Leveraxe

[zogger]

The lever axe did well. The guy with the fiskars needed a much lower splitting block and work from the outside in to be more efficient. Lot of wasted swings that would have been clean splits. He is using it like a heavy maul, not like a lightweight axe.

 

[dancan]

Just looks like a DR mechanical vrs hydaulic splitter demo to me .
Show them with the same technique and setup and then you'd have a fair side by side , until then it's just an infomercial .
I'd still like to try one just the same .

 

[stihl sawing]

Still too expensive.

 

[flotek]

Well Anybody can make toothpicks out of short soft pine I can do that with a. 12$ Collins from tractor supply .. Now Grab a big ugly oak stump covered with knots and let's see how fast you make a split . Did I read this correctly that The cost is. 584$ American. We can only afford one expensive massive social program in our country. ( obummer care ) and we don't have much disposable income to pay for finlands social issues too

 

[ultimate buzz]

Well Anybody can make toothpicks out of short soft pine I can do that with a. 12$ Collins from tractor supply .. Now Grab a big ugly oak stump covered with knots and let's see how fast you make a split . Did I read this correctly that The cost is. 584$ American. We can only afford one expensive massive social program in our country. ( obummer care ) and we don't have much disposable income to pay for finlands social issues too

Flotek, in a previous post it was mentioned that the leveraxe was about $320 Canadien, and about $280 in US dollars, but that post was from 2011 and did not include shipping.

Eric, what is the status of the leveraxe? Is it still floating around or was it sent back to Findland? -ken

 

[flotek]

Okay sorry I misread that it's 277$

 

[zogger]

Well Anybody can make toothpicks out of short soft pine I can do that with a. 12$ Collins from tractor supply .. Now Grab a big ugly oak stump covered with knots and let's see how fast you make a split . Did I read this correctly that The cost is. 584$ American. We can only afford one expensive massive social program in our country. ( obummer care ) and we don't have much disposable income to pay for finlands social issues too

No ones axe or maul splits gnarly twisted crotches all that well. It just doesn't happen. It can be done, but it sucks, 10 buck chinnee marvel, some custom 1000 buck hand forged with secret voodoo cermony axe. You just ain't gonna, even if conan sized.

You can get through gnarly stuff by actually slicing through fibers, but that isn't splitting either, that's cutting or chopping.

worst I ever did was some huge elm I was given, I cut it with a big crosscut into rounds, then split with my lightweight axe. I had to work and work at that. I eventually got pieces small enough to stuff in the stove, but I wouldn't consider what I did to be called splitting.

I have never seen any piece of oak as gnarly as that stuff.

All my other wood for years was split with that same small axe. I got reasonably good at splitting then, and I am better now, even though I am older, smaller, and not near as robust.

No one back then when all the big elms were dying wanted to split that crap, even with what hydraulic splitters were out there at the time. The giant elms that used to be all over. The stuff got left to rot, dumped in ravines, or burnt where it was by the millions of trees. *That's* "gnarly". Small limbs that could fit in stove or evaporator rig got used, but the trunks got abandoned for the most part.

I have never run into anything like that since, some older twisted sweetgums get close.

I use different tools to hand split, some day if I get super flush I might try a leveraxe.

 

[zogger]

Well Anybody can make toothpicks out of short soft pine I can do that with a. 12$ Collins from tractor supply .. Now Grab a big ugly oak stump covered with knots and let's see how fast you make a split . Did I read this correctly that The cost is. 584$ American. We can only afford one expensive massive social program in our country. ( obummer care ) and we don't have much disposable income to pay for finlands social issues too

No ones axe or maul splits gnarly twisted crotches all that well. It just doesn't happen. It can be done, but it sucks, 10 buck chinnee marvel, some custom 1000 buck hand forged with secret voodoo cermony axe. You just ain't gonna, even if conan sized.

You can get through gnarly stuff by actually slicing through fibers, but that isn't splitting either, that's cutting or chopping.

worst I ever did was some huge elm I was given, I cut it with a big crosscut into rounds, then split with my lightweight axe. I had to work and work at that. I eventually got pieces small enough to stuff in the stove, but I wouldn't consider what I did to be called splitting.

I have never seen any piece of oak as gnarly as that stuff.

All my other wood for years was split with that same small axe. I got reasonably good at splitting then, and I am better now, even though I am older, smaller, and not near as robust.

No one back then when all the big elms were dying wanted to split that crap, even with what hydraulic splitters were out there at the time. The giant elms that used to be all over. The stuff got left to rot, dumped in ravines, or burnt where it was by the millions of trees. *That's* "gnarly". Small limbs that could fit in stove or evaporator rig got used, but the trunks got abandoned for the most part.

