i have a golden rule, i never use the axe (or chainsaw) if i have even a tiny amount of beer. Its tempting to have a beer midway through kindling especially on a warm day when you want to get the wood stack ready for winter. If i do then i put the sharp stuff away.
An 18 minute video is much shorter than I 6 hour emergency room visit fir stitches. Thanks for sharing. I am brand new to the axe/ hatchet world and do appreciate it.
I was just about to say the nearly exact same thing. I was comfortable splitting kindling before the first time I saw this, and today was at least the third time, maybe fourth or fifth over the last few years I've watched it from start to finish. It just never hurts to get a refresher course, a good reminder, of all the all-too-easy ways to get REALLY hurt FAST doing anything axe/hatchet related. Someone mentioned watching this is way faster than a 6 hour E-room visit and they were right, but then how long is the wounded finger or thumb a handicap when you get back to work? I've had cuts that would have been easily enough avoided had I slowed down just a hair, or paid just a bit more attention - things I should have known better than to let happen at all - that because of being broke and too lazy/ignorant/proud whatever, didn't get stitched up, I was still dealing with 6 or even more months later. Certain cuts just don't heal if you can't quit using that hand, so these 18 minutes spent watching this again while I laced up my boots and got ready to head out for the day took no extra time out of my day but will be fresh and shiny in my memory for another long time. It's been a long time now since I've had a bad cut, but that was just something dumb I should have known not to do. Next time I get a bad one, and it's just a high and likely risk that's always there when we do things like this as often as some of us do, it'll probably be because I did something too quickly and wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been. It happens to the best of us, but videos like these can sure help make a person think about what they're doing just a little more to keep those risks down, no matter how experienced they think they are. Thank you sir, and be safe!
I HAAATEEE the word "outro" !!! There's no such thing. Yes, I know what it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be the opposite of an "intro" or the little do-dad some people put at the end of their videos. But "intro" is a lazy abbreviation for "Introduction." I submit there is no such thing as an "Outroduction." You see? The text editor flagged it because it is a non-existent word. Call it what it is. A signature, or sign-off, or farewell, or summary. There are actual real words you can use instead of inventing an idiotic "opposite" to "intro." Just one of my pet peeves. Lazy, stupid, made-up buzzwords.
You certainly take the thought processes of handling an axe to a high level. I've never really considered all I know about swinging mauls, axes and hatchets in terms other than grabbing one and putting it to work accomplishing the task at hand. I grew up in the early 50's where situational necessity put me in the position to swing some of these tools by the time I was 7 or 8. I know, it sounds like a load of bunk...but its God's honest truth. We lived just about as close to Mother Earth as you could...but we ate well and kept warm in the winter. All we knew was what had to be done and who had to do it. We were totally unaware of 'brand name' of any product and we used mauls, double bit and pole axes that would probably be considered clubs by today's standards. I don't know if its frowned upon to suggest my own video, but if you'd like please feel free to spend a minute eyeballing a couple of them. I've commented a time or two on your videos and feel you are a 'back to nature' kind of guy that may be receptive to the way a poor boy like me learned his way up and down an axe handle. th-cam.com/video/jX2KOiVObEE/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/S9bqXCHByhk/w-d-xo.html And please, if this is rude to suggest my videos on your channel let me know and delete my comment immediately sir. And I thank you for passing your knowledge along to others.
well said I've done all the wrong and now do all the way you have explained i started out many years ago trial n error , glad to know your giving a great explanation of how not to cut yourself and lots of practice will make yourself more efficient ..
You bonus thing at the end is the logic I have used over the past 2 years after I’ve gotten into carving. I realized that it curls off and requires less accuracy so I don’t miss the little gap. It’s probably saved a couple fingers and made me more productive
I've been watching some of your videos and I must say you are an excellent teacher. Really thorough and detailed without being boring. You should have more subscribers. I bet the dreads turn a lot of people off. That's OK because most people are morons.
Thanks. I always worry I'm making videos too long, but I have stuff to say and some things bear repeating. If they are engaging, it's probably because this stuff really matters to me.
I've had some accidents in the woods, both with chainsaw (loss of great toe) and ax bad cut + nerve damage to thumb while working in pulpwood ind. I'm older, slower and softer now. I always use a sissy stick.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and wisdom. I have been burning wood for decades but consider myself a novice. That’s why I’ve searched for lessons. Your voice is mellifluous-harmonic tones, clear enunciation, temperate volume, and accessible tempo. You alert your students to errors I have made in swing direction, stance, and handling (many of which horrified me in the aftermath when I recognized the sliver between what happened and the injury that nearly happened) and to solutions I adopted. You have confirmed the propriety of some of my adaptations and added new insights. I have taught rock climbing and I think you will enjoy knowing that your guidance on the importance of imagining the arc of the swing is identical to my lessons on the importance of the direction of pull in evaluating the safety and efficacy of a rope anchoring system.
WoW! Great video! Just what I was looking for; and for the very same reason you made the video. I'm an older lady, that just got myself a vintage BSA hatchet, and I'm only interested in making kindling for camp fires.....not cutting off a finger. Thanks for doing this, for those of us who are newbs, and don't know what the hell we're doing. Can't wait to try this on my next camping trip.
Good, I hope it really helps. I actually have scripted out a more comprehensive and better video on this that is a little more from the perspective of multiple levels of use. Stay safe.
I tend to change my style, chopping flat vs vertical, depending on the wood. For gnarly kindling, which I should probably just burn as fuel, I lay flat and bury the ax into the stump and twist the wood like you demoed. The bit in the stump keeps the pressure off the handle. Straight grained I stand vertically sometimes, but still like laying it on the stump horizontally. I tend to get in a better rhythm horizontally. Maybe because my fingers are out of the way. It's the knuckles of the off hand that usually get busted. The point you made about remaining a novice is true. The dummy rules are good for beginner's safety but aren't always foolproof. Like the blood circle and triangle of death. Or carving toward your body with a knife. Good stuff, man.
Me too, I mix it up a lot depending on the wood and other circumstances. I do use the side hit a lot. Depends a lot on the wood though. The side hit is great for wood that isn't cut with a saw, twisty stuff and for working on top of radiused logs and not saw cut stumps, so that covers a lot right there. It's also very safe. I'm generally using whatever is going to get me there the fastest. It's always an exercise in getting a fire started quick rather than an exercise in extreme caution, accuracy, neatness or looking cool lol.
As always, GREAT advice from someone who knows their stuff. I swung a 2lb roofing hatchet 10,000 times a day (no typo). People don't get how dangerous such close quarter work can be. 90% of the time, 2 things cause accidents; 1) being absent-minded at what you're doing and 2) overconfidence. Both fall under the carelessness banner. Life is simple...pay attention to what you're doing when working with an axe. I can't count the times I've hurt myself not because I wasn't skilled when I did it, but because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.
Some things are a bit hazardous, but good eyesight, strong muscles, and quick thinking make them doable. The problem comes when you make these actions into habits. And the habit makes you do the same moves, when you're: tired, or old, or sleepy, or sick, or wet, or icy, or muddy, or working in poor light, or... It's better for most of us to ingraine habits that are also safe during the less optimal situations.
Yeah habits are just as easy to break as make. Bad habits can get you into trouble. Its like indicating in your car. If you make it a habit to always indicate it becomes a good habit. Far too easy to make that a bad habit. Bad habits hurt!
I've had a no paper rule in the house forever. A lot of people that visit really struggle to start a fire in the woodstove, but by the time they leave, they are always better at it :)
I am quite confident, addicted to and consider myself to be a little over semi proficient with sharp edged tools. Every SkillCult video that I watch I learn at least one new thing. Cheers for the awesome content Steven! Really appreciate your work brother 🤙
very thorough as always, not much of a fan of dummy rules myself either. though they do have their place and teaching a beginner can show you why. Until someone builds up muscle memory and understanding they are good to follow but unfortunately it means you get a lot of beginners repeating them like they are gospel. as you shown understanding the tools and technique as well as the stuff that can go wrong will keep you keep you far safer and make you more productive. unfortunately you cant sum all that up in a single sentence. something i am not a big fan of is splitting kindling with a long handled axe, it counterbalances and steels power, and also its easy to catch the handle on clothing or something behind you and redirect the axe onto your hand. the best tool is a extra heavy hatchet or miners axe with a wide blade that is not too sharp
I don't mind guidelines and starter rules, but part of the dummy rule phenomenon is overstating everything like it's for 6 year olds. Then people take those as dogmas. If someone is thinking of always keeping the handle horizontal, they are missing out on a bunch of possiblity. Thinking in terms of direction of cut, now we are thinking in terms of the consequence of our actions and also more about the important reference points, which are actually our body parts and not the ground or stump. It's engagement v.s. close minded adherence. To take someone and say "for now, keep your axe handle parallell to the ground and that will go a long way toward preventing injury until you have more experience" is entirely different than saying "always keep the axe handle parallel to the ground". In the real world that doesn't even work anyway. This was filmed a few weeks ago. I meant to reshoot it and mention a number of things I didn't here, including the issue of interference of long handles with clothes and branches, but I finally gave up getting it re-shot and published this. I find that if I'm really conscious the interference is not an issue, but it is really important to be aware of it constantly and I wish I could have mentioned it. Also, good point on sharpness. We're not shaving :)
totally agree, This dummy rule thing also has the irritating side effect of creating people who criticize and chastise more experienced and knowledgeable people and their techniques because they broke a dummy rule and they cant understand the technique and control they have just witnessed. There seems to be a trend of creating razor edges on absolutely everything i don't understand, for your felling and carving axes knock yourself out, but for splitting its a waste of time because past removing any flat spots it wont increase performance and it will make any accidents far worse. Looks impressive on video slicing sheets of paper and tomatoes though. On most of my tools i just remove the flat spots with a chainsaw file and call it a day, and they seem to work just fine.
