, or perhaps uses the empty space for other camp tools during storage.