[CAT] Scratching Post

So today we took a little walk in the woods by the house. Saw the president of the HOA busy cutting down a tree in the trail's path. Told me I could have the wood if I wanted. Hell yeah! I loaded the trunk of the Saab twice and managed to get it all back in the garage in less than an hour. Woot! Now I just need to chop it. So I need an axe. I've chopped wood before but was just handed the axe, did not buy it myself (I was 12...). Any recommendation from the handymen out there?? I just need a heavy axe, right? Not some sort of hammer with some pick (not sure what it's called, that triangular steel thing you stick in a stump to split it)...

You're gonna need to season that wood after you split it, or it's gonna burn all sputtery and smoky.

And by season, I don't mean rub it with thyme and rosemary!

Lavender?

That's Tessa's bedroom walls' color.

Something like this is all you need.

Well, that and a good solid swing.

You pussy, just karate chop that shit!

That might work too. Let 2-5 come over and have a crack at it.

I dare 25th to come over and do it!

I'm a noob wood user. I used it in the past but always had someone else manage it...

You'll be fine. Just make sure you wear gloves or else the blisters will be bad. Start slow. Use short solid strokes, just enough to wedge the axe in the log. Then, use the axe to pick up the log and pound it on whatever platform you're using until it splits. As you get more comfortable with the axe, you can start taking real swings, eventually splitting the log in one stroke. Just make sure you've got full control of the axe. We wouldn't want any missing toes or anything.

I used to chop tons of wood when I was a teenager. My dad liked to use the woodstove in the winter to save money and actually got me an axe on Christmas, the bastard

I'd say the best axe for the job is the heaviest you can find. Swinging it, you want the tool to do the work for you. You dont need to use much effort on the downswing, just a a nice move to get it up there and going, then a quick whack down letting the momentum take its course. Use the biggest log you can find as a base to put the others on top of it to chop.

Get the axe that doubles as a sledgehammer.

25th Soldier Select wrote:I used to chop tons of wood when I was a teenager. My dad liked to use the woodstove in the winter to save money and actually got me an axe on Christmas, the bastard

Me too. Except it was my step dad and did not even buy me a gift for Christmas, cheap bastard!!

Kenny wrote:Then, use the axe to pick up the log and pound it on whatever platform you're using until it splits.

Oh, yeah, I remember that part. OK, now, I've got a few that were so heavy I could barely lift them on my shoulders. What do I do with those? Wedge a steel thing in and hammer it till it cracks?

Learn to swing the axe before you get to those. It shouldn't take very many swings to get a feel for the balance. After that it's just about confidence. Or yes, you can use a splitter.

You need one of these. Much easier than a regular axe.

I found this. The pics are kind of cool (creative ways to store the wood)...

RIP wrote:You need one of these. Much easier than a regular axe.

Yup, right there. No need for a wedge with one of those.