Lets use those axes for what they were ment for.

[Square_peg]

I came across this photo on a local history website. These boys really earned their suppers.

 

[OutdoorEnvy]

That is a very cool picture SP. Those must be Paul Bunyan's woodchips on the ground.

 

[SamuraiDave]

I promise I'd plant another one if I got a team together to take one down!

Promise!

What only 50,000 years to grow another?

You only live once. Why not?

 

[Double Ott]

S Peg, great picture. You got to love the crosscut saw...It must be at least a 12 footer.

 

[Operator1975]

Perhaps that pic helps to explain the need for a 36 inch handle, if not a 42 inch. Thats a whole new world of choppin right there

 

[Square_peg]

Those must be Paul Bunyan's woodchips on the ground.

I was noticing that, too. Bigger than dinner plates, some of them.

 

[G-pig]

Undercutting with a crosscut makes for good chip throwing. if you have to cut the bottom flat with an axe, tis a bit harder to throw out nice plates.

 

[Square_peg]

For sure. It's fun chopping to a kerf. Makes you feel like a real hee-row with an axe.

 

[CedarEater]

I was gifted a mix of maple rounds and rather large alder rounds last weekend. The axes mostly bounced off the maple and went thud on the alder. So, I broke out the Mexican maul and some splitting wedges.

The maul was used to half and then quarter (or fifths) some of the rounds. It did a mighty fine job of it.

Some of the rounds required the wedges.

After the rounds were quartered the axes were easily able to do the rest of the splitting. I brought out the Plumb cruiser just for fun and was pleasantly surprised at how efficient that little axe is at splitting wood. I fully expected it to do well on the alder but man it sliced through the maple too. I can see how one could justify choosing it as the go to axe if you could only have one axe.

It was a good afternoon workout and I got a little more wood out of it than expected.

 

[Square_peg]

Great stuff! You had a productive day.

I love splitting big rounds - gives you a real sense of satisfaction. Looks like you've got a burl remaining there. Saving it for something special?

 

[CedarEater]

Looks like you've got a burl remaining there. Saving it for something special?

Oh yeah, that guy snuck into the shot. He is actually a black locust burl that was from the neighbors at our current jobsite. I am not sure what I will be using that for. Maybe some of it will become the quoin for my shaving horse? Hopefully when the rest of that tree gets taken down I will be getting some haft material.

 

[Square_peg]

Yeah, black locust is supposed to be a very good wood for handles and such. I hope you get it.

 

[G-pig]

I guess I win this thread.. You guys better get to work =)







This was back in January, good weather for this work. it was a Maple around 25" or so, took around 2 hours to drop, with plenty of breaks included.

 

[cooperhill]

Got out to do some trailwork today. Late start but had the pleasure of meeting up with a moose cow coming down the trail (my adopted trail in the White Mountains, well one of them). My axe of choice today.



Didn't finish this one but got one cut in. big old birch.







rotten hemlock. horrible to chop. Like a sponge. Thinking of bringing a long a saw for these.







Moose.

 

[Square_peg]

Beautiful trail. Wish I coulda been there.

 

[bearhunter]

Nice pics fellows, I love splitting wood

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Hello,

It looks like the Plumb cut into the birch well but you say, cooperhill, not so good on the hemlock. I wonder if a thin bit or a thin grind on the bit would make the difference.

E.DB.

 

[killa_concept]

Hello,

It looks like the Plumb cut into the birch well but you say, cooperhill, not so good on the hemlock. I wonder if a thin bit or a thin grind on the bit would make the difference.

E.DB.

Never personally have had to deal with hemlock, let alone in a rotten state but it looks like that plumb has a pretty nice banana grind going on it. I'd need to see a top down picture to verify, but I'd say the cheeks are already about as thinned out as would be sensible for general usage. Probably just the wood's consistency

 

[KingKoma]

Never personally have had to deal with hemlock, let alone in a rotten state but it looks like that plumb has a pretty nice banana grind going on it. I'd need to see a top down picture to verify, but I'd say the cheeks are already about as thinned out as would be sensible for general usage. Probably just the wood's consistency

Thats what I was thinking, it looks pretty thin to me. If the wood is punky so penetration is not an issue then I would try a thicker, more pronounced convex.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Oh, I understood the "rotten" part as a dislike of hemlock in general not this one in particular.
I have one with very thinned down blade which I do like.



E.DB.