Splitting/Chopping Tool Review Thread

[AKKAMAAN]

Do you know what the red stuff is on the opposite side of the handle on the head?

In the 1960's and 1970's, I have seen professional (Swedish Agdor from Hults Bruks) axes with this compound cover the eye of the head. I believe it is a seal to make it water proof. But I can not see that treatment being used anymore. Any wood needs to breath too...

 

[svk]

In the 1960's and 1970's, I have seen professional (Swedish Agdor from Hults Bruks) axes with this compound cover the eye of the head. I believe it is a seal to make it water proof. But I can not see that treatment being used anymore. Any wood needs to breath too...

I think a couple of my mid 80's vintage HB axes have that also...will check when I remember

 

[cali6construction9]

All done without the assistance of an internal combustion engine. That elderly gentleman looks trim and healthy.

Lol yeah I like how he splits it any Idea why he partially shaved what he didn't split?

stihl 026 husky 300xp mac 610 efco 132s craftsman 170 mac 1635

 

[SteveSS]

Lol yeah I like how he splits it any Idea why he partially shaved what he didn't split?

It dries faster that way.

 

[AKKAMAAN]

Well, anyway....

I finally got some time to split using both the X27 & the Council Tool 6# maul. First, the family portrait.
View attachment 383591

Fisher's X27, Council Tool 6#, and Council Tool Hookaroon (just because!)
The wood was red oak, bucked to 16" long, and 16" diameter.
View attachment 383592 View attachment 383593

I started with the Fiskar's and worked from the outside area inward. Being a real novice at hand splitting, I learned from watching MechaincMatt (aka Matt) and others at Spike60's (aka Bob's) GTG. The Fiskar's worked really well penetrating the wood, opening splits but not getting stuck. I was able to generate some nice head speed with minimum effort. I found the Fiskar's easy to control.
View attachment 383594

The Council Tool maul tended to bounce off the wood on occasion. When It did penetrate, it would stick and needed to be pried free. It required a bit more effort to open a crack, even working inward, but once the splits started, it was fairly easy to finish off the entire round.

View attachment 383605

View attachment 383608

View attachment 383610

I'm not planning to be a full time split by hand kinda guy - heck, I'm getting old - but I am enjoying splitting a couple or three rounds in the early morning as a kick-start to the day. It's a great workout and gets the cardio going. All in all, I favored the Fiskar's for what I do. But the Council Tool will probably come with me in the truck to split up (with a wedge) the bigger rounds we've been cutting lately. It's a well made tool, and I do like the feel of the hickory handle. The head seems to be harder then the Fiskar's, and would probably hold up better to heavy abuse.

I didn't mention my old RockForge Home Depot splitting axe. It gets used every day.... to hold the tarp in place over my uglies box!

Tips
Wrap the log or the logs with a bungee cord attached chain.I use two of these, one with a 6' chain, and one with a 9' chain....
Here is the 9' chain...
If the chain is long enough to wrap around the entire log or bundle of logs, the end piece can be used to protect the bungee, just in case the dinner call is made in your back swing....






Since I always try top hit just inside the bark at 12 o'clock on the log face.
When hitting pre-split quarters and halves, I use the 6' chain and I keep the bungee cord on the inside

 

[AKKAMAAN]

I guess I should have done a bit of a review on that NOS HultsBruks , at 3 1/2 lbs and being very thin bit it's more of a felling axe but when you have some dry fairly straight grained wood I find that this excels at splitting kindling , it's hard to explain why but I find that db's balance out perfectly when you have it held just under the head and the splits pop apart effortlessly .
Here's a vid showing and explaining .



That's not me if you're wondering LOL

+1
I've always used and liked that technique for my red cedar kindling. Great video and you are spot on with the pros with a little heavier axe. I can actually use a 2 lbs Fiskars hatchet. Just gotta keep it "razor" blade sharp...
It is a very safe technique, as long as you are not swinging, but just pointing the head at the stick, lift and drop, using the inertia of the axe head...

 

[AKKAMAAN]

What does it matter the size of your splitting block?

It is the stiffness from mass and inertia in the chopping block that makes the difference.
Put an old 8" thick matrass under a 10" diameter chopping block vs a 20" diameter, and try to split a log on top of them. Which chopping block do you think will be most efficient?
When splitting on your concrete driveway the concrete will provide enough stiffness, mass and inertia. I always try to have at least the same or more diameter on the chopping block.
But when splitting really large rounds, the round itself will probably provide enough inertia to be split directly on the 8" mattress...

