Made use of a technique from Jacob

[bugbear]

Seriously.

I had been given some lovely straight grained chain-saw logs from a telegraph pole; the creosote makes it ideal for turbo-charged kindling - no good for firewood, unless you like really sooty chimneys.

The process of making kindling is a two-stager. Split the log into riven planks, then split the planks into the actual kindling.

Experience has shown that a 2 1/2" Lb Kent pattern axe works well for the first operation, and a billhook works well for the second.

The first operation involves a fairly heavy blow with the axe, made single handed. Jacob's technique (which may be original, I've never seen it any where else) allowed this blow to be aimed nicely (it's otherwise quite hard to aim such a heavy tool single handed). It's not needed for the second stage, and would be absurd when splitting fire log with a two handed 5 Lb axe, but in this (admittedly) niche application, it was most useful.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

Tediously sarcastic as ever. A troll's life is not a happy one!

Well done BB for recalling the item from the Grimsdale archive. Are you going to index it at some point? I would like a copy myself - it could be valuable.

The chopping trick isn't new or my own, and is well known (except to BB obviously). It's a variation on the push stick - you hold steady the piece to be chopped with another piece. It can also act as a guide for the axe. Means you can hit harder as your fingers are well away, but also chop more precisely. Generally useful for shaping (by riving) a piece of wood with an axe, not only firewood but also blanks, dowels, pegs, which you can reduce even to matchstick size without losing a finger.

 

[morfa]

C'mon guys, why not just have a hug? Or just go down the pub together, get sloshed and have it out.

However, neither of you are trolls at all. Well if you are you're the nicest most polite ones I've seen in 15+ years of perusing the internet.

 

[bugbear]

The chopping trick isn't new or my own, and is well known

I would welcome a reference. I live in a country area, and grew up on a farm, where many people have open fires and process their own firewood. All freehand.

Perhaps it's regional.

As to the sarcasm - I was genuinely crediting you as a source of useful information. Your response is truly graceless.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

The chopping trick isn't new or my own, and is well known

I would welcome a reference. I live in a country area, and grew up on a farm, where many people have open fires and process their own firewood. All freehand.

My source was old Alan Robinson (RIP) who lived opposite. But any axe user is likely to discover it for himself sooner or later as it is fairly obvious. You can be certain that your neighbours also used this trick, you just didn't notice.
Axes have been in use for 30000 years or more, I doubt this technique is new. Unrecorded maybe (but I doubt it), but that is true of vast amounts of traditional knowledge, almost by definition.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

:lol: A kindling wood chopping jig? :lol:

 

[bugbear]

The chopping trick isn't new or my own, and is well known

I would welcome a reference. I live in a country area, and grew up on a farm, where many people have open fires and process their own firewood. All freehand.

My source was old Alan Robinson (RIP) who lived opposite.

Thank you.

But any axe user is likely to discover it for himself sooner or later as it is fairly obvious.

You didn't.

You can be certain that your neighbours also used this trick, you just didn't notice.

You appear to be asserting that you know more about what the people I was watching than I do. That's quite bold, even by your standards.

Axes have been in use for 30000 years or more, I doubt this technique is new.

Mere assertion.

Unrecorded maybe (but I doubt it)...

You could prove your point by citing a record of this technique.

...but that is true of vast amounts of traditional knowledge, almost by definition.

People have been recording traditional knowledge for centuries, and I for one am grateful.

Come back when you have evidence, not assertions, not guesses, of the general use of this technique.

(I would welcome input from the axe weilding Scandinavians on this, or members of Green woodworking groups)

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

C'mon guys, why not just have a hug? Or just go down the pub together, get sloshed and have it out.

However, neither of you are trolls at all. Well if you are you're the nicest most polite ones I've seen in 15+ years of perusing the internet.

Well said!

I've learned lots from both of you, but I sometimes have to skip a few posts to find it.

 

[paulm]

If a bit more accuracy is needed than my aim is good for I position the axe head on the wood to be split and then hit the back of the axe with another bit of wood, sometimes using a heavy wooden rustic mallet made for the job, or a short length of log if feeling lazy !

