Reinventing the Axe 217
Nerval's Lobster (2598977) writes "The axe has been with us for thousands of years, with its design changing very little during that time. After all, how much can you really alter a basic blade-and-handle? Well, Finnish inventor Heikki Karna has tried to change it a whole lot, with a new, oddly-shaped axe that he claims is a whole lot safer because it transfers a percentage of downward force into rotational energy, cutting down on deflections. 'The Vipukirves [as the axe is called] still has a sharpened blade at the end, but it has a projection coming off the side that shifts the center of gravity away from the middle. At the point of impact, the edge is driven into the wood and slows down, but the kinetic energy contained in the 1.9 kilogram axe head continues down and to the side (because of the odd center of gravity),' is how Geek.com describes the design. 'The rotational energy actually pushes the wood apart like a lever.' The question is, will everyone pick up on this new way of doing things?"
Neat (Score:5, Insightful)
This is really damn clever. Few thoughts though:
- My wrists hurt just watching this guy. I gotta imagine some of that rotational force is transferring into the wrist and elbow, which can’t be good over the long term
- That tire: that's brilliant.
- That price: that's insane.
The question is, will everyone pick up on this new way of doing things?
The new way of doing things is called a log splitter. You can get one pretty cheap now (especially if you can do with electric), and while it doesn't have that same rustic appeal, it works really damn well. Personally splitting and stacking was my chore as a kid (I'd guess I’ve split at least 60 cord in my lifetime), and I'm not planning to ever split a log by hand again.
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Also the video shows them splitting some very easy to split wood.
Re:Neat (Score:5, Informative)
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I was wondering about that. If you've got well-seasoned, knot-free, straight logs it splits easily enough with a plain old maul. This may have an advantage over that, but it seems like trying to improve on a situation that's already good enough.
As the GP says, if you're splitting by hand, you're already choosing to do a job by hand that really can be efficiently outsourced to a machine. (And given the high price of this axe, one that's not necessarily all that much more expensive.) The thwack of splitting c
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never mind the fact that some people would pay money for a gym membership in order to use a machine that works the same muscle groups. :) Domain dependency i tells you.
Re:Neat (Score:5, Informative)
I was wondering about that. If you've got well-seasoned, knot-free, straight logs it splits easily enough with a plain old maul. This may have an advantage over that, but it seems like trying to improve on a situation that's already good enough.
As the GP says, if you're splitting by hand, you're already choosing to do a job by hand that really can be efficiently outsourced to a machine. (And given the high price of this axe, one that's not necessarily all that much more expensive.) The thwack of splitting can be quite cheerful; you feel like you've accomplished something.
I'd like to see it applied to some of the crap I've split in my time, where it takes a dozen carefully-placed whacks to get it to go (and sometimes, not even then). That's not fun.
I had a similar question. When I was first taught to use a maul, I was taught to choose a maul with a handle that puts the kinetic energy slightly off centre from the blade tip -- and if the handle ends up true, to adjust my swing so that at the point of contact, angular momentum is slightly to the side.
I don't see that this really adds anything other than changing the swing technique needed to use it to an even curve with a straight grip instead of a twist grip -- and it seems to me that this could be a bit jarring on your wrists as the momentum from the design overcomes the way you're holding the axe.
Wouldn't it be better just to learn how to swing a maul efficiently?
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Still think this is a solution in search of a problem. And that it costs 2-3 times as much? ouch.
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Almost 7 times as much.
Re:Neat (Score:4)
Yup. I'd like to see it used on a piece of Ironbark - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I... [wikipedia.org]
Hint: it's not the bark that feels like it's made of iron. There are some eucalyptus species with nice, straight grain, but many don't. You can expend a great deal of energy splitting ironbark, or you can use a chainsaw. Petrol and electric-powered logsplitters are also an option.
My father recalls being put on tree-felling duty in far north Queensland after returning from WWII, along with many others still in the services, while waiting for their discharge. They were dropping ironbarks to cut up and use as railway sleepers. He told me he doesn't feel the need to chop wood *ever* again.
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I haven't used a log splitter in at least 10 years, but last time I did, it was considerably slower than doing it by hand. It saved a hell of a lot of energy, but it just wasn't very fast compared to doing it by hand with a good axe.
