CASTINGS DO THAT?


YOUNG INVENTOR IMPROVES SAFETY WHEN SPLITTING LOGS


Kids are usually discouraged from taking


the easy way out. But thanks to a young ŎÞŘ_ʰ ǣƼĶÞǼǼÞض fiNjsɠŸŸ_ ÞŘǼŸ ĨÞŘ_ĶÞض Þǣ ŘŸɠ simpler and safer. Invented by 16-year-old New Zealander Ayla Hutchinson, the Kindling Cracker is a two-piece cast iron tool that allows its user to split wood with a hammer or mallet instead of an axe. Sold in the U.S. by Northern Tool +


Equipment, the Kindling Cracker features a 12-in. circular frame, wedged blade and base plate. Larger logs are place on the blade and then hit with a blunt object to split them into smaller pieces that can be used as kindling. Hutchinson got her idea for the Kindling


Cracker after witnessing her mother injure her hand splitting wood. She has earned many awards for the invention, including Interna- tional Google Science Fair Regional Finalist in 2014 and International TeenBusiness Top Twenty List in 2014.


MELTING POINT


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