I've split 5 cords through it so far. Does what I need it to. th-cam.com/users/postUgkxUyQswtttSffRMblGbrhCvZn7JkhtG1-7 I scrounge all my firewood and am not equipped to handle big wood, but for logs up to 24 inch diameter or so, it works great. I've been amazed by some of the gnarly bur oak and elm crotches it has split. For the tougher stuff within it's size range, you might have to study the piece a bit to decide the best attack, but if you split smart it's up to the job. It did arrive low on oil, and I was would have nicked it half a star for that, but it has regained my full confidence. UPDATE NOVEMBER 2021: Still going strong after all these years. I love the one-handed operation. Hope it's still in production if I ever need to replace it
I'm a Maine woodsman who splits a lot of wood every year. I grew up with wood heat and have been around wood cutting my whole life. I'm glad you made this video but I strongly disagree with your maul handling. I highly recommend that people do not swing the maul as demonstrated in this video. If you're going to split a lot of wood (as in 3+ cord), use the maul like a dead fall. His hand placement is correct and the stance is correct, but lift the maul straight up into the air and never allow the wedge to go behind your head. You'll wear yourself out quickly and end up harming yourself swinging it long term as demonstrated in this video. That's my 2 cents.
I do a lot of demolition and digging and drive down stakes with a sledge hammer and singing any tool like that will not only tire you but it's dangerous and harmful to your ac joints. The only time when that happens to me is when I've been swinging for a couple of hours non stop, then I know I need a break.
Renegade Maine I like bringing it up from the side and then around to straight in front and down. This method is too innacurate and only helps if u need more power.
A most relaxing activity. While in the country, any time I was frustrated about something I could always rely on the maul (not mall) to make me feel better.
Safety glasses for chopping wood? That isn't very manly, well at least you weren't wearing gloves. Haha! I kid, but I do think safety glasses to chop wood is a bit unnecessary though, but hey better safe than sorry for some guys.
Peter Siedentop his personal failing don't make his quote untrue. John Schroeder Jesús Pedroza I don't think safety gear is either manly or not manly. But honestly, chopping 5 Bush cords of wood every year for the last 10, I have as yet to have something come flying at my head. On a hot sweaty day the safety glasses would be irritating at best.
Sorry for arguing but those aren’t rounds😅 those are small limb segments that are to small to sit and are fine as is, a round would indicate a large diameter log from the main stem of the tree👍
Here's some tips I think would contribute to the topic (not to be a smart-ass but I split 10 cubic meters in less than a day every summer). 1. Strech out - splitting wood is essentially a sport and you need to warm up. It strains a lot of muscles but there's a great impact on the back and waist. 2. Put your axe in a bucket of water overnight or for several hours. The wooden handle will expand and it will hold the axe firmly. 3. Spit on your hands every once in a while. Provides better friction and prevents calluses 4. Do not swing the axe from the side (one can see clearly in the video that aiming is poor that way). Instead, hold the axe above your head. Power is needed but it's more about speed and accuracy. Press with your legs just before you hit the wood (it's a bit like boxing - a great power is achieved through the legs). As soon as the axe hits the log, you can give it a little twist to ensure splitting at once. Do not stand too far away from the stump. Put the piece of wood on the far edge of the stomp instead - that will ensure that the axe goes in the stump after splitting but not in the ground or your shin. 5. If your axe gets stuck in a more stubborn piece of wood, don't waste your energy trying to get it out. Just lift the axe with the log, turn it in midair and hit the stomp hard (the log facing upwards). 6. "Listening" to the wood is essential - looking for cracks and knags is very important especially when splitting 1 meter long logs with a sledge hammer and wedges. But that's a whole different art. BE SAFE!
If lifting an axe which has embedded its blade in a log, lift it as if over your shoulder or put your head to one side. If the log suddenly comes off the blade, you want to avoid the poll of the axe head hitting you in the face
This. I've seen several vids of "pro" guys splitting wood an no one ever follows the point 5 ferdelans said. Most of them can be seen spitting wood with straight veins and not a lot of knots and some hammering the axe with a mullet. I used to split quite a few cubic meters each year (now I own a 15 ton wood splitter) and when the log has the right dimensions (you can lift it and it is heavier than the axe) this is, by far, the best way to split them. Some woods are just too hard to split using most of the methods you can see online.
I agree not only is swinging from the side less accurate it's also more dangerous as you are more prone to graze the side of the log and send the axe flying to the side or maybe back at you. In log splitting safety is the absolute #1 priority, no one wants to lose a leg.
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."- Abraham Lincoln. Awesome video Brett, and I notice you are putting on some solid mass there. Keep up the good work. Semper Virilis
I'm 15 and have began to have been reading your articles and watching your TH-cam videos. I'm glad I'm watching this at a young age to prepare my mind for the future.
One of our neighbors had a BIG tree blown down in their back yard last year. They offered the chainsawed rounds to any takers and I spent the next several weekends splitting them into useable firewood. Loved it so much I considered hiring myself out as a wood splitter! So very manly and rewarding. Another great video, Brett! Too bad we don't live closer or I'd help with your video production.
Hey, I finally found someone who uses the same form as me! I learned this swing when I was ten, and it was super helpful, me being someone with next to zero strength, but since getting older, I’ve only met people who wind up directly over head and swing with both hands on the base. They all say it’s easier to be accurate that way because you aren’t moving the maul side to side, but since it takes so much more strength I can’t get it to work. Glad I learned to be accurate this way - even if the only use for it I have anymore is showing up my boyfriend at carnival hammer games lol!
