My mind is split between splitting tools

[comis]

Another vote for Fiskars axe(I have the Gerber Freescape 17" axe, which is very similar), I think they are pretty good deal, considering how well it performs, indestructible yet light handle and shock absorbing.  Basically all the weight is at the head, and the handle practically weight nothing. 

Here is a comparison between Fiskars vs Wetterlings(many bushcrafters go to brand):
http://rockymountainbushcraft.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-new-fiskars-x7-hatchetbudget.html

The one thing I'd avoid are these flat headed type thing;


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With basically no "wedge" shape to the head you'll have a very tough time splitting anything.  Sadly the Mora camp axe falls into this category IIRC.  Not tried one in years but I was very unimpressed. 

I don't have this kind of axe, but my limited experience with smaller tomahawk(like the SOG fasthawk)does give me the impression that this kind of axe probably don't worth the weight.  Don't get me wrong, tomahawk are fun to 'play' with, throwing or processing kindling, but even for firewood size log, it could be difficult to split since the head does not have the geometry or the weight to 'split' the wood.

Thanks for sharing
Haven't seen those yet.

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These videos are golden.
Since I am no expert in using my axe but I always love to use my hatchet/small axe for splitting wood for camp fire, I do often use the techniques in the second video for splitting and kindling.  By kneeling, instead of standing, I eliminate some of the risk missing and hitting my own shin/knee, especially when using a hatchet/smaller axe.  Btw, do wear proper eye protection if possible.

[Aloha]

I have and use a small hatchet.  I also have and use a roofers/carpenters hatchet.  They dont come with masks so you'll have to make one.  I also like to use wedges.  I've dealt with Eucalyptus that was a beast to split battoning.  Since I've gone with wedges either my small hatchet or combination hatchet and wedges made. 
 

[old Lefty]

Dunno, but in your shoes I would take a simple  Fiskars camping axe. Light enough to carry, designed for camp duty.

Alternativly, a nice 'hawk for style, but for pure performance I'd go for the F.

Lähetetty minun SM-T515 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[pfrsantos]

I have and use a small hatchet.  I also have and use a roofers/carpenters hatchet.  They dont come with masks so you'll have to make one.  I also like to use wedges.  I've dealt with Eucalyptus that was a beast to split battoning.  Since I've gone with wedges either my small hatchet or combination hatchet and wedges made. 
 

This. I thought about this method, but didn't look for a pic/video to show it. I think it's a great way to deal with the problem if you only have a small cutting tool with you.

 

[ElevenBlade]

This. I thought about this method, but didn't look for a pic/video to show it. I think it's a great way to deal with the problem if you only have a small cutting tool with you.

 

   I assume that the kind of wood you use for the wedge matters though. 

[pfrsantos]

  I assume that the kind of wood you use for the wedge matters though.

Felix mentions it should be a hard type of wood but I think if you use the same type of wood for the wedge as the wood you want to split, it'll work out just fine.

I once heard a friend saying the way to check if a ring had a diamant stone would be to scratch a piece of glass. Another one smiled and said "That's true, but remember: glass scratches glass, too.".

 

[ElevenBlade]

 

So the particular trip that prompted the question has come to pass.

You know what would have done the trick this time? A survival shovel. 

There was actually a fair amount of wood to gather, a couple of fallen trees and a dead standing one.

Aside from splitting wood along the natural cracks (most of which I did by smacking it on the ground, and some by the stop-cut method) … what i needed to do was clean the ash out of the fire pit… lots of it.

 

[Gareth]

As long as you had fun. 

[Gareth]

I've never tried one but perhaps a hori-hori might be of benefit?  A light garden trowel certainly has some uses.

[ElevenBlade]

I've never tried one but perhaps a hori-hori might be of benefit?  A light garden trowel certainly has some uses.

That’s what I was thinking initially. A hori hori. But then I thought… go big or go home. 

[Gareth]

Or you could go all "special forces" with a Cold Steel Spetnaz shovel.   I don't know how practical it really is, but I recall them being fun for throwing at least. 

[ElevenBlade]

Or you could go all "special forces" with a Cold Steel Spetnaz shovel.   I don't know how practical it really is, but I recall them being fun for throwing at least. 

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I question I had in my mind was “would a bushcraft fixed blade do the trick?”

I don’t think it would have, honestly. Much of the wood was too heavy and too dead, and one if the guys had an Ontario fixed blade on him…. And it wasn’t quite right.

We ended up doing a fair amount with a hand-chain-saw too.

One of these over-engineered shovels would have worked, as would a mid sized camp axe.  I think a kukri would have done the job too.

[nate j]

So the particular trip that prompted the question has come to pass.

You know what would have done the trick this time? A survival shovel. 

There was actually a fair amount of wood to gather, a couple of fallen trees and a dead standing one.

Aside from splitting wood along the natural cracks (most of which I did by smacking it on the ground, and some by the stop-cut method) … what i needed to do was clean the ash out of the fire pit… lots of it.

 

Sounds like a good time!

Something that is sometimes overlooked is that you don’t necessarily need perfect length wood for an outdoor fire pit.  I’ve dragged large branches and smallish dead trees over to the fire pit, started at one end and just fed them into the fire as they burned.

[Syncop8r]

Something that is sometimes overlooked is that you don’t necessarily need perfect length wood for an outdoor fire pit.  I’ve dragged large branches and smallish dead trees over to the fire pit, started at one end and just fed them into the fire as they burned.

Nor do you need a clean cut. The main reason I bring a saw is not for firewood but rather if I need to improvise something (eg walking stick).

