Collecting Firewood:
-Cutting 10” red maple with a vintage 4’ Sandvik Bow Saw
-Demonstrating a modified flick-technique for splitting wood with a double-bitted axe
The “flick technique” is an old-timer’s trick where you twist your wrist the second that the bit of your axe contacts the wood.
By twisting or flicking your wrist, the back weight of the axe head overcomes the downward force of the axe. Instead of your bit following through into the mud, the energy is transferred in the form of a lever, thus flinging the wood apart without losing control of your axe.
This technique is best performed with a double-bitted axe because of the balance and weight behind the eye, however it can be done with a well-balanced single-bitted axe.
In this video I have demonstrated a modified version of the flick technique. Rather than keeping my axe vertical up to the point of impact, I begin by angling my axe 10-20 degrees off. I maintain this angle until I contact the wood, in which I twist my wrist to make the wood fly apart. Typically you would swing fast enough (generating enough force) that you can flick from zero degrees. However, light swings do not have enough velocity to overcome this angle. By swinging lightly (using 60-70% of your power) and offsetting your angle, you can easily modify this technique.
