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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

#51

Post by wmil »

jobu wrote: post #42
linhat wrote: post #34

This 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.

This is really a specialty tool. Normal axes were also used to fell trees, demolish wood structures, and occasionally personal defense.

I'm guess that it's less useful if you're chopping against the grain or if you want precision.

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

#52

Post by bradleyland »

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.

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

#53

Post by jtheory »

JackFr wrote: post #48
jtheory wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

When your using a good size maul, you really should let gravity do the work for most of the logs. You really should only have to swing through on really tough ones. (That isn't to say you don't need some strength -- picking up a heavy maul over your head is not easy.) I split a lot of wood in high school, while working for a tree cutting company. After half a day of splitting with a 15-lb head, steel handled maul you…

I don't disagree -- esp. with decent logs, the strength you need for a maul is more about safety when things go wrong than about swinging it; i.e., strength grants control rather than brute force.

The head is heavy and out on a long handle specifically so you can apply a lot of force just starting up high and letting it drop to the wood, but that works against you if you miss your target and it goes flying off to the side.

And of course, if you've been at it for a while and are tiring, or you're less strong to begin with, aim suffers.

> ...the maul would just bounce of that log

I remember a few like that! I'll bet it was also pretty green and/or water logged... that would have that effect.

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

#55

Post by ballpoint »

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.

It's even more important given how this axe works -- using the remainder of the kinetic energy to essentially exert force outwards on the two parts of the wood.

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

#56

Post by jakobe »

binarymax wrote: post #18

I, as well as others, have a history of strained wrists when splitting wood with a traditional axe. Clicking through to their website they recommend a loose grip when the head is about to strike, allowing for the rotation to take place. This makes sense because before you'd need a strong grip to hold onto your axe to make sure it doesn't slip out of your hands when giving a swing strong enough to split. Since you are…

Losening your grip just as the axe hits the wood also works for normal axes. Makes chopping a lot easier on the wrist.

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

#57

Post by arca_vorago »

This looks dangerous to me. I grew up in the mountains, and consider them my home. (The kind of place where the nearest walmart is an hour and a half drive away, and everyone shares their elk kills and logs and chops their own wood)

One of the most dangerous things an axe can do is go sideways on you on the hit, that sideways rebound or if the log falls away follow through can mean an axe in the foot or leg for someone who has been chopping for a few hours and is tired.

Also, proper drying of logs before splitting can't always be done, and that log look very dry and doesn't look knotty.

Honestly when I chop wood I keep three tools near, the normal sliceaxe, a skinny thin and fast one for easy stuff, a larger wedge with splitter arms (http://www.thehulltruth.com/attachments/dockside-chat/282042...) and a normal handless wedge and hammer for the really hard stuff.

Just thought I'd share a little bit of info from a guy who spent many hours in his youth chopping logs. If I was getting paid, I did sometimes cheat and use a gas powered splitter... if you have two people working it the throughput can be much higher than two people splitting normally.

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

#58

Post by lsdafjklsd »

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.

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

#59

Post by jeffbarr »

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.

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 to toss the dough yet.

* Tasty toppings - Anything fresh is awesome. At 900F, the pizzas cook in about 2 minutes so the toppings retain their essential oils and flavors. I am working to grow many of my own herbs and tomatoes this year.

* Fresh cheese - My wife and I are planning to make our own mozzarella cheese sometime soon.

* Great guests - We aim for a truly participatory event - everyone gets to help to prepare, cook, and eat!

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

#60

Post by jeffbarr »

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 should mention that the pieces fly off in a very predictable pattern and end up in a stack! The force is tightly constrained based on the direction and orientation of the axe when it strikes the wood.

My son joked that I could probably reproduce something we once saw in a cartoon, where the chopped pieces assembled themselves into a log cabin.

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