Well I should think it goes without saying that you need wood, wood, and more wood to keep your fire burning when you’re out in the wilderness. When you’re out there in the trees, you may find yourself get lucky with the sizes and densities of the logs you are able to collect. However just as often, you may not. This goes especially for if you end up bringing your own wood in, for most often times, firewood sold pre-cut at a store normally comes in larger sized logs. Whichever situation you’re in, you certainly could benefit from having a good axe or hatchet with you! This will not only get the fire to burn hotter or longer if you’d like, it may also even be the difference between a fire and no fire at all if you don’t have enough smaller sticks to catch those big logs all the way!
Ever watch someone, often a big and strong oak of a man, wield a large axe and cut through even the thickest of logs like they were cubes of cheese and wonder to yourself, now how come whenever I try that I can’t even split one!? Well, odds are you’re someone like me. I’ve always been on the scrawnier side, and female, not that this makes a giant difference, but all the same found that it took me a lot longer especially in the beginning to keep up with my father when he first taught me how to chop wood. But never fear! I’ve learned it isn’t always the person swinging the axe!
The Axe Itself
If you’re swinging a tool that is either too big for you or too heavy, like several large axes may be, odds are the swing will be strained and awkward and you won’t normally find success. On top of that, you could hurt yourself! Find a tool that fits good with you. If you are not aware, there is a large difference between axes and hatchets, axes being longer in the handle and heavier at the blade and hatchets being shorter, lighter, and more compact. I myself am a big fan of Estwing’s Sportsman’s 12 inch Hatchet, would never find myself camping without it! Though it is a small one compared to many others, it fits with my body and strength abilities well, and I am able to split logs with great precision!
The Wood
Another thing to make sure of is the type of wood you’ll be chopping! You’’ll find that pine wood is extremely soft and easy to split, while other wood like cedar will be quite hard to get through depending on your level of strength. If anything, it’ll take a few good slams. Be sure to just test the weight and density of the wood before you start hacking away.
The Motions
Now, when it comes to the act of chopping with a hatchet, you’re going to want to stand the log up vertically on a semi-flat and solid surface, and find a mark on it’s head that you plan to hit. Make sure you stand with your legs open and knees bent, for you don’t want to cut through the log and then swing through into your leg! Take a good breath and a firm grip with both hands on your handle. Try a few slow practice motions to get the target down, and then bring it straight up over your head and then straight back down into the wood! This should split the log for you! If you find that the hatchet sticks into the wood and doesn’t make it all the way through, you can simply bring the hatchet with the wood straight up, and then slam it straight back down onto the surface a few times to force it through. Careful not to cut yourself or get splinters while doing this!
And there you go! It takes practice, but I know you’ll get there, frankly if I did, anyone can! Just take your time and go slow if you’re nervous, you’ll get there! Happy chopping!
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