Split wood is physically difficult work and often leads to accidents. Read here what you should definitely consider when chopping wood.
More and more people are switching to wood for heating because it is simply cheaper. Although wood has become more expensive over the years, it is nowhere near as expensive as oil and gas.
But before you can use the wood for heating, you need to split the wood to fit your fireplace.
The best time is actually after impact. The small pieces dry faster and can be used for heating sooner. In addition, fresh wood is easier to split than dried wood.
2 ways to split wood
When chopping wood, you have 2 options for shredding it. Many still use a good axe. If you can dig a little deeper into your pocket, you can also opt for a log splitter. These are particularly useful if you often have large quantities or split wood several times a year. They are available in different versions with different crown lengths. The performance and energy supply also varies with the many models.
Split wood - you should pay attention to this
Tip 1: The right tool
Chopping wood is one of the most tiring tasks in gardening. However, you can make your work a little easier if you pay special attention to your tools. Most will probably use a conventional axe. But it is much more pleasant to work with a real splitting axe. Such as with the Fiskars splitting ax X27. The wood is only struck with it. It then breaks apart in a wedge shape. I highly recommend!
You should also have a hammer and a couple of wedges ready to help. Please ensure that the hammer and wedge are never made of the same material. So never hit steel on steel. Then metal splinters will fly around your ears.
Tip 2: Check tool for functionality
Before you start splitting wood, you should always check your tools. It is very important that the ax head sits firmly on the handle. If this is not the case, repair it immediately. cracksor damage to the material should also be eliminated.
Tip 3: Wear protective clothing
To avoid accidents, you should definitely wear protective clothing. Non-slip gloves are very important here, so that the ax lies firmly in your hand and does not fly around at once when you hit it.
You should also wear steel-toed shoes to avoid slipping the ax and, in the worst case, severing a toe. To protect your eyes from splinters, either goggles or a helmet with a protective visor are suitable.
Tip 4: Use a block of wood
Use a block of wood as a base when chopping wood. If you keep hitting the ground and rocks, your ax will eventually become blunt. It's also a more comfortable height to work at. Your back will thank you.
Tip 5: Split wood correctly
You need less effort when splitting wood if you hit the wood grain with the splitting hammer. From time to time there are small fiber cracks on the wood split, which you can then use as a little help.
Tip 6: Stand firm
Chopping wood is really hard physical work and requires a lot of strength. If you have a firm and correct footing to the block of wood, you make your work a little easier.
Stand in front of the block of wood with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the ax in the middle with both hands and swing overhead, then hit the log with full force.
Always make sure that the piece of wood is positioned optimally and securely. Accidents often happen here, too, because the log can tip over at the last moment and the ax hits at an unfavorable angle.
Tip 7: Store tools
When you have finished splitting wood, you should not throw the tool into any corner from exhaustion, but put it properly in its place. There should be protection on the cutting edge so that you do not injure yourself when removing it later. Oil the cutting edge to protect it from rust.
If your ax has become dull over the years, you should have the edge sharpened. So you'll be up and running again quickly.