Check out this notch

[woodworkingboy]

On that site's work axes page, it says not to use metal wedges....I guess somewhat understandable, but only to use wooden wedges! What's up with that?

 

[Graeme McMahon]

One of the advantages to axe and crosscut days was that you could hear the sounds of the bush while you were working. 12 hours a day of screaming chainsaws and roaring machines has a different feel.

Graeme

 

[woodworkingboy]

Good point, and the phone wasn't ringing at home at night when it really wasn't ringing. Did they have home phones then?

 

[Al Smith]

On that site's work axes page, it says not to use metal wedges....

If you beat on metal with those old hand forged axes it will screw up the heel of the axe .Somebody in the history of my 100 plus year old splitter did so .

The way the steel was folded as it was forged plus the quenching to harden the cutting edge leaves the cutting portion hard as a rock but the heel relatively soft .

I had mentioned the fact of my father mentioning wooden wedges ,rather a common practice way back when .Fact those big old oaks were some times so large they split the logs --with wedges .Can you imagine .

My uncle tells of cross cutting the things ,drive a few wedges then run like hell .