Fortunately they are round so you can just roll them into position. But yeah it's a hit with the maul, then endless whacking with the sledgehammer. Oddly enough a 10 pound sledge just bounces off the maul, you need a really heavy one to get splitting.

It's good exercise. We have some pine but I don't put it in the fireplace except as a bit of a starter (the CEMI has stainless steel afterburners, but it's not the same as a good catalytic)