Chopping block for firewood?
Ken Schumm
some firewood (both for warmth and for exercise). Unfortunately,
none of the trees and/or stumps are large enough to use as a
chopping block to use when splitting the wood with an axe. Most
of the trees are 7-8" diameter max.
What are some good alternatives to a large tree stump to use
for this purpose?
and, no, my car, my dog, my head, or my wife aren't good alternatives :)
Chuck Simmons
I don't know. I have watched a friend use an axe with wood on the
ground. I used to do that with a hammer and wedge. I didn't have a
block. On another occasion I split with a maul with the wood on the
ground. The idea is don't miss.
Chuck
--
... The times have been,
That, when the brains were out,
the man would die. ... Macbeth
Chuck Simmons chr...@webaccess.net
Eric Murray
Ken Schumm <kwsc...@qsolv.com> wrote:
>We've moved onto a piece of wooded property, and I'd like to cut
>some firewood (both for warmth and for exercise). Unfortunately,
>none of the trees and/or stumps are large enough to use as a
>chopping block to use when splitting the wood with an axe. Most
>of the trees are 7-8" diameter max.
>
>What are some good alternatives to a large tree stump to use
>for this purpose?
>
>and, no, my car, my dog, my head, or my wife aren't good alternatives :)
You could use the neighbor's dog....
If you have rounds that need to be split,
use the biggest one that has square cuts on it as the block.
You can use the ground if you're careful and/or there's no rocks
at the surface, but it's not as comfortable as using a block.
C. Drues
>
> First, a slightly off-topic answer: I have a neighbor who takes a marking
> pen with him when he splits wood. He sets up the bolt, writes the name of
> an annoying person or troublesome issue on the bolt, then whacks away. If
> you hear that Dubya is having headaches, well, now you know why. I've
> been using a lot of Advil lately......
>
Sorry about that Grey Wolf... after the last couple weeks I keep
writing Democrat on my firewood. That madrona is damn hard to split !
:)
Grey Wolf
<Voyager.001128191643.5647A@dilbert> to filibuster us with:
> We've moved onto a piece of wooded property, and I'd like to cut
> some firewood (both for warmth and for exercise). Unfortunately,
> none of the trees and/or stumps are large enough to use as a
> chopping block to use when splitting the wood with an axe. Most
> of the trees are 7-8" diameter max.
>
> What are some good alternatives to a large tree stump to use
> for this purpose?
First, a slightly off-topic answer: I have a neighbor who takes a marking
pen with him when he splits wood. He sets up the bolt, writes the name of
an annoying person or troublesome issue on the bolt, then whacks away. If
you hear that Dubya is having headaches, well, now you know why. I've
been using a lot of Advil lately......
Now on to the topic: build a chopping block out of (hopefully) available
materials
* Use several of those small diameter bolts, ALL THE SAME LENGTH.
* Nail a piece of heavy plywood (at least 5/8", 3/4 or 1" is better) to
top and bottom, nailing into each bolt with 2-3 nails. Make the plywood
pieces somewhat bigger around than the bundle of bolts.
* Then nail scraps of 2x lumber to the top to build it up.
* Then screw on another piece of plywood to the 2x that is on top. Use
screws, because that plywood layer will get boogered up. It will be
easier to replace it if screwed on.
--
Grey "don't forget the witticism" Wolf
"It's not the thing you fling, it's the fling that's the thing"
-- GW (Southern Exposure)
Harper Hill
> That madrona is damn hard to split !
You got that right! What with the very tight spiraling grain and all,
madrona is about the hardest to split wood I've ever run across. Hot
burning, too - great stuff for starting chimney fires (just ask me, I know
from first-hand experience).
bur...@my-deja.com
but.. I read someone's post a while back where they talk about an old
guy setting a couple of tires around the wood he was splittin which
helped keep the pieces from falling down. It makes sence to me and it
may cut down on the chances of the mall coming through the side of the
block and hitting you.
When you are through splitting your wood you are welcome to start on
mine if you still need the exercize.
George
In article <901uie$uuo$1...@frop.lne.com>,
sp...@lne.com (Eric Murray) wrote:
> In article <Voyager.001128191643.5647A@dilbert>,
> Ken Schumm <kwsc...@qsolv.com> wrote:
> >We've moved onto a piece of wooded property, and I'd like to cut
> >some firewood
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
PLamble
it in the woods. No big stumps in suburbia.
I've found that I can work pretty well in the kids now-unused sandbox. I lean
the log I want to split against another log and tap the wedge into place. That
seats the upright log well in the sand and I can pound away. Might give that a
try.
Pablo
Tock
it with concrete?
--Tock
Ken Schumm wrote in message ...
>We've moved onto a piece of wooded property, and I'd like to cut
>some firewood (both for warmth and for exercise). Unfortunately,
>none of the trees and/or stumps are large enough to use as a
>chopping block to use when splitting the wood with an axe. Most
>of the trees are 7-8" diameter max.
>
>What are some good alternatives to a large tree stump to use
>for this purpose?
