Wood Splitting

Joined
Nov 23, 1998
Messages
1,594
A few weeks ago I was using my 20" Ang Khola along with a maul for wood splitting. The 20" Ang Khola did extremely well on the oak. The oak was dried and seasoned. The tree was about 5-7" in diameter. The khukuri did about 15' of this tree and 15' of a balsm.

The Ang Khola did rather poorly on the rotten spruce tree. The khukuri stuck rather than split. There the maul was superior, but it was still tough going.

There was no edge damage. Too my surprise after a few swipes with the chakma and the knife would shave the hair of my friend's arm.

Will
 
Thanks for report Will, and by the way I think Will has added an entry for the Khukuri safety post: " when testing the edge of your khuk, if you must shave hair, then by all means, SHAVE SOMEONE ELSE'S"!
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I got a huge kick out of that when I read it!!
Rob
 
He may still be a friend, but I bet he isn't as close a friend as he used to be.

LOL

That would be almost like having your barber use a chainsaw to do your haircut.

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" You can crop a jackass's ears, but that still don't give him no horse-sense. "

Himalayan Imports Website
 
Will,
I also use my big AK to split wood. I find that in wood that is soft like you speak of (rotted, REALLY wet, etc.), the extra mass of a "real" splitter will help to get you through. I have an 8 pound and a 16 pound maul that I use on occasion. I would much rather use the AK than either of them though. There is much less flying wood, much more accurate splits, and man, it sure is a whole lot more fun. "It takes a manly man to split wood with a knife (LOL)". Plus I like the look on the face of a guest when I go out to split some wood, and grab a gargantuan knife from under the bed!

Since my AK is temporarily out of service while I make a new handle for it, I've been using other knives. They do ok, but they also make me remember just how much I like the AK. That extra mass and breadth really make the difference.

Take it easy all,


Rob

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I'd rather sleep next to a Bush than be Gored!
 
Will
How long were the logs cut?Though a 20"AK will chop any thing,the maul has that long handle and a heavy,wide wedge head for a better mechanical advantage over any khukuri,when it comes to just spliting.It is after all a specialized tool and efficient for little else.If I had to split and burn wood all winter to keep from freezing I would use the maul.
Was your buddy sleeping,did you sneak up on him?
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Ray
 
Ray,

The wood was about 12"-14" long. I'm with Rob, the khukuri is much more fun and accurate. I am not really good with the maul. I prefer the khukuri it does the job efficiently.

I had not considered shaving someones arm while they were sleeping but that is an interesting idea.

I sharpened a female friend's knives a few times. When it came for testing I said roll up your sleaves. She said forget it, she did not want bald patches on her arms. So I said roll up your pants and she said O.K. I doubt I would get away with that with a 20" Ang Khola.

Will
 
"Roll up your pants"? Surely she would have to slip them off? Oh. OH NO! I see what you mean now. Sorry!
David

[This message has been edited by David Innes (edited 12-06-2000).]
 
:
When I lived in Oregon Douglas Fir was the most common used firewood and was easily split with an axe or maul. I sure wish I had of had a large khukuri back then.

Here in Oklahoma most people who use wood as their main heat supply use the motorized hydraulic splitters.
And people who have them refuse to try to split any Elm except Red Elm as it will tear up even the heaviest made motorized splitters.

I got to split some oak, pecan and sycamore yesterday with my GRS. It done okay, but I believe the 20"+ AK would have done it easier and faster.
My brother-in-law still can't get over me using a big knife to split wood instead of the usual tools.
Perhaps if I "offered" to shave the hair on his "arms"?
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(VBESEG)

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

---- Samuel Butler.

Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
 
:
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Seven or eight pounds might even be too much for our favorite Yeti up north?
At least one wouldn't have to "swing" it, the weight alone would be enough to do serious damage if one could get it over their head.
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Waaayyy to much knife for me!!!

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

---- Samuel Butler.

Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
 
After reading Will's post, and replying to it, I couldn't hold off any longer. Last night, handle, or no handle, I broke out the 20" AK and headed to the woodpile. I loaded up the tang, and about the first 3-4" of the edge (including the cho) with multiple layers of duct tape to give me a little lee-way, and donned the heavy leather gloves. Although the ergonomics of using a 3 1/2 pound knife with a stick tang aren't perfect, the splitting session was very cathartic, and reminded me just how nice an AK really is. The wood that I'm splitting is in block form, cut-offs from a local lumber mill, mostly 4x4 and 4x6 and anywhere from 6-18" in length. Red Oak and poplar are the most common hardwoods in the lot. The AK easily outperformed the 18th Century model that I have been using (I figured that it would...), and despite the fact that I had no handle to speak of, I didn't lose control or come close to it, at all. The AK performed flawlessly, usually dispersing of the wood in 1-2 chops! In response to the choice of tool for splitting (maul vs Khuk), another reason that I use the Khuk is that I do most of my secondary splitting (anything under 18" in diameter) on the front porch. Swinging an 8 or 16 pound maul in such close quarters would send wood, concrete, and God only knows what else..., flying in every direction. With the AK, I can set up a board against the house to "catch" one side of the split, and simply block the other side with my left hand to limit the travel of the piece that is split off. All in all, I don't believe that I would do it diffently. Granted with the larger stuff, the maul would be more efficient, but pieces that large are not usually in my pile. It really takes something over 12" in diameter to require that much mass to split, in most cases. Oh well, enough rambling (again), have a good day all.

Regards,

Rob

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I'd rather sleep next to a Bush than be Gored!
 
:
Wheeew, a regular 20"AK length blade with a 10" handle would be a totally new concept for the Head Executioners Tool. That would definitely qualify as a portable Guillotine! ainnit?
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LMRRAO!!!!

Pray that ya don't let it slip when it's raised over your head it could lead to a whole new reason for wearing suspenders to keep your britches up.(VBESEG)

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

---- Samuel Butler.

Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
 
I'd like to hear a review by someone that can weld the 7-8 LB Ang Khola efficiently.

Chop down 6" tree's with a couple of blows?

Will
 
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