Chopping Kindling?

[rancid badger]

I've stuck this here, if it's in the wrong place, so be it! (Please feel free to move/delete/etc)

I recently, finally managed to salvage a load of old photo's, videos and assorted other stuff from the hard drive of my old computer.

One of the video's was this clip of my older brother chopping kindling for a stove he'd made:
[video=youtube;Gzyh49cVo68]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzyh49cVo68[/video]

I'd posted it up on youtube and then somehow deleted it in error and then couldn't get at it again on the old hard drive.

Anyway, I thought I'd put it back up just for the sake of it really.

It's not a "how to" and no alcohol was involved, nor was my brother aware of me filming him, so his "style" is natural and relaxed, not staged

It's not how I would do it and yet,........ I've probably collected more scars than him from edged tool use over the years, so who knows?

The axe is a more or less blunt (by my standards) Fiskars, mass produced, injection moulded handle, monstrosity. The wood is short lengths of, surprisingly straight grained (hence the very easy splitting), softwood packing case plank and the stoves were converted gas bottles ( pre "you can't do that, it's illegal" days of course, so, sadly; no he doesn't still make stoves from bottles and don't try it at home!

)


Play safe out there!


Steve

 

[Stew]

He's certainly confident!

I suspect I would have lost a finger by now doing it like that though.

 

[British Red]

If it works, have at it! I've seen old women chopping sticks on the stone step. The blade never touched the stone.

 

[Toddy]

That's exactly how we used to chop sticks …..and you have no idea how hard it was (is ) for me to learn to be all safety conscious now. The hatchet wasn't that sharp either. In hindsight, I reckon it was like a froe tbh, and because we hit the wood endgrain on, it split it very effectively. Never cut myself once doing it that way either.

Nice stoves

M

 

[johntarmac]

Did it just like that for 30 years on a paving slab when I had a real fire but the axe wasn't particularly sharp. I don't think I'd do it now it's got a 'bushcraft' edge on it.

I didn't realise it was now frowned upon to cut up gas bottles for stoves.

 

[sunndog]

Nowt wrong with that imo, the speed comes from years of doing it
Probably the same way anyone who's had a fire for their only heat source for long enough does it

 

[petrochemicals]

He comes a bit close to catching the step and his finger on one or more occasions, for my liking, sharp or not, the thought of the impact injuries is a bit much for me.

 

[dewi]

No different to a chef preparing vegetables after years of practice... if I tried that at home with a properly sharp chef's knife, I'd have no fingers left... yet I've seen chefs slice a carrot into nice even sections in seconds.

 

[santaman2000]

No different to a chef preparing vegetables after years of practice... if I tried that at home with a properly sharp chef's knife, I'd have no fingers left... yet I've seen chefs slice a carrot into nice even sections in seconds.

I was thinking much the same thing.

 

[huntersforge]

Well done that man. Home videos of this type usually don't end well.

 

[tim_n]

I didn't realise how tensed up I was watching that till it finished! I'd definitely have lost a few fingers!

 

[mousey]

Seems ok to me, I chop wood similarly but perhaps a bit slower - it takes me ages to do anything, I don't like to rush.

I was thinking the same thing about the vegetables as well, just practice, go slow be careful and after more practice it gets easier - hard bit it to never become complacent with things. One reason I don't like power tools, if you become complacent with a power saw you'll lose fingers or a hand quite easily, it's pretty difficult to saw completely through a finger or hand with a hand tool.

 

[Monikieman]

You'll notice that the longer bits have a heavier swing and this is much slower than the wee taps that split the smaller bits.

It looks like s a nice straight grained wood and they are a joy to chop like that. Angle the axe slightly away from the holding hand and it deflects the axe away. Get it wrong though (as I have many times!)..... I used to chop kindling for a nearby shop and building up a stock of 100 bags meant you had to speed up.

 

[mrcharly]

He's quick and accurate - what's wrong with that?

I'm pretty sure it isn't illegal to convert gas cylinders to stoves. The only grey area (and it was always grey) is that in theory the cylinders belong to the supplier so you are cutting up someone else's property.

 

[superc0ntra]

Nice chopping technique. Chopping on stone reminds me of the barefoot axe girl

[video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fWo0P0MdJM[/video]

 

[badoosh]

Think there's to much health and safety,wouldn't worry about it
looks damn fine to me.

 

[Goatboy]

Haven't seen the video yet but there's no harm in teaching safe techniques.
Being an ex forester I know how serious an injury can be in the back of beyond. Ultimately it's up to the person but if other folk have to endanger themselves to retrieve an injured person then that's not good and MR teams and emergency personel getting there with the blues and twos going and traversing rough terrain does so. Also having someone bleed out on you in the sticks can be a traumatic experience believe me.
But ultimately it's up to the person I suppose.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[badoosh]

Think there's to much health and safety,wouldn't worry about it
looks damn fine to me.