Chopping styles - how do you swing it?

[wdmn]

Found this passage in Alan Klenman's Axe makers of North America (published 1990), though he himself was quoting from some other source:

"The American chopper, as a rule, selects a long, straight handle. The difference in handling is, that a down-Easter takes hold with both hands at the extreme end, and throws his blows easily and gracefully, with a long sweep, over his shoulder. A Canuck chops from directly over his head, with the right hand well down on the handle to serve in jerking the blade out of the stick. A Westerner catches hold at the end of his handle, the hands about three inches apart, and delivers his blows rather directly from over the left shoulder.
In fact, an expert in the woods can tell the nationality or State a man has been reared in by seeing him hit one blow with an axe..."

This is obviously quite dated, but I wonder how much diversity in technique exists amongst those on the forum? How do you all chop, especially those of you who have been developing your technique over years? It'd be great to see some videos!


wdmn

 

[Grease]

I tend to look like what this article describes... https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwXdjre47hwWbWttOXFZV2FNOUE/edit

 

[Alocksly]

I bring it around from my right shoulder but swing from straight overhead. Left hand pulls through the cut and right hand steers with a loose grip until impact. I don't know if this description will make sense but I grip with my palms on top of the handle (as opposed to thumbs on top) with the handle contacting from the first knuckle of my index finger to the lower corner of my palm opposite the thumb side.

 

[wdmn]

Thanks for the article from 1935 grease; I suppose you can say that you chop "like an expert" then? Reading that makes me want a five pound axe even more.

Alocksly; your description makes sense, though only after I put my hands on a handle. Do you even swing from straight overhead when you're felling a tree?

 

[moosecreektrails]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb9fWu7JES8&list=PLXS5oZoViowhgy4wbeMGTv7NAEJAc4ou4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQZacqMrA9w&list=PLXS5oZoViowhgy4wbeMGTv7NAEJAc4ou4
How I chop,But I am no professional.

 

[Alocksly]

Thanks for the article from 1935 grease; I suppose you can say that you chop "like an expert" then? Reading that makes me want a five pound axe even more.

Alocksly; your description makes sense, though only after I put my hands on a handle. Do you even swing from straight overhead when you're felling a tree?

That would be a nice trick but no, felling gets it's own swing. For horizontal cuts the axe starts off straight out from the tree and the hips pull the left arm through the cut, right hand is still steering. I like to use the overhead swing wherever I can though, swinging the blade along my own imaginary centerline helps me aim. I don't necessarily think this method is superior, It just works well for me. When splitting a stubborn round I can usually put the maul back into the blade mark from the last swing if it didn't split on the first.

 

[halfaxe]

I chop like a Canuck.

 

[wdmn]

eheheh, I thought it was impossible but...

Seems like most people prefer the over the head. Though I'm a novice amateur (and a Canuck), it seemed to come more natural to me to bring it up over the right shoulder, keeping my feet straight ahead whether chopping on the strong or weak side. It has worked okay, but lot's of room for improvement, and sounds like you all are a lot more accurate... thanks for sharing everyone.

I didn't want to include the conclusion of the passage I quoted at first, because it seemed a little bit biased and poorly reasoned, but it will probably interest you all:

"... It is, however, an interesting fact to know that a Yankee chopper, with his favorite [notice the American spelling] axe and swinging cut, can, bodily strength being equal, do a fifth more work in the same time than any other cutter, and be far less fatigued. This, in a very large degree, will account for the great percentage of Maine men who will be found each year in the woods."

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Heck yeah, Maine!

I think the "great percentage" probably had more to do with how strong the Maine logging industry was--we have so many frickin' trees that it wasn't long ago that just about every fellow grew up knowing how to swing an axe for the long haul.

 

[DarthTaco123]

Woot woot Maine. My snowy homeland. Lord I hope the snow is done, I've chopped up so many dead fallen trees this year with my Axes it isn't funny.

 

[Frank-New Zealand]

I've chopped so much wood this year it IS fun.

 

[jonwade92]

depends on what I'm doing and what bizarre angle I'm forced to cut at.

 

[Operator1975]

I don't know how to describe how i chop. I just do. Variations abound depending on what's going on.

 

[wdmn]

Much appreciated to everyone who's shared.

I've been using the technique demonstrated in the video posted by moosecreektrails (or I've been imitating the technique to the best of my ability) the last couple of weeks when I've been bucking... It works so much better than what I was doing before, provided the tree is in a position that allows me to come at it from both sides, and ideally put at least one foot on it. Sometimes I still find it more natural to bring the axe up over my right shoulder, and honestly it doesn't seem to change my accuracy very much.

Today I took down a 25 foot black cherry, about 4.5" diametre, limbed it and bucked it in less than 10 minutes with my 2 pound head on a 30 inch handle. That's probably a lot slower than it would take many of you, but it was very satisfying for me and hopeful because I have a lot more trees to clear and only my axe to do it with. It also showed me that I am really inept at cutting my felling notch. I find the bottom cut to be very difficult to do with any accuracy, and awkward in both stance and swing.

 

[Square_peg]

I find the bottom cut to be very difficult to do with any accuracy, and awkward in both stance and swing.

I'll usually forego making an upswing for the bottom cut and be satisfied to cut a little slower with just a horizontal cut. Bad accidents can happen with an upswing. Not worth it unless you're in competition, IMO.

 

[wdmn]

Thanks Square_peg. I've definitely felt uneasy when attempting it so it's probably better not to risk it.

 

[BG_Farmer]

Square_peg said just what I wanted to. I think I sort of slice in from the top and knock out the chunk with a more or less horizontal strike. 4.5" (no offense intended in what follows) is only a handful of strikes at best. After a couple of bigger trees you will start to get a better feel for what works. Just work your way up slowly and safely!

 

[Bridger]

I have been working on my technique all winter to try and improve my chopping and have watched the previously posted videos about a dozen times to try and continue to improve. My "up" swing was definitely awkward at first using my favorite work horse, a 4# Kelly Vulcan cedar pattern axe. Initially, I chopped at about 50% power with the Kelly switching to a Fiskars 23" chopping axe as I got tired focusing on using correct form, proper foot placement and stance, and actually having a plan for the placement of each hit to efficiently remove the chip. I'm still far from perfect, but I've gotten at least proficient. When you get to the point where you are removing plates instead of just chips that eureka moment occurs and the real fun begins. I was mainly taking down dead standing trees for firewood and now that it's warmed up a bit and I can focus on timber stand improvement felling green trees it's really been a blast.

I guess it also helped that I was unemployed from November to the beginning of January and chopped for 3-4 hours about 5 times a week during that period, lol. It's fantastic exercise. My girlfriend about slapped me when I told her I had dropped a belt size in 3 days.

 

[jpeeler]

Something I've realized about felling notches: make sure you don't try to put it too low on the tree. I know you don't wanna waste wood in the stump of the tree, but it's way easier to do an upswing smoothly if your notch is higher on the tree.