I have always done the stick and tap method as that was what i was taught by my father. He was insanely fast at splitting kindling. How he had all his fingers i could never work out.
another great, practical video! well done! not dumbed down to the safety squint extreme :), but practical in a way to get the work done in the safest way! Liked !
Hi and thanks for sharing, appreciated. Lots of things happen when splitting wood. And when someone splitting is skilled and in the zone, the hand is quicker than the eye and to the inexperienced it can look more dangerous than it is. A skilled kindling axe user, when warmed up and in their grove can be very focused and aware of exactly what will work best for each bit of wood as it presents itself and acting accordingly. In the last couple of months I've split 70 kindling bags, didn't hit a finger once. Years ago I occasionally glanced a finger but I never got cut. Back then I set up with a waist high splitting block, wore gloves and tried to never allow a situation where the axe can meet a finger backed by a solid surface. So I aim to never put a finger or thumb on top of a piece to be split, but to hold gently on the side as a core method, but lots and lots of other knowledgeable skills and techniques are useful for varying wood and situations. Today I have a wood splitting bench with a semi circle end into which a splitting block fits. Kindling usually splits onto the bench top so bending is mostly eliminated. I've found it worth while to have a high splitting block for doing kindling. I used to position a wheelbarrow to catch most splits. This worked well for moving them to where they were to be stored or for then putting into bags. With my current set up it's often from complete round to bagged kindling at the wood splitting bench. When I have learned some more I would like to move to processing kindling mechanically. Thanks again for sharing Cheers sincerely d
It all goes back to the concept of knowing your limitations and be responsible for your actions, how strange is that? Lol Well done and said Sir. So are you loving that Husky axe now that all the mods are complete? Wade
I've hardly used it. I did a little bit with it when I first re-hafted it and it's a big improvement for sure. But I already knew that. Still planning to file it a bit and change some things up.
I mean, people "freaking out", due to their perception of potential risk to some other humans person, are actually just pretentious. It's not about keeping us safe, those people just are appalled that you'd dare do something they find dangerous....... It's my body... or your body.. it's not the business of others how risky my actions are to my own body If you use your brain, you will be safe - however, all things in life carry some level of risk. YOU decide what risks are acceptable for your life, and I will decide which I find acceptable for my life. Most of you who complain are just sissies, imo. A huge part of all this external safety (external of the human mind) is just major corporations covering their own asses in the case of a lawsuit due to injury. Don't be an idiot and don't be nosy. I like your content and I agree with most of what you say - dummy rules are for dumb folks..... That's why its called a dummy rule
This comment will take me a while to type out… mainly because I needed to see this video 5 years ago, when you made it. But unfortunately I never had the time for watching videos back then…. Anyway, way back when you made this video, I was busy not doing what you’re saying is right, and doing all the things you show are wrong. Hence this comment took me an hour to write out. Love your videos bud.
Hello, lighter ax heads r way to go. What is the wisdom of removing ax head metal (same idea as u did to ur hatchet) from 4 & 5 lb ax heads to increase there function. Trying for 2 to 3 lb.
Several things I do for my kindling that has worked well for me: i wear a glove on the holding hand to avoid skin removal in case of a miss and since the holding fingers are pointing down my hand just gets brushed safely aside , I hold the wood approximately 1/3 way down with thumb and index finger only pointing down, I use a very light tomahawk and do not keep a razor sharp edge on it. I cut my kindling rounds 8 to 10” Long (half length of my firewood logs), then bust them into wedges with my axe that I later use to make into kindling. Which makes the splitting process easy with the light tomahawk or hatchet. Typically I use cedar for my kindling as it is readily available in my area and since I recently dropped a whole cedar tree, I think I have a lifetime supply of wood for kindling squirreled away.
So I am nobody, and my opinion is based only on personal experience. I love axes and knives, I own many of both, and I use them all the time. I heat my house with a wood stove, and I live in the northeast; so I use about two chords of wood a season. I cut my hand pretty severely with a hatchet splitting small kindling a few years ago. I think that an axe, down to a hatchet, is a great tool to split wood; but in my opinion, when it comes to splitting kindling into smaller pieces, the knife is far better in terms of safety. I personally now use an axe to split large wood, then a hatchet to split wood that is about as thick as my arm, then I make my kindling by batoning it with a knife. The knife is a great tool to make small pieces of kindling, and it is nearly impossible to make a mistake. I love tools, knives, axes, and such, and I think that when you are making smaller pieces, and precision is the key, then a knife is the better option. No tool is good at everything, and it's stupid to ask any tool to do all things. If all I had was an axe, then of course, I would do all things with an axe. I happen to own other tools though, and so I use other tools as needed.
you have this subdued comedic flair I really like :D going through your videos trying to find out what camping hatchet to go for. I don't have a lot of cash so I'll probably go buy an old axe head.
I wish I could recommend something, but nothing meets my criteria of form and affordability so far. I think vintage is still the way to go right now. There are lots of nice vintage heads online for less than it would cost to by a decent, but not expensive hatchet.
SkillCult it is slow and maybe after more practice, I will have the confidence to not use it. For me thou, other than a campfire occasionally, any time I pick up an axe or hatchet is for fun, so speed is not necessary.
Many things you recommend are a no, no, no for me. The main point with using axes (and other sharp blades for that matter) is always, always minimizing the risk; not to feed your ego about the skills you think (or even you actually know) that you have or master. Accidents happen in a splint second regardless of skill levels. That is a well known, widely documented fact and is the cornerstone of a science called risk assessment & management. My two cents. Cheers.
Not a big fan of the use of always when it isn't warranted, and just adding an extra always doesn't make it more always lol. It is not always about minimizing risk. If it was if anyone even got in a car, they would drive super slow on back roads only, at night when no one else is around, dressed in some kind of michelin man suit. Risk assessment is a personal matter and a judgement call. If you always, always minimize risk, you would use an axe with full body armor and a face mask. It's a nonsensical idea to always (always) minimize risk, while making a judgement call by risk assessment. If you always (but always) minimize risk, you would have to always go to the greatest extreme, not a lot of choice to make. These are dangerous tools and there is no substitute for putting in the time to build skills and come to understand our limits, so we can make that assessment you mentioned. If you truly always (always) minimize risk, I'll be sitting on a mountain of kindling by the time you put on your suit and split a few pieces. And I've been doing it for decades now without an injury, piles and piles of the stuff. That is not to say that I think I'm immune from injury, that I don't think that is probably why I've not had any.
Just stumbled upon this one as I've watched, and enjoyed, others of yours. However, this video is obviously for beginners, and I felt that you were teaching them to run before they can walk. The weight of the hatchet can be a factor, a big lad like you wouldn't find a heavy one a problem, a small person it really could be. You mocked the dummy run then swung your hatchet in exactly the same way. It wasn't said that you dont need to swing from over the shoulder, a mistake that leads to a lot of newbie injuries by missing the target and hitting a leg...possibly the middle one. But I'd suggest most importantly, yourself and your friend, the one you said is a bit mad, *you've been using your same tools regularly for years*, you could almost use them blindfolded with virtually no danger of injuring yourselves. So to go back to the start, I felt that you were encouraging people to speed up rather than getting used to, and being comfortable with, their hatchet. ps, I really do like your other videos 😄
Sounds like you should make a kindling splitting video :) This was off the cuff with just some sketchy notes, so it's not perfect. I showed a very safe method, side splitting, which is hard to go wrong with. I just think that people should not adhere to the methods most suited to newbs forever as so many recommend. The average person would probably think that the methods used by the bush people I know are unsafe, yet to me, we are the standard of what is possible and practical if you don't have time to waste staying a newb forever. I think it's worth investing in accuracy and coordination rather than not. I don't like dummy rules because they make people dumb and unengaged. I didn't say that you should unfollow their recommendations at all times, I said that they are not completely reliable and I favor thinking of direction of cut and the potential consequences of everything involved. One makes people think about what is going on and how it works and how to stay safe and whether or not they are safe. The other simply hands over all of that for blind faith in some expert touting the most dumbed down version possible. For a couple years now I have had a video planned that is a full treatment of kindling that will be more organized and offer methods in a more graduated way regarding safety/skill/effectiveness. The one thing I'd really would do different here for sure is emphasizing the safety and efficacy of splitting from the side, but recommending swinging at it over setting the hatchet on the wood first. Swinging at it is faster and it invests in skill and efficiency. That method doesn't work great everywhere though, so it's not a one stop shop.