 

[Ambull01]

+1
I've always used and liked that technique for my red cedar kindling. Great video and you are spot on with the pros with a little heavier axe. I can actually use a 2 lbs Fiskars hatchet. Just gotta keep it "razor" blade sharp...
It is a very safe technique, as long as you are not swinging, but just pointing the head at the stick, lift and drop, using the inertia of the axe head...

You're on the hearth site too right?

 

[AKKAMAAN]

I got one and it has never worked for me. When you roll your edge across it, do the wheel things roll, or do they stay put?

@zogger are you referring to one of the kitchen sharpeners?
Anyway, when you remove these two red indicator wheels, this sharpener works a well as the one with a rolling stone...



By the way, the rolling stone sharpener can be found at IKEA for $halfprice...
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/57145296/#

compared to Fiskars Original...
http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Axe-a...09092&sr=8-1&keywords=fiskars+knife+sharpener

 

[AKKAMAAN]

You're on the hearth site too right?

Yes, but I like it better here. Left AS when hacking started, joined heart a while ago, but there is nothing like AS. So much more serious and knowledgable people. Working my way through this thread, about halfway now. This is a good thread...
4-5 years ago we had a Fiskars thread here that had like 300 posts...But on that one I was in from the beginning...

 

[Ambull01]

Yes, but I like it better here. Left AS when hacking started, joined heart a while ago, but there is nothing like AS. So much more serious and knowledgable people. Working my way through this thread, about halfway now. This is a good thread...
4-5 years ago we had a Fiskars thread here that had like 300 posts...But on that one I was in from the beginning...

More serious here? No way. I like both sites. Hearth for stove related info and this site for everything else.

 

[AKKAMAAN]

After watching Benp's video I realised I've been doing it wrong LOL
I did find this video while surfing Utube .
10 minutes long but the older chap sure gets it done all by hand from felling to splitting with an X25.



Interesting to see what he does with the birch that he doesn't split .

The birch bark is one of the most amazing wood materials there is. Leaving the bark all around a log, will contain all the water and moist in the log, and it will slowly start rotting from inside. By shaving like this, there is no need to split the smaller diameter rounds. The will season through these shaved areas...
I would believe this applies on most tree spieces...

 

[AKKAMAAN]

More serious here? No way. I like both sites. Hearth for stove related info and this site for everything else.

Have no need for the stove info. Vested in a $5000 wood stove 5 years ago...

 

[Marshy]

Have no need for the stove info. Vested in a $5000 wood stove 5 years ago...

What stove did you get?

 

[zogger]

@zogger are you referring to one of the kitchen sharpeners?
Anyway, when you remove these two red indicator wheels, this sharpener works a well as the one with a rolling stone...


View attachment 423205 View attachment 423204
By the way, the rolling stone sharpener can be found at IKEA for $halfprice...
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/57145296/#

compared to Fiskars Original...
http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Axe-a...09092&sr=8-1&keywords=fiskars+knife+sharpener

Yes, I have one of the originals like in the bottom picture, I'll have to look for those little pieces to take out. I tried that thing every which way I could think up, nothing.


edit: oops, chefs choice in your pic, a different sharpener

 

[AKKAMAAN]

Do you have a copy that we can enlarge so I can read the darn thing? With many of the different head designs I could re-name them again for the regional styles here in Canada. Many of those head are known by much different names up here.

Here you go...
https://www.google.com/search?q=typ...a=X&ei=ZYVLVb_SEsP2oASPjICgAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ

 

[AKKAMAAN]

What stove did you get?

http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/store/wood-products/wood-stoves/lima

 

[AKKAMAAN]

edit: oops, chefs choice in your pic, a different sharpener

Yes, each sharpener has two angled fixed stones, #1 Super fine and #2 Ultra fine

 

[cali6construction9]

It dries faster that way.

Thought that's all it was I just figured he'd take more off if that's what it was

stihl 026 husky 300xp mac 610 efco 132s craftsman 170 mac 1635

 

[svk]

Yes, but I like it better here. Left AS when hacking started, joined heart a while ago, but there is nothing like AS. So much more serious and knowledgable people. Working my way through this thread, about halfway now. This is a good thread...
4-5 years ago we had a Fiskars thread here that had like 300 posts...But on that one I was in from the beginning...

Found it for ya