Look up the tire technique it works great. I load up my old large tire with 4-6 logs and just start splitting. The tire holds the splits together so I don't have to bend over and pick then up. Really saves a lot of time when you are splitting multiple cords of firewood. Oh, and make sure to wear gloves and take off any wedding bands before you go out for a day of splitting!
Excellent video Brett; though I thought you should know this one trick I learned to really speed the process along. If you wrap your log of choice with a tight bungee-cord; the log, or more often: it's pieces, will stay bundled together, allowing you to further chop it up into more pieces if necessary. If you broke it up enough; the wood's already bundled up for you to carry off!
I have found that in order to prevent the axe or maul from passing by the log base and coming out towards me, I prefer to focus on steering the blade to the base, instead of the top of the piece I'm chopping. Obviously an accurate strike is important, but too much focus on the impact position sometimes allows the axe slip by short of the base, and come out towards me. Visualising the blade hitting the base helps keep things from getting out of shape. Of course, a sideways glancing blow can also send the axe past the base. Best to wear safety boots! My 2c.
I noticed you're placing the rounds in the middle of the stump. This isn't bad necessarily but for anyone watching this who hasn't split their own wood before placing the round on the far side (the one farthest from you) of the stump is much safer. If you miss the axe/maul be more likely strike the stump and not you or the ground.
If you chuck a bungee cord around the log, its easier to chop them down into smaller bits, rather than trying to balance an iffy half of a log on a stump.
Thanks for the video man! now i hope that my back wont hurt anymore. I'm 15 and cutting wood is my greatest joy, cant wait for the next autumn when it gets cold so i can cut more
Thank you for this. I'm an older woman with a disabled husband. He used to do all these chores but now he can't. Time for me to step up to learn "the art of manliness "!
I suggest the Fiskars IsoCore 8lb splitting maul. I have nothing whatsoever to do with Fiskars, but their splitting maul is a beast. I had two downed red oak trees, courtesy of hurricane Florence, I cut them up with a chainsaw (quite manly, make a video of how to use a chainsaw if you don't already have one) once they were cut up, I needed them split to go in my fire place this coming winter, so I bought the Fiskars IsoCore. It smashed though that fresh cut (green) red oak with ease, at the base, these trees were 18-20 inch diameter.
While I was up in Montana I would split wood weekly for some people and I had a lot of fun doing it just cause it's so satisfying hitting it just right and it was a great stress reliever. Unfortunately I live in the desert where chopping wood is unnecessary, I miss it though.
I don't mean to be "that-guy" but I think it should be noted that that maul and wedge are NOT safe. A tool should never be that mushroomed. Shards can break off and turn into shrapnel. A video on tool restoration could be a great addition to your archives!
Growing up doing from time to time (didn't do it all the time, mostly helped my dad out when we got some new logs in) and also being a wilderness man it's really odd to me that people don't know this skill. But when I think about it, it's not so weird considering todays society.
One important point, gentlemen: A lot of people like to swing in a circular arc. Don't do that. Swing STRAIGHT down. Many people have chopped their own feet off because the maul or axe continued down and towards them in an arc, as opposed to finishing towards the ground.
I've split hundreds of cords of wood. Never once did I wear safety glasses. There are generally two ways to swing -- from the back with a mighty swing, or from the left or right side depending on your dominant hand. Most important - have an accurate swing to maximize your effort (and for safety)
where do people get the idea green wood splits harder? a little test find a oak log that has turned black on one end cut it off and split it, then cut another chunk and split that and see what one splits easier. also putting your wood up that high takes away the best part of your swing. the fiskars is a great splitting tool blows a maul away easily.
It's been my experience that swinging the maul from all the way behind your back is a waste of energy. Instead, try holding it up He-Man style and give a good swing downward.
When I was just a young boy my step great grandfather and I would split logs on a wood splitter for hours and hours, load them up in his early 90's F150, drive across an acre or two to the house, he'd always back the truck to the door, and we would through the logs down the basement and stack them again, because for 115/120 years the house they lived in was heated by a massive stove in the basement. In he back of his plot he'd have a wood pile at least a least 7ft high and 30ft long.
Starting to look pretty stacked Brett, that kettlebell is doing you some good. (Wood splitting probably doesn't hurt in that department either) keep it up.
Art of Manliness thanks, I will check them out. Could uses a few more gainz myself. Do you typically workout at home or do you go to the gym? I workout in my basement with just two dumbells and a kettlebell. Really all a guy needs.
Thanks a lot! Tomorrow im gonna go to my grandmas place and do this since there's a lot of wood that has to be split and stacked for the winter, ive never really done it except once as a kid (failed miserably) but im sure ill get used to it, this video will be of much help.
Been chopping my wood all my life, and I gotta say those are some pretty small logs you got there.When tackling 36 inch plus logs: I use an 8lb and a couple splitting irons, flat and square. I was unaware not everyone knew how to do this until my cousin a couple friends came over to my house on a day that I needed to split some wood.
I recommend learning how to split with a felling axe. Learning to twist the axe upon initial contact to drive the wood apart. About 1 hour of practice and I got the hang of it. It's an awesome feeling.
You want a balance between weight and velocity. It’s like bowling or baseball. In bowling you want to use a ball heavy enough to get pin action but light enough for you to control and throw with speed. In baseball you want a bat heavy and long enough to cover the strike zone and to have some force behind it when you make contact, but you also need to be able to control it well and swing it fast. For axes, you want to use the heaviest axe you can while maintaining good velocity. Using a super light axe is no good because you can’t really even swing it significantly faster than an axe that is let’s say 10% heavier, but the heavier axe has a lot more kinetic energy behind it due to its increased mass. So basically find a Goldilocks Zone for your strength level and ability to maintain edge alignment. So for some people a 6 pound axe is nothing and they can go heavier but for some smaller, younger or weaker people, 6 is as heavy as you’d want to go because too much more than that and you won’t be cutting anything because you are swinging too slowly.
