How to Swing an Axe
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- Опубликовано: 1 май 2021
- I explained the right and wrong way to swing an axe in my book, but a video demonstration is worth a thousand words.
For more information or to order Mike's book, please visit us at:
bushcraftnorthwest.com
#axe #woodsplitting
Sound, solid simple advice, for safety & more production without alot of the soreness.......ATB
Good teaching!
Good advice , just wish I had the time to put it into practice!
Good wishes from a rainy Welsh seaside town
Thank you for the comment, and I hope you're able to get more time outside this year!
OK, that explains how to come straight down for splitting wood, but what about the technique to properly aim and make a wedge for example ?
Hello and great question. The short answer is they're basically the same, except cutting in a wedge is on a horizontal plane instead of vertical. It's difficult to explain a physical action with words, but I'll do my best and hope it makes sense. When I demonstrated what I consider the incorrect way to split wood, notice the axe (or maul in this case) moved in a complete 360 degree circle without stopping, while with the correct method the axe made the cut after traveling downward only about 180 degrees after a brief pause at the top. On a horizontal plane (with gravity really working against us) you don't pause the axe before executing your forward swing, but the axe head and handle don't start their forward motion until they are in line with the target spot. This is the aiming process you asked about. The forward swing is still 180 degrees (or less) just as with a vertical swing. Because there's no pause it can look like a looping motion because once the axe is in the correct horizontal position, it moves immediately forward to make the cut. I hope that clears things up. I fell so many trees every year that I use a chainsaw now and drive wedges into the back cut to best control the direction of fall, but it's always good to have the skill to do it all with an axe. Thanks for watching and best wishes, ML
@@BCNW1 It helped a lot, as well as your video, my aim is now much more consistent. As for my back, I don't do enough cutting to feel the difference.
Thanks again.
@@ThePEagle You are very welcome. Thanks for watching and for the great question.
I was taught as a kid to have my right hand up on the shaft when starting the swing and then slide it down to the other hand as the axe comes down to help with aim. Is that correct? I've also always tried to keep my feet apart so if the axe deflects, there is less of a chance of it going into my foot.
Hi David, good questions and I will give you my thoughts which you can incorporate into your technique if you wish. I do not advocate splitting the hands apart on the handle because doing so can shorten the swing radius and increases the arc of the axe even more towards the body. I realize you slide them together during the swing itself, but I still think this can create problems with very little, if any, help with aiming. In fact, I would argue that changing hand positions during the swing could actually decrease accuracy. The best ways to increase your accuracy are being as consistent as possible with technique along with time and practice. As far as foot placement, that's a tough one because there's really no telling where the axe head will go after a deflection. Not saying that's a bad idea, but I think it's better to keep the feet shoulder width apart in a comfortable stance that will facilitate a good swing that is linear in trajectory when it contacts the wood. This linear motion will put the ground between you and the axe head and is much safer than relying on the thing missing you on the way by. I hope that helps and please feel free to contact me again with any other questions.