:: the good wood ::

Monday, June 10, 2013

:: the good wood ::

This is Aaron, Wendy's husband. So this post may not have the elegance of Wendy's posts.

I have been chopping wood and thought I would share some images of the process including the 'tools' I use to make it easier.

The Saw Horse
I think this is what it is called. Made out of 10 pieces of treated 4x2 it is an old invention with incredible usefulness and increased safety. Oh and better for your back as well.

Saw Horse with wood stack in back.

I have been gifted access to about 5 acres of Kanuka timber. The farmer next door to us has dropped the lot in order to return to grass.

Saw Horse and Chainsaw

Kanuka is a very good burning wood. Very hard and full of heat. Really important to cut as soon as possible after felling as it gets harder by the day. The only downside is that the pieces can be small due to the stringy nature of the way it grows.

Tyre Chopping

I found this idea on http://www.instructables.com/ an amazing website with a constantly increasing number of member submissions on how to do just about anything.

* Get a tyre tube and place it on a wood block
* Put a number of pieces of wood in
* Hit real hard with splitting axe
* Done!

This is such a simple - Recycling - and safety idea.
Not long ago when not using a tyre I was chopping wood and one piece flew out at me and hit me so hard on the knee that I almost passed out. And it happened twice!

You can walk around the tyre chopping away until you have the number or size of timber that you want. So easy.

I also use a splitting axe. This is quite different to a wood 'cutting' axe as it has a large head - bit like a sledge hammer with a cutting edge. Very useful and a timesaver.