Thread: How to hold log secure?

I've never had problem holding the wood vertically with one hand and letting it go at the last second before the axe stuck but I know this upsets quite a few people - including SWMBO if she is watching. Don't worry I have decades of experience, cutting my first 10 tone load of firewood when I was nine as a punishment for losing a £5 note when I was sent off to pay the monthly butchers account.

I found I only need the axe to bite on the first strike and then lift the axe with the wood attached and pound that into the shopping block. If the wood is heavier than then axe head its better to turn the axe + wood in mid air and strike the chopping block with the back of the axe.

What about cutting a few of the 18" in half and just standing then in a sort of triangle arrangement around an 18" piece - I assume you do have a nice big chopping block? If not I would make that a priority. My dad was a timber faller so we always had serious chopping blocks ~30" in diameter and about 24-36" tall

Kindling Cracker™ | The world's safest wood chopper. – KindlingCracker.com

use a 14" bandsaw with 3TPI blade.

put a slight "flat" on one side of the log
put the log thru the bandsaw flat down to yield 2x blllets.
Put the billets thru, flat down, to yield quarters.

trim the quarters to length if you like. I have made hundreds of billets with no problems. You just have to make sure you get a good flat to support the piece as it goes thru, and use an out feed helper/support of some sort

When you get a bit of practice you can dry the billets, then cut them into circular blanks, sell the blanks to turners, and still burn the off cuts

Stand it inside an old tyre. If it's only 6" dia. maybe a wheelbarrow tyre. If you miss hit they tyre wont hurt the axe/splitter. If it's snug in there you can split it a number of times without the bits shooting across the yard.

Thanks for the replies, also found this. YouTube

cheers skeg

Originally Posted by skeghead

Thanks for the replies, also found this. YouTube

cheers skeg

With respect, skeg, that is a really dumb video.

• He is splitting regrowth or plantation birch which is an extremely soft wood - nominally a hardwood, but far easier to split than radiata.
• That chopping stand just does not have enough weight to absorb the inertia of some hefty chopping.
• Don't know why the "power stroke" is at its maximum when the axe handle is horizontal. If it were true, competitive axemen would not stand on their logs.
• chopping stand will wobble unless on flat, level ground.

Not sure whether tyre idea is brilliant or unnecessary.

As suggested by BobL, a nice big, heavy chopping block is best. Here spotted gum or Tas blue gum are prefered.

I do a slight variation of the "starter stroke" than suggested by BobL. I place the axe on top of the log and then lift both together about 300mm. Then drop them both onto the chopping block. This will embed the axe into the log; then proceed as Bob suggested.

Just tried splitting a log at waist height. It is very awkward and probably dangerous - where will the axe go after a mis-strike?

I would cut the logs shorter. No more than 12'' and they should stand up by themselves. Short bits are also a lot easier to split. When I had a combustion stove I cut all the logs about 10''. No point making life harder than it needs to be. Like others have said get a good solid chopping block.
Regards
John

I have just in the last two weeks split 8 -10 tonne of wood. Peppermint and stringybark. I leave the round on the ground as most are too big to shift, about 20", some bigger. Easier to cut them where they are than to lift them onto a block.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

With respect, skeg, that is a really dumb video.

Couldn’t agree more. I wonder how much wood he could have chopped instead of wasting a morning making that thing. YouTube has some great content but it’s also got a lot of people who don’t know much and are just good at making videos.

The other thing is to use a block splitter rather than an axe.

Regads
Paul

One of these lets my mum "cut" her firewood, or one like it in principle.

Its a Smart Splitter. Wouldn't be surprised if it weren't made by Logosol.

Saw it a decade ago in Sweden.

The idea is simple. Drill a hole in your monster block, fit victim, plonk in the pipe, lift weight and drop it down. Super safe.

ss1.jpg ss2.jpg FM-Smart-Splitter-Demo-4.jpg

ah! here we are: Smart-Holder for $154.00 – Logosol