I have never run into anything like that since, some older twisted sweetgums get close.

I use different tools to hand split, some day if I get super flush I might try a leveraxe.

 

[zogger]

Well, I gotta admit, you were busting up that elm and it didn't take much!

Like I said, if I ever get flush, I really might buy one. right now ain't got it to spare.

Just for the steel guys here, what are the specs and steel quality numbers used in the head?

 

[stihl sawing]

That don't look like any elm we have here.

 

[zogger]

That don't look like any elm we have here.

No strings for sure, but whatever, he was busting it. I mentioned elm and he had a vid.

 

[stihl sawing]

No strings for sure, but whatever, he was busting it. I mentioned elm and he had a vid.

I don't doubt the axe will work ok, just way overpriced. It's no better than any other splitting axe. That twisting action would hurt the hands and wrist, seems like to me.

 

[woodchuck357]

The twisting action isn't hard on the wrists, the guy in the videos needs to use a little flip to go along with that built in by the design. If he did there would be much less sticking. I made a similar adaptation of a maul a few years ago by making a stop on one side and adding weight on the other side of the hammer end to make the flip I use automatic. Learning to flip any ax or maul is much better than buying a specialized one trick pony, flipping an ax can be done to both sides and still cut stringers like you get with elm.

 

[Finland]

That don't look like any elm we have here.

Why don't you split your elm. Then they might look alike. Mine are all splitted already with the Vipukirves/Leveraxe.

 

[stihl sawing]

Why don't you split your elm. Then they might look alike. Mine are all splitted already with the Vipukirves/Leveraxe.

Bring that overpriced thing down here and split some of our piss elm, I promise you it won't do what it did in your video. My 35 ton hydro will shred it before it splits. I'm not saying your maul is a bad tool, just way out of my price range, I'll stick with my monster maul, was busting 30 inch red oak rounds yesterday with it. Will your wrist twister do that.

 

[stihl sawing]

You are asking classified information to which you will not get the answer. The Vipukirves/ Leveraxe has been on the market over eight years.
Not a single blade has broken. The blade has 10 years guarantee. http://vipukirves.fi/english/users_guide.htm

And you just probably pissed off the only one that was going to buy one with that answer.

 

[zogger]

And you just probably pissed off the only one that was going to buy one with that answer.

Naw, I am not real pizzed at that, just wanted the smart guys here to give an opinion on the steel quality is all. the shape and function, etc is his design and that is there to see. I personally wouldn't know what any numbers meant anyway, but a lot of guys here would. I guess just the alloy and what sort of har5dness and I don't know what else to ask really.

If he can somehow get the price down to closer to a hundred bucks I would get one most likely and do a good review in the various wood here, I have easy as anything wood to egads this sucks. And I would test at 16 inches, not twelve inches.

I like the idea of lessening any sort of shock to the hands/wrists and the design intrigues me. I can do a slight wrist twist with the fiskars already, but having it done automagically with less shock is an innovative idea.

There are guys here where 300 is about nothing, another used saw to sit on the shelf next to the other 20 or 200 saws they don't really need, that they just collect to have at least one or a dozen in some series...nothing wrong with that, just way outside my budget.. Me, three bills is high, a lot of money, the truck I drive cost me 450 bucks. I just don't make that much, takes me awhile to afford things and have to sacrifice in other places to get my saws and wood stuff.

I understand a long time ago one got shipped around and shared, but haven't seen that I don't think, whatever happened to it, where did it work well, where it didn't, etc. And certainly no pics or vids from the other members here who tried it out way back some time.

 

[dancan]

My previous post must have been missed or misunderstood so I'll repost it differently .
I understand the concept and the technique and the mechanics of the splitting process with the Vipukives but your side by side videos are a joke , if you're going to put up a comparison with creditability , show someone with proficient knowledge in use of both tools and use them that way , not with the intent to make one look bad by intentional bad technique .
I still would like to try one so I know .... "I" being the only one that I have to make happy after purchase .

 

[Finland]

My previous post must have been missed or misunderstood so I'll repost it differently .
I understand the concept and the technique and the mechanics of the splitting process with the Vipukives but your side by side videos are a joke , if you're going to put up a comparison with creditability , show someone with proficient knowledge in use of both tools and use them that way , not with the intent to make one look bad by intentional bad technique .
I still would like to try one so I know .... "I" being the only one that I have to make happy after purchase .

Would be interesting to see a video where YOU split firewood. They are two different things, to do something and talk about something.

 

[Jim Timber]

I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say it's going to be 1055-1075 high carbon alloy. Holds an edge well and is tough so it won't chip the blade.

I fail to see how this is a trade secret though. Every knife maker on the planet with product worth owning is usually quite proud to state the fine materials they use in their wares.