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Do any of you chop wood for excercise?
- Thread starter Francisp
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I used to chop and saw for exercise when I had a girlfriend who owned a place with a wood burning fireplace. That exercise paid off in many ways!
I had a pretty plain hardware store axe and 36" bowsaw. Also a maul and wedges for splitting. When I upgraded to a Gransfors Bruks double bit felling axe (with the longer handle option), it made a HUGE difference. www.gransfors.com . I now own 7 or 8 GB products.
I tried to work on my aim and on smoothing out my chopping and sawing motions. I thought I was doing fairly well until I met a friend who grew up in a house in rural Wisconsin that was heated with wood. His father didn't believe in chainsaws for routine work. He and his brother are so beautifully efficient in their chopping and sawing that it is hard to describe. A Southern California boy like me, who was still skindiving and body surfing during the winter, just can't develop that kind of technique. If you can find someone like that who really knows what he's doing, offer to come over and process some wood for him in exchange for training. It will be good exercise and you'll improve your efficiency a great deal.
I had a pretty plain hardware store axe and 36" bowsaw. Also a maul and wedges for splitting. When I upgraded to a Gransfors Bruks double bit felling axe (with the longer handle option), it made a HUGE difference. www.gransfors.com . I now own 7 or 8 GB products.
I tried to work on my aim and on smoothing out my chopping and sawing motions. I thought I was doing fairly well until I met a friend who grew up in a house in rural Wisconsin that was heated with wood. His father didn't believe in chainsaws for routine work. He and his brother are so beautifully efficient in their chopping and sawing that it is hard to describe. A Southern California boy like me, who was still skindiving and body surfing during the winter, just can't develop that kind of technique. If you can find someone like that who really knows what he's doing, offer to come over and process some wood for him in exchange for training. It will be good exercise and you'll improve your efficiency a great deal.
I clear fallen trees off local trails for exercise and fun. It's too far to carry a chainsaw and it's much safer dropping leaners with an axe.
I use a 4 1/2lb Hults or a 3lb Iltis. I can't wait to get a big Gransfors. Some of the stuff is just too big and seasoned for the lighter Gransfors.
You just go slow, easy and careful, making each swing count. You soon get into good chopping style - but it's hard on the muscles for old guys like me at first. A few weeks of daily chopping and you can go for hours. It's hard work and good exercise!
I use a 4 1/2lb Hults or a 3lb Iltis. I can't wait to get a big Gransfors. Some of the stuff is just too big and seasoned for the lighter Gransfors.
You just go slow, easy and careful, making each swing count. You soon get into good chopping style - but it's hard on the muscles for old guys like me at first. A few weeks of daily chopping and you can go for hours. It's hard work and good exercise!
Cliff Stamp
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Most people when they say they chop wood for exercise mean splitting wood, which while still fairly dangerous is far easier than actually felling the trees to begin with. I would not recommend cutting trees down as a way to exercise because it is very dangerous, and well, kind of wasteful.
That being said, if it is something you want to do, start on the softest wood you can, and stick to trees than you can manhandle (control where they fall by pushing them), until you are very confident in getting them to fall the way you want to. I would also strongly agree with the above post in getting some instruction from an experienced individual if possible.
-Cliff
That being said, if it is something you want to do, start on the softest wood you can, and stick to trees than you can manhandle (control where they fall by pushing them), until you are very confident in getting them to fall the way you want to. I would also strongly agree with the above post in getting some instruction from an experienced individual if possible.
-Cliff
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Cliff's point about the risks in felling is a good one. Most of my "exercise chopping" was on horizontal logs. When I was looking for some exercise and chopping practice instead of efficiency, I would use an axe to cut logs for the fireplace. My saw would have been far more efficient and wasted less wood, but sometimes I just felt like doing some chopping. I would sweep up the chips and burn them, so that wood wasn't totally wasted.
Chopping horizontal logs may not present the risk of a felled tree falling on you, but you have to be VERY careful about how you position the wood and your feet. I would try to remember to wear my steel toe work boots too.
Chopping horizontal logs may not present the risk of a felled tree falling on you, but you have to be VERY careful about how you position the wood and your feet. I would try to remember to wear my steel toe work boots too.
Good points!
Sometimes I forget what I've mentioned on this forum as opposed to the "other knife place".
I do lots of clearing on local trails. There I'm clearing dead timber so there's no waste. I just stack it so that it can be dragged down the beach to burn - or left to make homes for critturs. It's no real issue here chopping down hardwoods either since stuff like alder grows back fast. Other than to make or clear a trail though - or build something - why mess the place up?
Caulked boots are a great idea, especially the steel toed kind. Slipping with a sharp axe is no fun.
Most people who have got hurt around here were cutting small alders. It's easy to think of an 8" alder as no big deal - but if they are leaning then they have a great tendency to split up the middle and spring out. I had one split to the top of the tree, by being careless and not putting in side cuts: it went with a bang like a rifle shot. I've been pretty careful ever since.
