Splitting Axe Comp at GTG

[flyboy553]

Has any one ever had a splitting axe competition at a GTG? I think it would be a fun thing to do, but I don't know how it could be done fairly. One guy might be better at swinging an axe than another guy. The piece of wood might be easier to split. I would want it to be just based on the axe's ability to split a piece of wood.

Yeah, I'm sure lots of you know my hidden agenda on this one!:msp_tongue: I really think
a regular axe would give those Water-Walking Fiskars a lesson or two on splitting wood!

Anyone have ideas on how it could be done in a fair and honest way?

I think it would be a blast!

Ted

 

[andydodgegeek]

Has any one ever had a splitting axe competition at a GTG? I think it would be a fun thing to do, but I don't know how it could be done fairly. One guy might be better at swinging an axe than another guy. The piece of wood might be easier to split. I would want it to be just based on the axe's ability to split a piece of wood.

Yeah, I'm sure lots of you know my hidden agenda on this one!:msp_tongue: I really think
a regular axe would give those Water-Walking Fiskars a lesson or two on splitting wood!

Anyone have ideas on how it could be done in a fair and honest way?

I think it would be a blast!

Ted

Fiskars rule.

 

[flyboy553]

Fiskars rule.

That's your opinion, Andy, and you know what they say about opinions! :hmm3grin2orange:

But I want facts! Cold hard facts. Like Sgt Joe Friday said, just the facts sir, just the facts!

If I am wrong, I will eat my words, no doubt, but I don't think I would have to worry too much about that!

Ted

 

[cnice_37]

Has any one ever had a splitting axe competition at a GTG? I think it would be a fun thing to do, but I don't know how it could be done fairly.

How about blindfolded? :msp_ohmy:

Fiskars rule x2

 

[zogger]

Has any one ever had a splitting axe competition at a GTG? I think it would be a fun thing to do, but I don't know how it could be done fairly. One guy might be better at swinging an axe than another guy. The piece of wood might be easier to split. I would want it to be just based on the axe's ability to split a piece of wood.

Yeah, I'm sure lots of you know my hidden agenda on this one!:msp_tongue: I really think
a regular axe would give those Water-Walking Fiskars a lesson or two on splitting wood!

Anyone have ideas on how it could be done in a fair and honest way?

I think it would be a blast!

Ted

A regular axe does not have the wider wedge shape. Thats just engineering reality. There is no way for them, a chopping axe, to be better than an on purpose designed splitting axe or maul. Its like saying your big screwdriver is better than a prybar. Both can do the same job, one is designed for the job. There are numerous axe companies out there, numerous, at various prices from cheap to expensive, all of therm that I have looked at, cheap to expensive, differentiaqte between a chopper and a splitter by design. If you can beat all of those companies, with combined centuries of design experience, design and sell one, youll be rich beyond the dreams of avarice.

fiskars took off because at the price point, note that, the price point, it was and still is a lot better than the typical hardware store cheapo maul in most wood. Not all wood and situations, but a lot. Lighter, easier to swing, does a similar job with much less effort. It isnt perfect, it wont do every stick for every guy, but all the reviews on the web you can find are 90% plus say something like its better than my old maul!!

You gotta ask yourself then, are all those people lying, or are they paid shills for fiskars, or what?

I split all my wood for years with my regular generic chopper designed axe..ethnic please, dont tell me that is better or equal to my fiskars super splitter for splitting. It just aint so.. No, that wouldnt show my fiskars I have now a thing.

Those of us who run fiskars like them because they work, thats it. No agenda, just getting split wood on the stack easier than whatever we were doing before. Inexpensive, work great. We are not inexperienced, lying, telling tales, fabricating results, or anything of that nature. for us, they work real good for a lot of situations. I still have my maul and wedges and sledge, still use them on *some* rounds. The majority of my wood though, fiskars does it better and no way would I use my generic chopper axe when I have the alternatives.

I would love to try one of the like 200 buck level splitting axes, but dont have one. I would imagine they work quite well.

 

[H-Ranch]

I don't know how to set up a competition to test two or more different types of splitting devices. Even with the same user there could be bias that would come out (I'm just thinkin' here that you *might* be slower/less accurate/use less force/whatever with the Fiskars no matter what it was compared to! :eek2

Now letting you pick your splitting tool and others picking theirs could be interesting. Take rounds from the same straight log and say everyone has to split them to a minimum of 15 splits and they all have to fit through a 6" tube could showcase speed, accuracy, and style. Maybe even do 3 different logs like Ash, White Oak, and Elm.

 

[REJ2]

"ethnic please", your killing me zogger!

 

[tbow388]

Yep

Fiskars :msp_wub::msp_wub::msp_wub::msp_wub:

 

[tbow388]

I think a "bring your own" splitting competition would be fun.

No matter what you are splitting and splitting with, you will find out who the man with the plan is in the splitting department.

I know a older than me guy (in his 50's) that will take a 20" round of oak with a double bladed axe and bust it up twice as quick as I can with my fiskars. But he has been splitting since he was a young kid.

