Fundamentals of Axemanship part 2: Chopping a Log or Felled Tree (Bucking)
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- čas přidán 20. 01. 2019
- before anyone asks about the bandage, no i did not cut myself, i have a bad graze on the back of my hand that is aggravated by chopping
How to safely and efficiently use an axe to buck a log. In this video I show correct form, stance, cutting pattern, chip removal and how to increase power with your axe. I also cover the main hazards and how to avoid cutting yourself
Exactly what I was looking for. I've got dome dead fall outback I'm gonna work on bucking up into firewood. I've swung axes throughout my life but never really learned about really the right way to use an axe.
This Fundamentals series is a great idea, I like the way you explain what you're doing as you go along.
Recently started clearing a wooded area with an axe for fun and exercise. I really appreciate your videos and have learned much about safety and technique. This tips about bucking logs that are in awkward positions particularly useful to me. Thanks Ben!
This is a great series. Just learned that my foot placement needs work. Really wish I watched this before I started chopping. Would have saved me a lot of time learning.
The comment at 4:00 about shooting was unexpected but funny as I think about, let’s say “general marksmanship”, the exact same way. If I miss my mark by an inch, I turn an inch.
Great advice
Been meaning to thank you for these fundamental videos, now though I have a good amount of knowledge with axemenship & all that I always love seeing others ways. You dont want to be the know it all who thinks hes mastered everything & doesn't need to hear or see any different from anyone else. "Belief is the enemy knowledge". But thanks brother & take care, also I finally was able to order a basque axe! & there I thought Id never have one. Still waiting on the camp axe as well.
From Thailand. I learn a lot from you.great video. thanks
Thanks for sharing your skills with us.
More value-adding content, Ben! With my longer double bit handle, my notches resemble a volcano tilted maybe 5-10 degrees towards me when standing on the ground bucking. On top of the log, they become more vertical since I'm bending and swinging more vertically. I move my feet as you explain which allows me to line up my swing with my nose for more accurate blows, especially when standing on top of larger logs. As you pointed out and demonstrated, taking the time to correct a miss hit in the notch makes the process of removing chips much more efficient. Thanks again for the lessons in your series.
I noticed the same effect whenever I use a longer handle, your finished cutting at the top but the bottom of the notch still has a few inches of holding wood. This is one of the main reasons I prefer a shorter axe. Some very skilled people such as yourself and oxbow farm using longer axes to great effect though
Thank you very much for this video! Very helpful and informative. You did an excellent job explaining everything.
thanks, glad it helped. I just made a similar video on felling, hopefully should be uploaded in 12 hours so keep an eye out!
Nice work.... with all the gyms closed axemanship has been a fun alternative. Very informative video.
Even with the gyms open this is my prefered way to stay fit :) fresh air and quiet
Yeah, and social distancing takes care of itself! People who come across a grunting, sweaty guy with an axe in the woods; they tend to stay 2M away without much prodding...
I learned to swing an axe like that from my mother who was born in 1922 and raised on 16 acre farm in the Florida panhandle during the Great Depression in a log cabin built by my grandfather who was born in 1878.
What the family did to earn cash was to cut down pine trees and turn them into charcoal. She stood 5’6” and weighed about 120 pounds but had learned to swing a 12-lb double-bladed axe nearly effortlessly like a lumberjack using the axe head mass, momentum, dual lever action and gravity.
That early lesson in applied physics was very helpful later in life when I started swinging a golf club 😊 🏌🏻♀️ I use a chain saw to cut down and buck the trees 😂.😮
Best technique I’ve seen on CZcams.
If you haven't already check out skillcult and survival sherpa, both very good axemen
This video and series has changed my life. My chips still dont look like yours and i have a lot of practice still to come but i have gone from making dust to creating large burnable chips of wood, once i feel like i deserve it i will be getting a decent axe and that should help a bit. Thank you for all the information, i am wasting a lot less energy now.
Glad I could help, once you get the basics its just practice. If you are looking for a decent axe i have a few videos on the subject, you should not need to spend much. A lot of the stuff out there is all hype
@@benscottwoodchopper i have been watching your videos on axe selection. Before i found your videos i purchased a council tools 3.5 # daytona pattern axe with 36 inch handle. I cut the handle down to about 32 and planned on filing the cheeks and using it when i noticed the bit is bent about 30 degrees starting about an inch from the toe going down, i contacted them and they dont care so i am tossing it in the shed as a root axe. Right now i am using a 25 dollar 2.5lb 28 inch collins boys axe until i find a decent axe. I figured for 50 bucks, if i had to do 4 hours of work, the council would be a great axe, and probably would have been if their QC guys didnt send out U shaped axes.
