by Gloria Jones

Created on: May 28, 2009

The correct way to swing an axe is not hard to figure out and chopping your own firewood can save you a lot of money. It is a hard and tedious task but it has its good points. If you need a good physical work out or want to build your body muscles, especially your upper body, then swinging an axe is the answer for you. While getting a great work out, you can also save a good bit of money and give your wallet a break if you chop your own firewood for use in that well-enjoyed fireplace in your home. I don't need to tell you how expensive heating costs are so if you can get a break and use wood that you chop yourself, you're saving a lot.

I was introduced to chopping firewood at an early age. My family home was heated by a wood heater and wood was essential in the cold months to keep us warm. Dry wood is best and so fallen trees from the previous year is great fuel for a nice warm fire. Of course, not all of gathering wood is chopping. Using a chainsaw to cut a log into two foot long sections helps a lot. If you don't have a chain saw, then you are really going to get a great work out as you want logs cut into usable sections.

Now, for the physical work out, set a two foot section of log straight up, larger end down and smaller end up. Set it level so that it doesn't tip over when you chop. Hold the axe with your left hand on the butt of the handle, place your right hand about twelve inches below your left, about the same way as holding a baseball bat . Get a tight grip on the handle. With all your strength and body power, bring the axe up over your head and aim an inch or two away from center of the log. There is a reason for not chopping in the center. It's a bigger possibility of getting your axe stuck as the center of a log doesn't give as easily as if you chop an inch or two away from it. There's nothing worse than getting your axe stuck into a log and the log doesn't want to release your axe. Then you need to get a wedge and a large sledge hammer to remove it, and that can be time consuming as well as exhausting.

You will find that pine is a soft wood that is easy to chop and burns well in a fireplace or wood stove. It also burns fast so I would suggest a combination of both wood types for a fire to warm a room quickly and last for a while. Where pine makes a hot, fast burning fire, oak is a hard wood and burns slower. Being a hard wood also means it's harder to split or chop with an axe, but well worth the time and energy. Combining both wood types and turning the draft on your wood stove or fireplace to a bare minimum, you should have a cozy warm fire to keep you warm for an entire night. It's amazing the heat you can produce if you know the proper way to swing your own axe.

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