Actually a good ax can be used instead of a maul but the wood should be seasoned and hitting the log in the center will cause the split to go as far down. Yes for green wood or hard wood, like oak, a maul can be used. Been splitting wood and cutting down trees for to long.
Better yet put a bunch of logs together and wrap with bungee cords or place them all in a large old tire. Then you can rapidly split the wood without all of the pieces falling off of your staging area. There are a lot of great videos on this method. It saves a ton of time.
My father taught me how to split it with an axe. Although it takes more effort, it's more rewarding. First thing you have to do is to slightly impale the wood with the axe. It ensures good aim and zero accidents. Then what you want to do is lift the log up with the axe, turn it 180 degrees so the back of the axe is facing down, and strike with maximum force, bending your knees along the way. The impact is strong enough that the wood splits itself apart. I've split 60-70 pound thick logs with 5-6 relatively low power swings.
The wood i split takes a monster, all steel maul and it goes straight up and straight down. Do yourself a favor and peel the bark off a slightly sloped, bigger stump piece, place it on thick concrete and screw some 2x6s to the stump vertically at the back of the slope and maybe some 1x4s horizontally between them - very few times you will have to pick the stuff up off the ground and put it back onto the splitting stump. Saves so much energy and back stress. What a workout - my abs are feeling it in a good way. If more people did this kind of thing we would not have health care crisis we would have bad ass healthy people. Consider a mass rocket stove to get the most energy out of your wood/labor. Very little smoke (no flue cleaning) and it uses smaller/less wood.
Great video. There's a lot more to learn on this, but this gets a lot across in 3 minutes. One suggestion: Use gloves. Not only to keep clean from sap, dirt and splinters, but the padded variety helps protect against the impact with every swing.
What you are saying is all true and the method I agree with. However; there's area I draw an issue with: your axe. The head was in poor shape. It was rusted, pitted, chipped, dull and un-cared for. File the edge, take a dremel to the head and then get a wet stone to sharpen it. Also, the handle was shit. Don't ever use a fibre glass handle or any other plastic material. Get yourself an Hickory handled axe. Also get a better steel, that looked like some cheap hardware store axe, use 1095 or D2 or something of that nature. My recommendation would be to get a Gransfors Bruk or a Wetterlings. They both make great splitting mauls and are both hand forged in Sweden with custom made handles. So much better than your hardware store axe. AOM proclaims that we should all buy from the Saddleback company because they make such good stuff, and I agree. They make an amazing product that we will pass down to our children. You will absolutely pass down one of these axes if you take care of and don't lose it. It's the best you can buy and in my opinion, having a good product is much manlier than having a piece of crap. wranglerstar will give you all the information you need on the subject. He's one of the manliest men on TH-cam, and possibly in the world.
You don't have to have an heirloom axe, nor be a wranglerstar fanatic, to enjoy the benefits of chopping wood. Sometimes it's hard to see the point being made for the ego that's in the way.
Erik Tempest There is no ego in the way, but AOM as an organization advocates having high quality equipment for the things you do. I was simply doing the same. I also was not advocating fanaticism. But the point of you tube is for us all to share our skill sets and help each other out with things. I was just trying to pass on some knowledge.
Holy cow man! You expect to have new guys splitting wood to shell out the dollars for a Grantor Bruk? I've got one and they are super but spendy! A maul (not an axe) that they might want to start out with is a Fiskars X27. Grab one at Walmart for around $50. Great head design.
I've been splitting wood since I was around 6. Lol. I got a kobalt Axe a kobalt hatchet and a wedge this past summer and I've used them some already and I enjoy splitting wood
I watched a video where they put the stump in a tire while splitting and this prevented the wood from flying off when you hit it, pretty convenient! Perhaps you could do a video on that?
Hey Brett, another cool idea would be showing men how to use different types of mowers. Riding mowers, z mowers, push mowers etc. just putting it out there as an idea!
Pro tip. Measure your logs average weight per round and find a maul or axe that weighs a few pounds less than your log. When you strike it and it gets stuck lift the log and the axe or maul over your head and drop it on the opposite side of the axe using the weight of the log to split its Itself. If it’s to big to lift switch to a heavier maul or the wedge and hammer technique.
As a woman who chops her own wood just wanna let you know the whole "manly" thing is a bit behind the times :) But thanks for the tips! House will be toasty tonight
I split some for my parents. About 2, 3 cord a winter. The 2nd or 3rd I split between January and February. Open field next door. Freeze the wood sometimes. Flea markets too, middle of winter.😃
Safety first?? Sharpen that maul for a start, and then De burr off all those metal overhangs off the wedge and maul head as well! Hit the right way those are like shrapnel. Also to save time and the back,get an old car or truck tyre that fits over your chopping block and put your log in that and split it.Saves on having to pick up splits every time you split a log in two.
making firewood warms you 4x!-once cutting-splitting-hauling then making the fire! ive been splitting wood-well since i can remember. i didnt know it was manly i just thought it kept us warm!
I just want to add this might help others, for smaller logs you really don't need to put that much downward force so you can let the maul do most of the work. Work smart not hard.
I already knew how to split wood I was just watching a show where they held the axe from the bottom the whole time and I knew that was wrong but thought I'd double check if it can be efficient
I live in the woods and have a wood stove as my main source of heat (I chop all my trees by hand). I should have prepared more for the upcoming winter, because it’s a pain in the ass to split wood in the warm months, and the wood is waaaay too moist. BUT! If I start to split wood come fall (maybe late october) will it be salvageable?
