How to Split Wood | The Art of Manliness

Splitting wood gets your wood ready for burning and provides a great workout. Here's how to do it.

[MaineMachinist]

I'm a Maine woodsman who splits a lot of wood every year. I grew up with wood heat and have been around wood cutting my whole life. I'm glad you made this video but I strongly disagree with your maul handling. I highly recommend that people do not swing the maul as demonstrated in this video. If you're going to split a lot of wood (as in 3+ cord), use the maul like a dead fall. His hand placement is correct and the stance is correct, but lift the maul straight up into the air and never allow the wedge to go behind your head. You'll wear yourself out quickly and end up harming yourself swinging it long term as demonstrated in this video.

That's my 2 cents.

[artofmanliness]

"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice." Henry Ford

[Dan-ozqb]

Teaches us how to split wood. Shows stove full of rounds at end 😆😆😆

[ferdelans]

Here's some tips I think would contribute to the topic (not to be a smart-ass but I split 10 cubic meters in less than a day every summer).
1. Strech out - splitting wood is essentially a sport and you need to warm up. It strains a lot of muscles but there's a great impact on the back and waist.
2. Put your axe in a bucket of water overnight or for several hours. The wooden handle will expand and it will hold the axe firmly.
3. Spit on your hands every once in a while. Provides better friction and prevents calluses
4. Do not swing the axe from the side (one can see clearly in the video that aiming is poor that way). Instead, hold the axe above your head. Power is needed but it's more about speed and accuracy. Press with your legs just before you hit the wood (it's a bit like boxing - a great power is achieved through the legs). As soon as the axe hits the log, you can give it a little twist to ensure splitting at once. Do not stand too far away from the stump. Put the piece of wood on the far edge of the stomp instead - that will ensure that the axe goes in the stump after splitting but not in the ground or your shin.
5. If your axe gets stuck in a more stubborn piece of wood, don't waste your energy trying to get it out. Just lift the axe with the log, turn it in midair and hit the stomp hard (the log facing upwards).
6. "Listening" to the wood is essential - looking for cracks and knags is very important especially when splitting 1 meter long logs with a sledge hammer and wedges. But that's a whole different art.

BE SAFE!

[apexstrength]

I'm 15 and have began to have been reading your articles and watching your Youtube videos.

I'm glad I'm watching this at a young age to prepare my mind for the future.

[ItsChrisFtw]

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."- Abraham Lincoln.
Awesome video Brett, and I notice you are putting on some solid mass there. Keep up the good work.
Semper Virilis

[jacobdhall]

I learned to stack wood from my great grandmother. She was 81 and I was 14. She kicked my ass.

[erikwestby]

One of our neighbors had a BIG tree blown down in their back yard last year.  They offered the chainsawed rounds to any takers and I spent the next several weekends splitting them into useable firewood.  Loved it so much I considered hiring myself out as a wood splitter!  So very manly and rewarding.  Another great video, Brett!  Too bad we don't live closer or I'd help with your video production.

[jordanwill]

Hey, I finally found someone who uses the same form as me! I learned this swing when I was ten, and it was super helpful, me being someone with next to zero strength, but since getting older, I’ve only met people who wind up directly over head and swing with both hands on the base. They all say it’s easier to be accurate that way because you aren’t moving the maul side to side, but since it takes so much more strength I can’t get it to work. Glad I learned to be accurate this way - even if the only use for it I have anymore is showing up my boyfriend at carnival hammer games lol!

[fentontuck]

Grampa taught me how to split wood when i was about eight, always loved it.

[Antrieb]

Look up the tire technique it works great. I load up my old large tire with 4-6 logs and just start splitting. The tire holds the splits together so I don't have to bend over and pick then up. Really saves a lot of time when you are splitting multiple cords of firewood. Oh, and make sure to wear gloves and take off any wedding bands before you go out for a day of splitting!

[TehAdrenalinePickle]

Excellent video Brett; though I thought you should know this one trick I learned to really speed the process along. If you wrap your log of choice with a tight bungee-cord; the log, or more often: it's pieces, will stay bundled together, allowing you to further chop it up into more pieces if necessary. If you broke it up enough; the wood's already bundled up for you to carry off!

[GuyverZ]

I noticed you're placing the rounds in the middle of the stump. This isn't bad necessarily but for anyone watching this who hasn't split their own wood before placing the round on the far side (the one farthest from you) of the stump is much safer. If you miss the axe/maul be more likely strike the stump and not you or the ground.

[redsavior]

Hey ladies split wood too! Technique over brute strength. Full body effort!

[beckerqueiroz]

I see what you did there. A favorite workout of Teddy Roosevelt's!

[eduardpopa]

Thanks for the video man! now i hope that my back wont hurt anymore. I'm 15 and cutting wood is my greatest joy, cant wait for the next autumn when it gets cold so i can cut more

[timlebsack]

Did this bring back memories.  The old man bought a hydraulic wood splitter a month after I moved across the state to get an education. 

[michedmck]

I have found that in order to prevent the axe or maul from passing by the log base and coming out towards me, I prefer to focus on steering the blade to the base, instead of the top of the piece I'm chopping. Obviously an accurate strike is important, but too much focus on the impact position sometimes allows the axe slip by short of the base, and come out towards me. Visualising the blade hitting the base helps keep things from getting out of shape.
Of course, a sideways glancing blow can also send the axe past the base. Best to wear safety boots! My 2c.

[DorianF]

Starting to look pretty stacked Brett, that kettlebell is doing you some good. (Wood splitting probably doesn't hurt in that department either) keep it up.

[drewalmy]

Lol, "The magic of editing" made me laugh!