It feels like this video is a lot of one guy showing off and saying don’t do what I’m doing. You can baton an axe. It’s (in my opinion) the safest way to create fine kindling with an axe, hatchet, or tomahawk. Or just lay the piece of wood horizontally.
I like the horizontal option and use it a lot, especially for wood that is not cut with a saw. Batoning with an axe is unnecessarily slow for anyone that is willing to put in a little time to improve their skills. I'm as interested in showing what the possibilities are as anything. My default mode is assuming that people want to improve their skills.
ok, i wouldn't and don't use axes for splitting kindling, being a uk origin woodsman in france i use a billhook, they are designed for hedgelaying and splitting wood right up to 8' lengths with a cleaving brake, nothing is perfect and i have a good scar on my left index finger to prove it! ( I do have a range of axes and sideaxes ) but billhook is the goto for kindling (5 billhooks)
I've had my eye out for one for a long time. They are very rare here in the states. I saw one in a shop once, but the shop was closed. Now I can find one on ebay, but haven't got one yet. I'm bilhook curious though.
Timely video for us. I was going over some of this with my 8 yr old this weekend. 1st lesson was, No, I will not hold that piece up for you while you swing the hatchet.
I appreciate the beginning where you summarize the main things that can go wrong, but I was very uncomfortable watching you hit the wood with your thumb on top of the wood. Why not hold the wood near the top on the outside only? Also, the "pull your hand away at the last split second" method does not seem safe enough for me. I understand what you are saying about "know your own skill level", but still seems better to teach methods with a bigger safety margin.
I did show a super safe method, the side strike method is very safe. I would use that over using a stick to hold upright. if you hold the side of the wood, you still have to pinch it, so there is still finger and thumb tissue potentially under the split. It is more clumsy and you also can't see your fingers. I feel safer having it on top where there is no false security and I know exactly where my thumb is visually and what the consequences are. It created focus :) so that's the way I do it.
5:20 thats how I got a scar on my left hand. Split plenty that way, but a shitty mood with a bad temper ensures the shit for brains needed to loose focus. But if they're flat like the ones you're using I'd simply layer them, then knock through them on the side, and then pull them apart. I tried that bonus-tip at the end, but for hewing off long pieces that perhaps could be thatched as a roof. Kinda worked on some species, but not at all if there's knots. Still made it easy to joggle, bit harder than when making properly notched recession cuts, but since there's less pre-cutting, it might still be as viable (S.t.a.t.E.) Also, very charming host at the ending :)
Tack an old lawnmower tire to the block, stand wood pieces to fill it, then whale away at them with your ax until they are the size you want. Works best If the bead and sidewall is cut off the top side.
No no no No! Here's how I do it . SITTING ON A 5 gallon bucket hold the wood between your two feet. Mostly the soles of Your feet. Well is it recommended? Probably not .
Good video, tips 👍. Wish I seen this a couple of days ago. Damn near chopped my thumb off (not really, but it did get close to the bone) cutting kindling with a razor-sharp SOG tomahawk. Lol. I definitely know better but that isn't going to stop me. This would've been a good reminder to be careful.
TIP : hold the wood in one hand , position the blade where you want it , then take your hand away and pick up a mallet and tap the back of the blade, might take a few extra seconds but is how i have always done it . or just use twigs to begin with , derp
I've never heard anyone but my wife say that before. Just for shits and giggles, I backed it up and turned on the closed captioning. It read "wenis". I don't know why I find this funny.
I absolutely love the practicality of this and the fact that he specified dummy rules. Like, a lot of times I’ve been taught about knife safety I wasn’t taught about knowing my limits, I was taught to *always* cut away from me, which I eventually learned was more a “Boy Scouts not wanting to get sued” thing rather than practical use. I was cutting open a coconut with a fairly dull pocket knife (not recommended) and was told by someone that I had to listen to to not cut towards myself, and within five minutes of cutting away from my body, I didn’t have enough control and sliced the hand the was holding the coconut (not too deeply). But the specification of knowing my limits with work is going to be so much more practically useful, and the safety tips and knowledge of direction of cut is going to make my cuts significantly safer
We learned to brace our kindling between two logs in the Boy Scouts which keeps your hand completely clear of the blade. I decided to just hold the edge of the board but as the blade came down it chopped off my fingers. I received the fingerless merit badge but now I can’t type video responses.. life’s about trade offs, just sayin’..
I often use a nata (Japanese limbing/chopping tool, like the one you introduced at the end) for splitting kindling. A hatchet would be second choice. I really liked the tip you gave at 10:20. I damaged a few kerfs this way. I've never thought of doing it like that. I'll definitely do it like that in the future.
@@SkillCult Ya man axes scare the hell out of me. I like using handsaws for more control. If I had your skill level I might use them more. I gotta practice more.
as a kid when our old man would let us split kindling we would get a triangle cut bigger piece of stove wood lay the board for kindling against it standing the board on end and hands free after that kept our hands safe may be a way some of you might try
I saw the video yesterday when you told the story of getting bit by the spider and was thinking of me figuring out how to walk in the dark the same way or including a stick (blind-man style with a cane). Also I have found that when chopping kindling it helps me to work safer is to use a stick in my hand and making contact with the wood to steady and hold it upright with the stick.
I'll take note of that. They are good for brush work, like cleaning up after cutting down trees, slashing small stuff (think jungle and machettes), using like a fro and splitting bamboo. Those reasons are probably why they are more popular in tropical areas and where bamboo grows. Hatchets have more chopping authority because the weight is out at the end. Better for splitting like in this vid, chopping a lot and much less hand shock than any big knife I've ever used. That's the short version. Some large knives are probably more proficient at some household type tasks too and maybe a bit of whittling. I think the pro/con thing comes down to where you. are and what you are doing with it. In general though, there seems to be a traditional preference for knives in the jungle and hatchets in more temperate areas. The Nata is almost something in between. Quite heavy and usually short. Japan is mostly not that tropical, but they have a lot of bamboo. Some traditional foresters there use Nata and some use Hatchets.
Gee for a video on how to be safe you didn’t even mention using a stick with nail sticking out, tap it gently into the timber end and hold other end to keep timber still and upright and use it to hold piece of kindling instead of your fingers, a no brainer and safe and reusable. Much better than having to hold and swing and letting go and hope it’s gonna be fine. You should give it a try, you’ll be recommending it instead of the other ways.
I may do a follow up vid, but that method is not really on my radar. I have a point of view that is not really about always doing everything the absolute safest, foolproof way (doesn't really exist anyway) every time. I often produce boxes full of kindling and I do it very fast because I've figured out over time what I can get away with. I actually have another more complete vid scripted out covering all methods and taking into account people who are newbs that don't plan on progressing. My default assumption (perhaps an incorrect one) is that people would want to progress in their skills and competence. It's worth noting that I'm a lifestyle user, been using these methods for ever and can't recall one serious injury. To me the most important thing here is what's possible. Hopefully I'll get that done, but I thought this turned out well for a completely unscripted video. That method is about the last I'd recommend anyone do long term. it's incredibly slow and I personally very rarely use it except under some very odd circumstance.
SkillCult - Fair enough, I have to say though I find it not really any slower once you get that hang and flow of it, well for me no slower than doing it by hand and letting go and repeat, least with the stick it stays on until you’ve trimmed all kindling from a board. But all good, keep up the vids, appreciate anyone who helps us out there learning new things, so thanks for taking the time and making the effort to share.
Really? An 18 min video and you don’t once say “Wear a tough glove to hold the wood.” And how about a tough leather apron to protect people’s legs? You might not like ‘unnecessary safety precautions’ but newbies copying you are very likely to hurt themselves.
Yeah, really. Anything heavy enough to make any difference is thick and clumsy, thus slow. You also don't know where your fingers are and the gloves will make your fingers much bigger. It can also be used as a sense of false security. Same with any protective gear or clothing. chainsaw chaps, gloves, shoes, steel toes, etc. not that no one should wear any of those. Who TF owns or needs a tough leather apron for splitting kindling lol? Just hit the stuff with a hatchet and don't hit yourself. If you do once, you probably won't do it again. It's as important to me that people know what it possible as anything. and that's definitely more important than giving people the safest newb ways to do everything. I do plan to shoot a more planned out comprehensive video on kindling that treats methods by safety and user level. This was off the cuff, but it's pretty good IMO.
@@SkillCult Please don’t give ‘off the cuff’ safety advice to inexperienced people using dangerous tools. Take your time, think it through, they won’t mind waiting. I’m sure that using a heavy glove on the wood steadying hand is a little bit slower but welders wear thick gloves and they manage a highly skilled and precise job perfectly well...and you know what really slows someone down? A hatchet injury to the hand, stitches and two weeks’ recovery.