Clearing leaning trees and hangups is learned skill and a study in care. Unfortunately one of the first few you learn on is likely to get you, so learning is a very hazardous process, even with very small trees. I've removed a lot but I treat every one as if it's the one that is finally going to get me. The reason that I am prepared to chance the hazard is because I can envision someone who knows a little less trying to drop the tree with a chainsaw. Going slowly with an axe gives much more warning of stuff likely to happen. You hear the tree taking the strain of the cut, and can even feel it. You're better positioned with a 36" axe too.
There's sure lots to learn about axes, chopping and dropping trees. I can see where we need a whole bunch of threads for discussion.
Sometimes I forget what I've mentioned on this forum as opposed to the "other knife place".
I do lots of clearing on local trails. There I'm clearing dead timber so there's no waste. I just stack it so that it can be dragged down the beach to burn - or left to make homes for critturs. It's no real issue here chopping down hardwoods either since stuff like alder grows back fast. Other than to make or clear a trail though - or build something - why mess the place up?
Caulked boots are a great idea, especially the steel toed kind. Slipping with a sharp axe is no fun.
Most people who have got hurt around here were cutting small alders. It's easy to think of an 8" alder as no big deal - but if they are leaning then they have a great tendency to split up the middle and spring out. I had one split to the top of the tree, by being careless and not putting in side cuts: it went with a bang like a rifle shot. I've been pretty careful ever since.
Clearing leaning trees and hangups is learned skill and a study in care. Unfortunately one of the first few you learn on is likely to get you, so learning is a very hazardous process, even with very small trees. I've removed a lot but I treat every one as if it's the one that is finally going to get me. The reason that I am prepared to chance the hazard is because I can envision someone who knows a little less trying to drop the tree with a chainsaw. Going slowly with an axe gives much more warning of stuff likely to happen. You hear the tree taking the strain of the cut, and can even feel it. You're better positioned with a 36" axe too.
There's sure lots to learn about axes, chopping and dropping trees. I can see where we need a whole bunch of threads for discussion.
I remember reading years ago that Ali also chopped for exercise.Cliff Stamp
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Besides the boots, it would also be an idea to wear some mail. Its sounds a bit overkill, but you can easily shear through the bone with even a light glance with a decent axe. You can make a simple wrap around piece of mail, with some decent wire netting. Just check it with an older axe to get a feel for its cut resistance.
One of the biggest problems with glances is going too fast, or working with an axe that is too thick and you are cutting on too low of an angle. In the beginning you should be very slow, moving hit by hit. Make sure your footing is very secure and the wood will take the stress of being hit. I would also stay well clear of trees that are not vertical for a long time.
As Jimbo noted, trees that are leaning are under great stress and much care has to be taken when dealing with them. You can check this yourself by cutting some small saplings with a small knife while bending them wither your other hand. You will note the rather extreme levels of penetration as well as how violent the cuts can be induced to run.
Felling problematic trees for exercise to build strength and endurance, I would put on par with running from the Bulls in spain to increase your 100 m sprint. It will work, but it is not trivial to do without danger, and even those experienced and skilled get seriously injured and even killed every year. There are far safer ways to get healthier. Of course vertical clean wood is much easier to fell and much safer, but it is not trivial for a novice to always pick out the safe trees.
I would be interested in some threads along those lines Jimbo, there is little discussion about axe use on the net now. The next time you are cutting once of the leaners it would be very nice if you took some shots and outlined the process.
-Cliff
One of the biggest problems with glances is going too fast, or working with an axe that is too thick and you are cutting on too low of an angle. In the beginning you should be very slow, moving hit by hit. Make sure your footing is very secure and the wood will take the stress of being hit. I would also stay well clear of trees that are not vertical for a long time.
As Jimbo noted, trees that are leaning are under great stress and much care has to be taken when dealing with them. You can check this yourself by cutting some small saplings with a small knife while bending them wither your other hand. You will note the rather extreme levels of penetration as well as how violent the cuts can be induced to run.
Felling problematic trees for exercise to build strength and endurance, I would put on par with running from the Bulls in spain to increase your 100 m sprint. It will work, but it is not trivial to do without danger, and even those experienced and skilled get seriously injured and even killed every year. There are far safer ways to get healthier. Of course vertical clean wood is much easier to fell and much safer, but it is not trivial for a novice to always pick out the safe trees.
I would be interested in some threads along those lines Jimbo, there is little discussion about axe use on the net now. The next time you are cutting once of the leaners it would be very nice if you took some shots and outlined the process.
-Cliff
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2001
- Messages
- 1,385
When I got up at 4 AM this morning for my usual 2 hr pre-dawn workout (yeah right! Actually, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep), ESPN2's Body Shaping was running a show filmed at a high-end dude ranch/spa in Wyoming. One of the big muscle men was demonstrating how to "chop" with an "axe" for exercise. Of course he was actually "splitting" with a "maul", but why be picky. One of the really hot workout babes also took a couple swings at the block, but with no wood on it. She needs some work on her form and I think I'll e-mail an offer to help....