Why do you guys chop so much?

kgd

kgd

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
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Okay, I'm not trolling here (well perhaps a wee tiny bit :p). We've had so many threads in the past year about what is the best chopper (axes, big knives, machetes etc) and the latest big debate was on the merits (or lack thereof) of batoning.

The question for this thread is why and how much chopping do you actually do when you are outdoors?


I got to thinking about this in today's thread about 7" knives (the mid-size category) and uniformly people answer - its not an efficient chopper. This is true, but it is also true that it gets the job done, just less efficiently.

Now I could have done this with an axe, but for demonstration purposes I did it with a knife. It took about 5 min and a portable axe might have taken 2 min (maybe 1 min if you are better than I am) to do.

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Then again, how many times am I actually going to chop and for what purpose will I chop in a given trip?

In truth, if I want to make firewood from a standing tree, lets say of the above size, the only chopping I do is to fell the tree. After it has fallen I will use a saw to cut it into sections and then split the sections. One could chop up the tree into sections, but that is a PITA. Then you have these sharpened pencil type ends on both ends of the pieces and about the only way you can split it is by baton, or performing some magic kung fu balancing act of the piece followed by the axe swing :eek:

I may also chop in order to limb the tree that was chopped down, or to gather spruce bows ect for bedding. In this case 1" limbs make up the majority.

So maybe you guys take down bigger trees then this routinely, I don't know what y'all do and inquiring minds want to know.

The picture above represents about the size of tree (dead standing) I will usually tackle for a night in front of a small campfire, this and supplementing with smaller foraged pieces. Lots of other folks indicate that they simply gather sticks and such to meet their needs.

So the crux of the matter is, if the initial fell and limbing is really the only chopping I'm going to do for the night, do I necessarily need a 'tool built for the chop'?
 
A sharp large chopper (8"-10" blade) would have chopped through that size of limb in under a minute. To split it in order to make some starter sticks, batoning would be a piece of cake, as opposed to magic kung fu balancing with an axe.

My opinion? It sounds like you're good to go with your methods. Nothing wrong with a portable saw if you're mainly tackling that size wood. That same size branch can also work well in building an overnight shelter.

What I wonder is: if folks have their methods and their methods work, why do they care so much what other folks are doing? Honestly, there's more than one way to skin a cat here, and so much is about individual preference. I like a big chopping knife and a smaller utility blade. I find that a big blade does as much or more than a similar sized (length-wise) hatchet, and I don't like to carry a full-size axe unless I'm just car camping. But like I said, your mileage may vary.

Edit: And I baton mostly for sport. :p
 
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Hey Guyon, yes I agree there are multiple ways to skin the cat. Often times these types of debates will hash out different ways. I know I've tried my share of alternative methods from reading debates on techniques in BF and I'm pretty sure that what I do is neither the most efficient or best way, but it is what I do.

Anyhow, the purpose of this thread is to ask how often you find yourself chopping. I gave my example mainly to say that I find that I tend to only chop occasionally. Do you find that you chop frequently and need to chop larger stuff? This is what I want to get at :)
 
Honest answer: no on the chopping large stuff. IMO it's just not energy efficient without an axe (or a large crosscut saw :p).

As for chopping in general, quite a bit. With a large blade and a back stop (a log), you can chop up 1" to 1 1/2" limbs in one chop all day long. Same goes for a hatchet, but you have to be a little more precise with a hatchet chop. With a big blade, there's more room for operator error since you have 8" or more of cutting area. Both work. Again, it's a matter of individual preference.

With dry stock in the above diameter, you can sometimes just snap it easily, but with greener wood, that doesn't always work so well.

I also baton medium sized stuff on occasion (6" to 10" logs) Do I need to? Maybe not, but if that's all the wood that's available, I find it useful to make up some smaller stock when starting a fire. If other small stock is available, then there's really no need to baton. Unless all the wood is wet.
 
In all honesty I'm not a chopper guy. I like a 6" - 8" blades for chopping wood around camp, shelter building (just for fun and exercise) and to split a pelvis if I ever get to hunt again. I use a hatchet or axe for splitting at home and for tougher jobs in camp, but in my experience nothing is more versatile than a larger knife for these activities in short bursts. Other than that I favor 4" - 5" blades for everything else.
 
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I'm just sort of getting into saws myself. Been eyeing those Silkys a while now.

I've long used a small (6") Gerber to clear lower branches off a tree when climbing in a tree stand. And recently, I picked up a couple of the Fiskars 10" sliding saws. It does seem to me you're limited by the length of the saw as to what you're going to tackle in terms of sectioning. True? Of course, you can roll a log and come at it from different sides until you finally section it.
 
