My father's axe

Mr. Burnham, this is yours if you want to come get it, I'm in Show Low, AZ. Bit of a drive I know... IMG_20231008_085633637_HDR.jpg

It looks a bit grubby but seems to be in perfect working order. Haven't tried to start it in the cold, but there's not much could be wrong with it.

Also, very nice axe! I'd have my grandfather's, but instead I got a junkie uncle. Still, having a connection to those we come from is a truly blessed thing.
 
I have some Axes from my Grandfathers back home in New Zealand like yours they are felling Axes .Felling Axes have more flexable handles to absorbe the shock of each blow,back home the ideal Axe handle length is the length of your inseam.

That might also be the length of your arm too? I dont know.
 
Burn, that is really neat that you have that from your pop. Fiona, I saw the chair too, lol. It is beautiful Burn. Reminds me of my moms dining room chairs.
 
Nice axe.

Ive posted picture before on here. I have my grandfathers old axe that I found in my fathers garage years ago.

My Grandfather on my mothers side was an axeman. He worked mostly up in Cumbria and North Yorkshire before the second world war. My uncle has the old head and keeps threatening to hand them down to me. Sadly I live in another country now and don't get to see those members of the family that regularly.
 
Kaveman said:
Mr. Burnham, this is yours if you want to come get it, I'm in Show Low, AZ. Bit of a drive I know...View attachment 133885

It looks a bit grubby but seems to be in perfect working order. Haven't tried to start it in the cold, but there's not much could be wrong with it.

Also, very nice axe! I'd have my grandfather's, but instead I got a junkie uncle. Still, having a connection to those we come from is a truly blessed thing.
Click to expand...
I like the show low area, have a friend who retired there (Tom, backhoe guy). I would like to travel the coast again some time, hopefully visiting tree and saw heads along the way…

I may have already asked this but are you Caveman Faller on YT?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #34
Kaveman said:
Mr. Burnham, this is yours if you want to come get it, I'm in Show Low, AZ. Bit of a drive I know...View attachment 133885

It looks a bit grubby but seems to be in perfect working order. Haven't tried to start it in the cold, but there's not much could be wrong with it.

Also, very nice axe! I'd have my grandfather's, but instead I got a junkie uncle. Still, having a connection to those we come from is a truly blessed thing.
Click to expand...
That's a generous offer, but you are right, it is a bit of a drive.

Thanks, but I reckon I'll pass.

Please don't get together with @davidwyby and send me a second splitter, also postage due :D.
 
davidwyby said:
I like the show low area, have a friend who retired there (Tom, backhoe guy). I would like to travel the coast again some time, hopefully visiting tree and saw heads along the way…

I may have already asked this but are you Caveman Faller on YT?
Click to expand...
You've mentioned your friend Tom before, and there's a real high chance that he and my wife know each other, at least in passing. My beloved works at the Showlow O'Reilly Auto parts, she meets everyone. If I come off my windy ridge, it's for trees.

No, I would never spell my name with that most redundant of letter, "C". Anywhere "C" is used, either "K" or "S" is doing the work. Hell, sometimes it's even "Q". My channel on YouTube is Kaveman,The Woodbutcher. There's a few unwatchable timelapses, and a short or two of me playing with my 500i. I've been meaning to make a few gear/equipment reviews, but I've a shortfall of time, and the will to make time.
 
I dig the title of that axe book. The photo on rear cover is rad too, that'd be sweet to check out that shop

 
Kaveman said:
You've mentioned your friend Tom before, and there's a real high chance that he and my wife know each other, at least in passing. My beloved works at the Showlow O'Reilly Auto parts, she meets everyone. If I come off my windy ridge, it's for trees.

