Fundamentals of Axemanship part 6: Difficult & Dangerous Cuts

[@seff2318]

In response to your question on the facebook page: I like the way you approached ambidextrous striking. Keeping your leg out as if your were felling is bombproof. Also keeping your hand higher up on the handle was a great point. I found no issue with any of the advice you gave. Excellent video bud :)

[@SurvivalSherpa]

Around the 13:00 mark is how I hit my boot last summer. Trimming a knot off for the log cabin and not paying attention almost got me. Thanks for the series you've put together, Ben.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

yeah i saw that accident, really made me think more about holding a log with a foot. Scary stuff. It seems a lot of people have cut themselves this way, Dudley Cook included if i am not mistaken

[@elemental4rce]

I will try and do a response video with a similar setup to this, probably not deemed overly safe but it'll be my take on it.

[@bengg6772]

thank you ! Your video are really good. And focused on real important stuff. Thank you for all of thoses safety and good approches.

[@bfdadventure]

Once again a proper video with Murphy’s law principle in mind.

[@scottishcottagerenovation]

Great video Ben.

[@sooziewho]

;-)

[@elemental4rce]

thinking about it, i actually do similar cuts all the time whilst coppicing, we often get trees land across streams that are too big to move by hand and i don't like using a chainsaw above chest height if i can avoid it let alone standing across a ditch with my legs apart so i do it with an axe. If in the same scenario as you're showing in this video on the first log (suspended around knee height) A prime example of where i feel a lighter 2-3lb axe has an advantage, i would make a top notch similar to yours then drive a finishing cut at 45 degrees and then stand to the side and swing up and and you should (log size dependant) cleanly cut through and job done. Not sure if i've managed to explain this how i wanted but as said i will try and do a response video with the same setup. wouldn't advise it to a beginner, you really need to know your axe and abilities for dangerous upward swings.

[@GiantPinhead]

Excellent and important. Thx!

[@tingting4980]

Do a V cut with two cuts on bottom before you start cutting top V. It will help tree either go up or down depending on how gravity is working on it.

[@WrongIsThis]

Very nice

[@jamesnelson1443]

When getting to bottom of a cut like this, finish with a saw! Avoiding the axe breaking through very safe!

[@yoman2854]

Do you own or rent the woodland? I'm interested in axemanship, but don't have any trees to practice on...

[@TheScrawnyLumberjack]

What about using an axe with a longer handle? A 36 inch handle will usually have the head strike the dirt before hitting me. This is in regards to the first example.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

I think when cutting at this height you would still end up with an axe to the foot

[@ervintaylor6508]

Ben do you recall the axe you are using in this video

[@benscottwoodchopper]

An old english made brades

[@redcanoe14]

What part of England are you from? I was born and lived in Yorkshire for many years and spent a lot of time with my dad managing and improving woodland for Yorkshire Naturalists Trust.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Actually from Scotland, I haven't really got the accent though. Never been to Yorkshire but it does seem like a nice area

[@redcanoe14]

@@benscottwoodchopper Sorry...I should have asked where you live now.

[@FearNoSteel]

Better camera, NICE!

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Yeah, editing software that actually works too, no expense spared!

[@FearNoSteel]

@@benscottwoodchopper glad to see it man, you got some great content, it deserves the higher production quality. Also should help get you more Subs and more haters xD

[@clarencerswann1360]

Great video, Ben! I wish I had taken some video of the work I did yesterday, the tree I felled was got hung up in another tree in the incline of a hill, so I had to do all of my bucking cuts with the log about waist height, then one final bucking cut about face level. It probably doesn't sound safe, and it wasn't (though, so is driving a motor vehicle), but I was and am confident in my ability to use an ax that I was able to execute the task effectively, and of course without injury. Here are the photo documentation I took: imgur.com/a/D6GvGVL Often, choking up on the handle and using light half-swings is overlooked. They can be quite useful, safe and effective. Also, I like the idea of alternating foot placement for bucking smaller diameter logs to keep them from moving around from each strike. It seems very intuitive and natural. I will try to employ this technique in the future as my knee gets stronger. In the interim, I'll either try to back it with another log, or wedge it in place with some other timber. I believe that my mistake last week was due to only using my left foot to hold the log because the impacts felt uncomfortable on my recovering (right side) knee. Mere pocket change compared to a potential blunt trauma or severe laceration. Experience and confidence doesn't mean a damn thing when accidents happen.