Good video, I learned a lot on this one. I found out an electric chain saw is really dangerous. It's electric, duh, so it just keeps going with a dull chain. Smoking mother.
I love this channer for a long time! I appreciate you.But please remove mushroom at poll, and sharpening maul edge, and aim correctly. Try 'Tilt chop'. It make your work more efficiently.
Looks you have some more potential articles to go along with the restoration of a axe, like re hafting that sledgehammer and removing the mushrooming metal off the maul and wedge to prevent a piece of metal fracturing off when struck and causing injury. Keep up the good work.
I love splitting wood... The exercise and smell of freshly cut wood on a cool crisp day builds a strong appetite... Hopefully the wife has learned how to be *"womanly"*... and has something tasty cooken in the oven for when you come inside.
I wish life was still like that. The man did the hard labor and the woman did the cooking and cleaning. Lots of people are still like that, but it isn't as prevalent in today's world, which saddens me. If you are a man and prefer your woman doing hard work instead of you, then I think that is shameful and cowardly.
I wondered why it would split I was doing it on fairly soft ground even though it’s so simple but I never thought about it I mean it still split but it took like a good 5 to 10 trys
Actually, If you heat with wood and warms you a lot more times than twice. If you actually go into the woods and cut down trees like I used to do it's even more. I used to burn 5 cords of wood a year. 1. Splitting the wood. 2. Stacking the wood. 3. Hauling the wood into the house. 4. Burning the wood. 5. Hauling out the ashes.
I am at a loss for words. Not trying to be a jerk but are there a lot of guys who don't know how to do this? I heat my home with wood and all of it is split by hand. The comments here have a ton of mis-information. The video is ok for a beginner I guess but I really think your upswing is useless. Don't spend energy or lose your balance on a fast up swing. it's only the downswing that counts. Take it from someone that does some serious wood splitting.
![[Re:all TREASURE] EP.6 in 방콕ㅣ🚩 쩡캠의 방콕 투어 빵 마이 와이 👍](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uyFw-nItA_s/mqdefault.jpg)
I've split 5 cords through it so far. Does what I need it to. th-cam.com/users/postUgkxUyQswtttSffRMblGbrhCvZn7JkhtG1-7 I scrounge all my firewood and am not equipped to handle big wood, but for logs up to 24 inch diameter or so, it works great. I've been amazed by some of the gnarly bur oak and elm crotches it has split. For the tougher stuff within it's size range, you might have to study the piece a bit to decide the best attack, but if you split smart it's up to the job. It did arrive low on oil, and I was would have nicked it half a star for that, but it has regained my full confidence. UPDATE NOVEMBER 2021: Still going strong after all these years. I love the one-handed operation. Hope it's still in production if I ever need to replace it
I'm a Maine woodsman who splits a lot of wood every year. I grew up with wood heat and have been around wood cutting my whole life. I'm glad you made this video but I strongly disagree with your maul handling. I highly recommend that people do not swing the maul as demonstrated in this video. If you're going to split a lot of wood (as in 3+ cord), use the maul like a dead fall. His hand placement is correct and the stance is correct, but lift the maul straight up into the air and never allow the wedge to go behind your head. You'll wear yourself out quickly and end up harming yourself swinging it long term as demonstrated in this video.
That's my 2 cents.
Easier to aim as well if you're bringing the maul head down aligned with the center of your body.
But that's how they do it on the movies.......
Real man, meet metro man.
I do a lot of demolition and digging and drive down stakes with a sledge hammer and singing any tool like that will not only tire you but it's dangerous and harmful to your ac joints. The only time when that happens to me is when I've been swinging for a couple of hours non stop, then I know I need a break.
Renegade Maine I like bringing it up from the side and then around to straight in front and down. This method is too innacurate and only helps if u need more power.
"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice." Henry Ford
A most relaxing activity.
While in the country, any time I was frustrated about something I could always rely on the maul (not mall) to make me feel better.
Hmmmm might I suggest keeping the comments professional? That would be the gentlemanly thing to do. As they say, a gentleman is a manly man... ;)
Safety glasses for chopping wood? That isn't very manly, well at least you weren't wearing gloves. Haha! I kid, but I do think safety glasses to chop wood is a bit unnecessary though, but hey better safe than sorry for some guys.
Cause getting stuff lodged in your eye is comparatively way more manly than wearing proper PPE.
Peter Siedentop his personal failing don't make his quote untrue.
John Schroeder Jesús Pedroza I don't think safety gear is either manly or not manly. But honestly, chopping 5 Bush cords of wood every year for the last 10, I have as yet to have something come flying at my head. On a hot sweaty day the safety glasses would be irritating at best.
Teaches us how to split wood. Shows stove full of rounds at end 😆😆😆
😂🤣😂😂😂
For some reason I thought this was going to be a comedy
Sorry for arguing but those aren’t rounds😅 those are small limb segments that are to small to sit and are fine as is, a round would indicate a large diameter log from the main stem of the tree👍
@@nicholasvalentino3291 some of those are splittable and would have been better split. Not the best choice considering the nature of the video.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Here's some tips I think would contribute to the topic (not to be a smart-ass but I split 10 cubic meters in less than a day every summer).
1. Strech out - splitting wood is essentially a sport and you need to warm up. It strains a lot of muscles but there's a great impact on the back and waist.
2. Put your axe in a bucket of water overnight or for several hours. The wooden handle will expand and it will hold the axe firmly.
