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Me too! Hard to split a log lengthwise, to get at the dry heartwood, using a saw.
I carry a Buck made T handled saw and the SA Wetterling 19" hunter axe.
Axe vs. Saw - Which is better?
- Thread starter digispam
- Start date
Me too! Hard to split a log lengthwise, to get at the dry heartwood, using a saw.
I carry a Buck made T handled saw and the SA Wetterling 19" hunter axe.
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Actually, it's rather easy.
Make a cut halfway through the thickness of a piece of wood at about it's midpoint - like you were working on cutting it into two equal lengths.
Grasp the piece of wood with the cut facing down.
Strike the end of the piece of wood against something solid - hard ground, a rock, another piece of wood.
The wood tends to split lengthways at about the level of the bottom of the cut. The cut has acted as a stress-riser.
I have tried this method with red oak, Scots pine, white ash, cottonwood, silver maple, sugar maple, some
wood, and elm. It didn't work with the elm, but have you ever tried splitting elm with an axe? (Batoning works better.)
It works better with pieces that are relatively long compared to their diameter.
Try it. Amaze your friends.
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sassyeaka@comcast.net <sassyeaka@comcast.net>
For me Thomas has made some very compelling argument in this "Axe VS. Saw" discussion. Some of which are hard to dispute. However I would say this, no matter what you carry into the woods, jungle, desert; what is going to matter most is what you're comfortable with. Granted there are many instances where a saw is better or just as good as a axe, but if you are not comfortable using it...... well you can count "one" for Mother Nature.
Time for me to learn some new tools and techniques for wilderness survival and living..... agreed. I still want an axe with me out in the woods. :thumbup:
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Hey, I've used an old Marbles No. 9 for a looooooooooog time. It goes if I know I will need to do lots of splitting wood. Otherwise, weight considerations ( No longer young. Hell no longer middle-aged.), mean the Gerber Sportsman joins an Aurora and a multi-tool and the No. 9 stays home.
(If you missed it, the Chinese No. 9's are iffy. Some have no taper to the eye and want to slip thier handles.)
(If you missed it, the Chinese No. 9's are iffy. Some have no taper to the eye and want to slip thier handles.)
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I decided to stay away from them. After all the feedback I read here and on the other forums, I'll just have to wait for my Lee Reeves
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Actually, it's rather easy.
Make a cut halfway through the thickness of a piece of wood at about it's midpoint - like you were working on cutting it into two equal lengths.
Grasp the piece of wood with the cut facing down.
Strike the end of the piece of wood against something solid - hard ground, a rock, another piece of wood.
The wood tends to split lengthways at about the level of the bottom of the cut. The cut has acted as a stress-riser.
I have tried this method with red oak, Scots pine, white ash, cottonwood, silver maple, sugar maple, some
It didn't work with the elm, but have you ever tried splitting elm with an axe? (Batoning works better.)
It works better with pieces that are relatively long compared to their diameter.
Try it. Amaze your friends.
Thomas, thanks for your response. Will it work on frozen as well as dry?
It has been written that an axe "warms you twice". So swinging/chopping in the cold is OK for me, and yes I have split wood in the cold at my camp in northern Maine in December, I know the feeling. The splitting of a couple arm loads of wood w/an axe will keep your blood pumped and body warm until the fire heats up the stove and room. A saw is VERY handy, but this question is a no brainer for me, as history has shown us. An axe doubles as a weapon if a wild animal attacks, sharpens easier (for me anyhow), and is much more rugged. If the handle breaks (a wood handle), the head is an awesome tool in and of itself (ever see the ancient stone hand axes from thousands of years ago?). And a new wood handle can be made (by using the head) in short order. Call me primitive, but I'll take the axe, and a good quality one at that. I carry an old Collins barn axe in the trunk of my car in case I break down on a back road, or find a fallen tree blocking my path. On an outing, a 24" (double bit or single) Cruiser axe would be a good multi-tool, although I would take a saw and sheath knife if weight was not an issue, as ALL 3 are great tools.
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Don't know. Less flex might well reduce the effectiveness of the method. The occasions when I have needed to split wood to get to dry were not in freezing temps. I'll have to give it a try next weekend.
When I bought mine, which I got an awsome deal on because it was an open pack return, it came neatly packed in the tin with some metal clips and was designed to be used with field expedient handles.
Since you didn't mention it, why not a Mach~Axe?
My kit is a 13" Mach~Axe + small Zig Saw + any really small bladed SAK or other <3" knife.
My kit is a 13" Mach~Axe + small Zig Saw + any really small bladed SAK or other <3" knife.
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This is sort of like, "Which is better, wood or rock?"
But: 1) you can make kindling with an axe, as explained above in this thread; 2) I wouldn't want to be back-handed with a prunning saw; and 3) they make saws to cut holes in ice for fishing (They are sharply pointed -- like a "drywall saw.").
But: 1) you can make kindling with an axe, as explained above in this thread; 2) I wouldn't want to be back-handed with a prunning saw; and 3) they make saws to cut holes in ice for fishing (They are sharply pointed -- like a "drywall saw.").