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23 Comments

  1. This is a needed description. Convex edges are also much stronger, less likely to chip, and can take abuse, whereas the cutting edge does need to be sharp as possible to cut, rather than split.

    This is an unconventional way, to sharpen axes and hatchets, I discovered while milling an aluminum automotive cylinder head warped by overheated motor. I live too far from the big city, and I am too cheap to send it to a machine shop, so I do it the old fashion way, and can mill heads within less than .002″ of flat, or within factory specifications. To save money, instead of buying another stone, I use wet and dry sand paper of a course ,and very fine grit, affixed with an automotive headliner spray glue, to a flat and square pressed board, approximately 8″ x 8″. This makes for a large flat abrasive surface that can quickly shape, and then finely hone an edge on a felling ax or hatchet. Instead of a circular motion with a stone, the sand paper board can be run perpendicular to the head, or in-line along the edge, back and forth, to create a uniform, fine, and sharp edge. If the edge is damaged or mis-shaped, start with a wet and dry 180 grit to remove material and shape, and eventually hone with 400 grit. Rinse the metal dust away with water if needed. The smaller hatch head can be moved against the paper, or visa versa. A hatch edge can be as sharp as a knife, and be mirror shiny. The finer the edge, the longer it will hold a sharp and effective edge, especially good for feathering a stick in preparation for a fire, or cutting any material.

    When complete, it looks like a professional job was done, even though it was a hillbilly hack job instead. This works for butcher, and other large blades too. So next time you blow a head gasket, you can also sharpen up the ax. Given recent news, sometimes it is good to have an ax to grind. If this hillbilly milling machine can flatten a cylinder head to within the same tolerances as a machine shop can, it is no joke. And it is a cheap hack!

      1. My hillbilly hack is an alternative way, an innovative and effective way, but the best way is with a file and stone for axes, and for hatchets, large stones, such as a Japanese water stone from course to very fine, is the very best. Yet less expensive stones will do an adequate job most of the time. I was having fun describing an alternative, and very inexpesive way to achieve quick and simular results. When it comes to knives, diamond ‘stones’ can make a knife hair popping sharp, with less work. I would rather buy a middle of the road implement, and means to keep it sharp for my life time, rather than spend hundreds on a blade I cannot sharpen easily.

        Sharpening tools, of any kind will be in short supply. If the tool is not sharp, it can be dangerous to useless. Do spend the money on quality stones and files, and learn the techniques. Yet there are alternatives should any one find themselves without…

  2. Wow! This is an awesome article! The balance of information and humor is very effective in helping to teach. Also, the writer is not so much of an expert that he forgets his early mistakes. I especially like the “here’s why you want to do it this way “. I’m looking forward to part II.

  3. Everyone should learn to cut and split firewood. But I offer a word of caution. As a foolish young (now old) Alaskan I split …… all by hand ….. the largest, gnarliest, nastiest spruce on my property for over forty years. I used a variety of hand tools finally settling on a Monster Maul (which I still have and look at with almost a smile).

    After years of splitting a minimum of eight cord per year (one year over twelve cords) I developed a major shoulder tear which resulted in a failed surgery. And now with my other not so good shoulder I no longer dare split wood manually.

    So…….. my recommendations for all the young woodsman. Learn to split firewood efficiently by hand; but buy a quality gasoline log splitter and save the wear and tear on your body for the time when power is not available.

  4. Anyone have any recommendations for good gloves for this? I am currently trying the Mechanix with 4x material (jury is still out on these) after going through cheaper leather ones at a too quick rate.

    1. Also, does anyone know of a place that sells just right handed gloves. I wear out the right hands much faster than the left. If I had two rights for every left, it would be just about right.

  5. I agree 100% with advice given by Tomin Alaska. I am 60 years old, and cut and split about 15 cords a year. The only reason that I can still do this at 60 is because I do not split wood with a maul. I use a gasoline powered Ram Splitter, and my upper back, shoulders and pectorals are spared the abuse, and still work. My lower back is shot, because I still have to lift the big discs onto the machine, but my upper body muscles still work.

    Hand splitting wood makes for great stories, and when I was younger, I’m sure my hand wood splitting physique got me plenty of female companionship, but the gas wood splitter is the reason I can still burn wood to heat my home at age 60.

    My 34 year old son still can’t keep up with me when it comes to machine splitting wood, and he always offers to go half on buying pre-split and dried firewood. What, buy split wood? Who in the world would do such a thing? The next thing you do after buying pre-split wood is start buying pre-sliced bread. After that, I guess you might as well just give up and lay down and die.

  6. Regarding the best gloves to use – whatever works best for you is the best. As a welder I used on a roadside in Wyoming years ago told me, as he was welding up a crack in the frame of a lowboy, in December, in the snow, with bare hands. I asked if he wanted gloves. His reply, “Nah, never use em, gloves cost money, skin grows back.”

