Splitting Firewood Safely & Efficiently with a Maul

[@jerpetraitis6769]

You are aptly nicknamed! I have been splitting wood since I was a young boy and feel liked I learned much. All of your videos are excellent and very informative. Thank you for taking the time to produce such good content and to pass on a lifetime of knowledge to the next generation. So much of this knowledge would just be lost without your deliberate choice. God Bless!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Thank you, Jer, for such a kind and beautifully worded comment. Like you, I have been splitting firewood since my younger years and learned bit by bit, some on my own and much from others, that such an apparently simple chore has its own special secrets that make it easier and safer. Thank you again! Vince

[@SmallGameHunter]

11:35 your choice of PPE is better than most tutorials out there. Marines steel toed boots, leather gloves, hard hat with face shield, even your stance and the way you conserve energy by using the momentum of the axe say a lot about you. It always fascinated me to see how people living and working with the land. What would the steps be for a younger person to live that lifestyle. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've learnt a bunch watching this video. Thanks again.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Thank you for your comments, and I am glad that you appreciated the emphasis on safety. Concern for safety is for real. It isn't an abstract theoretical concept. I know far too many people maimed for life and know of several others who have died from accidents involving forestry related work, all preventable when looked at after the fact. The lifestyle that we lead and that interests you is an eclectic mix that takes advantage of services and technologies offered by those who do those things efficiently, and we decrease our need for those and other services by supplementing what we can pleasantly and easily provide. For example, our house in northern Maine is low tech with no solar or wind technology. It is, however, super-insulated which allows us to heat it 100% with a relatively small amount of firewood from our 200+ acre working forest. Everything else in the house runs off the public utility electrical grid with the result that our monthly electric bill averages around $40.00. First step in environmental protection is conservation, getting more out of what you have instead of searching for and exploiting additional resources! Another example is the low impact farm tractor system of logging that we employ that produces a 20 to 22 ton truckload of timber from an average of one-gallon of chainsaw gas, two-quarts of recycled bar and chain oil, and five-gallons of diesel fuel. And our forest is exponentially healthier with more timber than when I acquired it as a young man 46 years ago. If I knew a bit more about where and how you live and what opportunities you have to engage in the kind of activities illustrated in my small number of videos, I might be able to better address your question. Just let me know. In the meantime, be safe in the woods! Vince

[@SmallGameHunter]

@@bombadiltreefarms314 Thank you Vince for the insightful reply. Your philosophy of conservation by using the existing resource instead of searching for and exploiting additional ones is what applied to me most. Portland Oregon is where I live. As for 'how', I earn my living working at a well-known factory. On my days off, I learn how to use hand tools in my new shed which i built last year. Lately, I've found myself interested in carving green woods. Spoons and such which required the use of axe and splitting techniques. That's how I ran across your videos. What i'm curious about is how did the 46-years-ago-Vince start his journey? Did you work a 9-5 like most? If so, how would you guide someone for a smooth transition to full time homesteading? Thanks again for sharing your experiences and detailed examples. I really appreciate it. God bless, Phuc

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

@@SmallGameHunter Wow, looks like we have a lot to talk about. Please email me at [e-mail] and from there we can communicate in more detail. Looking forward to it. Vince

[@JorgePetraglia2009]

I just found you several years a little too late. More than 15 years ago I use yo chop a lot of fire wood for my two cars garage that was heated by a wood stove I installed there. The logs were recycled from death trees and heavy pruning done by the hydro electric company in the city of Toronto. A lot of people don't use their fire places simply because already chopped wood is too expensive. I use to work maintenance in rental places and I owned a pick-up truck that made everything more convenient. I would love to have that stove where I live now;chopping wood is the best exercise ever for almost anybody,even for a 72 years old like myself. Your videos are very interesting and informative and the way you explain subjects is very good and to the point. I'm sure that the comment on how boring you are comes from someone who spend too much time playing with his phone and expects instant entertainment. By the way : this guy made smile as well. Keep the good videos coming amigo,you are good. Greetings from Toronto.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Jorge, you point out something that is too often missed, that folks living in cities as huge as Toronto frequently have access to free firewood if they are willing to cut and split it themselves. That is one terrific opportunity for the great exercise and for the multiple environmental benefits it offers. And for old guys like you and me, it has the added benefit of embarrassing into action sedentary guys and gals half our age and hopefully sharing that special self-sufficient satisfaction with them. Thanks! Vince

[@jonschuberth5703]

5:30 Awesome! I'm still pretty new to splitting so seeing this is definitely helpful, thanks!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Jon, thanks for your comment, enjoy the exercise (there is an old saying that firewood warms you twice, once when you split it and again when you burn it), and be safe! Vince

[@Bushkangaroo59.]

Still your in good shape!

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Thanks, but I bluff it well! Vince

[@clydegray9714]

Looked in the mirror at 20. I saw the face nature gave me. Turning 60 soon. Took another look. I carved that myself.. Decent and hard working like yourself has rendered, walking up right with no shame. No complaints

[@ryanbrowne4374]

Thanks Vince, nice video. I'd suggest to other viewers that mushroomed wedges like that should be ground down to remove the pieces that can chip off. Safety glasses are great advice, but those chips have been known to go through a pair of jeans and cause severe bleeding. Maintaining them on a grinder makes them much safer.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Motown, You are absolutely correct. As a wedge's head starts to deform, and long before it gets as mushroomed as mine, the edges should be ground back to normal. That can be done with a file, hand held angle grinder, or pedestal/bench-top grinder. The one shown in my video is beyond repair by those means and would first need its mushroomed edges cut off with an oxyacetylene torch, something I did subsequent to producing my video. I had been saving that wedge as an illustration and may have given viewers the wrong idea. Thank you for pointing this out. NO ONE SHOULD EVER ALLOW A SPLITTING WEDGE TO REACH THE CONDITION SHOWN IN MY VIDEO! Thanks again, Vince

[@jerrylittle8922]

New sub to your channel. I like the kubota tractor you use for logging. Nice set up. Unbeknowns to me you have a home in Ga. as well. Im in South Ga. 👍

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Jerry. Thanks for your comment above. Our Georgia home and timberland are in northwest Georgia not far from the Alabama border. Vince

[@jerrylittle8922]

Bombadil Tree Farms Winter storm iin forcast .

[@jerrylittle8922]

Bombadil Tree Farms Merry Christmas to you and family.

[@brentfaulkner1980]

Great video! What is the length of the wood handled maul?

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Hi Brent. That handle, including its section within the maul's steel head, measures 26.5 inches which is about 67 centimeters. I'm a bit shy of 6-feet tall (180 centimeters) and wear a 35-inch (89 centimeters) inseam trouser. That handle length is perfect for me, may or may not be ideal for somebody who is taller, and might be a bit too long for somebody much shorter. Be safe! Vince

[@waynejohnson9855]

the chunk you split with the wedge would have split easily from the other end.

[@bombadiltreefarms314]

Darn! If it wasn't already split and burned I'd check to see if you are right! You do bring up a great point, Wayne, and that is that a tough to split block of wood often splits easier if flipped over and struck from the opposite side. Thanks! Vince