BASIC AXEMANSHIP
(Page 4 of 4)
January/February 1971
By Mark Gregory
Cut small pieces of firewood to length over a larger log. Never lay the pieces directly on the ground for this job; the ends can fly up and cause injury. When splitting short chunks, stand each piece on end or lay it in the crotch of another log.
RELATED CONTENT
Splitting a log for fence posts or rough beams requires an altogether different technique. As before, if you use an axe, use one with a fat wedge-shaped blade and—as my uncle always stressed—let the log split itself. Give each stroke a little time before removing the blade for the next. In many cases, if you wait just a bit, you'll hear a faint pop as the fibers grudgingly release and separate.
You may need to use wedges and a heavy mallet to split some woods such as wild cherry and Osage orange. There are wooden wedges (sometimes called gluts and made on the spot when needed), heavy steel wedges, wooden mallets (mauls) and steel sledges. Although real purists still refuse to drive a steel wedge with a steel sledge, such practice is generally accepted these days. No self-respecting woodsman would ever drive a steel wedge with his axe, however, nor would he ever drive one axe with another axe or a sledge.
An axe is not a wedge, nor a sledge nor a maul. It is a chopping tool and should be used for that and that alone. Driving steel wedges with an axe and using an axe as a maul or a wedge will sooner or later (and probably, sooner!) ruin it.
Wedges come in sets since you always require at least two—one to release the other—and, once you start driving them in, you're committed until the log splits. If you find both your wedges frozen in a particularly difficult log, you can split out a few gluts (which can be driven with an axe) to relieve them.
There's a rich sense of accomplishment in learning the correct use of an axe and this general introduction should go along way toward helping any beginner master the tool. Don't be discouraged if your original attempt at axesmanship produces little more than kindling, however. You'll probably improve rapidly and—if you get nothing else from your first day—you're sure to sleep well that night!
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 | 4 |