>
Gene
set it on end. Make it short enough that it's stable, yet long enough
that you won't split it the first time you miss your target and hit the
block instead.
K3
there cutting down a huge tree that was gonna fall on the power lines one of
these days and I asked them if they'd cut a 2-foot piece of the trunk for
me. The diameter of the stump is about 2-1/2-feet. Nice Guys! Didn't
cost me anything and they helped me load it on the back of my pickup.
When I got home I drilled a hole in the center and counter-sunk a 5-foot
piece of rebar (sp?) through the log and into the ground -- it doesn't move!
Works Great!
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kendall F. Stratton III
Fort Fairfield, Maine USA
k...@maine.rr.com
http://home.maine.rr.com/k3
"The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea,
can never fully shrink back to it's original dimensions."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ken Schumm" <kwsc...@qsolv.com> wrote in message
news:Voyager.001128191643.5647A@dilbert...
Charles Stoyer
together? Should work even on top of a few feet of snow.
That's what I'm going to try next.
Charles.
Tock wrote in message ...
>I'm guessing here, but how about digging a shallow 3' wide pit and filling
>it with concrete?
>--Tock
>
>
>Ken Schumm wrote in message ...
Grey Wolf
<C93A9EE0F8AE4592.1F2C23DC...@lp.airnews.net> to
filibuster us with:
> I'm guessing here, but how about digging a shallow 3' wide pit and filling
> it with concrete?
> --Tock
1. the concrete won't do your maul any good
2. a significant advantage to a block is that it raises the bolts above
the ground - easier to split, better for your back
--
Grey "5 cords/yr." Wolf
K3
Maybe it's just a brain cramp I'm having?
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kendall F. Stratton III
Fort Fairfield, Maine USA
k...@maine.rr.com
http://home.maine.rr.com/k3
"The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea,
can never fully shrink back to it's original dimensions."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Grey Wolf" <greywo...@hot.spamblock.mail.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.148ef4866...@news.earthlink.net...
Grey Wolf
<zGcV5.3694$0g.8...@newsr1.maine.rr.com> to filibuster us with:
> I feel *stupid* asking this, but what are the "bolts" you're talking about?
> Maybe it's just a brain cramp I'm having?
A bolt is a cut length of log. If you were cutting/splitting 18" long
firewood you would cut 18" bolts, then split them into (for example)
quarters.
Sorry for losing you on that. It's west coast loggerspeak. I have the
same problem when talking techie or sports, or whatever has its own
language.... I get wrapped up in jargon.
--
Grey "don't forget the witticism" Wolf
dan petroski
good
Ken Schumm wrote:
> We've moved onto a piece of wooded property, and I'd like to cut
> some firewood (both for warmth and for exercise). Unfortunately,
> none of the trees and/or stumps are large enough to use as a
> chopping block to use when splitting the wood with an axe. Most
> of the trees are 7-8" diameter max.
>
Dave Hinz
: How about a couple of old scrap pieces of plywood nailed or screwed
: together? Should work even on top of a few feet of snow.
Nope. You'll hate it. You need mass - Newton's laws of motion and all
that, you need a big, immobile object to push back against the force
you're adding to the wood with your maul. Plywood (esp. on snow) would just
move around & you'd get nowhere.
: That's what I'm going to try next.
Hang on to the maul handle, the, cuz that sucker's a-gonna bounce on you.
I'm with the crowd who goes for a big stump - mine is oak, about 20"
high, and about 30" across. Too big to split, so I made it the "anvil".
Soft enough that it won't hurt my maul or wedges or whatever, big enough
that it doesn't flop all over when I whack it, and tough enough that it
wouldn't split if I wanted it to.
: Charles.
Dave Hinz
Steve IA
Grey Wolf wrote:
>
> 2. a significant advantage to a block is that it raises the bolts above
> the ground - easier to split, better for your back
>
To me, that's 2 disadvantages: First you have to lift the bolt
onto the block, (bad for back)
and secondly, with the bolt being raised, you lose the advantage
of a full swing; losing the height
of the block.
I say no block. None.
Steve IA
Only 4 cords/year-
If I had a bullet (I mean nickel) for every
conspiracy theorist I'd be a happy man.
-G.D. Merritt
To respond, take out the dog.
If I had a bullet (I mean nickel) for every
conspiracy theorist I'd be a happy man.
-G.D. Merritt
To respond, take out the dog.
Ray Manning
them on the block. Not to mention I don't feel safe with the wood that far
off the ground and close to my vitals when it flies. I use the ground so I
probably don't have a great suggestion but if I wanted a block in your
situation, I'd probably lap joint a couple of 2x4's or 2x6's and screw it
onto the bigest round I had. That'll keep it from tipping. If you're worried
about splitting the block, I'd wrap it with some rope, put a piece of
plywood on the top as others suggested or something like that to hold it
together or keep it from getting struck.
Ray.
"Ken Schumm" <kwsc...@qsolv.com> wrote in message
news:Voyager.001128191643.5647A@dilbert...
