Wojo Modified Splitting Axe.

ScottWojo · Nov 18, 2007

Built a Lever Axe...

Did this as a low budget lever axe build. As it stands the axe is being tested this week by a wood chopper that usually uses a maul. I am not a good test subject as I want it to work well becuase I made it. I feel that there are gains to be made with other designs. We will see.

The axe by its self weighs 4.5 pounds. Not an accurate scale. As close as I could determine.

I used it again today just playing around. It was a round with a soft center, kinda punky. What a nightmare. Axe sank in and stuck several times. When I got close the edges and kept a loose grip and let it fly down at more of an angle, It blasted the peices off 7-10 feet away. I feel the axe is very functional as it is. I would make changes to future axes. Perhaps more weight, or a peice of steel hooked to a peice of spring steel off the side.
I was using a collins single bit axe next to the Wojo and found the collins axe to not function as well as a splitter. But I was using the punky round.

DieselTech · Nov 18, 2007

Pardon my asking, but how is a lever axe different from a regular old maul, aside from the obvious look? I've never seen such a thing before, looks interesting.

Haywire Haywood · Nov 18, 2007

There is a guy overseas that designed it. Supposedly works good for splitting the softwoods over there. You can read a little about it here. http://arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=46925&highlight=leveraxe

WoJo, if you are trying to copy the idea of the leveraxe, you'll need to add a little ledge about an inch back from the cutting edge.

ScottWojo · Nov 18, 2007

Not copy, make a better one. We need one that will split hardwood.

Haywire Haywood · Nov 18, 2007

Bumping the weight up to 6 or 8lbs would be a good start. That little ledge back from the tip limits penetration and forces the tilt to start.

The problem I see with the leveraxe is that it's designed to flake pieces off around the edges of a round instead of splitting it down the middle. I did that with a few large Cherry rounds I had and the resulting wood didn't stack worth a flip due to the shape. Pie shaped pieces fit together pretty well in a stack, the flat pieces I got from that cherry didn't.

Just my 2c,
Ian

blis · Nov 19, 2007

ScottWojo said:
Not copy, make a better one. We need one that will split hardwood.

lever axe will split hardwoods too.... :monkey:

also, if you feel its too small for big wood (or whatever excuse you decide to come up with) you can just swing it faster, not that hard eh? :hmm3grin2orange:

ericjeeper · Nov 19, 2007

general consensus says

blis said:
lever axe will split hardwoods too.... :monkey:

also, if you feel its too small for big wood (or whatever excuse you decide to come up with) you can just swing it faster, not that hard eh? :hmm3grin2orange:

The leveraxe will not split hardwoods.I was the first one to test it out.I tried it on maple and hickory. Granted I am only 6'2" and 210. I might not be able to swing the leveraxe fast enough.. But dayum.. How much speed should it take? I beat a piece of hickory to death with it.. and all I managed to do was run some red paint off onto the end of the wood.
So either the leveraxe needs to be made heavier. Call it the Hardwood American version. Or Us Americans need to learn to figure out a supersonic swing.

And Wojo. I think Blis has a patent on his axe..I think you should come up with a design on your own and do not steal from his research.

ciscoguy01 · Nov 19, 2007

Hardwoods

From looking at it I'm sure it would do a GREAT job with hardwoods like birch or ash and probably even oak. A design such as this with a wood that's more knotty such as maple or elm or beech, the design wouldn't be effective as there's not enough weight to force the wood apart. With the stuff I split I'd be beating on the same block all day. I think this would work well for people that live in places like Alaska where all they have is evergreen and birch, for the rest of the areas, not a chance, you'd just tire yourself out... Neat design though. I myself don't see the advantage, but it's cool to look at.

Nice axe Wojo man...

:cheers:

eh?

blis · Nov 19, 2007

ericjeeper said:
The leveraxe will not split hardwoods.I was the first one to test it out.I tried it on maple and hickory. Granted I am only 6'2" and 210. I might not be able to swing the leveraxe fast enough.. But dayum.. How much speed should it take? I beat a piece of hickory to death with it.. and all I managed to do was run some red paint off onto the end of the wood.
So either the leveraxe needs to be made heavier. Call it the Hardwood American version. Or Us Americans need to learn to figure out a supersonic swing.

And Wojo. I think Blis has a patent on his axe..I think you should come up with a design on your own and do not steal from his research.

Nope, i dont have patent since im not the inventor of leveraxe, but im sure leveraxe is still patented design... But i agree with jeeper, its not nice to copy other ppl's designs...

