Sediment cores are important archives for paleolimnological, paleooceanographic and paleoecological research. Rigs for splitting lake sediment cores that have been collected in PVC or polycarbonate tubes are often large, bulky, and require a permanent setup that takes up valuable laboratory space. Here we describe a new, compact, cost-effective apparatus for splitting sediment cores collected in PVC or polycarbonate tubing. This portable setup is relatively simple to construct and use, and is ideal for use in the laboratory, in the field, or on board research vessels at sea.