Splitting/Chopping Tool Review Thread
- Thread starter spike60
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
'BLO' = boiled linseed oil?
Philbert
Philbert
Multifaceted
Firewood Hoarder, Axe Enthusiast
You can soak it, but that gets messy and is wasteful. I like to do three coats of BLO. Apply to wood being generous on the end grain, allow to sit for 20 or so minutes, then wipe off excess and let dry 24 hrs. Repeat this three more times, the third time let dry for 48 hrs. During this process I like to dab some BLO on the end grain of the eye, sometimes 5,6, 7 times. The end grain will quickly absorb the oil so it won't sit on top and get all sticky. Once it does start do that, and just sit atop, then you know it's done drinking it up. The main thing with BLO is if you coat it too thick and let dry, it will get gummy on you because being a drying oil it causes polymerization and can get sticky forming a thick layer of dried oil.
Remember, thin coats, let set 20 minutes, then wipe off excess and let dry. A little extra fine steel wool is your friend for some unwanted buildup in between coats. I'll apply a maintenance coat every month or so until the wood takes up a deep, rich color, then only once per year is required. BLO is the bees knees.
Correct, Boiled Linseed Oil - a tried and true drying oil.
The two wood grenades I used in the past were lousy steel. One shatterred and the other broke about 3/4 of an inch from the point. I prefer the two Estwing E-5 Sure Split Wedges.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDMDKNP/ref=twister_B01M6Y4U1J?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
If i were to buy another wedge the estwing would be the one.
Roughneck twist wedges are my preferred, but still hate them
Multifaceted
Firewood Hoarder, Axe Enthusiast
Had a little time today before we had to load the car up and leave for stop #1 on the traveling holiday family circus. Found another slightly larger pesky and twisted Catalpa that was showing signs of rot. Maybe 35' tall, about 10" in diameter at it's base. Decided to take it down with my recently restored Hults Bruk 2.25 lb. Catalpa is a hardwood, though not the hardest wood, but it'll do. It performed very well, threw some big chips during the notch and back cut. The weight and length (28" handle) is well suited for swinging in the tangle and slope of the hill. Once it came down the thin keen edge made short work of limbing. After about 20 minutes I realized that I'd broken a sweat and we needed to leave soon, so didn't get to buck the little log, just threw the limbs and branches into a pile. Overall, pretty darn happy with this little axe.
Merry Christmas to all!
Merry Christmas to all!
Great pics!
Should fall under a de minimus value? I think if you tried to import 10, you might have an issue.
Multifaceted
Firewood Hoarder, Axe Enthusiast
Lowhog, I recently bought that Basque axe from a Finnish outfit and there were not any import taxes or issues with customs. svk is right, if you were importing several or more then I'm sure you'd pay an import tax.
This is getting kind of old and I didn't read all of the reply's. So if I repeat something, sorry. I've found that when a maul or wedge bounce on Oak you are striking it in the middle of the round. When using a wedge, I don't use them anymore, strike the round with an ax an inch or so from the edge, just to make a mark in it. Rub some dirt in the crack for traction, and then tap your wedge in easy till it grabs. On the Red, White, and Chestnut Oak I have, before I got a Fiskers, I used a box store 4 pound ax and started on the outside of the round, and cut a 3" slab off the side. Just walk around the block cutting off thin slabs. After you get all of the sap wood off the rest should split pretty easy. The sap wood on the outside is the tuffest so you need to break through it first. Hope this helps, Joe.
flatbroke
ArboristSite Operative
ive been cutting a bar deep face cut and letting the 8pound fiskars pop em like a young lady on prom night.
Multifaceted
Firewood Hoarder, Axe Enthusiast
This is sort of a crosspost from another thread I created, but I do have an axe to review that I used, quite extensively today. My Juaregi Basque 2.0 Kg (4.4 lb) Felling axe on a 60cm (~25") haft. This is much shorter than what I'm used to, for felling or cutting the notch I would have preferred something a little longer.
For bucking, I found the length to be pretty good. It was strange first, but it quickly grew on me. The really wide cheeks throw some big o'l chips, so on a log this side, about 8-10 wacks will open a notch on one side. The edge geometry is so well and the weight right that the short handle allows me to put some power behind my strikes without having to lift the axe over my head to swing. The bottom of the haft is narrow and thin, because the head is inserted through the bottom and wedged in the conical top, like a mattocks, so it's a little odd and will take some getting used to. I don't like really big, knobby palm swells, but it'd be nice to have something a little more than this. I may make my own handle for it that makes it a bit longer and with more of a palm swell. This handle is Beech.
For splitting, it can be a little sticky because the edge starts out thin before it fattens up, but with a robust swing with a whip of the wrist pops the wood right open. This was about 6-8" in diameter from top to base, so I have yet to try on anything wider in diameter. So far, I'm impressed.
All in all, I really like this axe and see myself going to it as I continue to process trees axe-only in the coming weeks.
For bucking, I found the length to be pretty good. It was strange first, but it quickly grew on me. The really wide cheeks throw some big o'l chips, so on a log this side, about 8-10 wacks will open a notch on one side. The edge geometry is so well and the weight right that the short handle allows me to put some power behind my strikes without having to lift the axe over my head to swing. The bottom of the haft is narrow and thin, because the head is inserted through the bottom and wedged in the conical top, like a mattocks, so it's a little odd and will take some getting used to. I don't like really big, knobby palm swells, but it'd be nice to have something a little more than this. I may make my own handle for it that makes it a bit longer and with more of a palm swell. This handle is Beech.
For splitting, it can be a little sticky because the edge starts out thin before it fattens up, but with a robust swing with a whip of the wrist pops the wood right open. This was about 6-8" in diameter from top to base, so I have yet to try on anything wider in diameter. So far, I'm impressed.
All in all, I really like this axe and see myself going to it as I continue to process trees axe-only in the coming weeks.
flatbroke
ArboristSite Operative
Getting after it today. Pretty wore out at this point 
Chopping Ash?This is sort of a crosspost from another thread I created, but I do have an axe to review that I used, quite extensively today. My Juaregi Basque 2.0 Kg (4.4 lb) Felling axe on a 60cm (~25") haft. This is much shorter than what I'm used to, for felling or cutting the notch I would have preferred something a little longer.
For bucking, I found the length to be pretty good. It was strange first, but it quickly grew on me. The really wide cheeks throw some big o'l chips, so on a log this side, about 8-10 wacks will open a notch on one side. The edge geometry is so well and the weight right that the short handle allows me to put some power behind my strikes without having to lift the axe over my head to swing. The bottom of the haft is narrow and thin, because the head is inserted through the bottom and wedged in the conical top, like a mattocks, so it's a little odd and will take some getting used to. I don't like really big, knobby palm swells, but it'd be nice to have something a little more than this. I may make my own handle for it that makes it a bit longer and with more of a palm swell. This handle is Beech.
For splitting, it can be a little sticky because the edge starts out thin before it fattens up, but with a robust swing with a whip of the wrist pops the wood right open. This was about 6-8" in diameter from top to base, so I have yet to try on anything wider in diameter. So far, I'm impressed.
All in all, I really like this axe and see myself going to it as I continue to process trees axe-only in the coming weeks.
Seen a video a fellow was standing his round in the center of a old tire while spliting. It kept the pieces from falling over when striking.
Multifaceted
Firewood Hoarder, Axe Enthusiast
Yeah, pretty sure it's Ash, at first I thought it was Green Ash but now I think it's White. The wood grain sure looks like it. It's dead and had no leaves over the summer, so we marked along with other to be dropped.
One of my favorite firewood, it's light and dries fast.
Similar threads