Nice video buddy ... as always. Good to see a commonsense approach to safety. Hatchets are simple little tools and very handy, but get it wrong just once and, in the blink of the eye, they can change the way you count to ten forever.
You no doubt have a lot of experience with a sharp axe /hatchet and do it well... I have heard it said many times when it comes to processing kindling , a person is safer using a large knife over a hatchet or axe.. Do you find this to be true for yourself? My father almost never did use a large knife back in the 1950's and later on for kindling he was always an axe / hatchet man, he never hurt or injured himself , he would use his pocket knife for making feather sticks .. I use both a large knife and axe/ hatchet , i do not baton my knife through wood never have , i just have not felt any need to do that..
I personally don't think a big knife is safer than a hatchet or an axe. If you take it slow and avoid all risks it's fun, fairly efficient and safe because axes have much less cutting surface that can hurt you than a big knife. When I'm talking about avoiding ALL risks I'm talking about being mindful of the arc you're swinging your axe in and keeping your hands as far as possible from the cutting edge. Naturally you won't be holding the wood you're splitting with your hand as shown here if you want to be extra-careful.
@@akivaliaho5166 Thank You..I watched your video several times , i always try to keep my hands, fingers far away from the cutting edge .. With small wood i move my hand off to the side when i start my swing .. Sometimes i use a large knife to limb a small branch but i always make sure where my holding hand is so it' s not in the line of fire ... well done..
I have a giant beechwood tree in my yard, that always has tons of branches, I just fill up boxes and buckets with it, then I use a pruner to cut up larger sticks, and store them for the following winter. As for safety, always keep your hand “behind the tool” I teach my young cub scouts this important rule. Thanks again Steven
Looks really slow. That is somewhat similar to a block knife used by wooden shoe makers and other craftsmen, but they don't have the adjustable height.
not necessarily. At the top you can at least see exactly where your hand is in relation towhere you want to hit. They are both dangerous. Safer is hitting the end on the side while holding the other end.
Efficient Natural Work Flow vs. Legalistic Hard and Fast Rules. In any craftsman’s work, it seems that seeking a balance between these two extremes allows him to be responsible and effective. I’ve heard it said that “experts make hard things look easy” and without fail whenever I’ve seen that the expert has found a reasonable balance through their experiences in the craft. Great content! Thank you for your time and perspective!
I get a surprising number of comments advocating for remaining a newb forever. It's bizarre. or arguing against knowing too much about using or tuning axes. Of course it's not put in those terms, but that's basically what it is. Rules and dogma are problematic, because they encourage removal of intellect and personal judgement and involvement. In the case of axes, they also often limit functionality a great deal. I'm planning to make a more epic treatment of this subject and use a more levels based approach from safest to requiring the most skill and experience. In that I'll talk about the whole phenomenon of rules and what is and isn't safe for whom. thanks for the thoughtful comment :)
too much time and work. To me, we ideally just learn our way around the tool and don't need any special contrivances. Someday I'll do a video that is more organized along the lines of the safest and requiring the least skill, but my orientation is always toward improving and what is possible.
Thank you for the very informative videos. Your views on inexpensive axes vs expensive are spot on. I spent more than 15 years building houses, and in the beginning I went through a half dozen inexpensive hammers before I knew what worked for me. Top quality tools make the job easier but only if you know how to use them. Nobody needs a $150 titanium calif style framing hammer if all they do is build bird houses. I appreciate your opinions based on experience rather than following the latest fad. Your reviews are also helpful to me because I also live in northern Calif and cut the same species of trees and brush. Thanks again.
This all feels pretty unsafe to me. I process all my wood by batoning a large fixed blade. Not practical for processing huge volumes of wood, but for a single fire per day or less it's served me really well. Still possible to injure yourself no doubt, but I feel the swinging axe coming into contact with leg or another large body part, or slipping and hitting your fingers are two obvious risks that make me prefer batoning.
Yeah, too slow for me. I only use batoning when I have to for some reason. You have to follow your instincts. I can pull it off, but I've invested a lot of time into learning and being comfortable with a hatchet.
Given equal piles of wood and the other person using the stick hold method, I'm pretty sure I'd win by a long stretch. Given that I can't recall every cutting myself splitting kindling, I'm not sure why I would adopt a method requiring the least skill and that I would think of as best suited to beginners. If I do a second video on this, I'm planning to cover that method, but just for beginners. For more advanced users, I recommend cultivating other methods that are faster and plenty safe if you do them with good skill and awareness. I would think of the stick hold method more as something I would teach a beginner while they get used to handling the tool and build coordination and confidence.
Greetings from Guatemala. Thank you for posting this video. I am new to using an axe and splitting wood, and I am very concerned about safety. I do not worry about splitting kindling. I have been doing that safely with a sledge hammer and wedge. But I do worry about splitting somewhat bigger pieces. My current idea is to bundle up those bigger pieces using either the tire or bungee cord method, and then putting a "fence" - either a simple wire fence or maybe some sort of bamboo fence maybe kept together with attached bungee cords. The fence would be high enough to keep the axe from hitting me, but not so high as to interfere with my axe swing. Why have I not seen any YT videos of someone doing this. Is it because it is an idea that will not work, or is it because no one has thought of this idea? I really want to practice developing a good powerful axe swing, without worrying about hurting myself.
I don't think you need to go to such drastic measures. It might be useful for getting used to using an axe, but there are other ways to prevent injury.
I feel like somehow watching somebody else use an Axe or hatchet is a lot scarier than actually using one yourself
@Brycen Titus definitely, been using flixzone} for since december myself =)
@Brycen Titus yup, I've been watching on flixzone} for since november myself :D
I learned the hard way to never use an axe when tired or in a rush.
I find when training muscle memory fatigue diminishes the return. Once good technique goes, what's the point?
i have a golden rule, i never use the axe (or chainsaw) if i have even a tiny amount of beer. Its tempting to have a beer midway through kindling especially on a warm day when you want to get the wood stack ready for winter. If i do then i put the sharp stuff away.
@@keshatton2334
no longer a problem for me, no beer these last 16 years :
An 18 minute video is much shorter than I 6 hour emergency room visit fir stitches. Thanks for sharing. I am brand new to the axe/ hatchet world and do appreciate it.
None of your videos seem too long to me.
I even watch them over again and they are still not too long.
Good lessons that you teach well.
I was just about to say the nearly exact same thing. I was comfortable splitting kindling before the first time I saw this, and today was at least the third time, maybe fourth or fifth over the last few years I've watched it from start to finish. It just never hurts to get a refresher course, a good reminder, of all the all-too-easy ways to get REALLY hurt FAST doing anything axe/hatchet related. Someone mentioned watching this is way faster than a 6 hour E-room visit and they were right, but then how long is the wounded finger or thumb a handicap when you get back to work? I've had cuts that would have been easily enough avoided had I slowed down just a hair, or paid just a bit more attention - things I should have known better than to let happen at all - that because of being broke and too lazy/ignorant/proud whatever, didn't get stitched up, I was still dealing with 6 or even more months later. Certain cuts just don't heal if you can't quit using that hand, so these 18 minutes spent watching this again while I laced up my boots and got ready to head out for the day took no extra time out of my day but will be fresh and shiny in my memory for another long time. It's been a long time now since I've had a bad cut, but that was just something dumb I should have known not to do. Next time I get a bad one, and it's just a high and likely risk that's always there when we do things like this as often as some of us do, it'll probably be because I did something too quickly and wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been. It happens to the best of us, but videos like these can sure help make a person think about what they're doing just a little more to keep those risks down, no matter how experienced they think they are. Thank you sir, and be safe!
9:00 toward my wenis hahaha
I love the "chicken solo" in the outro. And the rest of the video.... but the chicken really cracked me up
I HAAATEEE the word "outro" !!! There's no such thing. Yes, I know what it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be the opposite of an "intro" or the little do-dad some people put at the end of their videos. But "intro" is a lazy abbreviation for "Introduction." I submit there is no such thing as an "Outroduction." You see? The text editor flagged it because it is a non-existent word.
Call it what it is. A signature, or sign-off, or farewell, or summary. There are actual real words you can use instead of inventing an idiotic "opposite" to "intro." Just one of my pet peeves. Lazy, stupid, made-up buzzwords.
You certainly take the thought processes of handling an axe to a high level. I've never really considered all I know about swinging mauls, axes and hatchets in terms other than grabbing one and putting it to work accomplishing the task at hand. I grew up in the early 50's where situational necessity put me in the position to swing some of these tools by the time I was 7 or 8. I know, it sounds like a load of bunk...but its God's honest truth. We lived just about as close to Mother Earth as you could...but we ate well and kept warm in the winter.
All we knew was what had to be done and who had to do it. We were totally unaware of 'brand name' of any product and we used mauls, double bit and pole axes that would probably be considered clubs by today's standards.
