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New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

vipukirves.fi

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Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#131

Post by lupatus »

lsdafjklsd wrote: post #58
jeffbarr wrote: post #43

I bought a Vipukirves axe early this year. I have a wood-fired pizza oven in my backyard and use small, nicely split pieces of wood in order to retain some control over the fire. Before buying the axe I used a four-sided wedge (basically an elongated pyramid) and a sledgehammer for splitting. So, how does this axe perform? Overall, I am very happy with it and proudly show it off at every opportunity. After spending s…

Bah, living the dream. Have you figured out how to make exceptional neapolitan pies yet? I'm a regular at Paulie Gee's and would love to be able to make pizza like that.

Use sourdough in your crust.

I've basically been using these instructions for a few years and have nothing but rave reviews for my pies no matter what toppings I put on it: http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm.

See also: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464760, and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2023280.

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#132

Post by analog31 »

e28eta wrote: post #73
jeffbarr wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We are doing our best to make exceptional pizzas! So far the most important factors are: * High heat - I aim for a deck temperature above 900 degrees Fahrenheit, but am having trouble keeping it that high during the cooking process. * Great dough - My wife uses double-zero (00) flour and a Jamie Oliver recipe that seems to work well. We are working on extending the proofing time for a better rise. We don't know how t…

Honestly, just start tossing it. It was much easier than I expected. Make an extra dough ball, so if you drop it dinner isn't ruined.

A useful rule: "What the eye doesn't see, the chef gets away with." -- from Fawlty Towers

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#133

Post by blhack »

jtheory wrote: post #16
ghshephard wrote: post #4

That has to be some of most seasoned knot free wood ever split. I wonder how many logs he had to go through to find stuff that split that well - 20 logs for every one that did that? Sledge Hammer, Splitting Maul gets the job done 95% of the time. "Eccentric Axe" the other 5%. Well - maybe, 85% Splitting Maul 12% Eccentric Axe, and 3% splitting wedge (which typically has a torsion in it to create a turning effect to s…

For those who aren't familiar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_maul -- but I have to laugh to notice that the "related" tools listed are Sledgehammer, Axe, and War hammer . You're offering solutions that take significant strength -- someone who can't safely swing a splitting maul or 20lb sledgehammer could still use this axe and get a much better result than a normal axe, I think. A maul is great until you get…

The war hammer looks a lot like this tool: http://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/accessories/fore...

That's probably why it's in the related section.

If you want to go down a long, long rabbit hole of amazing videos, I recommend starting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvJ8Q1vAdGA

Which is an example of how to use this tool.

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#134

Post by objnotdefined »

bradleyland wrote: post #52
jeffbarr wrote: post #43

I bought a Vipukirves axe early this year. I have a wood-fired pizza oven in my backyard and use small, nicely split pieces of wood in order to retain some control over the fire. Before buying the axe I used a four-sided wedge (basically an elongated pyramid) and a sledgehammer for splitting. So, how does this axe perform? Overall, I am very happy with it and proudly show it off at every opportunity. After spending s…

I don't know how common the "tire guard" featured in the video is, but it seems like a damned good idea. It would solve the problem of split pieces flying off with explosive force. I'd probably pursue that idea posthaste.

I have also seen folks use bungee cords. You can get a lot more wood in a big circle, then stand on top of it and split it.

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#135

Post by jkubicek »

e28eta wrote: post #73
jeffbarr wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We are doing our best to make exceptional pizzas! So far the most important factors are: * High heat - I aim for a deck temperature above 900 degrees Fahrenheit, but am having trouble keeping it that high during the cooking process. * Great dough - My wife uses double-zero (00) flour and a Jamie Oliver recipe that seems to work well. We are working on extending the proofing time for a better rise. We don't know how t…

Honestly, just start tossing it. It was much easier than I expected. Make an extra dough ball, so if you drop it dinner isn't ruined.

It helps if the dough is cold, too. When we make pizza, we've started letting it rise in the fridge for 24 hours or so. The result is a flavorful dough that's super-easy to toss.

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#136

Post by wycx »

bradleysmith wrote: post #83
jobu wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It amazes me when someone makes improvements to a job as old as splitting wood. Millions (billions?) of people have been doing it for thousands of years, and there's still room for improvement.

you might like the history page. It's a great "man sits and thinks of how to improve simple task" story, even if a bit contrived. http://www.vipukirves.fi/english/tale_of_vipukirves.htm

I found it entertaining, mostly for the interesting use of language.

"Once in a while he found new axes at the hardware store. They were proclaimed to give greater striking power and strength through added weight and a variety of shenanigans to the sides of the blade."

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#137

Post by GalacticDomin8r »

It's pretty easy to known who really knows how to split wood with any kind of axe. You start on the outside working your way in splitting off sections that look like they present the best chance to avoid a knot. Anything other than that is snake oil and bluster.

And no, I'm not buying one of these axes, a traditional splitting axe works very well. I don't see how the featured axe could offer anything beyond the traditional since you aren't constrained to a plumb blow as the marketing would have you to believe.

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#138

Post by jeffbarr »

vanderZwan wrote: post #100

As a left-handed person: great, another lethal tool optimised for right-handed people and therefore more unwieldy and dangerous for us.

I should have mentioned this in my original comment. I am left-handed and this axe, unlike the vast majority of hand and power tools, works just fine for me and doesn't emit those all too familiar lethal vibes.

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#139

Post by lostlogin »

jeffbarr wrote: post #43

I bought a Vipukirves axe early this year. I have a wood-fired pizza oven in my backyard and use small, nicely split pieces of wood in order to retain some control over the fire. Before buying the axe I used a four-sided wedge (basically an elongated pyramid) and a sledgehammer for splitting. So, how does this axe perform? Overall, I am very happy with it and proudly show it off at every opportunity. After spending s…

I know nothing about that type of wood, but I have found that leaving wood for too long makes it way harder to split - I try and do it within the year. However native New Zealand wood and pine is likely different to your situation.

Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier

#140

Post by lostlogin »

jeffbarr wrote: post #59
lsdafjklsd wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bah, living the dream. Have you figured out how to make exceptional neapolitan pies yet? I'm a regular at Paulie Gee's and would love to be able to make pizza like that.

We are doing our best to make exceptional pizzas! So far the most important factors are: * High heat - I aim for a deck temperature above 900 degrees Fahrenheit, but am having trouble keeping it that high during the cooking process. * Great dough - My wife uses double-zero (00) flour and a Jamie Oliver recipe that seems to work well. We are working on extending the proofing time for a better rise. We don't know how t…

Yes! The 00 or similar is key. I add a bit of semolina flour too - it's quite yellow and seems to help make the dough extra stretchy. In other regards I follow the Jamie Oliver recipe too. The bases cost about 5x as much to make compared to when I used normal high grade flour, but they are so much better.
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