playing with my axe

S

siguy

Joined
Aug 26, 2006
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decided to do something worth taking pictures of today in order to play with the new camera, so i thought i would put together a little "axe skillz" post for anyone interested...

this is basically a less-extreme reproduction of the work that oldjimbo did here. i suppose someone will find it useful...

splitting large wood with a packable axe:

take a hardwood branch 2-3" in diameter, seasoned is best but green will work too. cut off a piece about 8-10 inches long. a saw makes this easier but for the sake of demonstration i stuck with the axe.
splitting2.jpg


split the piece in the middle, i used a baton for precision.
splitting3.jpg


trim the ends even and shape the blocks into wedges with short chops. if you used a saw for step 1, straightening the ends isn't necessary. you want the front edges rather thin. this can be tricky with an axe, but if you lay the wedges down on the log and use short soft chops you can get a pretty good edge on them.
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use a baton to drive the axe about 1/2" into the log across the end to create a score line. this will make the split open up more easily.
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next, use a heavy baton to drive the axe into the end of the log deep to start the split.
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as the split starts to open either on the end or on the sides, drive in a wedge wherever you can fit it.
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(continued)
 
now work the other wedge so that you can free the axe. use the axe as another wedge to spread the split farther down the log. drive the wedges in, spreading the split and widening the split until the log falls apart. if you didn't use a natural split in the log, there will be alot of wood fibers across the split. i use my axe to cut these.
splitting11.jpg


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hope this helps someone. it was fun anyways, and this wood really hung together. i was tempted to grab my iron wedges, but i kept pounding and got it apart. ;)
 
That very informative! I never had the chance to do it myself yet. So it's nice to see someone else demonstrate it for others to learn from.
Thanks:thumbup:
 
thanks siguy. I like that method for using a smaller axe to split bigger wood. Which Wetterlings is that you are using?
 
GEC, glad you like it. if this helps someone that's a good thing :thumbup:

appraisist, it is the "hunter's axe"-19" handle. i am slowly grinding the poll down flat, a few minutes here and there. i didn't realize wetterlings made a normal shaped 19" hatchet when i ordered this, and i got it for a good deal anyways. i like it quite a bit.
 
it's way too nice to even think about bundling my toes up! last week my toes froze off inside my sneakers, but the last couple of days have been beautiful.
 
kismet, after i almost split my toe in half with an axe a little over a year ago, i have decided that outside of steel toe shoes nothing is going to stop a sharp axe...so i have simply decided not to let accidents happen :cool: :rolleyes:

but seriously, if i am swinging a felling axe i put on the boots, but when i'm working on a stump or with a smaller axe, i worry more about my knees than my feet. i also get down on my knees when chopping near the ground (felling, bucking, etc), so that my feet are not in danger at all.
 
with wedges (i use Stihl wedges or wood wedges) i have split upwards of 60 feet down a douglas fir log, to make benches for trails. It gets easier on larger logs if you have good wedges. I like to use a chalk line form one end to the other, makes for even splits. Most of the time i actually use a 5 lb mallet to drive wedges,a fte rmaking the initial few feet with the axe.

its good fun too.
 
a mallet drives the wedges much easier than my relatively light baton (which is no slouch on its own).

i once tried to split up a long maple log, but the whole split twisted around, and it ended up being a big pile of firewood instead of a canoe frame. i wish i had a few different kinds of wood around here instead of just maple...maybe i will have to climb the mountain and pull down a birch for some bushcraft projects...

i agree, it is good fun.
 
Me and my bro did that a couple of months ago to make a camp chair, it was a 3 foot chunk of pine and we used a big fiskars, it was a lot of work but very fun.
Wedges really are a must, it's a tool as much as anything else we use.
 
Snow said:
Put some shoes on!! :D
Click to expand...

as soon as i saw the title of the thread, i was wondering if Simon was going to wearing any shoes...:o shoe's are good, especially when working with axes and big logs..

great pics anyhow...:D
 
Simon,

Just curious as to why you are grinding the poll down on your Large hunters axe? Are you looking to cut weight?

Paul
 
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