I don't know if its frowned upon to suggest my own video, but if you'd like please feel free to spend a minute eyeballing a couple of them. I've commented a time or two on your videos and feel you are a 'back to nature' kind of guy that may be receptive to the way a poor boy like me learned his way up and down an axe handle. th-cam.com/video/jX2KOiVObEE/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/S9bqXCHByhk/w-d-xo.html
And please, if this is rude to suggest my videos on your channel let me know and delete my comment immediately sir. And I thank you for passing your knowledge along to others.
I checked out your channel and subscribed. Looking forward to your videos.
well said I've done all the wrong and now do all the way you have explained i started out many years ago trial n error , glad to know your giving a great explanation of how not to cut yourself and lots of practice will make yourself more efficient ..
You bonus thing at the end is the logic I have used over the past 2 years after I’ve gotten into carving. I realized that it curls off and requires less accuracy so I don’t miss the little gap. It’s probably saved a couple fingers and made me more productive
I've been watching some of your videos and I must say you are an excellent teacher. Really thorough and detailed without being boring. You should have more subscribers. I bet the dreads turn a lot of people off. That's OK because most people are morons.
Thanks. I always worry I'm making videos too long, but I have stuff to say and some things bear repeating. If they are engaging, it's probably because this stuff really matters to me.
Good awareness teacher! My scars were from new, unsharpened tools. Inexperience, and rushing. Tired or when a woman calls me! Hoho
I've had some accidents in the woods, both with chainsaw (loss of great toe) and ax bad cut + nerve damage to thumb while working in pulpwood ind. I'm older, slower and softer now. I always use a sissy stick.
I will use a piece of kindling to hold the wood I'm working on no fingers in the way, fast, simple and safe 😉
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and wisdom. I have been burning wood for decades but consider myself a novice. That’s why I’ve searched for lessons. Your voice is mellifluous-harmonic tones, clear enunciation, temperate volume, and accessible tempo. You alert your students to errors I have made in swing direction, stance, and handling (many of which horrified me in the aftermath when I recognized the sliver between what happened and the injury that nearly happened) and to solutions I adopted. You have confirmed the propriety of some of my adaptations and added new insights. I have taught rock climbing and I think you will enjoy knowing that your guidance on the importance of imagining the arc of the swing is identical to my lessons on the importance of the direction of pull in evaluating the safety and efficacy of a rope anchoring system.
Thanks buddy. I appreciate the feedback.
WoW! Great video! Just what I was looking for; and for the very same reason you made the video. I'm an older lady, that just got myself a vintage BSA hatchet, and I'm only interested in making kindling for camp fires.....not cutting off a finger.
Thanks for doing this, for those of us who are newbs, and don't know what the hell we're doing. Can't wait to try this on my next camping trip.
Good, I hope it really helps. I actually have scripted out a more comprehensive and better video on this that is a little more from the perspective of multiple levels of use. Stay safe.
Cool! How to cut off your fingers! If my new gloves were only thinner!
The peel technique is important because you can use the hatchet to rough out an axe handle.
I tend to change my style, chopping flat vs vertical, depending on the wood. For gnarly kindling, which I should probably just burn as fuel, I lay flat and bury the ax into the stump and twist the wood like you demoed. The bit in the stump keeps the pressure off the handle. Straight grained I stand vertically sometimes, but still like laying it on the stump horizontally. I tend to get in a better rhythm horizontally. Maybe because my fingers are out of the way. It's the knuckles of the off hand that usually get busted.
The point you made about remaining a novice is true. The dummy rules are good for beginner's safety but aren't always foolproof. Like the blood circle and triangle of death. Or carving toward your body with a knife.
Good stuff, man.
Me too, I mix it up a lot depending on the wood and other circumstances. I do use the side hit a lot. Depends a lot on the wood though. The side hit is great for wood that isn't cut with a saw, twisty stuff and for working on top of radiused logs and not saw cut stumps, so that covers a lot right there. It's also very safe. I'm generally using whatever is going to get me there the fastest. It's always an exercise in getting a fire started quick rather than an exercise in extreme caution, accuracy, neatness or looking cool lol.
Forgot about the cool factor :-)
As always, GREAT advice from someone who knows their stuff.
I swung a 2lb roofing hatchet 10,000 times a day (no typo). People don't get how dangerous such close quarter work can be. 90% of the time, 2 things cause accidents; 1) being absent-minded at what you're doing and 2) overconfidence.
Both fall under the carelessness banner. Life is simple...pay attention to what you're doing when working with an axe. I can't count the times I've hurt myself not because I wasn't skilled when I did it, but because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.
"Wenis." LMAOROTF!!! 🤭😝🤣😝🤣
I have to say, dude, wonderfully helpful video! Thank you.
Thanks :)
“I’m not a big fan of dummy rules” ahaha I love that I’m going to start saying that all the time (btw great video it was very informative!)
Dude, there's hella dummy rules for everything. Occasionally handy, but usual more of a further dumbing effect. watch those fingers tho!
Call me what you want but I always use a sissy stick😂. Takes about a second longer and will save you a lot of headache.
That's cool. Not for me though. it's just too slow and I don't think I need it. But I've also invested heavily in using my hands.
SkillCult Yeah for sure, I don’t cut as much wood. Maybe if I had more practice I might get braver lol.
Some things are a bit hazardous, but good eyesight, strong muscles, and quick thinking make them doable. The problem comes when you make these actions into habits. And the habit makes you do the same moves, when you're: tired, or old, or sleepy, or sick, or wet, or icy, or muddy, or working in poor light, or... It's better for most of us to ingraine habits that are also safe during the less optimal situations.
Yeah habits are just as easy to break as make. Bad habits can get you into trouble. Its like indicating in your car. If you make it a habit to always indicate it becomes a good habit. Far too easy to make that a bad habit. Bad habits hurt!
Thanks. I've decided to use cardboard and newspaper for kindling!
I've had a no paper rule in the house forever. A lot of people that visit really struggle to start a fire in the woodstove, but by the time they leave, they are always better at it :)
SkillCult then what do you use lol
> makes cutting safety video
> starts cutting in the triangle of death
safe enough for me, but probably not the best example lol.
I am quite confident, addicted to and consider myself to be a little over semi proficient with sharp edged tools. Every SkillCult video that I watch I learn at least one new thing. Cheers for the awesome content Steven! Really appreciate your work brother 🤙
very thorough as always, not much of a fan of dummy rules myself either. though they do have their place and teaching a beginner can show you why. Until someone builds up muscle memory and understanding they are good to follow but unfortunately it means you get a lot of beginners repeating them like they are gospel. as you shown understanding the tools and technique as well as the stuff that can go wrong will keep you keep you far safer and make you more productive. unfortunately you cant sum all that up in a single sentence. something i am not a big fan of is splitting kindling with a long handled axe, it counterbalances and steels power, and also its easy to catch the handle on clothing or something behind you and redirect the axe onto your hand. the best tool is a extra heavy hatchet or miners axe with a wide blade that is not too sharp
I don't mind guidelines and starter rules, but part of the dummy rule phenomenon is overstating everything like it's for 6 year olds. Then people take those as dogmas. If someone is thinking of always keeping the handle horizontal, they are missing out on a bunch of possiblity. Thinking in terms of direction of cut, now we are thinking in terms of the consequence of our actions and also more about the important reference points, which are actually our body parts and not the ground or stump. It's engagement v.s. close minded adherence. To take someone and say "for now, keep your axe handle parallell to the ground and that will go a long way toward preventing injury until you have more experience" is entirely different than saying "always keep the axe handle parallel to the ground". In the real world that doesn't even work anyway.
This was filmed a few weeks ago. I meant to reshoot it and mention a number of things I didn't here, including the issue of interference of long handles with clothes and branches, but I finally gave up getting it re-shot and published this. I find that if I'm really conscious the interference is not an issue, but it is really important to be aware of it constantly and I wish I could have mentioned it. Also, good point on sharpness. We're not shaving :)
totally agree, This dummy rule thing also has the irritating side effect of creating people who criticize and chastise more experienced and knowledgeable people and their techniques because they broke a dummy rule and they cant understand the technique and control they have just witnessed. There seems to be a trend of creating razor edges on absolutely everything i don't understand, for your felling and carving axes knock yourself out, but for splitting its a waste of time because past removing any flat spots it wont increase performance and it will make any accidents far worse. Looks impressive on video slicing sheets of paper and tomatoes though. On most of my tools i just remove the flat spots with a chainsaw file and call it a day, and they seem to work just fine.
I have always done the stick and tap method as that was what i was taught by my father. He was insanely fast at splitting kindling. How he had all his fingers i could never work out.
another great, practical video! well done! not dumbed down to the safety squint extreme :), but practical in a way to get the work done in the safest way! Liked !
Hi and thanks for sharing, appreciated.
Lots of things happen when splitting wood.
And when someone splitting is skilled and in the zone, the hand is quicker than the eye and to the inexperienced it can look more dangerous than it is. A skilled kindling axe user, when warmed up and in their grove can be very focused and aware of exactly what will work best for each bit of wood as it presents itself and acting accordingly.