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Like most tools, there's a great deal of variability and options out there.
Some log splitters are painfully slow, whereas some of the better multi-stage/variable speed types probably work at about the rate I could.
Even with a slow log splitter, I'd rather hang out with a beer and feed the thing over a few hours than spend a half hour with an axe.
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Like most tools, there's a great deal of variability and options out there.
Some log splitters are painfully slow, whereas some of the better multi-stage/variable speed types probably work at about the rate I could.
Even with a slow log splitter, I'd rather hang out with a beer and feed the thing over a few hours than spend a half hour with an axe.
Axes are for chopping -- use a maul for splitting. :)
I've always found that while a splitter takes less physical effort, the time taken is about the same, minus the time spent refueling, fixing blade alignment, getting the stuck pieces out, etc.
Plus there's the odd feeling about burning fossil fuels to prepare trees for fuel use -- with me not getting much exercise out of the situation other than a sore back from leaning over to pick up the rounds and load them.
Re:Neat (Score:5, Informative)
I can't imagine the guy in this video doing the same with some choke cherry logs.
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I split quite a lot of wood, and in quite a range of types, from reasonably easy (straight grain macrocarpa) to very difficult (large old falled bluegum with twisted grain).
These days I mainly use a fiskars X27, which is a very nice splitting axe (not too heavy, fast swing, weight in the head, does not stick).
I also use a maul at about twice the weight, but mainly to releast the x27 on the rare occasions it does stick.
http://www2.fiskars.com/Gardening-and-Yard-Care/Products/Axes-and-Striking-Tools/X27-Super
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... [youtube.com]
Now that's a lawg splitta.
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The back of the blade is secure against the log, so that would minimize twisting. If it didn't this ax wouldn't work.
log splitters are slow, and more difficult to take with you into the woods.
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If you don't want to buy one, you can rent a log splitter in many areas. Moreover, as someone else pointed out, a hydraulic log splitter works with knotted up wood, not just the very easy to split wood in the example.
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Price is insane only if you think his labor is free, if you have any metalworking skills at all you can replicate this axe quickly and easily in only a few hours in the forge.
My buddy will make it for cost of materials and 2 cases of his favorite german import beer. But anyone else it would cost $300 for him to do it at his normal hourly rate.
Re:Neat (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Neat (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Neat (Score:5, Informative)
This applies even moreso to using a maul; after learning the proper technique on a splitting maul as a kid, I found I could do a couple of cords a day without it getting too heavy to swing (maul technique is different than axe technique, where you need more force and twist, less dependency on the mass of the head). Before I switched to a maul, I used to wear myself out using an axe, chopping at the wood instead of splitting it. With a maul, I could concentrate less on the force of the swing, and more on accurate placement of the head. Once you master the technique, using a heavier long-headed maul is actually much easier, as it almost always split the wood on the first drop.
GAS (Score:2)
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I *think* (IANAL) that it is legal as long as it isn't a "spare the air" day and even on those days, it is still legal to burn wood if that is your sole means of heating.
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The new way of doing things is called a log splitter. You can get one pretty cheap now (especially if you can do with electric), and while it doesn't have that same rustic appeal, it works really damn well. Personally splitting and stacking was my chore as a kid (I'd guess I’ve split at least 60 cord in my lifetime), and I'm not planning to ever split a log by hand again.
I did also, but I never hated it. I always preferred to swing the axe rather than sit hunched over a giant piston. And as a teenager, wielding an axe to chop firewood is a MUCH better stress reliever than lashing out at parents or going to school with a gun. Very therapeutic, in my opinion.
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This also isn't the first inventive axe by a long shot... though it is unique and new to me.
This is what my dad often used (though possibly some other brand): https://www.chopper1axe.com/ [chopper1axe.com]
It has rotating levers on each side of the head that swing out when the blade enters the wood, pushing it apart in both directions (as opposed to the articles push in one direction). No twist of the handle and wrist pain needed.
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This is really damn clever. Few thoughts though:
- My wrists hurt just watching this guy. I gotta imagine some of that rotational force is transferring into the wrist and elbow, which can't be good over the long term
Anyone with a modicum of hand-skill will loosen their grip at the strike-moment, alleviating rotational forces on the wrist, while still maintaining lateral control of the handle. Pretty simple.