3. Spit on your hands every once in a while. Provides better friction and prevents calluses
4. Do not swing the axe from the side (one can see clearly in the video that aiming is poor that way). Instead, hold the axe above your head. Power is needed but it's more about speed and accuracy. Press with your legs just before you hit the wood (it's a bit like boxing - a great power is achieved through the legs). As soon as the axe hits the log, you can give it a little twist to ensure splitting at once. Do not stand too far away from the stump. Put the piece of wood on the far edge of the stomp instead - that will ensure that the axe goes in the stump after splitting but not in the ground or your shin.
5. If your axe gets stuck in a more stubborn piece of wood, don't waste your energy trying to get it out. Just lift the axe with the log, turn it in midair and hit the stomp hard (the log facing upwards).
6. "Listening" to the wood is essential - looking for cracks and knags is very important especially when splitting 1 meter long logs with a sledge hammer and wedges. But that's a whole different art.
BE SAFE!
This helped a lot. Thanks!!!!
If lifting an axe which has embedded its blade in a log, lift it as if over your shoulder or put your head to one side. If the log suddenly comes off the blade, you want to avoid the poll of the axe head hitting you in the face
This. I've seen several vids of "pro" guys splitting wood an no one ever follows the point 5 ferdelans said. Most of them can be seen spitting wood with straight veins and not a lot of knots and some hammering the axe with a mullet.
I used to split quite a few cubic meters each year (now I own a 15 ton wood splitter) and when the log has the right dimensions (you can lift it and it is heavier than the axe) this is, by far, the best way to split them. Some woods are just too hard to split using most of the methods you can see online.
I agree not only is swinging from the side less accurate it's also more dangerous as you are more prone to graze the side of the log and send the axe flying to the side or maybe back at you. In log splitting safety is the absolute #1 priority, no one wants to lose a leg.
I learned to stack wood from my great grandmother. She was 81 and I was 14. She kicked my ass.
That’s awesome
I learned it from my dad he’s 63 I’m 20
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."- Abraham Lincoln.
Awesome video Brett, and I notice you are putting on some solid mass there. Keep up the good work.
Semper Virilis
Thanks dude.
Nope, not Lincoln. quoteinvestigator.com/2014/03/29/sharp-axe/
AmidstMyDreams listen Aby your where a good president, but... you definitely don’t need four hours to sharpen an axe
@@jackrobinson3833 Whoosh
Give me a Sthil i500 and I'll have it down in 2 minutes not 6 hours.
I'm 15 and have began to have been reading your articles and watching your TH-cam videos.
I'm glad I'm watching this at a young age to prepare my mind for the future.
Glad to have you here. Stay manly!
Same exact story here.
What exactly are you preparing for though
So how is life? You're 20 now.
Bro you are 20 have you developed into an alpha male by now
One of our neighbors had a BIG tree blown down in their back yard last year. They offered the chainsawed rounds to any takers and I spent the next several weekends splitting them into useable firewood. Loved it so much I considered hiring myself out as a wood splitter! So very manly and rewarding. Another great video, Brett! Too bad we don't live closer or I'd help with your video production.
Grampa taught me how to split wood when i was about eight, always loved it.
Same.
Hey, I finally found someone who uses the same form as me! I learned this swing when I was ten, and it was super helpful, me being someone with next to zero strength, but since getting older, I’ve only met people who wind up directly over head and swing with both hands on the base. They all say it’s easier to be accurate that way because you aren’t moving the maul side to side, but since it takes so much more strength I can’t get it to work. Glad I learned to be accurate this way - even if the only use for it I have anymore is showing up my boyfriend at carnival hammer games lol!
Look up the tire technique it works great. I load up my old large tire with 4-6 logs and just start splitting. The tire holds the splits together so I don't have to bend over and pick then up. Really saves a lot of time when you are splitting multiple cords of firewood. Oh, and make sure to wear gloves and take off any wedding bands before you go out for a day of splitting!
Good pointer. Also, hello from 2021 🙋
Excellent video Brett; though I thought you should know this one trick I learned to really speed the process along. If you wrap your log of choice with a tight bungee-cord; the log, or more often: it's pieces, will stay bundled together, allowing you to further chop it up into more pieces if necessary. If you broke it up enough; the wood's already bundled up for you to carry off!
TehAdrenalinePickle I know you wrote this 5 years ago, but thanks for the advice.
An old tire also works
Yeah, old tire is so good! It's like playing fruit ninja! No piece escapes! Bamm bamm!
I have found that in order to prevent the axe or maul from passing by the log base and coming out towards me, I prefer to focus on steering the blade to the base, instead of the top of the piece I'm chopping. Obviously an accurate strike is important, but too much focus on the impact position sometimes allows the axe slip by short of the base, and come out towards me. Visualising the blade hitting the base helps keep things from getting out of shape.
Of course, a sideways glancing blow can also send the axe past the base. Best to wear safety boots! My 2c.
I noticed you're placing the rounds in the middle of the stump. This isn't bad necessarily but for anyone watching this who hasn't split their own wood before placing the round on the far side (the one farthest from you) of the stump is much safer. If you miss the axe/maul be more likely strike the stump and not you or the ground.
If you chuck a bungee cord around the log, its easier to chop them down into smaller bits, rather than trying to balance an iffy half of a log on a stump.
Thanks for the video man! now i hope that my back wont hurt anymore. I'm 15 and cutting wood is my greatest joy, cant wait for the next autumn when it gets cold so i can cut more
Fall is the best season. There is nothing quite like a peaceful day in the woods with the cool autumn air.
I see what you did there. A favorite workout of Teddy Roosevelt's!