It's funny that I use those Silky saws for work almost everyday, but I tend to forget about them being in my kit while outdoors. I like being able to use my knives without scrutiny so much that the saw is neglected even if it would do the job better.
 
Good pics, by the way. And it's cool that you found what works well for you.

What do you mean by larger stuff? For myself, I don't chop anything that's living, but something I need to work on a downed tree to get at some firewood. There are occasions where there's just not enough dry wood around, or I need more than I was able to find. If you stick to the ~4" stuff, then you just need either a medium sized blade or saw. Much past that and it quickly becomes a bigger chore. A real 'chopper' comes into its own at that point. I can limb, section, and split whatever is needed with the least amount of energy in the least amount of time. This is most important in the winter and spring, obviously.

By summer and fall, it's often warm enough (with the way I camp) that I don't need to keep a steady fire going, and then I don't 'need' an axe. Doesn't mean I won't still bring one though. :D
 
Guyon - I like a take down buck saw and use the trailblazer. While small in size (everything stores in the handle tube) it is admittedly heavier than the typical folding Sierra saw. The blade tension makes it more efficient for the big stuff though. Albeit, you still have to roll the logs or switch up angles because the tension bar eventually contacts the top of the wood.
 
Hey Spooky - yes, I don't kill trees either. Plus they usually don't make good fire wood anyway. In areas where I've been, you often find a lot of dead standing trees usually because at some point they've been swamped out by a beaver damn etc. In this case, the 3-5" standing dead trees are easy to be had. For these a saw and medium knife works fine.

So what size of wood do you generally cut?
 
As an avid hiker who volunteers much of my free time to trail maintenance, I always carry a blade in the 7’ to 10” range for chopping.

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I routinely use it to dispatch trunks/limbs up to around 5” in diameter.

For bigger obstructions I usually return at a later date with tools more appropriate to the task at hand; be it an axe, a chainsaw and/or a block & tackle.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
I chop Honey Locust saplings, up to about three inches ,in diameter just to remove the pest. I tried a machete, that was hard work. Cant imagine using a knife. I use a hatchet all the time.

In clearing a path ,the machete is okay at hacking limbs off, but still prefer a hatchet. Ive never had a good knife chopper. Tried a USMC Kabar, that was to much work.
 
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Nice bowie, Big Mike. Who made that one?
 
How much do I chop?
A lot.

Either around the property cleaning up dead wood, or when I go camping, I chop up whatever is laying around for firewood. I never really know what size I'll find.

I'm guessing the wood in that pic to be in the 4" range? That'd be less than 30 seconds with the kukri I generally carry.

It just keep coming back to: use what works for you.
 
The question for this thread is why and how much chopping do you actually do when you are outdoors?


Depends.

On my land I usually bring a khukuri or some big chopper with me.
Years ago all my land which is quite steep was farmed. Then it grew back but obviously when you farm sloped land you lose topsoil to erosion, because there are no trees or leaf layer slowing it down as it runs off. I try to maintain a system of trails for hiking and hunting and I get trees down on them. I do LOTS of chopping at home

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In the wilds the only chopping I do is delimbing. There is so much dead wood lying around that there is no need to buck. Generally the delimbing can be taken care of by hand. I use a combo of a 5" Skandi, 14" Tram, and a small folder. Sometimes I carry a Saw as well. In my part of the world (Arizona Desert) I find it works fine.
 
kgd said:
Hey Spooky - yes, I don't kill trees either. Plus they usually don't make good fire wood anyway. In areas where I've been, you often find a lot of dead standing trees usually because at some point they've been swamped out by a beaver damn etc. In this case, the 3-5" standing dead trees are easy to be had. For these a saw and medium knife works fine.

So what size of wood do you generally cut?
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Probably not much more than 10" max, sort of 'as needed'. I don't find the largest thing I can and then section it down, I get the small stuff first until I see I need something more/larger/drier.

I keep a small Fiskars retractable saw, but I don't trust it much. I've had too many saws break or bend on me.

I almost always have a ~4" fixed blade on me, but sometimes I'll toss a big blade in my pack (namely the kabar heavy bowie) and this too will work satisfactorily to get my firewood.
 
Guyon said:
Nice bowie, Big Mike. Who made that one?
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That Bowie is a one-of-a-kind Custom from Mike Stewart’s shop.

12.6” overall with a 7.5” blade of .300” thick 50-100B High Carbon Steel at 58 Rc.; about a pound of savage field tool.

Mike’s Crew made a run of 30 of these blades; mine is the only one with a single quillian guard, and features an oversize IPE handle with a pronounced bird’s peak pommel.

That thick heavy blade makes for a chopping machine. :cool:





"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
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