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My wrists hurt just watching this guy. I gotta imagine some of that rotational force is transferring into the wrist and elbow
The axe site says that the user should loosen their grip upon impact to allow the axe to rotate.
Awesome (Score:2, Funny)
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When can I 3D print one at home? Surely in this era of 3D printed guns and powerful computers, this should be trivial.
Just 3D print the split logs - duh.
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My god man, that's genius. ;^)
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well you can buy "wood" filament for 3d printing http://www.3d2print.net/shop/p... [3d2print.net]
not an axe (Score:5, Informative)
Not an axe, axes are not used to split wood. That is a splitting maul, mauls and wedges are used to split wood. And that is actually probably closer to a froe than a maul.
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No, that's an axe. It has an axe handle and an axe head, and you can use it to axe-murder people. If your particular field of occupation uses the term 'axe' as some piece of obscure jargon, that's your prerogative, but it doesn't change the meaning of the word 'axe' in standard English.
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Well, sure, not is standard English. But the story is from Finland. What's the usage of the word 'axe' in Finland?
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Axe a Finn. It's late there now, they'll all be drunk.
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It's an axe.
As are splitting mauls.
FYI: There are may types of Axe.
Felling, Splitting, Adze, hatchet. Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, and so on.
More axe than maul (Score:2)
Re:not an axe (Score:5, Funny)
I dunno, I'm pretty happy with my grandfather's axe. It must be over 100 years old, and has the head replaced 5 times and the handle replaced 7 times, but it's a fine old axe.
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Umm... I have to wonder, if you replace everything about a tool over time, is it still the same tool?
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It's one of the older and more interesting fundamental problems in philosophy [wikipedia.org]. What if you have a rock band, and replace the members one by one, but then the original members re-unite to play their classic tunes, but then both bands go on tour together? What's the identity of each band? Interesting scenarios, yes?
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Umm... I have to wonder, if you replace everything about a tool over time, is it still the same tool?
Philosophy major sniping agian?
Re:not an axe (Score:4, Informative)
Let's say you have an ax. Just a cheap one, from Home Depot. On one bitter winter day, you use said ax to behead a man. Don't worry, the man was already dead. Or maybe you should worry, because you're the one who shot him.
He had been a big, twitchy guy with veiny skin stretched over swollen biceps, a tattoo of a swastika on his tongue. Teeth filed into razor-sharp fangs - you know the type. And you're chopping off his head because, even with eight bullet holes in him, you're pretty sure he's about to spring back to his feet and eat the look of terror right off your face.
On the follow-through of the last swing, though, the handle of the ax snaps in a spray of splinters. You now have a broken ax. So, after a long night of looking for a place to dump the man and his head, you take a trip into town with your ax. You go to the hardware store, explaining away the dark reddish stains on the broken handle as barbecue sauce. You walk out with a brand-new handle for your ax.
The repaired ax sits undisturbed in your garage until the spring when, on one rainy morning, you find in your kitchen a creature that appears to be a foot-long slug with a bulging egg sac on its tail. Its jaws bite one of your forks in half with what seems like very little effort. You grab your trusty ax and chop the thing into several pieces. On the last blow, however, the ax strikes a metal leg of the overturned kitchen table and chips out a notch right in the middle of the blade.
Of course, a chipped head means yet another trip to the hardware store. They sell you a brand-new head for your ax. As soon as you get home, you meet the reanimated body of the guy you beheaded earlier. He's also got a new head, stitched on with what looks like plastic weed-trimmer line, and it's wearing that unique expression of "you're the man who killed me last winter" resentment that one so rarely encounters in everyday life.
You brandish your ax. The guy takes a long look at the weapon with his squishy, rotting eyes and in a gargly voice he screams, "That's the same ax that beheaded me!"
IS HE RIGHT?
-John Dies At The End
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I'll give you a new "o" here. Let's see if it's the same after four more replacements.
woosh
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Allow me: "Who-o-o-o-sh".
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Oh, for a mod point!
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I seem to remember something about George Washington's axe (you know the one he used to chop down the cherry tree)
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It is form of a specialized axe, known as a maul. Still an axe, but only good for splitting short logs. Still, if you are busting wood for heating you would do well to have the right tool for the job.
