Splitting Kindling with the Fiskars is now safe for my 3 year old . . .

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
jra1100

jra1100

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,206
Location
Marble Rock, Iowa
One of the reasons that I like this site is that you never know what your going to see. I was touched by Micah and his dad working together. Looks like a super kid in the making, made by a super dad, who was probably made by another super dad. Thanks for posting. JR
 
farmerdoug

farmerdoug

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
Messages
283
Location
Northwest
Genius. Been hunting for a safe way to get my 2-year more involved with our firewood.

Thank you, everyone, for your words of encouragement. I thought I might share a few things I learned up to this point with Micah that might help you:

1. I went out looking for cedar and only came up with Douglas fir which does not split as easy as it has lots of branches in it which results in knots + the grain is not always straight. I measured and cut 10" pieces versus the normal 16". This makes a huge difference on the success of the split, plus kindling is only meant for getting things going.

2. The vise needs mounted on something mobile and stable. I screwed/nailed 2x8's together with a hole in the middle thinking that I would teach him how to swing a hatchet. That still proved too dangerous because their legs need padded. The only upside is they don't swing hard and never hit the same spot twice. My wife wasn't a fan of the original setup either.

3. I read about the vise idea on this site which was easy to mount. His left leg is actually against the handle and really helps his balance.

4. I watch his swing coming down and make sure his hands are parallel with the top of the kindling so he hits square. You may have to raise or lower your kid somehow so that it is parallel, or hold the kindling at an angle so he can hit square.

5. They could miss a lot at first, so gloves with padding will help your hands. Usually they don't swing that hard at first which helps. After getting my hand hit, I realized I needed to hold the wood on his left. He misses to his right.

6. DON'T move their target. If you are jittery about holding it, then your kid could get hurt. If you shake a little, then that could mean a miss. It really helps if the target isn't moving.

7. I discovered with my five year old daughter, that they can over swing. Make sure they aren't choked up too close to the head because their hand could end up getting smashed between the handle and the top of the wood. If they are doing this, then hopefully they aren't swinging too hard. Best bet is to check their grip before you get started. I had tears with my daughter on this. She is more artistic and enjoys filling the boxes with the kindling more than the splitting. She insists that it needs to be organized.

8. Enjoy this time with your kids. Time sure goes by quick as you dads and grandpas know. ;)
 
GA_Boy

GA_Boy

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Oct 24, 2010
Messages
606
Location
FL
One of the reasons that I like this site is that you never know what your going to see. I was touched by Micah and his dad working together. Looks like a super kid in the making, made by a super dad, who was probably made by another super dad. Thanks for posting. JR

^ what he said! Rep for you Doug.
 
fatjoe

fatjoe

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
591
Location
Huntington, ma.
Excellent!!

Doug, Excellent video!!Your little man swings that hammer better than a lot of full grown men can swing a sledge or maul.He hit that kindling everytime.It is real nice to see you teaching him to stick with the job and not quit even if he was tired.Thank you for sharing your time together.:clap::msp_thumbup:
 
farmerdoug

farmerdoug

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
Messages
283
Location
Northwest
A special diet for Micah

Micah and I were into sprouts a little over a year ago when he was 2 years old.

Here is a fun little video that revealed to me that kids will do almost anything for their papa . . .[video=youtube;RvQhxDifm6o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvQhxDifm6o[/video]
 
hamish

hamish

Addicted to ArboristSite
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
May 1, 2010
Messages
3,480
Location
Ontario
Not too keen on the sprouts but thought the kindling splitting was great, so this is a bump.

Some of us have children and soem of us to not, but we all have memories, and the splitting video brings back lots............albeight............I was the one in later years that wend to the woodshed in the dark at -600F uphill both ways for a wee sitck of wood.................and miss every moment of it.
 
GLOBOTREE

GLOBOTREE

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Sep 25, 2005
Messages
3,548
Location
CANADA
Micah and I were into sprouts a little over a year ago when he was 2 years old.

Here is a fun little video that revealed to me that kids will do almost anything for their papa . . .[video=youtube;RvQhxDifm6o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvQhxDifm6o[/video]

Lol! tried to rep that farmerdoug! micah sure does like them sprouts, particularly enjoyed the farm noises in the beginning. Brought a big smile to my face. Yeah! kids love to make papa happy! kinda looking forward to papa dayz! but then whos gonna climb?:msp_thumbsup:
 
caleath

caleath

Cliff Leath
Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Messages
4,766
Location
texas
Nice job Doug..reminds me my son wanted to so shooting the other day...I told him later..I had better get to it he is 16 and wont be around too much longer.
 

Latest posts

Top