Comments on: How to Split Firewood

By: JG

JG — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:01:16 +0000

This particular article describes the technique fro splitting wood minimally. There is more to it than just swinging a sharp peice of steel.
1. begin by standing with feet slightly wider than shoulders, toes pointed ahead. guage your distance to the log by resting the axe head on the wood. hold the axe with left hand on the base of the axe handle and right hand above it, similar to a baseball bat.
2. step back with the right foot only. about 20 inches. the distance between heels should be the width of your shoulders. your shoulders will be turned and your knees slightly bent. keep your left hand at the base of the axe, but allow the right hand to slide up the handle almost to the head. while holding the axe, put your right thumb to your right shoulder so that the axe head is behind you, blade facing the sky, your left hand holding the axe is in front of you, and the axe handle is aimed at the wood.
3. to strike, push the axe head straight up with your right hand and the handle with your left. simultaneously, begin to step forward with your right foot. the effect is that the whole body raises while you push the axe up into the air. once your left hand is at the same level as the top of your head, stop it and allow your right hand to slide down the axe handle, camming the upward movement of the axe handle into a circular swing.
4. impact. just before the axe head strikes the wood, your right foot should plant shoulder width from your left and your right hand should find its place just above your left, and grip the axe firmly. both hands will be between knee and waist height from the ground, depending on the height of the wood being split. At the moment of impact, the handle should be paralell to the horizon or on a very slight angle with the head end lower.

The result is that you use your entire body to strike a powerful blow against either a peice of firewood or capital criminal. It matters not, both bring comfort to all present when split and burned.

By: United Athletic Club » Blog Archiv » Love em/Hate em Burpees

United Athletic Club » Blog Archiv » Love em/Hate em Burpees — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:48:16 +0000

[...] bowling ball biceps. While those muscles look nice, they don’t do much for you when you have to split a giant pile of wood or even save your own life. Burpees are an effective exercise for developing the conditioning and [...]

By: How to Plan a Funeral | The Art of Manliness

How to Plan a Funeral | The Art of Manliness — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:29:48 +0000

[...] climbing expedition, or building a house. And some are a little more mundane: paying the mortgage, splitting and stacking a cord of wood, or winning a great hand of poker. All of these obstacles, however, [...]

By: Ben P

Ben P — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:30:00 +0000

Good tips all, but here’s one I haven’t seen posted yet:

When dealing with a tough piece that won’t split upon first impact with the axe (if you’re using an axe), don’t waste energy trying to wrench the axehead out of the wood for another blow; simply raise the axe with the log stuck on it, rotate everything 180 degrees, and bring the back of the axehead down on a firm surface. The log will split itself on the axe by its own inertia. I know, it doesn’t seem like it would work that well, especially as it’s difficult to swing with much force with a log on one’s axe, but you’ll be amazed. Physics, baby.

By: EB

EB — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:50:50 +0000

I carry a small hatchet into the woods and have been splitting logs this way for some time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmXURKP3RMY
This technique plus a good sharp knife (and a little bit of knowledge) goes a LONG way…

You can easily fell a large tree (or make sections from fallen trees) and make a shelter or whatever with this..

Things to keep in mind while using a axe are:
safety, read the wood, efficiency (work smarter, not harder!)

Stay safe and have fun :)
P.S. love the site!