Work gloves Workboots (preferably steel-toe) Safety glasses (optional, but recommended)
If you choose a thick piece of wood, look for one that is knotty, as these will be more resistant to the force of your axe and last longest as a chopping block. Elm wood has a grain to it that makes it naturally split resistant. If an elmwood chopping block is available to you, you should take advantage of it. [1] X Research source A recycled tire around the top of your chopping block can stabilize pieces of wood that don’t balance well on your chopping block. [2] X Research source A chopping block should always have yield; chopping on a hard surface can do damage to your axe or, in the case of a dangerous deflection, yourself.
It is important that you keep your legs spread shoulder-width apart. Poorly balanced wood or irregular grain/knots in the wood can cause your axe to hit a glancing blow. Keeping your legs shoulder-width apart keeps you safest from landing your axe on your foot or toes.
Checks, or small cracks already in your wood, are ideal places for you to land an axe blow. The easiest wood to split will be smooth-grained, with the lines of the wood looking consistent and regular
Another acceptable technique is to bring your axe straight overhead and down on your piece of wood.
Depending on the thickness and knottiness of your wood, you may have to repeat your strike one or more times before the wood is split.
Some especially large or difficult pieces of wood may require more than one wedge.
This should drive the wedge more deeply into the piece of wood, causing the cut to turn into a crack or the crack that was already there to deepen. You may need to swing your hammer multiple times to drive the wedge deeper into the wood.
Non-loose clothing Safety glasses Work Gloves