In the last couple of months I've split 70 kindling bags, didn't hit a finger once. Years ago I occasionally glanced a finger but I never got cut. Back then I set up with a waist high splitting block, wore gloves and tried to never allow a situation where the axe can meet a finger backed by a solid surface. So I aim to never put a finger or thumb on top of a piece to be split, but to hold gently on the side as a core method, but lots and lots of other knowledgeable skills and techniques are useful for varying wood and situations.
Today I have a wood splitting bench with a semi circle end into which a splitting block fits. Kindling usually splits onto the bench top so bending is mostly eliminated.
I've found it worth while to have a high splitting block for doing kindling. I used to position a wheelbarrow to catch most splits. This worked well for moving them to where they were to be stored or for then putting into bags. With my current set up it's often from complete round to bagged kindling at the wood splitting bench.
When I have learned some more I would like to move to processing kindling mechanically.
Thanks again for sharing
Cheers
sincerely
d
It all goes back to the concept of knowing your limitations and be responsible for your actions, how strange is that? Lol
Well done and said Sir.
So are you loving that Husky axe now that all the mods are complete? Wade
I've hardly used it. I did a little bit with it when I first re-hafted it and it's a big improvement for sure. But I already knew that. Still planning to file it a bit and change some things up.
It's a good size for one handed use though, for a longer axe anyway.
I mean, people "freaking out", due to their perception of potential risk to some other humans person, are actually just pretentious. It's not about keeping us safe, those people just are appalled that you'd dare do something they find dangerous....... It's my body... or your body.. it's not the business of others how risky my actions are to my own body
If you use your brain, you will be safe - however, all things in life carry some level of risk. YOU decide what risks are acceptable for your life, and I will decide which I find acceptable for my life. Most of you who complain are just sissies, imo.
A huge part of all this external safety (external of the human mind) is just major corporations covering their own asses in the case of a lawsuit due to injury. Don't be an idiot and don't be nosy.
I like your content and I agree with most of what you say - dummy rules are for dumb folks..... That's why its called a dummy rule
This comment will take me a while to type out… mainly because I needed to see this video 5 years ago, when you made it. But unfortunately I never had the time for watching videos back then…. Anyway, way back when you made this video, I was busy not doing what you’re saying is right, and doing all the things you show are wrong. Hence this comment took me an hour to write out. Love your videos bud.
Hello, lighter ax heads r way to go. What is the wisdom of removing ax head metal (same idea as u did to ur hatchet) from 4 & 5 lb ax heads to increase there function. Trying for 2 to 3 lb.
Several things I do for my kindling that has worked well for me: i wear a glove on the holding hand to avoid skin removal in case of a miss and since the holding fingers are pointing down my hand just gets brushed safely aside , I hold the wood approximately 1/3 way down with thumb and index finger only pointing down, I use a very light tomahawk and do not keep a razor sharp edge on it. I cut my kindling rounds 8 to 10” Long (half length of my firewood logs), then bust them into wedges with my axe that I later use to make into kindling. Which makes the splitting process easy with the light tomahawk or hatchet. Typically I use cedar for my kindling as it is readily available in my area and since I recently dropped a whole cedar tree, I think I have a lifetime supply of wood for kindling squirreled away.
good stuff Stan. thanks for sharing.
Use a leather gloves on your non axe hand
So I am nobody, and my opinion is based only on personal experience. I love axes and knives, I own many of both, and I use them all the time. I heat my house with a wood stove, and I live in the northeast; so I use about two chords of wood a season. I cut my hand pretty severely with a hatchet splitting small kindling a few years ago. I think that an axe, down to a hatchet, is a great tool to split wood; but in my opinion, when it comes to splitting kindling into smaller pieces, the knife is far better in terms of safety. I personally now use an axe to split large wood, then a hatchet to split wood that is about as thick as my arm, then I make my kindling by batoning it with a knife. The knife is a great tool to make small pieces of kindling, and it is nearly impossible to make a mistake. I love tools, knives, axes, and such, and I think that when you are making smaller pieces, and precision is the key, then a knife is the better option. No tool is good at everything, and it's stupid to ask any tool to do all things. If all I had was an axe, then of course, I would do all things with an axe. I happen to own other tools though, and so I use other tools as needed.
A much taller chopping block is much safer for this activity
Probably, but that is only useful when you happen to have one.
i like how you break down minutiae and get all technical about the physics of like the axe carving part at the end.
you have this subdued comedic flair I really like :D going through your videos trying to find out what camping hatchet to go for. I don't have a lot of cash so I'll probably go buy an old axe head.
I wish I could recommend something, but nothing meets my criteria of form and affordability so far. I think vintage is still the way to go right now. There are lots of nice vintage heads online for less than it would cost to by a decent, but not expensive hatchet.
I use a chicken stick, usually the first piece of kindling i've cut xx
Too slow for me and usually no good reason too, but it is relatively safe. safer even though to split for the end with the stick horizontal.
@@SkillCult LOL i was being facetious xx
@@taffpatch1 Oh, ha ha. I get that comment a lot actually and they are serious. I don't get it, but it is relatively safe.
I got 6 stitches in my left index finger that taught me not to be compulsive when splitting lol. Now I use a stick to hold the wood.
The stick is just too slow. Whatever you do though, it's good to have the fear.
SkillCult it is slow and maybe after more practice, I will have the confidence to not use it. For me thou, other than a campfire occasionally, any time I pick up an axe or hatchet is for fun, so speed is not necessary.
I have always split kindling that way but I ALWAYS wear a glove
The best advice I've heard is to place the wood to be split on the BACK of the block.
i cut the top of my left hand in the soft part between my thumb and forefinger. Had to get a few stitches.
Many things you recommend are a no, no, no for me. The main point with using axes (and other sharp blades for that matter) is always, always minimizing the risk; not to feed your ego about the skills you think (or even you actually know) that you have or master. Accidents happen in a splint second regardless of skill levels. That is a well known, widely documented fact and is the cornerstone of a science called risk assessment & management. My two cents. Cheers.
Not a big fan of the use of always when it isn't warranted, and just adding an extra always doesn't make it more always lol. It is not always about minimizing risk. If it was if anyone even got in a car, they would drive super slow on back roads only, at night when no one else is around, dressed in some kind of michelin man suit. Risk assessment is a personal matter and a judgement call. If you always, always minimize risk, you would use an axe with full body armor and a face mask. It's a nonsensical idea to always (always) minimize risk, while making a judgement call by risk assessment. If you always (but always) minimize risk, you would have to always go to the greatest extreme, not a lot of choice to make. These are dangerous tools and there is no substitute for putting in the time to build skills and come to understand our limits, so we can make that assessment you mentioned. If you truly always (always) minimize risk, I'll be sitting on a mountain of kindling by the time you put on your suit and split a few pieces. And I've been doing it for decades now without an injury, piles and piles of the stuff. That is not to say that I think I'm immune from injury, that I don't think that is probably why I've not had any.
Just stumbled upon this one as I've watched, and enjoyed, others of yours.
However, this video is obviously for beginners, and I felt that you were teaching them to run before they can walk.
The weight of the hatchet can be a factor, a big lad like you wouldn't find a heavy one a problem, a small person it really could be.
You mocked the dummy run then swung your hatchet in exactly the same way.
It wasn't said that you dont need to swing from over the shoulder, a mistake that leads to a lot of newbie injuries by missing the target and hitting a leg...possibly the middle one.
But I'd suggest most importantly, yourself and your friend, the one you said is a bit mad,
*you've been using your same tools regularly for years*,
you could almost use them blindfolded with virtually no danger of injuring yourselves.
So to go back to the start, I felt that you were encouraging people to speed up rather than getting used to, and being comfortable with, their hatchet.
ps, I really do like your other videos 😄
Sounds like you should make a kindling splitting video :) This was off the cuff with just some sketchy notes, so it's not perfect. I showed a very safe method, side splitting, which is hard to go wrong with. I just think that people should not adhere to the methods most suited to newbs forever as so many recommend. The average person would probably think that the methods used by the bush people I know are unsafe, yet to me, we are the standard of what is possible and practical if you don't have time to waste staying a newb forever. I think it's worth investing in accuracy and coordination rather than not. I don't like dummy rules because they make people dumb and unengaged. I didn't say that you should unfollow their recommendations at all times, I said that they are not completely reliable and I favor thinking of direction of cut and the potential consequences of everything involved. One makes people think about what is going on and how it works and how to stay safe and whether or not they are safe. The other simply hands over all of that for blind faith in some expert touting the most dumbed down version possible. For a couple years now I have had a video planned that is a full treatment of kindling that will be more organized and offer methods in a more graduated way regarding safety/skill/effectiveness. The one thing I'd really would do different here for sure is emphasizing the safety and efficacy of splitting from the side, but recommending swinging at it over setting the hatchet on the wood first. Swinging at it is faster and it invests in skill and efficiency. That method doesn't work great everywhere though, so it's not a one stop shop.
great video - spectacular camera quality too.
