Estwing "Fireside Friend"

[Tim Horton]

http://www.estwing.com/ao_fireside_f...tting_tool.php
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Early this year when the local farm supply store had a big sale on a lot of stuff I got one of these at a substantial discount..

I have used it a bit here lately, and here are my impressions..
First.. Most, like 99% of the wood I split for my Hobo stove is an average of 8" long.. The slugs I cut from the logs I have may be 20 to 30 inches in diameter, but only 8" long to best fit my stove..

With wood this length the tool works great.. It came out of the package VERY sharp. The hammer head works well driving wedges. Always have the blade cover on when hammering.

I'm sure it would split much longer wood quite easily. For use on the wood I require it is a bit heavy. I will have muscles I have not used in a lot of places by the end of summer. I e-mailed Estwing and ask if they would consider making a 3lb model. I would buy that in a hot minute.

If you have the work to be done. It will do it.
My 2 cents.
Good luck.

[doc]

I've found that most problems of muscle strains/joint pains come from doing repetitive actions "one sided," It helps to reduce strain caused by asymmetrical actions to switch off sides periodically. As Yogi Berra said, "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous."

You're working on some pretty big logs requiring a lot of muscle to cut. Wouldn't using an ax give you better mechanical advantage, as well as more symmetrical action, work better than a hatchet?...not to mention, 4 lb is a pretty heavy hatchet, and going to three pounds means a lighter weight to lift, but more muscle to achieve speed to achieve comparable power, and more rebound back on your limb, so maybe not a real advantage?

[Tim Horton]

Like you said about the repetitive action. I'm pretty well OK with that. I can process up quite a bunch of wood at a time depending. I did some that was super wet, and it split very easily with a 1 1/2lb hatchet.

The opposite of lifting the 4lb hatchet is after the rounds sat in the garage all winter. Cold, but dry. It takes more power with the 1 1/2lb hatchet to split them like said. So like Goldilocks one is too heavy, one is too light..

I presume you are processing longer wood than I am. So the added weight would likely be more useful for your use.

My left hand is here to hold the coffee cup, while I have the sandwich in my right hand. KnowwhatImean...

[Doninalaska]

I have not seen those, but I am very pleased with the things I have from Estwing. A guy gave me a weird framing hammer with a "wing" on the handle. It is my favorite hammer--great balance and feel. I also have a camp axe that is halfway between a hatchet and an axe...also works very well and is easier to carry in/on a pack than a full-sized axe.

[MissouriFree]

From when I was a kid is was told the biggest issue for a splitting axe is not the weight but the shape of the axe head. A splitting face has thick cheeks and a felling axe has thin cheeks. Lots of people get felling axe and try to split with it and then when it doesn't work say it's not heavy enough when the real issue is not weigh but the shape of the head.

Don
I got a old Collins " short handle axe" they used to called a forest axe cause of the safer short handle to swing with in heavy forest. Now with chain saws doing most of the felling they are mostly used in and sold as camp axes.
WYO. you Estwick splitter looks nice.

[Jjr]

I have never had any complaints about any of the Estwing products I have used.

I have one of the little splitting mauls, and I use it for splitting fatwood for starting fires. I find it works much better for that purpose than do hatchets which are sharper, but lack the weight to drive completely through completing the separation of the fatwood into handy fire starting size pieces.