RaisedByWolves · Nov 19, 2007

blis said:
Nope, i dont have patent since im not the inventor of leveraxe, but im sure leveraxe is still patented design... But i agree with jeeper, its not nice to copy other ppl's designs...

If Wojo tried to copy the origonal design he must be blind. :dizzy:

Besides, Jeeper was just busting your balls, not agreeing with you.

Nice work WOJO!

I saw one of these years ago (20) that was similar in design but had a large weight on one side of the head, Think 5lb sledge hammer head hanging off the side. The guy that was using it loved it and was splitting oak and maple without fuss.

Im not sure what the pointed end looked like, but that huge lump of metal would seem to have been the main ingreident.

.

Al Smith · Nov 19, 2007

Well,to each his own but axes were figured out many moons ago.I've about seen them all and most are no better than a standard old fashion 5 pound splitter.They've all tried to reinvent the wheel but other than just a putting on a show such as P T Barnum would stage , none have actually succeded.Maybe old Scott will be the first.

Now here in the heartland it's one thing to split straight grained ash and a horse of a different color trying to drive an axe through pin oak.About the same as cutting soft green cottonwood compaired to hard as granite dried beech with a chainsaw.

24d · Nov 19, 2007

IF splitting axes and mauls ect were driven by competition the way that throwing and chopping axes have been Im sure we would have seen major design emprovments over the years, I cant believe the splitting axe was perfected 100 years ago and the chopping and throwing axes are still evolving.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK SCOTT !!

habanero · Nov 19, 2007

Al Smith said:
Well,to each his own but axes were figured out many moons ago.I've about seen them all and most are no better than a standard old fashion 5 pound splitter.They've all tried to reinvent the wheel but other than just a putting on a show such as P T Barnum would stage , none have actually succeded.Maybe old Scott will be the first...

Those are my general thoughts as well.

But that being said, I've got some ~12-14 inch elm (yeah, I know I should have my head examined for bringing that stuff home) that'd be a good test of your invention, Scott. I'll even bring the logs over to you for testing.

Peacock · Nov 19, 2007

habanero said:
Those are my general thoughts as well.

But that being said, I've got some ~12-14 inch elm (yeah, I know I should have my head examined for bringing that stuff home) that'd be a good test of your invention, Scott. I'll even bring the logs over to you for testing.

Elm is tough. I've found the best way to tackle it is from the bottom up. That being put the big end up. Also read the wood real careful and hit it as near the center of the growth rings as possible. I've found that by doing that and swinging my 8lber as hard as I can it will split.

John Paul Sanborn · Nov 19, 2007

ericjeeper said:
The leveraxe will not split hardwoods.I was the first one to test it out.I tried it on maple and hickory.

Hickory? That's not fair!

ScottWojo · Nov 19, 2007

habanero said:
Those are my general thoughts as well.

But that being said, I've got some ~12-14 inch elm (yeah, I know I should have my head examined for bringing that stuff home) that'd be a good test of your invention, Scott. I'll even bring the logs over to you for testing.

Let me get this thing back and rework it. There are some changes I want to do to it.

Al Smith · Nov 20, 2007

John Paul Sanborn said:
Hickory? That's not fair!

Hickory isn't that bad .Now that pizz elm that was mentioned,that's bad.

habanero · Nov 20, 2007

Peacock said:
Elm is tough. I've found the best way to tackle it is from the bottom up. That being put the big end up. Also read the wood real careful and hit it as near the center of the growth rings as possible. I've found that by doing that and swinging my 8lber as hard as I can it will split.

Yeah, I have plenty of experience with elm, enough that I should have turned down the wood, but free wood is hard to turn down for me. I usually wait until they are good and frozen and go after them with my 15lb monster maul.

blis · Nov 20, 2007

Peacock said:
Elm is tough. I've found the best way to tackle it is from the bottom up. That being put the big end up. Also read the wood real careful and hit it as near the center of the growth rings as possible. I've found that by doing that and swinging my 8lber as hard as I can it will split.

errr, let me get this straight, you aim for the CENTER of wood? no wonder you ppl cant split wood without some ridiculously heavy maul...

ScottWojo · Nov 20, 2007

blis said:
errr, let me get this straight, you aim for the CENTER of wood? no wonder you ppl cant split wood without some ridiculously heavy maul...

+1

My same thoughts.

Wojo Modified Splitting Axe.

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