[ElevenBlade]

Indeed. My fear was that I would only be able to get rounds that would need to be split to get proper coals to cook on. Not completely unfounded since the fire pit was left with unburnt rounds that didn’t turn into coals either. But ultimately it worked out. 

[ThundahBeagle]

This is a good way to use a lighter hatchet to split larger wood.  Happens to be with a Fiskars X7.

I spent quite a few years in the Adirondacks with my father and brother, chopping and stacking about 24 cord of wood per year. I started with them when I was 10, back in the very late 1970's.

This is more or less how I was taught to make kindling back before i was allowed to swing the maul onto logs to split them. I usually did as much as possible from the bark side, as one you are through the bark, it splits easier.

Looking back, it's amazing how much we worked

[ThundahBeagle]

I think in that situation I would take a proper hatchet/tomahawk. It will be worth the weight.
Especially if y'all are relying on a fire for warmth and/or cooking - those thin things I would only take for a 'what if?' backup situation (and even then I wouldn't personally, I would rather take just a folding saw and a decent knife).

Right.

A hatchet is a hatchet and a knife is a knife. They dont do the same job, nor should they unless I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere and have only one of them with me.

You dont slice your chicken and vegetables with a hatchet (although I could with mine, as I sharpened the hell out of it) and you dont make firewood with your knife even if it is a nice fixed blade. Last think you want to do is dull your knife for no good reason, just to satisfy an urge to baton. By all means give it a whirl now and then, to practice in case of the apocalypse, but don't make it a habit. Right tool, right job.

This brings me to anothe place. You dont really use an axe to split logs. You use an axe to cut deeply into the cross section of a tree in order to fell it. Then to de-limb it. In the old days, to make the tree into logs. Most of that is done by chainsaw now. But you use a maul to actually split the logs. Its basically a big wedge on a handle. You might use steel wedges and use the back of the maul to drive them. But that's all heavier than what you are doing.

To that end, as has been pointed out by Gareth I believe, you want a more wedge shaped head rather than chisel edge.

I use an Estwing camp axe / Sportsman's axe which is really a hatchet, when camping. Between that and a bow saw or folding saw, the should do you fine

[ThundahBeagle]

I like that the Estwing is all one piece. No head to come loose and fly off. All steel. Leather wrapped handle. I'd still use the right gloves for better grip though

[Gareth]

One of my favourite childhood memories is splitting kindling with my father at my great aunts' cottages.  Wood shed made out of corrugated steel and it always seemed like it was raining (superb sound).  I can't have been more than seven at the time! Terrifying in retrospect but I still managed to keep the standard issue of fingers and toes.    I suspect my efforts were more enthusiastic than effective mind you.

[ThundahBeagle]

Sounds like a good time!

Something that is sometimes overlooked is that you don’t necessarily need perfect length wood for an outdoor fire pit.  I’ve dragged large branches and smallish dead trees over to the fire pit, started at one end and just fed them into the fire as they burned.

Like the "yule log!"

[afishhunter]

Froe and whittle/carve a wedge if needed. Can use a stick to drive either into the wood.

[Alan K.]

The Fiskers X11 weighs a little more than the X7 hatchet but it chops and does a superb job of splitting.

[ElevenBlade]

The Fiskers X11 weighs a little more than the X7 hatchet but it chops and does a superb job of splitting.

Would you say that the X11 is considerably better at splitting than the X7, such that it's worth the added weight?  What would the X7 be better at (besides portability)?

[Alan K.]

Would you say that the X11 is considerably better at splitting than the X7, such that it's worth the added weight?  What would the X7 be better at (besides portability)?

Well, it is a little longer and heavier, more like a camp axe than a hatchet.  The shape of the head is specifically designed for splitting so it works great for that, but it is also sharp enough that it can be used for limbing and chopping.  Not chopping through something because the wedge shape might interfere with that, but it will cut deep into a thick branch or trunk. I can attest to that.

[Vidar]

I'll throw a traditional sami knife into the mix. It is the default choice and usually only cutting tool used around here. And that certainly includes cutting or chopping wood pieces for firestarting.

There are are slightly more modern version with a finger guard, (as used by the military), and as these things can get slippery with bloody hands or similar that is a good idea to keep your finger tendons intact and working.

They have a similar knife design in Finland but with some other name. Anyway, that works.

[Alan K.]

I have long held that a large, thick bladed knife such as a Bowie knife is a multipurpose substitute for a hatchet, but thick bladed knives are not a substitute for a machete.  They are used differently and this includes thick bladed knives that are often used as machetes such as Kukris and Golocks. They are often used to chop through hardwoods which one would otherwise do with an axe or hatchet.  True machetes have thinner blades and are more typically used on soft woods, grasses and vines.  I can't tell how thick the Sami is but it is probably closer to a machete than a hatchet.

[Vidar]

Just from memory I'd go with the Sami being about 3-4mm thick. Don't have a Bowie so I can't really compare. I do have a machete as used in some asian jungle - that is thicker.

There will certainly be specialized knives and tools that are better for their respective tasks, but is quite versatile and most around here wouldn't bother bringing anything else. (Well, going out to sea this one gets left at home and some inexpensive Mora would come along instead).

If one wants or needs to go bigger, as in cutting down trees, the next step up here would be to add a saw rather than an axe or hatchet. That said, there are no hardwoods around here so that could mix up things.

I haven't really theorized much about this, I just got practical experience of this working nicely to make fires - among many other things. This is the outdoor tool of choice around here and have been for generations - before things like houses, ovens and electricity.