splitting wood with wood

vector001

vector001

Joined
Aug 4, 2007
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the following is just my opinion, based on my personal experiences and favorite ways of moving through everything from jungles to arctic tundra. if it is different than any brother's here, please don't be offended, that is not my aim.

the following video shows several things that i love about carrying what a lot of folks mistakenly believe is a whimpy tool - the proper long tomahawk.

while it isn't a nice Double Bit Axe by any stretch of the imagination, one also doesn't have to suffer from the weight of what a proper hawk substitutes for in a pinch, when wandering through the wilderness on no schedule but your own....

equally, a hawk with a good ergonomic handle can be so accurate on the swing that a larger bit becomes unnecessary in a chopping modus. - long knives will always be a perfect companion to my hawk, but they will become what they were always meant to be IMHO in the absence of needless abuse - long thin beauties that cut, slice, and slash like laser beams.

around 5:20 in this video, they show a great practice for splitting logs and making firewood, etc. which doesn't require a giant axe or maul to do effectively.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20QAptbTTF8

where a steel tool can only be in one spot at a time, it is possible to split trees and logs with surgical precision when using some simple wood wedges usually. - great for getting into making things like birch bark canoes, pack frames, and all sorts of goodies that are a whole lot of fun to do as a neo-primitive.

the video goes on to show traditional methods of making skis from pine, and shows some simple homemade clamps and steamers used for wood forming.

i think they are great skills to have.

enjoy.

vec
 
That's a very handy technique that I've used from time to time. Great for splitting something that you'd normally be under-gunned for. I've used a machete to make my wedges and a mallet, and then started the split with the thin blade of the machete. Insert the wedges and split away! :D:thumbup:
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
That's a very handy technique that I've used from time to time. Great for splitting something that you'd normally be under-gunned for. I've used a machete to make my wedges and a mallet, and then started the split with the thin blade of the machete. Insert the wedges and split away! :D:thumbup:
Click to expand...

+1

Same here:thumbup:
 
Thanks for posting this. I forget what other video I saw of his, but they see to be great so far. Love this kind of stuff.
 
I have used wood wedges and they work well. And they are very easy to make. You could even split up some firewood with nothing more than a small knife (SAK, Opinel, Peanut, etc). Just cut some wedges and pound them into logs with rocks.
 
lambertiana said:
...You could even split up some firewood with nothing more than a small knife (SAK, Opinel, Peanut, etc). Just cut some wedges and pound them into logs with rocks.
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exactly.

the hawk is cheating a little - okay, a lot. :D:thumbup:

if i could use fire and mud to chop down trees when i needed them, i would definitely ditch the hawk for a rawk. there would be little need to carry anything if we could use fire in the old ways.

there's always that damnabale balance between what we can do, and what we should do. - for me, that means keep the hawk and long knife, and utilize the tools of the environment, such as the wood wedges, which won't have Forest SWAT come after me, as using fire would no doubt do in most of my stomping grounds. :cool:

that's one thing i loved about living in the jungle - if you got a big fire going, folks wouldn't show up to castigate you, they'd show up to ask for a coal because their fire went out.


vec
 
I've seen a really good display by Old Jimbo, showing the use of wooden wedges to split a large log, on his Vaughn Mini Axe review.
 
Also the lightweight plastic splitting wedges pack nicely if you plan on doing much splitting. Wooden wedges are made in the field easily enough, but these save some time nonetheless. :)

15334_L.jpg
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Also the lightweight plastic splitting wedges pack nicely if you plan on doing much splitting. Wooden wedges are made in the field easily enough, but these save some time nonetheless. :)

15334_L.jpg
Click to expand...

got a favorite link for those man made wedges, brother?

nothing wrong with meeting in the middle, i reckon.

.....

that said, in Cedar country up north, it's hard for me to carry anything with wood that good....

vec
 
When I built my log cabins with my M-43 Kukri I used wooden medges to split the logs for some of the wall, roof and doors.

The kukri is an amazing tool for limbing, peeling logs and works well for making the wedges as well.
 
I'd like to add one bonus to wooden wedges, the ability to split rocks, dates back to the Egyptians IIRC, plastic doesn't expand when soaked with water.
 
wildmike said:
When I built my log cabins with my M-43 Kukri I used wooden medges to split the logs for some of the wall, roof and doors.
Click to expand...

i would love to see the pictures of that process!

The kukri is an amazing tool for limbing, peeling logs and works well for making the wedges as well.
Click to expand...

no argument there from me, brother. i like the khukris too.

for the weight though, i prefer a proper long hawk and machete. besides the reach of each tool, the pair of mine are lighter than the single khukri that i own. plus with two distinct tools i can enjoy greater weight displacement in my load over a long overland trip afoote. every little bit helps.

a khukri's physics are much like a hawk and machete squished into one thing. very nice. if a khukri was my only choice, i would be perfectly happy, it just doesn't fit my favored style, especially when i want to leave the machete behind for the weight. - half less mass to carry in the tool section.

the only reason i don't care for the khukri machetes is because i prefer the swept or straight machetes for work in the snow. but again, that's not an objection for a lot of the year.

.......

building a cabin with a knife. that's hard core, brother. :cool::thumbup:

vec
 
Skimo said:
I'd like to add one bonus to wooden wedges, the ability to split rocks, dates back to the Egyptians IIRC, plastic doesn't expand when soaked with water.
Click to expand...

that's right. it's like ice that you can use in the heat.

good point.

vec
 
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