Axes?
- Thread starter jasonhudd
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jthornton
ArboristSite Guru
That is all I've used since 1965...
John
John
Foxfire
ArboristSite Operative
I've never used one, what's up with them?
Garmins dad
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ive used one for many years.. THEN i bought a hydro splitter.. now that double bit is wrapped in a towel and stuck in my trucks toolbox for those Just in case days..
trailmaker
ArboristSite Operative
Splitting with Ease - the barefoot ax-girl - YouTube
This young lady is pretty good with a double bit.
This young lady is pretty good with a double bit.
John R
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Not hard on the eyes either.
woodchuck357
Addicted to ArboristSite
most of my splitting is with a double bit ax
My favorite is an old 5 lb knotclipper, but if I have some no knot red oak I'm mostly going to use the 3.5 lb Kelly. But I won't walk 10 steps to change from what is in my hand. What I started with is what gets used until break time, the interval between which gets shorter each year
I've tried most every type of hand splitting tool made and the double bit ax seems to hit more accurately for me than any thing else. I also think the extra height makes the side flip more effective. Most of my axes and mauls have 36 inch handles but the knotclipper has a 38 inch hickory. Most of the wood I split is 16 to 24 inches long.
My favorite is an old 5 lb knotclipper, but if I have some no knot red oak I'm mostly going to use the 3.5 lb Kelly. But I won't walk 10 steps to change from what is in my hand. What I started with is what gets used until break time, the interval between which gets shorter each year
I've tried most every type of hand splitting tool made and the double bit ax seems to hit more accurately for me than any thing else. I also think the extra height makes the side flip more effective. Most of my axes and mauls have 36 inch handles but the knotclipper has a 38 inch hickory. Most of the wood I split is 16 to 24 inches long.
Incomplete
ArboristSite Guru
See?!? That's what splitting by hand does for you: it turns you into a comely lass with great legs!
Incomplete
ArboristSite Guru
I would love to have wood like that to split. I mainly use my double bit as a splitting aid, advance the breach/un-stick the maul or single bit. But it's always within reach.
Itsme7
ArboristSite Operative
I wish my wood split that easy! Seems like i always ended up with stringy crap thats extremely hard to split by hand lol.
jthornton
ArboristSite Guru
Not much if you know about the twist. I got a job in Alaska when I was 14 splitting firewood in the winter... after about 15 minutes the guy finally stopped laughing and showed me how to split with a double blade axe. Anything heavy like a splitting maul is too much work for me and tires me out too fast.
John
Hmm that "twist" is sure interesting. Does it barely nic into the wood then just smack it like a hammer with the side of the blade? That is what it appears to me.
jthornton
ArboristSite Guru
In that case the angle is too shallow when the axe strikes the wood. To be honest I just keep it at a 10 to 15 degree off of parallel to the grain and don't even do the twist any more... too much you slap, too little you stick. It only takes a few tries to find the angle.
Edit: more info here
John
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woodchuck357
Addicted to ArboristSite
The flick
starts out as a perfectly vertical strike, just after the blade enters the wood the wrists twist slightly to one side or the other, creating a prying or lever action. It's very satisfying to easily split wood like sycamore that others find difficult.:cool2:
It does take practice, and hitting at a slight angle will work, but is not quite as effective.
In the video a straight stroke in that wood likely would have stuck--not split.
starts out as a perfectly vertical strike, just after the blade enters the wood the wrists twist slightly to one side or the other, creating a prying or lever action. It's very satisfying to easily split wood like sycamore that others find difficult.:cool2:
It does take practice, and hitting at a slight angle will work, but is not quite as effective.
In the video a straight stroke in that wood likely would have stuck--not split.
woodchuck357
Addicted to ArboristSite
It also works with the magical, mistical, holy of holies, X-27
:hmm3grin2orange:
:hmm3grin2orange:
jthornton
ArboristSite Guru
I agree striking with the axe at an angle is not as effective as the twist. I just went out and split some giving a twist just as I thought it would hit and the split was more effective... guess this old dog needs to stop using bad habits and go back to the way I was taught all those years ago.
John
trailmaker
ArboristSite Operative
I'm sure everyone has seen this video of Tom Clark Tom Clark splitting wood using "Buster" - YouTube
At about 2:20 he talks about his technique and his axe. It seems that he likes to hold his axe at 30 degrees rather than use the "flick method".
At about 2:20 he talks about his technique and his axe. It seems that he likes to hold his axe at 30 degrees rather than use the "flick method".
zogger
Tree Freak
Nope, never owned one, just regular ole single bit chopping axes and one fiskars splitting axe and have had several anvils on a stick. Those are typically called mauls, because they maul you.
I have done the match trick before.....
I have done the match trick before.....
sunfish
Fish Head
I knew Tom Clark personally. He's the one who turned me onto Super Split mechanical splitters. Huge firewood operation he had and I've never seen a person with so much energy.
VTWoodchuck
ArboristSite Operative
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