How to POWER CHOP!

Happy splitting 🪓

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[rridr]

This video saved my bacon today. I was visiting my sister in Alaska this week, and the power went down at 10am. It was 6 degrees Fahrenheit out, and the forced-air furnace needs electricity to work. We went from “there’s an optional wood burning stove (fun!)” to “the pipes are gonna freeze if we can’t keep the house heated with wood” really quickly. It’s been 30+ years since I’d last used a wood splitting maul, so I *kinda remembered the mechanics, but I had a maul and splitting setup I didn’t know, knotty and wet (now frozen) wood to work with, and a “must do” situation. I had forgotten ALL the details of technique that this video covers in detail. After taking 20 frustrating minutes with my first log, I came in to warm up and watched this video. “Oh, guide with your dominant hand! Drop the hips and heels. Measure your distance with your *back hand as the anchor. Got it.” I went back out, and had much better success. This video absolutely made the difference for me- thanks!

[arniesea]

Excellent tutorial! I first started chopping wood over 60 years ago and love your channel. Here is a safety tip I learned from my father when I was about 10. When carrying an axe, hold it by the handle right next to the blade. Make sure your index finger and middle finger are placed along the blade extending toward the sharp edge. This will ensure that if you stumble and fall, your natural instinct to flatten your hand out to catch yourself, will also rotate the sharp edge of the blade away from your body. 
Perhaps axe safety could be a topic for a future video. Love, love your content! Cheers!

[bob]

Thank you SO much for mentioning the wrist flick at the end! I've been doing EVERYTHING else in this video almost the whole time I've been chopping wood, but that flick at the end for the extra mechanical advantage on the blade NEVER occurred to me until you said it. This is why I love having experts share their knowledge. Thanks so much!

[LluviaGuerrero-xl]

It's not like starting tomorrow I'm going to cut wood. But it is nice to see the dedication you put into teaching us the best way to cut wood. Thank you for teaching us so much, Nicole ❤

[dongiorgio]

I can watch 3 things indefinitely: flow of the river, fire burning and Nicole chopping that wood 😊

[tridelltransportation]

I’ve been splitting wood for 30 years. I really enjoyed this video for the articulation of the finer points.

And of course, the usual pleasure of simply watching you chop wood.

I bet if someone asked you at 16, ”what do you think you’ll be doing with your life at 30?”, I bet the answer would not have been “chopping wood on my own YouTube channel “.

[StephenClark]

Last weekend I taught Beaver Scouts how to chop wood and used some of the tips from this video. I used rotten logs so they were easy to cut through without much effort, but the look on the faces of 5-7 yo boys and girls when they did this grown-up thing was priceless.

Thanks for your instructional videos and I hope to see more.

[michaellacross]

You know what? That what probably the most accurate and lucid instruction I've received on YouTube....and I'm 65 years old! This young woman saved my lower back and shoulders.

[josephsheranda]

Those arms look like they belong on an 80's action figure. Simply amazing.

[alanwong]

Excellent and accurate job explaining how to swing an 🪓 all the way to your toes and wrists. This translates pretty much to swinging a sledgehammer and Maddox as well. Well done. Love watching you swing.

[ryimscaith]

51, and a country boy, so I've split more than my fair share of wood. So when this came up in my feed I was ... taken aback a bit. Then I noticed the guns you are sporting there, young lady. So I watched, and listened and was mightily impressed. Good education for those just starting, no nonsense, good technique. Respect.

[xpatsteve]

Nicole is what the Jedi were before they invented light sabers. A true master of her craft with a dedication to imparting knowledge.

[Obstreperous_Octopus]

A long time ago, my grandfather taught me to split wood with an axe, and what he taught me was pretty much this exactly (except I never learned the wrist flick or the heel part, but for an amateur I think I was pretty close!) So I find this video both relatable, and validating ("Is she gonna talk about shifting your grip for better momentum? Yeah! Grandpa was right!")

Now, I'm for sure not as strong as you, nor an expert by any stretch, but even I can do decently well on technique. I even went to a state fair once, and did the game (you know the one) and scored better than some guys way buffer than me.

My grandfather passed away years ago, but seeing this reminds me of him and everything he taught me :, ) Thank you for sharing this video-- it might sound silly, but it kinda means a lot to me.

[MrDBob]

Fifty years of heating with wood, and I'm still learning how to chop without wasting energy. I find your videos to be a good study. I wish I had one of those swords, but even more, I wish you were here making your videos on my wood pile. I'd set 'em up and haul away the splits to the stack, while you show the world of wood that it can't withstand the force of a good axe swung with strong arms and a good eye.

[paulkinzer]

I've not split much wood, but there's real overlap with doing demolition work with a sledgehammer. I did a fair amount of that when I was younger, so I really relate to the obvious joy you express when you get a great swing to just rip through a log. As you say, 'Very satisfying!'

There's also, it seems to me, some overlap with paddling a canoe -- something I did a lot of at one time. Getting the motion of the paddle through the water to a smooth rhythm that uses all the muscles involved in an efficient, balanced way, and then switching sides with a learned but later unconscious smoothness, all while placing the paddle exactly where it needs to go to make the canoe move in the direction you want it to go. Again, very satisfying.

For no reason I know, you came up in my feed last night. I'm very glad. You are a delight, and I've now subscribed.

[Jessieannnwade]

This is so helpful as I’m just starting to learn wood chopping - thank you for the tips!

[clivetonge]

Thank you Nicole. I had some wood to chop recently. I noticed that working at placing the axe where I wanted to cut, then when I was able to do that, adding more power was much better, then starting by adding more power.

[treesareafewofmyfavoritethings]

Great lesson! I see so many people doing a back straining up and down motion when the circular swing is so much more fluid and powerful

[VikingPreparedness]

1.4 Million??? Wow - great job. You are cool. Subbed

[PAPIKen]

Nicole is the sensei of wood splitting. Now to write a book, "Zen and the Art of Wood Splitting ". A sequel to "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".