25cm birch logs surely are fun to split. With any kind of axe.
We use to chop 1m (~3feet) logs of a lot more compact wood (oak, beech), and this looks like a toy to me. Has anyone seen it used on more serious logs?
New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
151–159 of 159 posts
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#152Archimedes would approve.
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
It also easier to spit wood when it's cold out -10C to -20C it seems to crack better. I used to hate fall as a kid when wood splitting season began. Pneumatic splitters are great but slow. You learn to hate hard wood when splitting but it's great to burn. An old joke: I was 10 years-old before I learned my name wasn't "Get wood!"
I use a Fiskar X27[0] splitting axe and swinging that into a 12" round log of white birch or white spruce at -30C to -45C is like cutting through butter. [0] http://www2.fiskars.com/Gardening-and-Yard-Care/Products/Axe...
Another vote for the Fiskar X27. I haven’t used anything else for a few seasons now.
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
I’ve always used the bungee trick, too. Easier than getting split wood out of the tire.
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
If I'm splitting cedar, white pine, or poplar - yes, I will split with a splitting axe - and I'll go through it almost as fast as the demo, ex-knotty wood. But, if I'm splitting larger (20"+) gnarly pine logs (which, for whatever reason, seems to be the only wood we collect off the crown land next to us), it's all about the maul, and, if I don't make any progress with that - it's the wedge+sledge hammer (which will s…
> I'll go through it almost as fast as the demo, ex-knotty wood. Yes, with a lot more effort. Did you see how lightly he was swinging it for the inner splits? Other commenters talking about the extreme accuracy, but that's easier when you are hitting it so lightly. Look, I don't regularly split wood, but I've spent several summers splitting wood before. And I've split unseasoned gnarly pine with a wedge and sledge. I…
You're right, perhaps I'm a bit more cynical than I should be. What would have been nice is a A/B comparison of a normal axe and then a Leveraxe, showing how the two perform differently with different types of logs.
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#156You can get the same effect using an angled strike with a regular axe, here's some Russian dude demoing it with a big fresh pine log: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Os...
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#157This may be an unpopular reply, but splitting fire wood sounds like you're going to be making an open fire. Open fires are a danger to your health: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-fireplace-delusion > "The unhappy truth about burning wood has been scientifically established to a moral certainty: That nice, cozy fire in your fireplace is bad for you. It is bad for your children. It is bad for your neighbors and…
Both articles seem to tackle the problem merely from the perspective of middleclass suburbans who want a "cozy" fireplace. An open fireplace is more of a decoration than a effective way of warming your house. Warming spaces with wood still a very viable alternative and can be cheaper than electricity if you have proper a stove in your house and a reliable and cheap source of wood.
It's not a viable solution in a city but definitely among the better ways to stay warm if you live on the countryside.
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#158Looks like this is more primitive knowledge being rediscovered. Note how cavemen axes were stones tied to the side of a stick.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/evidence-uncovered-of-worlds-old...
Re: New axe design uses lever action to make splitting wood easier
#159This axe looks really awesome, physics for the win. Also, instead of using an old rubber tire, I highly recommend building a variable length, tensioning chain, much like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrLiSMQGHvY Makes chopping wood so much more fun. And then, there is also the stikkan: http://www.stikkan.com/ Perfect to hang it up next to your fireplace to do some more fine grained wood chopping, cutting l…
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.
That's how I felt when I saw a paper box a few years ago. It had a folded lip in the paper that makes the lid stay shut when you close it.
I think this is it: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61AigOH-ptL._SY300_.jp...