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I'd rather have a 'Darth Maul' (double ended lightsabre)
Re:not an axe (Score:5, Funny)
Fell a tree with this. Oh, and please don't forget to make a video. Either for laughs or a Darwin Award, depends on how you perform...
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You can't fell a tree with a Mortising Axe either, but that doesn't mean it's not an axe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A... [wikipedia.org]
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It might be good for splitting wood, but not so good for splitting hairs
Wrong wood selection (Score:2, Interesting)
Sounds like someone spent all their time with nice, straight grained woods and not things with nasty interlocking grain. I've seen some woods like Eucalyptus that when hit with an axe were more likely to "peel" than split. That is the split would go around the piece instead of through it. I think this twisting action would make that worse. OTOH, having split a bunch of wood, you often apply a twisting force to open up the split, so on the right wood(s) this could be a good feature.
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Why don't they show a head-to-head comparison. Take a round, split it once. Then two guys with old & new school axes proceed to split the half rounds. A lot easier to perceive a better way.
weird axe (Score:5, Insightful)
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Been a long while since I split a lot of wood by hand. A decent log splitter is faster and safer.
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Been a long while since I split a lot of wood by hand. A decent log splitter is faster and safer.
Literally decades ago, I used to split post oak using a double bit axe. I could split this stuff faster than anybody could with a splitter, especially when it was frozen. It took one swing. There is no splitter I know that is that fast. I'd set op a line of pieces and then just walk up the line popping each. Granted, this was knot free frozen green wood (which is about the best situation you can imagine), but a splitter would have been much slower.
If you have hickory, cured or knotty hardwoods, bring on th
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I know someone who used this axe to split red oak. She loved it.
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Exactly right... and you forgot to mention the wood is frozen in the video. As far as splitting wood goes, frozen wood is basically cheating. There's nothing easier to split then Pine/Poplar that's frozen. Show him splitting some oak in June like that and I'll be impressed.
Not at that price (Score:2)
They're selling those things for close to 200 Euros, plus shipping.
The Home Depot sells splitting mauls for $30-$40.
With mass production, the prices should be similar, but not until the price comes way down would I even consider it.
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They're selling those things for close to 200 Euros, plus shipping. The Home Depot sells splitting mauls for $30-$40.
Back in High School, I used to cut and split wood to heat the house and sell for a living during the winter. I think you are right, this thing is way too expensive. Personally, give me your standard axe, hammer and wedges, skip the splitting maul. What you cannot pop with the axe, split with wedges or a powered splitter. Skip the splitting maul and this 200 Euro fad. They are not worth it, if the goal is to get the job done.
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The price of this one won't come down easily. It's almost thoroughly hand made from a man of the woods to another and comes with 10 year guarantee. Sure mass production would bring the price down but it would still be expensive. It's a high quality designer tool nevertheless. Quick searching shows that splitting mauls can go over $100 too. From the description / faq [vipukirves.fi] it's evident that a whole lot of thinking how to improve the axe experience has been put to practice.
I look forward to seeing that axe (Score:5, Funny)
in the next zombie movie.
Try Google. (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, a simple Google image search for "axe catalog" shows 42 different axe heads sold by the Shapleigh company in 1929.
So, the answer would seem to be "quite a lot."
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For splitting wood. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Good point! Also, a standard axe might be good for other uses, but less effective at splitting wood.
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This might be good for splitting wood....
I don't think it is all that good. I'm worried that this splitter will be rough on the user's wrists and forearms. This splitter might be OK, but I think your standard axe would be just as fast for a lot less money. I used to be pretty fast with a simple double bit axe way back in high school, but we where doing it for money (selling stove/fireplace wood). Usually only took one swing, and I spent most of my time setting up pieces to split. I don't think this new design would have changed that.
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This might be good for splitting wood, but there are a lot more uses for an axe. This axe wouldn't work well for most other uses.
Well, you never do know.
Axe-murdering, for example, might benefit from this innovation. I am not sure about the mechanics of axe-murdering, but I do imagine that this could be applied beneficially to the purpose with some modification of technique.
Of course, axe-murderers are probably not likely to "refine" their technique before employing it, but you never know.
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I don't think chickens would be able to use this one too well. They don't have the wrist strength for it.
