A couple years ago I found a vintage Estwing Leather Sportsman’s Axe at an antique store. It’s been a handy addition to the camp box ever since.
Today I found this video showing how they’re made (and they don’t look like they’ve changed much in the intervening years). The process is pretty neat to see.
This is one of my favorites. How to chop firewood without messing around. Quick. Easy. Done.
It looks like he’s using a Fiskars X25 splitting axe. That axe is available for only $40 on Amazon. Sheesh. That’s a deal. It’s available in varying lengths to accommodate different user heights. Check the Fiskars link for details (same link as above).
The log chain is a custom tool made from hardware store components.
One tip from the video’s German uploader: always split across the center of the log. Have another look at the video. He always strikes the log on the side that’s furthest away from him (to get clean wedges without chopping into the chain).
Happy splitting!