Foxeye
into, and then lift the entire piece over my head, rotate the bolt and
axe on the way down, so that the axe head is down towards the ground,
making sure I hit it on another log or split on the ground. , pick a
piece sink the axe into the end enough to hold it, and repeat again,
working my way around the splits, and using whats on the ground as
blocks...less handling, and pretty quick once you get a rythm
up......takes time setting each individual piece on a set block, and
carry each piece to that block as well........then having to clean
away what you have split all around the block so you can split some
more. Its not hard to lift and rotate a 12 to 14" log once you get up
a head of steam and momentum.......
On Thu, 30 Nov 2000 19:15:32 GMT, "Ray Manning" <re...@newsgroup.net>
wrote:
>x<>-I rarely use a block as I don't like having to pick up the pieces and stand
>x<>-them on the block. Not to mention I don't feel safe with the wood that far
>x<>-off the ground and close to my vitals when it flies. I use the ground so I
>x<>-probably don't have a great suggestion but if I wanted a block in your
>x<>-situation, I'd probably lap joint a couple of 2x4's or 2x6's and screw it
>x<>-onto the bigest round I had. That'll keep it from tipping. If you're worried
>x<>-about splitting the block, I'd wrap it with some rope, put a piece of
>x<>-plywood on the top as others suggested or something like that to hold it
>x<>-together or keep it from getting struck.
>x<>-
>x<>-Ray.
>x<>-
>x<>-
>x<>-"Ken Schumm" <kwsc...@qsolv.com> wrote in message
>x<>-news:Voyager.001128191643.5647A@dilbert...
>x<>-> We've moved onto a piece of wooded property, and I'd like to cut
>x<>-> some firewood (both for warmth and for exercise). Unfortunately,
>x<>-> none of the trees and/or stumps are large enough to use as a
>x<>-> chopping block to use when splitting the wood with an axe. Most
>x<>-> of the trees are 7-8" diameter max.
>x<>->
>x<>-> What are some good alternatives to a large tree stump to use
>x<>-> for this purpose?
>x<>->
>x<>-> and, no, my car, my dog, my head, or my wife aren't good alternatives :)
>x<>->
>x<>->
>x<>-
Nick Hull
<saha...@lassiepionet.net> wrote:
> Grey Wolf wrote:
> >
>
> > 2. a significant advantage to a block is that it raises the bolts above
> > the ground - easier to split, better for your back
> >
>
> To me, that's 2 disadvantages: First you have to lift the bolt
> onto the block, (bad for back)
> and secondly, with the bolt being raised, you lose the advantage
> of a full swing; losing the height
> of the block.
>
> I say no block. None.
>
> Steve IA
> Only 4 cords/year-
>
I use a large chunk of oak buried level with the ground. Still works
after 20 years.
--
Committees of Correspondence Web page:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/
- free men own guns, slaves don't
Shawn Turner
Ray Manning wrote in message ...
>I rarely use a block as I don't like having to pick up the pieces and stand
Painful, but my highest hit was my left knee. Very painful.
And one reason why you slice pieces off of the side of the side of the chunk
of wood, and try to never actually have to split it.
When you _have_ to split a piece, you pay attention to knots, and swing
the ax in towards you from the center, so that the wood fibers on the side of
the log that's away from you will tend to hold longer, and kind of act like
hinges to make the wood fly way from you.
The splitting block I had last the longest was an about 20 inch dia chunk of
a light colored wood that had three 4 or 5 inch branches through it.
Shawn T
Spamblock: My e-mail address is not a barnyard.
Shawn Turner
>> Maybe it's just a brain cramp I'm having?
>A bolt is a cut length of log. If you were cutting/splitting 18" long
>firewood you would cut 18" bolts, then split them into (for example)
>quarters.
Ahha!
I was wondering what those carriage bolts were good for what with
a plywood and dimension lumber splitting block.
Me, I'd be inclined to glue a piece of ply on top of the nailed one to
protect the ax from the heads of those 3 or 4 inch long ringshank
nails. Wouldn't matter with a maul.
Nick Hull
> If you have rounds that need to be split,
> use the biggest one that has square cuts on it as the block.
> You can use the ground if you're careful and/or there's no rocks
> at the surface, but it's not as comfortable as using a block.
I have learned that it is better that the top of the chopping block NOT be
level. Just a slight tilt so you can still stand square pieces, but the
tilt will allow you to stand the off-square pieces too.
Grey Wolf
<nhull-04120...@user-38lc9ga.dialup.mindspring.com> containing
the following ranting:
> I have learned that it is better that the top of the chopping block NOT be
> level. Just a slight tilt so you can still stand square pieces, but the
> tilt will allow you to stand the off-square pieces too.
That's a very good point. I find myself twisting a tweaking some
off-square pieces until they stand up long enough to smack..
--
Grey "?" Wolf
It has been said that a thousand monkeys at a thousand keyboards will
eventually produce the works of Shakespeare. Whoever said that obviously
never used the Internet.