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IT's awesome. You cut the neck and it causes the head to spin really fast until it hits the ground.
HOWEVER, it is only practical for level 5 or above.
The real invention: Tire to hold pieces (Score:5, Insightful)
The splitting maul is interesting but it may take some getting used to and many not catch on...
However, from the video I see that he uses an old tire to hold the round and this keeps the pieces from flying all over the place. This is actually a great idea!
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Now if only I could be a used tire to be 3D printed, I would have the perfect setup.
.
What? There are easier ways to get used tires?
Ron Popeil (Score:2)
Like the Pocket Fisherman et al, I'm sure this will have a few fanatical buyers who become very proficient in using it, but for most the more common item is probably better.
How is this new? (Score:2)
Little known fact. (Score:2)
Floki invented this, and Ragnar would have ruled the world if he had not laughed his ass off when he saw it.
Nope (Score:2)
I split wood for exercise. (also I have a fireplace) That's not an Axe, it's a maul. Using an axe to split would would be awful.
Secondly, the woods frozen. So he's cheating. With a maul from home depot I could do the same. When frozen, wood basically shatters because the water inside it is frozen. People that actually want to chop would fast always do it in the winter. Those of us that don't care about efficiency (I mean, really... how much wood do you need?) just do it whenever.
price? (Score:2)
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Good tools are expensive.
Someone that makes an income selling firewood can really boost their output with one of these.
Materials tech (Score:2)
This wouldn't have been possible 200 years ago. We didn't have the kind of metals that would stand up to the long term punishment with that kind of constant torque long term.
Enjoyed reading the article the first time (Score:2)
The Geek.com article seems so close to the Boing Boing article I read last week I'd be surprised if he didn't just shift a couple of words around.
Old News (Score:5, Informative)
Business is ... axes? or split firewood? (Score:2)
Of course, if you can sell the occasional axe (for US$200+), so much the better!
Genius (Score:2)
That takes some real balls. I hope he's patented the hell out of it.
This is not a new technology. (Score:2)
Anyone who knows how to properly split wood is already doing what this funny looking axe does with their wrists.
1. Buy a basic splitting axe. This is the one with the wide ramped head.
2. Learn to twist the axe head during impact to split the wood more effectively.
3. Look like a man.
I mean, come on, if you want the modern version of the axe to make it easier to split wood, buy a Sawzall.
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Totally agree. Where I'd have to try one of these to be sure, given the flexibility of your standard axe, it's hard to imagine this being worth it.
In high School, we used to cut wood for money in the winter. We had a stand of post oak that was 20' to 30' to the first branch (no knots) that dad would chop into about 18" lengths that I got to split. Using a double bit axe, it usually took one swing. The colder it was, the easier it split. It took longer to set up each piece than splitting did.
We had a sp
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I can imagine all the side and twisting forces wreaking havoc with your wrists and arms.
The instructions tell you not to hold on to the axe handle when it hits the target. Not only because it's bad for the wrist, but the harder you hold on to it, the more you prevent the rotating of the axe head which we are told makes it work so well.
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I can imagine all the side and twisting forces wreaking havoc with your wrists and arms.
The instructions tell you not to hold on to the axe handle when it hits the target. Not only because it's bad for the wrist, but the harder you hold on to it, the more you prevent the rotating of the axe head which we are told makes it work so well.
Oh that's a great idea. Let go of a fast moving, sharp piece of metal hurtling though the air. Yea, this inverter isn't very bright and violates the first rule of splitting with an axe (after wearing steal toed boots), don't let go of the axe handle during your swing.
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No, the first rule of using an axe is to either use an axe with a long handle, or a hatchet, but never anything in between.
I'm not much worried about my toes wielding a long-handled axe, but I am worried about more distal objects (and people) in the plane of the swinging motion. Medium-handled axes are for crazy people who never much li
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Although I won't be trying this thing out because it's not worth the cost, I can see the advantages it offers. I think your haste to jump to a negative conclusion is a poor attitude, especially on a place like /. where geeks mull over novel ideas such as this.
Personally, I have my reservations about this idea -- it seems like it would be ideal for easy to split wood but the tough stuff not so much. Basically, because of the weight limitation the automatic rotation doesn't seem like it will matter so much. I