Finnish Man Invents a Better Wood-Splitting Ax

[ed. Damn, I wish I had one of these when I was heating my house with seven cords of wood each winter. Not only that, why didn't anyone tell me about the tire deal?!]

A Finnish woodcutter has designed an ax that could make a significant difference in the lives of some northerners.

Many people in the far north heat their homes year-round with wood.

Heikki Karnä says his “eccentric” ax, the Vipukirves in Finnish, makes splitting logs for firewood simpler, safer and a lot easier.

What makes his axe different?

“Everything,” Karnä says.

The design, which has been on the market for eight years in Europe, replaces the traditional straight-edge blade with a curved one.

When the ax head strikes the log, the blade is forced to the right and pulls the wood apart.

Karnä says the ax also adds more torque, so you don’t have to use as much force to get through the wood.

“All the kinetic energy turns to the left and the energy pushes the piece of wood away from the block, and then the ax head stops on top of the block. There’s no way it could continue on to your foot.”

by Alaska Dispatch | Read more:
Image: Heikki Karnä