Super-Efficient Ax

[The Yancey]

I would be all over this if I still lived in a place that needed firewood.

The ax isn't typically something we think of as modern or revolutionary. It's one of the oldest tools in the human toolbox.

But some guys at Vipukirves, in Finland, have discovered a huge flaw with the tool: It's really hard to use. As a matter of physics and engineering, splitting wood with an ax requires a huge amount of power to drive the wedge into the wood and split it without getting the ax stuck. Traditional axes can also be dangerous since they can hit your leg if you miss the target. This is why using an ax is such a macho test of strength, and not a simple household task you can assign to a child.

One day, some guy thought to himself, "Eureka! I need to work on this!" (according to the history of Vipukirves). After testing out a few different methods, the company realized that leverage was the answer to the problem. A regular ax uses virtually no leverage — it simply strikes wood at a 90-degree angle, like a sharp hammer. Leverage — in which a shallow angle is used to maximize the force of the weight on the other end of the lever creating the angle — is a more efficient way of transferring force.

And so the Leveraxe was born.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-l...#ixzz2zKeUXh4L

[ccured]

That is pretty fricking awesome

[Thenardier]

Cool

[SwampFox]

I remember that tool being advertised in the back of Popular Mechanics for years before it was picked up by retailers. Now you can get one at your local Ace Hardware.

[ccured]

Originally Posted by SwampFox

I remember that tool being advertised in the back of Popular Mechanics for years before it was picked up by retailers. Now you can get one at your local Ace Hardware.

A maul is not the same as that leverageaxe thing

[SwampFox]

A maul is not the same as that leverageaxe thing

Well it sure looks like a maul in the video at first. I did a search, and here's a page that has much better images of the axe.

http://www.vipukirves.fi/english/description.htm

Those of you who live in the colder climates, enjoy. We've no real need of them this far south.

[gamecock88]

It does look cool and there are several youtube vids on it working, mostly on sissy European woods. I'd like to see how it works on oak.

[Spur's Addiction]

Originally Posted by gamecock88

It does look cool and there are several youtube vids on it working, mostly on sissy European woods. I'd like to see how it works on oak.

Yeah - because oaks don't grow in Europe?!

[Garnet/Black Fan]

Pretty badass, but at ~$250.00 i think I'll stick to the good ol' toolshed axe.

[b381l]

It's fake....does the tire come with it.....
What you don't see is most of these guys had a heart attack within 5 minutes.
I'll stick with my Peterson gas logs thank you.

[roosterdude21]

Paul Bunyan is rolling in his grave.

[yazoo]

That wood looks pretty seasoned. Looks a bit like oak though, lol.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by yazoo

That wood looks pretty seasoned. Looks a bit like oak though, lol.

thats what I was thinking, that wood is seasoned and very dry, wouldnt split that easily around here with the humidity we have most of the year

[Mechanical Cock]

Mandatory Zombie response team equipment. Do they sell it in hatchet?

[gamecock88]

Originally Posted by Spur's Addiction

Yeah - because oaks don't grow in Europe?!

'Twas a joke Mary.

[ColaCock]

don't they know that the hydraulic log splitter has already been invented?