It's the lens. I have trouble nailing focus sometimes and it very soft wide open, but the color saturation and rendering are special.
It feels like this video is a lot of one guy showing off and saying don’t do what I’m doing. You can baton an axe. It’s (in my opinion) the safest way to create fine kindling with an axe, hatchet, or tomahawk. Or just lay the piece of wood horizontally.
I like the horizontal option and use it a lot, especially for wood that is not cut with a saw. Batoning with an axe is unnecessarily slow for anyone that is willing to put in a little time to improve their skills. I'm as interested in showing what the possibilities are as anything. My default mode is assuming that people want to improve their skills.
I have a nice scar on my thumb from a hatchet as well!
Mine is visible 35 years later
Summery be good, how not to cut themselves dont suck
As the late great Clint Eastwood said: "A man's got to know his limitations."
do not kindle this way! there is no rush, lose a finger or seriously injure yourself.
ok, i wouldn't and don't use axes for splitting kindling, being a uk origin woodsman in france i use a billhook, they are designed for hedgelaying and splitting wood right up to 8' lengths with a cleaving brake, nothing is perfect and i have a good scar on my left index finger to prove it! ( I do have a range of axes and sideaxes ) but billhook is the goto for kindling (5 billhooks)
I've had my eye out for one for a long time. They are very rare here in the states. I saw one in a shop once, but the shop was closed. Now I can find one on ebay, but haven't got one yet. I'm bilhook curious though.
Timely video for us. I was going over some of this with my 8 yr old this weekend. 1st lesson was, No, I will not hold that piece up for you while you swing the hatchet.
Now there's a rule worth following :)
I appreciate the beginning where you summarize the main things that can go wrong, but I was very uncomfortable watching you hit the wood with your thumb on top of the wood. Why not hold the wood near the top on the outside only? Also, the "pull your hand away at the last split second" method does not seem safe enough for me. I understand what you are saying about "know your own skill level", but still seems better to teach methods with a bigger safety margin.
I did show a super safe method, the side strike method is very safe. I would use that over using a stick to hold upright. if you hold the side of the wood, you still have to pinch it, so there is still finger and thumb tissue potentially under the split. It is more clumsy and you also can't see your fingers. I feel safer having it on top where there is no false security and I know exactly where my thumb is visually and what the consequences are. It created focus :) so that's the way I do it.
5:20 thats how I got a scar on my left hand. Split plenty that way, but a shitty mood with a bad temper ensures the shit for brains needed to loose focus.
But if they're flat like the ones you're using I'd simply layer them, then knock through them on the side, and then pull them apart.
I tried that bonus-tip at the end, but for hewing off long pieces that perhaps could be thatched as a roof. Kinda worked on some species, but not at all if there's knots. Still made it easy to joggle, bit harder than when making properly notched recession cuts, but since there's less pre-cutting, it might still be as viable (S.t.a.t.E.)
Also, very charming host at the ending :)
Are against the method of holding the piece you're splitting with just another bit of wood, because of time consumption?
Yeah, pretty much, I can split way faster without doing that.
Have you ever considered carrying a tourniquet? It would be a lifesaver if, God forbid, you take an axe to the femoral
I have. I think it's a great idea.
kindling thimbles would be great. 2" extensions so you hit the thimble off instead of your finger. invent that
I'm a minimalist. Skills over gadgets.
If you have descent wood and know how to light a proper fire, kindling is rarely, if ever necessary.
I assume you mean split kindling and are not just lighting full sized lots with a match.
Tack an old lawnmower tire to the block, stand wood pieces to fill it, then whale away at them with your ax until they are the size you want. Works best If the bead and sidewall is cut off the top side.
No no no No! Here's how I do it . SITTING ON A 5 gallon bucket hold the wood between your two feet. Mostly the soles of Your feet. Well is it recommended? Probably not .
Watched with my screen turned down and it looked kinda like those grainy old London movie scenes, all dark, dank
Homestead Noir genera
Good video, tips 👍. Wish I seen this a couple of days ago. Damn near chopped my thumb off (not really, but it did get close to the bone) cutting kindling with a razor-sharp SOG tomahawk. Lol. I definitely know better but that isn't going to stop me. This would've been a good reminder to be careful.
I usually use a stick to hold the piece that I am cutting
TIP : hold the wood in one hand , position the blade where you want it , then take your hand away and pick up a mallet and tap the back of the blade, might take a few extra seconds but is how i have always done it . or just use twigs to begin with , derp
Did he say "weenus"? Other than that, pretty much a perfect video! Important topic, presented well as usual. Not too long.
Yes, yes I did...
I mean screw the Femoral artery...
It's a legitimate concern!
I've never heard anyone but my wife say that before. Just for shits and giggles, I backed it up and turned on the closed captioning. It read "wenis". I don't know why I find this funny.
That is funny. I think I picked it up from Wayne's World.
I absolutely love the practicality of this and the fact that he specified dummy rules.
Like, a lot of times I’ve been taught about knife safety I wasn’t taught about knowing my limits, I was taught to *always* cut away from me, which I eventually learned was more a “Boy Scouts not wanting to get sued” thing rather than practical use. I was cutting open a coconut with a fairly dull pocket knife (not recommended) and was told by someone that I had to listen to to not cut towards myself, and within five minutes of cutting away from my body, I didn’t have enough control and sliced the hand the was holding the coconut (not too deeply).
But the specification of knowing my limits with work is going to be so much more practically useful, and the safety tips and knowledge of direction of cut is going to make my cuts significantly safer
We learned to brace our kindling between two logs in the Boy Scouts which keeps your hand completely clear of the blade. I decided to just hold the edge of the board but as the blade came down it chopped off my fingers. I received the fingerless merit badge but now I can’t type video responses.. life’s about trade offs, just sayin’..
lol.
Im glad i stayed until the tip at the end. A 56 year old yellow belt woodsman here.
I'm 56 too. We rock :)
I often use a nata (Japanese limbing/chopping tool, like the one you introduced at the end) for splitting kindling. A hatchet would be second choice. I really liked the tip you gave at 10:20. I damaged a few kerfs this way. I've never thought of doing it like that. I'll definitely do it like that in the future.
i was waiting for an ironic jump cut with his thumb wrapped in gauze without acknowledging it. Paul Timberman MadTV style.
That would be funny. I think there's a video concept there.
@@SkillCult Ya man axes scare the hell out of me. I like using handsaws for more control. If I had your skill level I might use them more. I gotta practice more.
as a kid when our old man would let us split kindling we would get a triangle cut bigger piece of stove wood lay the board for kindling against it standing the board on end and hands free after that kept our hands safe may be a way some of you might try
I saw the video yesterday when you told the story of getting bit by the spider and was thinking of me figuring out how to walk in the dark the same way or including a stick (blind-man style with a cane). Also I have found that when chopping kindling it helps me to work safer is to use a stick in my hand and making contact with the wood to steady and hold it upright with the stick.
Thanks Steven for the informative video as always. Can you please make a video on your opinion on large knives?That would be awesome :)
I second that motion...
I'll take note of that. They are good for brush work, like cleaning up after cutting down trees, slashing small stuff (think jungle and machettes), using like a fro and splitting bamboo. Those reasons are probably why they are more popular in tropical areas and where bamboo grows. Hatchets have more chopping authority because the weight is out at the end. Better for splitting like in this vid, chopping a lot and much less hand shock than any big knife I've ever used. That's the short version. Some large knives are probably more proficient at some household type tasks too and maybe a bit of whittling. I think the pro/con thing comes down to where you. are and what you are doing with it. In general though, there seems to be a traditional preference for knives in the jungle and hatchets in more temperate areas. The Nata is almost something in between. Quite heavy and usually short. Japan is mostly not that tropical, but they have a lot of bamboo. Some traditional foresters there use Nata and some use Hatchets.
SkillCult thank you for taking the time to write back Steven!God bless
There are always safe ways to get the job done, guaranteed. Not buying it.
I'm not sure what your objection is. Hard to communicate much in a sentence and a half.
Gee for a video on how to be safe you didn’t even mention using a stick with nail sticking out, tap it gently into the timber end and hold other end to keep timber still and upright and use it to hold piece of kindling instead of your fingers, a no brainer and safe and reusable. Much better than having to hold and swing and letting go and hope it’s gonna be fine. You should give it a try, you’ll be recommending it instead of the other ways.
I may do a follow up vid, but that method is not really on my radar. I have a point of view that is not really about always doing everything the absolute safest, foolproof way (doesn't really exist anyway) every time. I often produce boxes full of kindling and I do it very fast because I've figured out over time what I can get away with. I actually have another more complete vid scripted out covering all methods and taking into account people who are newbs that don't plan on progressing. My default assumption (perhaps an incorrect one) is that people would want to progress in their skills and competence. It's worth noting that I'm a lifestyle user, been using these methods for ever and can't recall one serious injury. To me the most important thing here is what's possible. Hopefully I'll get that done, but I thought this turned out well for a completely unscripted video. That method is about the last I'd recommend anyone do long term. it's incredibly slow and I personally very rarely use it except under some very odd circumstance.