+YoshiRiderHD yeah the council tools have quite bad qc from what i hear. I have 2 and both are okay but very rough. Maybe check out rinaldi axes, also have 2 and they are both really well made
@@benscottwoodchopper yeah it is sad, i really wanted to like the axe and company. Only rhing worse than their QC is their customer care lol.I will look into prandi. I do a LOT of axe work (i dont is3 chainsaw 7nless i absolutely have to and i cut all pf my fire and cooking wood with axe only)and will be doing even more in years to come so i dont mind spending good money on an axe and i dont mind doing a lot of work to one to "make it right for me" i just hate paying for labels and names, i want my money to go to the axe not a "made in USA" stamp or a "forged in sweden" stamp. I guess since most people just use axes to chop roots so they dont ruin their chainsaws, the axe companies seem to have just given up. Thank you again for the advice and videos. Keep up the awesomr work.
I get the exact same blood blister on my thumb knuckle closest to my hand from wrist rubbing after swinging for hours as well.
Great video, very informative
Thank! Very informative!
I sometimes get those abrasions on my R hand from going at it too. I try to slap a bandaid over before so I don't develop it in the first place. But don't always get around to it or I forget entirely.
I just use leather gloves. That has prevented me from getting abrasions/blisters
What happened to your left hand? Great video, by the way - your new camera to looks great.
Edit: nevermind, it's in your description.
Good video
Thanks for that Ben. As often as I have seen you chop I never fully analyzed what you were doing. In my next video you will see all the mistakes you have pointed out ☹️
I wouldn't worry about it, at least next time you can try some of the techniques and see how much of a difference it makes.
@@benscottwoodchopper I fully intend to.
well done.
Nice video, even though I don't know exactly what 'bucking' a log is.
bucking just means cutting a log in half
Pretty neat. I get a wicked graze there too.
not sure why it gets so bad sometimes and then no problem for months
Hi Ben , i like to place my legs aside and turn a little bit my body during the bucking i think its a safe position .
yeah pretty much as long as your legs arent behind the notch you are fine, sometimes i stand like you describe depending on the terrain
Good video Ben. What weight was your Basque axe in this video?
This is the 1.5kg, thats total wieght, its pretty light and i think the head is 1.2kg roughly. This size is a nice allrounder but i think the 1.75 would be a better choice
Do you think the overlapping patterns matter? For instance you say start at bottom then top, then top then bottom. Is there any thought behind this, or doesn’t matter much?
the thought behind it is your first blows use the heel more, then the clearing side cuts in deeper with less effort anyway so using the heel is a bit redundant and it helps break the chip from the top down reducing the chances of getting stuck with a chip on your axe etc. doesn't really matter that much to be fair
After how often while you're out bucking do you sharpen your axe?
depends, but probably not as often as you would think
Where are you buying your axes from - in UK its hard to get any decent longer handles in particular I find.
I get stuff from lamnia.com, edgedarts.co.uk, knivesandtools.eu. Are you looking for spare handles or a long axe?
@@benscottwoodchopper Spare handles mostly - problem I have is ordering online you get bad grains etc.
@@donaloc32 I wouldn't worry too much about grain as long as there is no runout. I buy gransfors or ochsenkopf spare handles mostly and thin them down
Donal O'Cofaigh We actually have the problem of finding shorter handled axes here in the US. It’s either a boys axe size on a 28” or 36” for full sized heads. I promise you aren’t missing anything. Shorter handles allow me more power and accuracy. Long handles hit me in the guts or the jewels and extremely hard to control, if not impossible when you’re trying cut a low felling notch. I’d say 30-32 inches is optimal for most tasks.
Making your own handles is a good trip and you learn a lot, I’m making my own 40 inch handle, it’s bent and the oak cracked but it’s my own creation and I want to get another piece of wood to better myself
Your axe looks small. What size axe are you using? Are you supposed to use a smaller axe?
1.2kg head
Ben scot, ist and jauregui axe?
Yes
Talk about getting into shape....you dont need no durn gym using a axe to get into shape..
you shoot too? Do some shooting videos!
Used to in cadets, haven't shot in years
um.