The device (1) has a cutter (4) that is tiltably supported in a holder (3), and a support (9) for setting a piece of wood (7) to partially split by swiveling the cutter, where the support is height-adjustable in a stepless manner and is fixable in a desired position. The support is movable in a vertical direction along a rotatable spindle (11), and is partially surrounded by a u-shaped housing (2). The support is driven by a crank (13) arranged outside of the housing.