Ol' T.R.!
Another great one! 8-)
Hey ladies split wood too! Technique over brute strength. Full body effort!
Yeah but your talking about morning wood , and this video is talking about tree wood - similar but different
STAY HOOKED oop
No one said women didnt.
Uhh my grandma chops fire wood
I think I'll continue to use brute strength. That helps me to use my energy in a good way, instead of kill every person that irritates me
Thank you for this. I'm an older woman with a disabled husband. He used to do all these chores but now he can't. Time for me to step up to learn "the art of manliness "!
I suggest the Fiskars IsoCore 8lb splitting maul. I have nothing whatsoever to do with Fiskars, but their splitting maul is a beast. I had two downed red oak trees, courtesy of hurricane Florence, I cut them up with a chainsaw (quite manly, make a video of how to use a chainsaw if you don't already have one) once they were cut up, I needed them split to go in my fire place this coming winter, so I bought the Fiskars IsoCore. It smashed though that fresh cut (green) red oak with ease, at the base, these trees were 18-20 inch diameter.
Did this bring back memories. The old man bought a hydraulic wood splitter a month after I moved across the state to get an education.
While I was up in Montana I would split wood weekly for some people and I had a lot of fun doing it just cause it's so satisfying hitting it just right and it was a great stress reliever. Unfortunately I live in the desert where chopping wood is unnecessary, I miss it though.
I don't mean to be "that-guy" but I think it should be noted that that maul and wedge are NOT safe. A tool should never be that mushroomed. Shards can break off and turn into shrapnel. A video on tool restoration could be a great addition to your archives!
Growing up doing from time to time (didn't do it all the time, mostly helped my dad out when we got some new logs in) and also being a wilderness man it's really odd to me that people don't know this skill. But when I think about it, it's not so weird considering todays society.
One important point, gentlemen: A lot of people like to swing in a circular arc. Don't do that. Swing STRAIGHT down. Many people have chopped their own feet off because the maul or axe continued down and towards them in an arc, as opposed to finishing towards the ground.
This is very useful as a scout we use an axe to split logs alot for camp fires its hard to find video's on how to split logs with out a wooden mallet.
I've split hundreds of cords of wood. Never once did I wear safety glasses. There are generally two ways to swing -- from the back with a mighty swing, or from the left or right side depending on your dominant hand. Most important - have an accurate swing to maximize your effort (and for safety)
Every since i was very young (like 6-7), my dad would sometimes ask me to chop some wood for making fire.
So now i love doing it lol
where do people get the idea green wood splits harder? a little test find a oak log that has turned black on one end cut it off and split it, then cut another chunk and split that and see what one splits easier. also putting your wood up that high takes away the best part of your swing. the fiskars is a great splitting tool blows a maul away easily.
Lol, "The magic of editing" made me laugh!
Ha! Yeah, I had some big stinker swings in there.
It's been my experience that swinging the maul from all the way behind your back is a waste of energy. Instead, try holding it up He-Man style and give a good swing downward.
Agree. He's swinging that much too hard and fast for the well seasoned logs he's splitting. Careful you don't catch one on the shin, Brett.
Seasoned wood like an elm splits extremely tough. The swing is wrong but not because of the wood.
When I was just a young boy my step great grandfather and I would split logs on a wood splitter for hours and hours, load them up in his early 90's F150, drive across an acre or two to the house, he'd always back the truck to the door, and we would through the logs down the basement and stack them again, because for 115/120 years the house they lived in was heated by a massive stove in the basement. In he back of his plot he'd have a wood pile at least a least 7ft high and 30ft long.
Starting to look pretty stacked Brett, that kettlebell is doing you some good. (Wood splitting probably doesn't hurt in that department either) keep it up.
Thanks, man. It's a combination of stuff. The program from Criticalbench has given me some awesome gainzzzzz.
Art of Manliness Been hanging out at r/fitness? Hehe
Art of Manliness all kinds of gains?
***** All kinds, bro.
Art of Manliness thanks, I will check them out. Could uses a few more gainz myself. Do you typically workout at home or do you go to the gym? I workout in my basement with just two dumbells and a kettlebell. Really all a guy needs.
Thanks a lot! Tomorrow im gonna go to my grandmas place and do this since there's a lot of wood that has to be split and stacked for the winter, ive never really done it except once as a kid (failed miserably) but im sure ill get used to it, this video will be of much help.
17pm in germany. Just in time for me to prepare for a cold night.
Been chopping my wood all my life, and I gotta say those are some pretty small logs you got there.When tackling 36 inch plus logs: I use an 8lb and a couple splitting irons, flat and square. I was unaware not everyone knew how to do this until my cousin a couple friends came over to my house on a day that I needed to split some wood.
I recommend learning how to split with a felling axe. Learning to twist the axe upon initial contact to drive the wood apart. About 1 hour of practice and I got the hang of it. It's an awesome feeling.
You want a balance between weight and velocity. It’s like bowling or baseball. In bowling you want to use a ball heavy enough to get pin action but light enough for you to control and throw with speed. In baseball you want a bat heavy and long enough to cover the strike zone and to have some force behind it when you make contact, but you also need to be able to control it well and swing it fast. For axes, you want to use the heaviest axe you can while maintaining good velocity. Using a super light axe is no good because you can’t really even swing it significantly faster than an axe that is let’s say 10% heavier, but the heavier axe has a lot more kinetic energy behind it due to its increased mass. So basically find a Goldilocks Zone for your strength level and ability to maintain edge alignment. So for some people a 6 pound axe is nothing and they can go heavier but for some smaller, younger or weaker people, 6 is as heavy as you’d want to go because too much more than that and you won’t be cutting anything because you are swinging too slowly.
