Grandpa splitting kindling!

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Man time flies. Parents used to go visit their uncle who had a son who brought home cutoffs from the saw mill where he worked. Us kids didn't care about visiting but we split enough of that "clean" wood to fire the wood stove till we came again. They are all long since gone but I am so proud I grew up loving working and its sad to see kids now that don't know how to pull their chair to the table.
 
He hit every place he intended to.
Until that one time he doesn't. That time may never come though.

I'd let him be.
 
Looks like it's not his first rodeo, but you wouldn't catch me doing that. I wouldn't have to worry about it very long though once I'd exhausted my fingers and toes.
 
I tried to find it but couldn't , a vid of nutso guys in europe/russia some furrin place speed splitting like that, big chunks. The thing is, you really don't need to hold a piece if you use a tire. I have done it like the geezer is doing here, proly still can, but no need.
 
I value my fingers too much to leave me thumb in top of the piece. I split kinlin just like that but hold the side of the wood near the top and keep my hand far away. When I get down to the last split I'll let go of the piece letting my hand drop away right before the axe contacts the wood just incase the axe misses the wood. I dont use a very sharp axe for this though.
 
No telling how many times I have watched this video.. Seems like he gets closer to his thumb each time!!!
I watched that video and it reminded me of story a family friend told me about himself many years ago.He was missing a finger down to the first knuckle on his left hand.From the time I first knew him as a real young kid I had wanted to ask him how he lost that finger.Finally got up enough nerve to ask him. I was 14 or 15 years old.This had been bothering me for a long time!He told me he was splitting kindling in the woodshed with a hatchet when it stuck in the block.He levered the hatchet up and took the finger nearly off.He said it was hanging by a piece of skin.He yanked it off the rest of the way,turned around to a small window behind him,saw a nail sticking up and jammed the finger on the nail.Said it stayed right there till spring.I'll tell you I was some glad I asked and finally found out.
 
What I see in that video is a man who has probably worked in the woods with an ax all his life. To call him reckless of foolish is just ignorant. I can remember watching a home movie of my great grandfather from back in the 40's. He had worked in woods and mills of Maine since he was a young boy and he was handling an ax just like that. These guys would probably be amazed that some of you folks can type on a keyboard without looking at the keys. It's all just muscle memory. Do something long enough and you get pretty darn good at it. I just cut and split wood for my stove so I can't swing an ax with the confidence that the gentleman in the video does but I only do it a very limited amount of time throughout the year.
 
I was thinking as I watched that," it's just the way we all do it aint it?"... I guess not, I don't swing as hard but just as fast not a big deal to me I guess it's weird what I take for granted I guess.
 
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