No, I would never spell my name with that most redundant of letter, "C". Anywhere "C" is used, either "K" or "S" is doing the work. Hell, sometimes it's even "Q". My channel on YouTube is Kaveman,The Woodbutcher. There's a few unwatchable timelapses, and a short or two of me playing with my 500i. I've been meaning to make a few gear/equipment reviews, but I've a shortfall of time, and the will to make time.
Click to expand...
He’d be in there. Has a ratty ‘55
 
I think it depends on what exactly you're doing. I too used to hate splitting by hand, but with this itty bitty insert I've found it more than adequate. The box isn't deep, but it's wide enough for a full 18" log to fit just fine. But the problem is that they tend to roll out when you open the door, and the airflow isn't the best. If i cut them short, say 10" they fit in straight so they don't roll out, and the airflow wicks the fire in thru the gaps where it rolls up the back and then hits the secondary air where it really burns well. So with little short rounds hand splitting isn't that bad.

I also took a monster maul i had and cut the handle off and welded on a really really long one with some pipe. Like unusably long, i think i started at 6 feet. Slowly after using it for awhile i kept trimming it back, and what it left me with is a really long handled heavy maul, which sounds horrible. But since my back hasn't been the best since chemo bending over and picking stuff up is misery, and bending over while swinging a shorter handle isn't good either. The long handle allows me to stand up straight and split stuff directly on the ground (frozen or on gravel so it doesn't sink as much), the regular short handle requires bending over much more so you don't hit your feet (since normal people split on top another log as an anvil, but that means picking it up). I lift the handle up vertically to spread my hands, swing it in a circle to lift it up overhead and sliding my hands together, and then gently guide it down for my stroke, basically doing a wierd round the world swing to minimize effort. With the long handle and heavy head the short rounds usually don't put up a fight at all, if they do adding a little umpf makes them explode. I'm not bending over picking anything up until it's small, at most i simply have to tip pieces back on the cut so i can split it smaller, and then pick it up when it's all done so there's as little strain on my back as possible.

My buddy next door has an awesome splitter we built, 4 way wedge, flips vertical, whole 9 yards.... but i haven't borrowed it yet. I'm almost convinced with how I'm cutting my logs and my comically long handle I'm spending less effort simply hand splitting on the ground than i would be picking stuff up to place it on the splitter (or on another log). I am probably going to make a lighter head one too, the monster maul is very heavy so it does wear you out after awhile, and it works so well that it seems overkill on a lot of logs, often splitting them with such force you have to go chase them down. A regular sized maul head with a long handle would be light enough to barely require any effort to swing, and the heavy one could be used on the tougher pieces and to bust apart the first few splits on the big rounds. It's a wierd and different way to do things and required some experimentation to get just right, but I've found for me at least that it works beautifully with my physical limitations and wood requirements.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #41
stikine said:
The reason for a shorter handle has a lot to do with accuracy. Much harder to be accurate with a handle that's too long. I'm 6 feet and a 32 feels perfect for me and meets the arm length rule for me. Chopping wise.

I could see splitting might be a bit different and maybe a longer handle could be more comfortable? I don't split much with axes.
Click to expand...
I happened across a section in the One Moving Part manual that indicates that for splitting, a handle of 42 inches is good, with a 5-and-a-half-pound head hung on it.

I have split some maple with this axe, and I think I'll keep it as is. I am having no trouble with accurate swings. It splits good, though it's lighter than recommended. But that is part of why I started using it in the first place.

I'm sure I'll still need the 6-pound maul for some things, but I'm liking the axe :).
 
Flatten a side of a chopping block (round of wood) for the new top, and a parellel side for the new bottom. The easy to stick-into end-grain will now be on the side. When you whip through the round being split, the ax will hit face-grain, not end grain.

Maybe a scrap of plywood atop your existing round would allow less penetration/ sticking.



I would still look for a gas- or electric-powered splitter. It will last you as long as you can need it. Save your body. $0.02
 
Sean, ive tried that a few times. In fact, the splitting block by the house is as you describe. Noticing a lot of bounce. If a piece doesn't split, it sticks to the axe and comes up 8 inches off the block. Kinda odd. Maybe that was an evergreen desert rubber tree, idk
 
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