Cheers, Paul

 

[Dangermouse]

This constant bickering between certain members of this forum is beginning to get childish and is starting to spoil a lot of the threads on here. So******** STOP IT !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CHJ]

I was taught the use of a guiding batten over 60 years ago so that I would not chop my fingers off preparing firewood.
A major chore as we had no electricity, and only paraffin for heating cooking etc. but it was never seen as such being allowed to do your own thing with the big boy toys.


Pity I did not keep to the same practice some 40 years later when I chopped my left hand index finger down to the bone.

 

[Cottonwood]

What is a guiding batten?
I sometimes use a tool that looks like a ww1 trench weapon, a 2 foot hawthorn stick with a gnarled burl end into which is driven a hefty 6 inch nail, sort of like a mini pickaroon. I grip a log with it in the left hand, and hold it onto the chopping blok, chop chop chop kindling done in seconds, fingers well away, no need to keep repositioning....

 

[Cottonwood]

This constant bickering between certain members of this forum is beginning to get childish and is starting to spoil a lot of the threads on here. So******** STOP IT !!!!!!!!!!!

Did you stamp your foot when you said that?

 

[CHJ]

What is a guiding batten?
I sometimes use a tool that looks like a ww1 trench weapon, a 2 foot hawthorn stick with a gnarled burl end into which is driven a hefty 6 inch nail, sort of like a mini pickaroon. I grip a log with it in the left hand, and hold it onto the chopping blok, chop chop chop kindling done in seconds, fingers well away, no need to keep repositioning....

You got it, if on bigger logs you use a bit of sawn timber you can get the advantage of a decent hand axe glancing off the bottom edge into the log if your aim is not so good.

Almost as satisfying as swinging a large axe and splitting a large block in half, as long as you forget about all the times you've ended up with a darn great knurly B stuck on the end of a blade.

 

[bugbear]

Almost as satisfying as swinging a large axe and splitting a large block in half, as long as you forget about all the times you've ended up with a darn great knurly B stuck on the end of a blade.

In that case, as long as the axe is near the middle of the log, it can be effective to lift the axe up backwards, and bring it down, back first, so that the log impales itself on the axe edge under the log's own mass. This does put an awful force on the axe handle though.

BugBear

 

[Scouse]

This constant bickering between certain members of this forum is beginning to get childish and is starting to spoil a lot of the threads on here. So******** STOP IT !!!!!!!!!!!

While we're at it, should we stop being "pedantic" too? I thought it was an open discussion forum...

 

[Jacob]

Here I have axe in right hand, CHJ's "guide batten" (a piece of old board which just happened to be lying about) in left hand, this propping up a target piece of pitch pine which I was splitting to make dowels (with a dowel plate). If you want to be really precise you can slide the axe down the guide batten like a guillotine.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I enjoyed watching a chap making a greenwood rake recently. He split a rather short log into a set of pegs which were then made into dowels for the tines. To split up the log, the first tied a couple of bits of string round it, then split it using a froe and beetle first one way into slabs, which are held together by the string whilst you turn them through 90 degrees and split them the other way. The resulting pegs were surprisingly uniform - well, surprising to me at least !

 

[CHJ]

Bet he was pretty selective on the log chosen. Must admit it's very satisfying when you have some decent straight grained ash or chestnut or the like that plays ball.

 

[tobytools]

I enjoyed watching a chap making a greenwood rake recently. He split a rather short log into a set of pegs which were then made into dowels for the tines. To split up the log, the first tied a couple of bits of string round it, then split it using a froe and beetle first one way into slabs, which are held together by the string whilst you turn them through 90 degrees and split them the other way. The resulting pegs were surprisingly uniform - well, surprising to me at least !

I've seen either the same or a different one,
just so other can have a look, easy work for the rake teeth or dowels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNv5FhFI3sU

sorry to bent the thread in another direction, i just wanted to share this guys work with you all.

cheers gents
TT