How to Split Wood with an Axe - For Women

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By MeganK
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Split Wood with an Axe - For Women

Splitting wood with an axe isn't necessarily a man's job. With my tips and a little practice you ladies will be swinging that axe like a pro.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

wood
axe
sturdy shoes
gloves (optional)

Step 1

The first thing you need to do is make sure you are dressed properly. No sandals or bare feet. You want to have sturdy, closed toe shoes to avoid any accidents. Splitting wood is dirty, sweaty work so don't wear anything you want to keep clean. Grab an old flannel shirt to get you in the lumberjack mood.
Step 2

Be sure your axe is sharp, it will be a lot easier to use than a dull one. Find a dry piece of wood, it will be easier to split than one that is wet.
Step 3

To start use a piece of wood that is no more than 6 inches in diameter. Make sure one end is flat enough to stand on end. Place the piece of wood onto a chopping block. Use a large round tree section as a chopping block.
Step 4

You can wear gloves if you want to keep your hands callous free, but I find it easier without.
Step 5

Hold the axe loosely in your hands so they can slide along the handle. You want to hold the axe with one hand towards the end of the handle and one hand closer to the head. When you swing, your top hand, the one closer to the head of the axe, should slide down the axe handle toward your other hand.
Step 6

Bring the axe back over your shoulder, but don't rest it on your shoulder. When you swing you want to do it in one smooth motion. If you hesitate while swinging you will lose your momentum and the force of your swing will not be as great.
Step 7

Keep your eye on the wood that you are splitting while swinging. Aim for the center. Follow through with your swing. Don't stop as you make contact with the wood, you want your swing to go through to the block underneath.
Step 8

After you've split the wood in half, continue the above steps to cut it into quarters. Continue until you've split the wood to the size that you want.

Comments

Panda229 said

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on 7/6/2009 Great article! 5*!

on 6/21/2009 GOTTA BE SAFE!
Important tip: Stand with your feet spread far apart. Imagine, or slow motion, the line that the axe will travel - and continue if, say the piece of wood falls off the chopping block while you're swinging.
Why?
• You want to make SURE to not hit your leg or knee should a chop miss the wood.
This is one basic rule that was drilled into all of us as wood chopping young scouts. Even though I have always had good aim, it DOES happen, and boy is it a relief to not clobber a limb with a good swingin' axe.

brandy1123 said

on 5/19/2009 brings back alot of memories ,great article

westernmom said

on 4/14/2009 I used to love chopping wood for the workout I would get. I guess I should still be doing it! Interesting article. 5*

sprucehen said

on 1/23/2009 (Part of comment that got cut off).....else OUTER EDGE of the log. If I aim for the middle the axe will just get stuck, and I'll have to stop to get it out. It will take more than a couple of swings to split the log, but I won't have to stop to get the axe free over and over again, if I hit the edges of the logs first.I hope this method helps out if anyone is having a hard time dealing with larger logs.