A friend of mine just bought a rotary type wood splitter. I guess they've been on the market for awhile. It has some kind of flywheel in it that builds up energy and then a shaft rams the wood. You have to push two levers to initiate the splitting, a safety release and then what starts the ram moving. The ram moves quite fast. I didn't see it splitting wood, but he started it up and showed the operation. I thought the need to use both hands which is required as you have to hold the safety down when you push the other lever, is a nuisance, but I suppose you'd get used to it. My first thought was wondering if you can disconnect the safety. It's potentially dangerous though with how fast the ram takes off. Safety glasses definitely a must. Anyway, he says he likes it. Not sure what the real advantage is with a splitter like that, but maybe you can get away with a smaller motor. His is rated to twenty tons.