    PS: Most all gloves are made in China anymore, so you’re going to get mostly an inferior product (not always) so beware. If you can find Elk at a decent price, buy ’em, they last beyond most every other leather. Cowhide splits too easily, pig skin is iffy, goat is long lasting but to thin for most tough chores, best for light wear projects, cloth simply not wearable in the long run but cheap. Not advisable for handling cables or chokers. Rubber palmed, hot but wear long & good for wet or damp chores. See above, whatever is comfortable and best suitable for chore.

  7. I noticed the photo of your splitting wedges and was aghast at the amount of mushrooming of the striking faces. You need to IMMEDIATELY grind away the peened-over areas. The striking force of the sledge can cause bullet sized pieces of the wedge to break off at incredible velocity – enough to cause serious and potentially lethal injury. The same should be done with other impact tools such as punches and chisels.

  8. I too just recently got a gas powered splitter, but for many years used a 6lb maul for all my splitting. Missouri winters aren’t THAT bad, so I never needed to split 15 cords a year, though! Don’t know really how much we used, since I tend to cut wood all through the winter, and it’s never all piled up at once. But now with the gas machine, I don’t have to split wood by the light of the porch light after work anymore!

  9. All 115 pounds of me really sucks at splitting wood with an axe. We have an awesome electric log splitter and an awesome hydraulic one for when it is -30 and the engine freezes on the electric one.

  10. You can often find just the used splitting maul heads by themselves for sale for a buck or two. I always buy them to have a spare or two. I have used them as a wedge by themselves, if needed. I primarily use wood handles, and fiberglass as a backup.

    To help preserve your wood handle, get a piece of tire inner tube 3-4 inches width and wrap the handle with it just below the head, at least two layers. Then get 3-4 wraps of good duct tape around the piece of inner tube.

    I had my brother weld a piece of pipe on one head and it works great as a short handled maul, as a wedge with a handle on it to be struck by another maul, or to split wood with the blade side.

    I favor a wood handled maul, and there is a technique to selecting a proper hickory handle for any tools using them. Look at the butt end. It’s preferable if you see a bunch of the growth lines all tightly spaced and running on the same angle that the ax blade or maul head runs. Not running at a angle to left or right of the ax blade angle.

    Also, hold the handle at the butt and extend it at arms length and look down it. It should be straight and true with no curves or bent angles.

    A handle with these two features will be much more easy to use, won’t tend to so easily break, will go into the wood straighter, split wood easier, than a wood hand that twists when it goes into the wood being split because the handle grain is angled, and/or the handle is crooked.

    Don’t be surprised if every handle you check at a store is poor quality, if they all came in the same batch.

    Also, be wise and protect your eyes. Especially when frigid temps. I saw an amazing picture of a poor guy who had an ax head break off when splitting frozen wood, and it bounced up and split his forehead open. I’ve had pieces of wood fly up and hit me when splitting by hand.

    I never wear gloves when splitting.

    One last tip: always treat your wood handles with the love they deserve. Wipe them down with linseed oil often. I do all my wood handles twice a year, fall and spring. It makes them last years longer, they are much smoother to let your hands slip back and forth without blistering, don’t hurt your hands as much, and use much less energy from you.

    Make sure to treat all the handle before you put on the protective wrapping I just described. That part of the handle is weakest and most abused, where treated wood stays more flexible and resists breaking.

    God Bless

  11. I primarily heat with oil, but burn wood to augment that. It’s nice to get that wood stove roaring in a blizzard and the power is out. I go through about 6-8 cord a year of red oak, sugar maple and some white birch.

    I highly recommend the “Fireside Friend” from Estwing. It is essentially a heavy wedge with the handle of a hammer forged as a single piece and made in the USA. It works remarkably well as a one-handed splitting maul. I no longer worry about kindling. I take a piece of firewood off the stack and stand it on end and can split pieces 1/8″ to 1″ thick from it. I can often start the fire without even a single piece of newspaper. I have also used it as a wedge. It’s kind of nice to hold it by the handle when swinging the engineer’s hammer.

    I love it and use it so much I bought a spare. You know, two is one…

  12. I agree 100% with advice given by Tomin Alaska. I am 60 years old, and cut and split about 15 cords a year. The only reason that I can still do this at 60 is because I do not split wood with a maul. I use a gasoline powered Ram Splitter, and my upper back, shoulders and pectorals are spared the abuse, and still work. My lower back is shot, because I still have to lift the big discs onto the machine, but my upper body muscles still work.

    Hand splitting wood makes for great stories, and when I was younger, I’m sure my hand wood splitting physique got me plenty of female companionship, but the gas wood splitter is the reason I can still burn wood to heat my home at age 60.

    My 34 year old son still can’t keep up with me when it comes to machine splitting wood, and he always offers to go half on buying pre-split and dried firewood. What, buy split wood? Who in the world would do such a thing? The next thing you do after buying pre-split wood is start buying pre-sliced bread. After that, I guess you might as well just give up and lay down and die.

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