The tool is also an important component. Fiskars X27 are superb to use.
Excellent! I don't have much occasion to chop wood, but if there's not a man around, now I know how to do it myself! Very nice.
Do it yourself even when there is a man around.
Yes I must concur with the others.... You are definitely looking more fit and in shape. Keep up the good work and videos/articles
Interesting to see the different hand splitting techniques. Thanks for sharing friend!
I’m 46 years old. I just bought my first axe. Thank you for the video.
Actually a good ax can be used instead of a maul but the wood should be seasoned and hitting the log in the center will cause the split to go as far down. Yes for green wood or hard wood, like oak, a maul can be used. Been splitting wood and cutting down trees for to long.
Better yet put a bunch of logs together and wrap with bungee cords or place them all in a large old tire. Then you can rapidly split the wood without all of the pieces falling off of your staging area. There are a lot of great videos on this method. It saves a ton of time.
My father taught me how to split it with an axe. Although it takes more effort, it's more rewarding.
First thing you have to do is to slightly impale the wood with the axe. It ensures good aim and zero accidents.
Then what you want to do is lift the log up with the axe, turn it 180 degrees so the back of the axe is facing down, and strike with maximum force, bending your knees along the way.
The impact is strong enough that the wood splits itself apart.
I've split 60-70 pound thick logs with 5-6 relatively low power swings.
Clean up the mushrooming of the wedge shown in this. Metal pieces can fly off and severely injure.
777fuzzypeach was about to say the same thing 'til I saw you had already made the comment. a good bench grinder is what you need for this task.
I'd say it's really helps when you imagine yourself not only hitting the log, but striking through it.
The wood i split takes a monster, all steel maul and it goes straight up and straight down. Do yourself a favor and peel the bark off a slightly sloped, bigger stump piece, place it on thick concrete and screw some 2x6s to the stump vertically at the back of the slope and maybe some 1x4s horizontally between them - very few times you will have to pick the stuff up off the ground and put it back onto the splitting stump. Saves so much energy and back stress. What a workout - my abs are feeling it in a good way. If more people did this kind of thing we would not have health care crisis we would have bad ass healthy people. Consider a mass rocket stove to get the most energy out of your wood/labor. Very little smoke (no flue cleaning) and it uses smaller/less wood.
Great video. There's a lot more to learn on this, but this gets a lot across in 3 minutes. One suggestion: Use gloves. Not only to keep clean from sap, dirt and splinters, but the padded variety helps protect against the impact with every swing.
I cried a little inside at the state your tools are in....
Yet another great video, keep the awesome work there chief
Thanks!
What you are saying is all true and the method I agree with. However; there's area I draw an issue with: your axe. The head was in poor shape. It was rusted, pitted, chipped, dull and un-cared for. File the edge, take a dremel to the head and then get a wet stone to sharpen it. Also, the handle was shit. Don't ever use a fibre glass handle or any other plastic material. Get yourself an Hickory handled axe. Also get a better steel, that looked like some cheap hardware store axe, use 1095 or D2 or something of that nature. My recommendation would be to get a Gransfors Bruk or a Wetterlings. They both make great splitting mauls and are both hand forged in Sweden with custom made handles. So much better than your hardware store axe. AOM proclaims that we should all buy from the Saddleback company because they make such good stuff, and I agree. They make an amazing product that we will pass down to our children. You will absolutely pass down one of these axes if you take care of and don't lose it. It's the best you can buy and in my opinion, having a good product is much manlier than having a piece of crap. wranglerstar will give you all the information you need on the subject. He's one of the manliest men on TH-cam, and possibly in the world.
You don't have to have an heirloom axe, nor be a wranglerstar fanatic, to enjoy the benefits of chopping wood.
Sometimes it's hard to see the point being made for the ego that's in the way.
Erik Tempest There is no ego in the way, but AOM as an organization advocates having high quality equipment for the things you do. I was simply doing the same. I also was not advocating fanaticism. But the point of you tube is for us all to share our skill sets and help each other out with things. I was just trying to pass on some knowledge.
Connor Smith Well in that case, thanks for educating us all.
Erik Tempest I'm not sure if that was sarcastic or not, but if not; thanks.
Holy cow man! You expect to have new guys splitting wood to shell out the dollars for a Grantor Bruk? I've got one and they are super but spendy!
A maul (not an axe) that they might want to start out with is a Fiskars X27. Grab one at Walmart for around $50. Great head design.
I've been splitting wood since I was around 6. Lol. I got a kobalt Axe a kobalt hatchet and a wedge this past summer and I've used them some already and I enjoy splitting wood
I watched a video where they put the stump in a tire while splitting and this prevented the wood from flying off when you hit it, pretty convenient! Perhaps you could do a video on that?
i am woman can me split wood?
No u
Hello, im a Beginner and i wanted to know if this particular form of exercise can cause hernia or not? Also im using sledgehammer and tire. Thanks
If you get stuck on a knot, you can turn over the maul/axe and hit the back. Just make sure it's not loose enough for it to fall on top of your head.
You look like on your work days you’re a firefighter in 1906 Chicago, IL lol love the vid!
So it’s basically the same motion of busting concrete?
Hey Brett, another cool idea would be showing men how to use different types of mowers. Riding mowers, z mowers, push mowers etc. just putting it out there as an idea!
it`ll warm you trice, once when splitin` once when moving once when usin`
Pro tip. Measure your logs average weight per round and find a maul or axe that weighs a few pounds less than your log. When you strike it and it gets stuck lift the log and the axe or maul over your head and drop it on the opposite side of the axe using the weight of the log to split its Itself. If it’s to big to lift switch to a heavier maul or the wedge and hammer technique.
