Yeah, a DIY splitter would be nice to have! Even if you had to buy the blades for it, it's not so bad if you can save on the splitter itself. We have a vintage one (probably from the 1940s, as is most of our equipment), but the problem is that they no longer make blades that fit it correctly. So switching out the blade is a long, arduous process of altering a new blade to bolt to the old splitter frame. I'd love to have a new splitter that accepts the new blades with no fuss, but Good Lord those things are expensive!