 

[rarefish383]

Ok, I'm one of those spoiled North Easteners that can Cherry Pick my wood (pun intended). I split mostly arrow straight White Oak. For forty plus years I've used chopping axes and malls. I have a nice collection of turn of the century axes. Last year I bought a Fiskars knock off and I seldom grab one of my old axes. Not 100 % because it was that much better. My favorite ax was a 4 pounder and my nephew broke the handle. I think my Fiskars fake is 4 pounds also. On the really straight stuff, I can't see any difference. On the tougher stuff the Fiskars Fake (FF) does work better. It has the profile of a mall and the speed of an ax. Just like baseball, it's all in the wrists, and bat speed. I do like the FF so much more then the 6 and 8 pound malls I will never use one of them again. I'm just really lucky to have access to a lot of good wood, Joe.

 

[Stlshrk]

I'm not sure about fairness or anything else, but anyone who wishes to get a little practice is welcome to split at my woodshed. I won't even charge you, like the gym would. :msp_tongue::msp_tongue:

 

[8433jeff]

Fiskars knock offs rule, especially the green handled ones. Menards, like $12.99.

 

[andydodgegeek]

The magical Fiskars splits and stacks the wood in one easy swing!

 

[zogger]

"ethnic please", your killing me zogger!

I know datz rite..put yo check on dat...

 

[spike60]

We boys in the NYCSM have been cooking up a variation on this theme. Haven't done it yet, but we've more or less settled on this basic plan.

The idea is to have two teams of 3-5 guys each harvest a tree for firewood using only hand tools. Axes, saws, mauls, whatever. Select two as equal as possible trees that have to be felled, limbed, bucked, and split.

The more thought we put into it, the more parameters we came up with. Teams could use whatever combo of tools they wanted, but we thought the felling should be done with axes. There also has to be relative equality of tools available. Dimensions of the finished product, what was to be kept and what was considered brush should be defined. Trees need not be too big, cause it should be fun, not agonizing. We did some test cuts, and trees in the 6"to 8" range are plenty when using hand tools. Especially when you're not used to using them. If there are decent sized one or two man crosscut saws, then some larger wood would be OK, but using bow saws on anything larger than 6" gets kind of tedious. There's more technique involved that you might think of to get the most out of these tools. Strategy is important, but the most important item is: SHARP! :msp_razz: If you think cutting with a dull chainsaw is bad, dull hand tools absolutely ####!

 

[slowp]

We have cookie contests instead. We PNWers are more into group eating and then cutting firewood.
Working together...of course, Old Sparkless did..... but in a good way.

View attachment 283221View attachment 283222View attachment 283223View attachment 283224

 

[flyboy553]

Last weekend I tried a Fiskars splitting axe. It worked, it split the piece of wood. Another guy was whackin' away at a block of wood with a Fiskars, without getting it to split. I took my splitting axe and split it with one hit. So, that left me less than impressed with the Fiskars. But only because everyone on here says they are the cat's meow, so I guess maybe I was expecting more than what I saw.

That is the incident that got me to thinking about some sort of competition at a GTG. Just don't know how to make it work in a fair manner. I am not that good at aiming when I split by hand, but someone else could be, so they would split faster than I, no matter the weapon. Not to mention I have no stamina! lol Surely wouldn't be the cigs causing that!

Ted

 

[zogger]

Last weekend I tried a Fiskars splitting axe. It worked, it split the piece of wood. Another guy was whackin' away at a block of wood with a Fiskars, without getting it to split. I took my splitting axe and split it with one hit. So, that left me less than impressed with the Fiskars. But only because everyone on here says they are the cat's meow, so I guess maybe I was expecting more than what I saw.

That is the incident that got me to thinking about some sort of competition at a GTG. Just don't know how to make it work in a fair manner. I am not that good at aiming when I split by hand, but someone else could be, so they would split faster than I, no matter the weapon. Not to mention I have no stamina! lol Surely wouldn't be the cigs causing that!

Ted

yep, would be fun! I dont have much power in a swing, but I can aim well.

 

[Whitespider]

You can't totally eliminate the variances in human ability, or in the wood itself... but you can minimize its affect on the outcome.
Make the competition a timed and counted affair, with each contestant using his personal weapon of choice.
Each contestant gets, say a dozen 8-12 inch rounds (of the same type wood... maybe two or three randomly picked from each log used in the competition), and all rounds must be converted into four completely separated splits of reasonably equal size (keeping it friendly).
Scoring would be the time in seconds multiplied by the number of times the tool is swung (which would be 36 swings at bare minimum)... low score wins.
By scoring that way, there would be emphasis on both speed and tool splitting efficiency... in other words, someone with a bit longer total time could still win by swinging fewer times, but wasting time pulling "almost" splits apart could cause you to lose.

 

[ShaneLogs]

Fiskars rule.

Yes they do. Snow & Nelley axes are sweet too!