I stopped splitting wood at 16 and when I re-started realised that it was 45 years since the last time. Never had anything but an axe.
This is the video that helped me discover your channel!
Great instructional video. Love the name of the station.
As a woman who chops her own wood just wanna let you know the whole "manly" thing is a bit behind the times :) But thanks for the tips! House will be toasty tonight
I split some for my parents. About 2, 3 cord a winter. The 2nd or 3rd I split between January and February. Open field next door. Freeze the wood sometimes. Flea markets too, middle of winter.😃
Safety first?? Sharpen that maul for a start, and then De burr off all those metal overhangs off the wedge and maul head as well! Hit the right way those are like shrapnel. Also to save time and the back,get an old car or truck tyre that fits over your chopping block and put your log in that and split it.Saves on having to pick up splits every time you split a log in two.
making firewood warms you 4x!-once cutting-splitting-hauling then making the fire! ive been splitting wood-well since i can remember. i didnt know it was manly i just thought it kept us warm!
Love the tip! I’m always using an axe! Definitely going to get a light maul! Woohoo!
My morning routine during winter
I can't believe I'm actually giving you props for wearing 🥽, but looking at other wood chopping video on TH-cam I have to 😮
I just want to add this might help others, for smaller logs you really don't need to put that much downward force so you can let the maul do most of the work. Work smart not hard.
This is the way my father taught me, I cant tell you all how many times I've seen this done wrong, as in keeping hand together the whole time...
I already knew how to split wood I was just watching a show where they held the axe from the bottom the whole time and I knew that was wrong but thought I'd double check if it can be efficient
I live in the woods and have a wood stove as my main source of heat (I chop all my trees by hand). I should have prepared more for the upcoming winter, because it’s a pain in the ass to split wood in the warm months, and the wood is waaaay too moist. BUT! If I start to split wood come fall (maybe late october) will it be salvageable?
No, should be seasoned for at least 6 months or you risk a chimney fire
Another great video Brett. 👍
Good video, I learned a lot on this one. I found out an electric chain saw is really dangerous. It's electric, duh, so it just keeps going with a dull chain. Smoking mother.
I love this channer for a long time! I appreciate you.But please remove mushroom at poll, and sharpening maul edge, and aim correctly. Try 'Tilt chop'. It make your work more efficiently.
Great video, useful tips on chopping techniques!
I love this channel!
thank you! i'll try this tomorrow
Looks you have some more potential articles to go along with the restoration of a axe, like re hafting that sledgehammer and removing the mushrooming metal off the maul and wedge to prevent a piece of metal fracturing off when struck and causing injury. Keep up the good work.
Yeah. The guy I borrowed all the tools from told me "My stuff's in pretty bad shape. People are probably going to say something about it." Prophetic.
Art of Manliness it just gives you more content, and a way to pay the guy back for loaning you his tools. Always look at the positive side of things.
this is really good exercise, only problem is i dont have enough wood, maybe a good replacement would be slamming maul into the tire
Awesome video. Where would one start though? I don't have access to trees or a place to actually split the wood.
Just buy some logs and dump them in your driveway. My uncle splits his wood in the driveway.
Does this mean we will get a firewood stacking video in the future?
I love splitting wood... The exercise and smell of freshly cut wood on a cool crisp day builds a strong appetite... Hopefully the wife has learned how to be *"womanly"*... and has something tasty cooken in the oven for when you come inside.
I wish life was still like that. The man did the hard labor and the woman did the cooking and cleaning. Lots of people are still like that, but it isn't as prevalent in today's world, which saddens me. If you are a man and prefer your woman doing hard work instead of you, then I think that is shameful and cowardly.
***** lol.... I've yet to see a home where the woman does "the hard work"... Can't break a nail ya know... Spent $100 at Walmart to get em done.
I wondered why it would split I was doing it on fairly soft ground even though it’s so simple but I never thought about it I mean it still split but it took like a good 5 to 10 trys
is this cured wood?
Actually, If you heat with wood and warms you a lot more times than twice. If you actually go into the woods and cut down trees like I used to do it's even more. I used to burn 5 cords of wood a year. 1. Splitting the wood. 2. Stacking the wood. 3. Hauling the wood into the house. 4. Burning the wood. 5. Hauling out the ashes.
Thank you. 👀
I invested in a 4 ton 15 amp electric log splitter. Simple as that. I'm lazy.
Are you lefthanded?
If the wood wont split on the first hit, continue to follow the same line across tho top of the round. If that fails, break out the wedge.
What is the best place to cut the wood in Houston? :(
Reminds me of buffed up lumberjacks back in the day, unlike overweight people with machines
I use a 12 pound sledgehammer/axe combo.I flim it too.
I am at a loss for words. Not trying to be a jerk but are there a lot of guys who don't know how to do this?
I heat my home with wood and all of it is split by hand.
The comments here have a ton of mis-information. The video is ok for a beginner I guess but I really think your upswing is useless.
Don't spend energy or lose your balance on a fast up swing. it's only the downswing that counts. Take it from someone that does some serious wood splitting.
+Wayne Schlotfeldt Most people who heat with wood buy cords of it already cut or use a wood splitter.
Some people are not living in the woods genius
+Carboncluster Being a genius is required...just good common sense.
+Shaine MacDonald Most of the people I know do not buy pre-processed wood. It gets too expensive to heat that way.
Wayne Schlotfeldt Do you mean "isn't" required by any chance?