Proper Ax Skills
There are a lot of videos on YouTube demonstrating the use of the ax. With possibly a few exceptions, most people do not use an ax day in and day out in the course of their work. Even though it’s still an essential skill in the woods, with the increased productivity of using power saws, the use of the ax has diminished over the past 50 years.
It’s easy to tell those with a lot of experience swinging an ax. You will observe smooth, effortless swings with precise placement and technique.
“The Creed of a Good Axman: Every blow counts; Every blow directed to the exact spot; No swing wasted and no lost motion.”
The Axman Movie
The following video titled “The Axman” (posted by YouTube by Jim Thode in 2015) is an excellent educational video from the ’50s or early ’60s that covers the basics on ax usage. The men demonstrating the ax techniques make falling a tree almost effortless.
The key points presented in the video include the following:
- How to hold and swing an ax.
- Selecting and inspecting an ax.
- Chopping patterns in standing timber; sectioning logs; splitting wood and kindling; limbing trees.
- Ax safety.
- Blade maintenance
Never will I use an ax daily nor achieve the skills demonstrated in the video, but this is an excellent example to strive for.