SkillCult - Fair enough, I have to say though I find it not really any slower once you get that hang and flow of it, well for me no slower than doing it by hand and letting go and repeat, least with the stick it stays on until you’ve trimmed all kindling from a board. But all good, keep up the vids, appreciate anyone who helps us out there learning new things, so thanks for taking the time and making the effort to share.
Wish I seen this like six months ago scared my daughter,we’re camping splitting kindling and hit my pointer finger😬 got a nice scar Now ?
Bummer. I did it once, literally the first hatchet I ever had, never again tho ;)
SkillCult haha yep it was my first hatchet too I got myself with , then someone snagged it out of my car ?
Punks ! lol
Really? An 18 min video and you don’t once say “Wear a tough glove to hold the wood.” And how about a tough leather apron to protect people’s legs? You might not like ‘unnecessary safety precautions’ but newbies copying you are very likely to hurt themselves.
Yeah, really. Anything heavy enough to make any difference is thick and clumsy, thus slow. You also don't know where your fingers are and the gloves will make your fingers much bigger. It can also be used as a sense of false security. Same with any protective gear or clothing. chainsaw chaps, gloves, shoes, steel toes, etc. not that no one should wear any of those. Who TF owns or needs a tough leather apron for splitting kindling lol? Just hit the stuff with a hatchet and don't hit yourself. If you do once, you probably won't do it again. It's as important to me that people know what it possible as anything. and that's definitely more important than giving people the safest newb ways to do everything. I do plan to shoot a more planned out comprehensive video on kindling that treats methods by safety and user level. This was off the cuff, but it's pretty good IMO.
@@SkillCult Please don’t give ‘off the cuff’ safety advice to inexperienced people using dangerous tools. Take your time, think it through, they won’t mind waiting.
I’m sure that using a heavy glove on the wood steadying hand is a little bit slower but welders wear thick gloves and they manage a highly skilled and precise job perfectly well...and you know what really slows someone down? A hatchet injury to the hand, stitches and two weeks’ recovery.
@@carlbernsen1290 TH-cam is an open forum, make a video. Welding is a very different job.
Nice video buddy ... as always. Good to see a commonsense approach to safety.
Hatchets are simple little tools and very handy, but get it wrong just once and, in the blink of the eye, they can change the way you count to ten forever.
You no doubt have a lot of experience with a sharp axe /hatchet and do it well... I have heard it said many times when it comes to processing kindling , a person is safer using a large knife over a hatchet or axe.. Do you find this to be true for yourself? My father almost never did use a large knife back in the 1950's and later on for kindling he was always an axe / hatchet man, he never hurt or injured himself , he would use his pocket knife for making feather sticks .. I use both a large knife and axe/ hatchet , i do not baton my knife through wood never have , i just have not felt any need to do that..
I personally don't think a big knife is safer than a hatchet or an axe. If you take it slow and avoid all risks it's fun, fairly efficient and safe because axes have much less cutting surface that can hurt you than a big knife. When I'm talking about avoiding ALL risks I'm talking about being mindful of the arc you're swinging your axe in and keeping your hands as far as possible from the cutting edge. Naturally you won't be holding the wood you're splitting with your hand as shown here if you want to be extra-careful.
@@akivaliaho5166 Thank You..I watched your video several times , i always try to keep my hands, fingers far away from the cutting edge .. With small wood i move my hand off to the side when i start my swing .. Sometimes i use a large knife to limb a small branch but i always make sure where my holding hand is so it' s not in the line of fire ... well done..
@@normanmallory2055 oh, but I wasn't the author, just trying to get discussion going :D Thank the author who is a tremendously skilled axeman.
Femoral Artery !
Please don't sit and chop.
I do it all the time, as do a lot of carvers, but I wouldn't recommend it for any beginner.
I have a giant beechwood tree in my yard, that always has tons of branches, I just fill up boxes and buckets with it, then I use a pruner to cut up larger sticks, and store them for the following winter. As for safety, always keep your hand “behind the tool” I teach my young cub scouts this important rule. Thanks again Steven
Ive just build a wood heating stove that works only on kindling( its a rocket stove).
What you think avout those lever presses for making kindling?
Don't know anything about them. I'm pretty low tech and I like splitting wood with axes and hatchets.
@@SkillCult its still a manual method and i think verry interesting and safe.
This th-cam.com/video/l_J3zyUZwWI/w-d-xo.html
Looks really slow. That is somewhat similar to a block knife used by wooden shoe makers and other craftsmen, but they don't have the adjustable height.
Wouldn’t it be a lot safer to hold the wood from the middle instead of the top?
not necessarily. At the top you can at least see exactly where your hand is in relation towhere you want to hit. They are both dangerous. Safer is hitting the end on the side while holding the other end.
Close your eyes while watching... besides being able to talk to a camera better. This guy sounds like Jamie Hyneman.
Efficient Natural Work Flow vs. Legalistic Hard and Fast Rules.
In any craftsman’s work, it seems that seeking a balance between these two extremes allows him to be responsible and effective.
I’ve heard it said that “experts make hard things look easy” and without fail whenever I’ve seen that the expert has found a reasonable balance through their experiences in the craft.
Great content! Thank you for your time and perspective!
I get a surprising number of comments advocating for remaining a newb forever. It's bizarre. or arguing against knowing too much about using or tuning axes. Of course it's not put in those terms, but that's basically what it is. Rules and dogma are problematic, because they encourage removal of intellect and personal judgement and involvement. In the case of axes, they also often limit functionality a great deal. I'm planning to make a more epic treatment of this subject and use a more levels based approach from safest to requiring the most skill and experience. In that I'll talk about the whole phenomenon of rules and what is and isn't safe for whom. thanks for the thoughtful comment :)
I just plain mist it
why not put the kindling you are chopping into like a vice?
too much time and work. To me, we ideally just learn our way around the tool and don't need any special contrivances. Someday I'll do a video that is more organized along the lines of the safest and requiring the least skill, but my orientation is always toward improving and what is possible.
Thank you Sir for this good advice it will help a lot
Again thank you. Regards.
Good vid. I fear I'll never pass novice. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm terrified of kindling anymore.
Thank you for the very informative videos. Your views on inexpensive axes vs expensive are spot on. I spent more than 15 years building houses, and in the beginning I went through a half dozen inexpensive hammers before I knew what worked for me. Top quality tools make the job easier but only if you know how to use them. Nobody needs a $150 titanium calif style framing hammer if all they do is build bird houses. I appreciate your opinions based on experience rather than following the latest fad. Your reviews are also helpful to me because I also live in northern Calif and cut the same species of trees and brush. Thanks again.
Yeah I did it with a big TOPS knife. Totally missed the wood and got my finger. I think it was six stitches.
My kids and I Love your vids Man. Thanks for sharing your experience.
what axe is he using , looks like a hultafors or husqvarna
that's a cheap non name import I bought for 5.00 at a yard sale and modified. It's my daily hatchet.
This all feels pretty unsafe to me. I process all my wood by batoning a large fixed blade. Not practical for processing huge volumes of wood, but for a single fire per day or less it's served me really well. Still possible to injure yourself no doubt, but I feel the swinging axe coming into contact with leg or another large body part, or slipping and hitting your fingers are two obvious risks that make me prefer batoning.
Yeah, too slow for me. I only use batoning when I have to for some reason. You have to follow your instincts. I can pull it off, but I've invested a lot of time into learning and being comfortable with a hatchet.
Pro tip, hold board upright with another piece of kindling while chopping instead of holding with hand
Given equal piles of wood and the other person using the stick hold method, I'm pretty sure I'd win by a long stretch. Given that I can't recall every cutting myself splitting kindling, I'm not sure why I would adopt a method requiring the least skill and that I would think of as best suited to beginners. If I do a second video on this, I'm planning to cover that method, but just for beginners. For more advanced users, I recommend cultivating other methods that are faster and plenty safe if you do them with good skill and awareness. I would think of the stick hold method more as something I would teach a beginner while they get used to handling the tool and build coordination and confidence.
Some people just like to learn the hard way 👍
Greetings from Guatemala. Thank you for posting this video. I am new to using an axe and splitting wood, and I am very concerned about safety. I do not worry about splitting kindling. I have been doing that safely with a sledge hammer and wedge. But I do worry about splitting somewhat bigger pieces. My current idea is to bundle up those bigger pieces using either the tire or bungee cord method, and then putting a "fence" - either a simple wire fence or maybe some sort of bamboo fence maybe kept together with attached bungee cords. The fence would be high enough to keep the axe from hitting me, but not so high as to interfere with my axe swing. Why have I not seen any YT videos of someone doing this. Is it because it is an idea that will not work, or is it because no one has thought of this idea? I really want to practice developing a good powerful axe swing, without worrying about hurting myself.
I don't think you need to go to such drastic measures. It might be useful for getting used to using an axe, but there are other ways to prevent injury.