Wood-splitting benefits
Burning between 400 and 500 calories an hour,splitting wood is much more of a cardio and core workoutthan anything else. Jewett explains that if you bring the ax downthe center line of your body, then back up the center line when youreload, it activates the same muscles that a crunchwould.All woodworking tools, including axes,should be sharp enough to shave with for effortless,efficient and enjoyable work. Most new axes require from anhour to a half a day of hand sharpening to put them into propershape.
Actually, if the edge on your maul is blunt, it willoften times bounce off the wood you are trying to split. It'sobvious that a splitting maul shouldn't be as sharpas something like an axe, because after all, it's used forsplitting wood not for chopping a tree down.
The good thing about splitting wood isthat it gets your heart rate up and provides a good cardioworkout.
For optimal burning, firewood should be dried, or“seasoned,” until its moisture content isless than 20 percent. Seasoning wood has another importantbut less obvious benefit—when wood is properly cut andstacked right away, mold has less opportunity to establishitself.
Using a Maul to Split Wood
- Place the wood in the center of the chopping block. Put thewood in the middle of the chopping block, making sure that it isstable.
- Examine the wood thoroughly.
- Take aim.
- Chop the wood in an up-down direction.
- Splitting into smaller pieces.
- Repeating the process.
With many species of trees, the bark is actually fireretardant, so splitting the wood makes it easier forthe wood to catch fire, since the inside will burn morereadily. Cutting wood to length and splitting it alsoaids in drying, or seasoning, wood.
A splitting maul also known as a block buster,block splitter, sledge axe, go-devil or hamaxe is a heavy,long-handled axe used for splitting a piece of wood alongits grain. One side of its head is like a sledgehammer, and theother side is like an axe.
If you are splitting green wood by hand, thegeneral consensus is that wood is easier to splitwhen it is green. Live wood contains a lot ofmoisture, so it is softer and more yielding to yourmaul.
The ideal time to cut firewood is in the latewinter and early spring months. This allows for the maximum dryingtime. Next, cut the ends of the logs as flat andsquare as possible so that they can stand sturdily forsplitting.
The standard length for firewood is 16inches. The reason for this is that firewood is typicallysold by the cord or fractions of a cord, an amount of wood thatmeasures 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long.
5 Best Log Splitters – Reviews:
- Boss Industrial ES7T20 Electric – Top Pick.
- Pow' R' Kraft 65556 – Best Log Splitter for theMoney.
- Champion Power Equipment No.92221 – Good Gas-PoweredPick.
- YTL International Forest King YTL23101 – Great Manual LogSplitter.
- WEN 56206.
Wood splitting (riving, cleaving) is an ancienttechnique used in carpentry to make lumber for making woodenobjects, some basket weaving, and to make firewood. Unlikewood sawing, the wood is split along the grainusing tools such as a hammer and wedges, splittingmaul, cleaving axe, side knife, or froe.
