The Weirdest Axe Ever - Perfect Restoration 

This is technically not an axe, it is a splitting maul . The main difference is that an axe is designed to cut across the grain and parallel to the grain . This tool is only for splitting with the grain as the way you used it . Axes are lighter so as not to tire the user , mauls are heavier to increase the momentum of your swing . The wedges on the sides act to put pressure on the sides of the split . There are several designs similar to this one , basically incorporating a splitting wedge with an axe , and the weight of a sledgehammer. At 75 years old l prefer my hydraulic wood splitter .

Wow, that is some serious nostalgia for me right there. Saw the thumbnail, and thought, "That's a Chopper!" My dad was given one as a gift when I was a teenager, and it turned me into Paul Bunyan. I LOVED using this thing, especially in autumn. We had a fireplace and I made sure we had plenty of firewood every winter. The Chopper was awesome. I would use one large, wide diameter log, usually about 8-12" high as my base, and I'd split all of the other wood on top of it. This thing would just blow the wood apart. Never had any problem with it. Worked wonderfully for many years. Wish I knew what happened to it. Hadn't seen one like it until just now, all these years later. Wonderful job restoring it. (and editing the video, too)

Everyone should own one of these. Had one of these growing up. It works amazingly well. The logs fly apart with ease and almost never gets stuck because of the spring loaded fingers.

Oh dont mind me, I'm just looking for a satisfying video to sleep to at 1 in the morning 🛌🤳.

Love these splitting mauls. Got my father's i remember when he got it brand new back in the seventies. It had wood handle and the splitting end was painted black. I have to do the same clean up head and put on a new handle. Worked super great up hear in Maine. Saved a lot of time.

When you split wood, elevate the piece you're splitting. I always used a thick knotty stump that was 3/4 the length of the pieces I was splitting as my base. That protects your tool from rocks in the dirt. 👍

So many of these videos where people do axes and hatchets, they sharpen it but they don't keep it cool. Thank you for keeping it cool, and not ruining the integrity of the steel. Thank you so much I really mean it.

I still have mine. It works better on some woods than others. Works good on oak - especially if you let the wood freeze. Any log I could not split I stood on their end and waited until February. Broke like glass! Of course these days I use my hydraulic splitter. 8-)

In 1976 I was 14 years old and lived in New Jersey. My father was a mechanic and a fabricator to the extreme. He liked things that seemed odd but made the job easier. We had a wood burning stove and it was my job to split the wood we used to heat our home. This very ax was one my father bought new for me to use to split the wood we used which was red oak. We never used pine as it gave off creosote and caused devastating chimney fires. That is how it was. This very ax I used up until I left for the USAF when I graduated high school at age 18. When I came home for leave I would tend to the splitting of wood and again, this very ax served me very well. Call it weird but it split better then any other ac or wedge and sledge hammer we had. I split an average of 2 cords a week. We had a big home and a very inefficient wood burning stove. It wasted more material then it needed to but still, I never had a better splitting ax as this. Thank you for bringing this one back to life...

Отличная работа. Интересный механизм. Никогда ничего подобного не видел. Респект

I have an original Chopper1 that my Dad & Grandfather used. It had to be an original run because it's always been in my family. Just recently I fixed it up as it was missing one of the wedges & the springs. I was SO happy to find them online & that they're still producing them. This thing worked great before, now that it's restored it awesome! Splits wood like a beast. Love my Chopper1

I still use the Chopper I got as a gift 25 years ago. Its a great splitter.

All-in-all, a very heavy and effective tool to cut fire wood.

I like it it’s really good you split a lot of big logs in a short amount of time too. 👍🏾nice.

У меня в юности был такой топор-колун. Специально для колки дров. Механизм-для того, чтобы топор не застревал в полене.

I have this very axe. Mine is in new condition, never seen a block of wood. I have it on display in my shop as an attention getter when people come over. I found another one that had been used quite a bit. I took it home and busted around on some ash. Not a terribly hard wood to bust, but, I was actually impressed at how well it did! It's semi retired. I don't bust a lot of wood but I like this thing. Great job on the resto!

I had one. I really liked it. My mom bought it for us. We split many cords of wood with it.

Woow never expected the ending. Its look like brand new

We had one of these. It worked pretty well on average. Anything too gnarly, like wavy-grained beech, hickory, or cherry wouldn't pop open unless it was REALLY well seasoned, and sometimes even then was a bit a of bear. But other mauls weren't necessarily better. Some logs just take a wedge-and-hammer or a power splitter. Main thing was, after struggling with the previous tools, Dad showed up with this, and it made us feel like he was doing what he could to make a tough chore a little easier.

Congratulations! Amanzing restoration! Greetings from Brasil!

Parabéns ficou show de bola. Saudações do Brasil.

Videos like this remind me how old I am 😝 Didn’t realize how much time has passed since I purchased mine!

Good job, kid. Resuscitated the axe. It will serve you for many years. Like it!!!

Первый раз такой вижу. Чудо инженерной мысли👌

I've never seen a mechanically assisted splitting maul like that before. Neat.

I loved your restoration on the splitting maul, and it is a perfect restoration , well done

Нормальные люди по центру никогда не колят, только с краю. А колун, зачетный, не зря реставрировал. Молодец.

I keep finding all of these restoration channels lol. There are so many! Great video though. I'm subbed.

That is a wood splitter I used one years ago when I heated with wood. They work great

love this,, its my kind of restoration, i like these kind of methods and finish

I have been looking for one of these for years. Used it as a child to split wood while camping. Think I was 10. Great Memories!

Зачем колун до такой степени точить? Им дрова колоть, а не бриться.

I have that same axe in ny grandpa's barn. I think it's used upon a hit to help split wood faster

Acompanho tuas restaurações e fico impressionada com os resultados impecáveis 👍🏆🙂🇧🇷 ✨

Nice job, I have a Chopper1 that I found at a yard sale for $15. Works fantastic

Never saw anything like this. Thank you for this video.

My neighbor has one. That is for splitting wood. It works awesome.

I have split many cords of wood with one of those. We had an off grid cabin in Alaska for 15 years. The chopper 1 was my best friend.

Thank u paul always respect people who know there tools

Шикарна вещь 20 лет таким пользуюсь.

I wish you had taken the time to disassemble the head so I could have learned what those mechanisms were. I've seen a bazillion normal axes restored, but I was really looking forward to learning about everything attached to the head...

Ficou show ... cara parabens !!! .

Awesome informational educational video experience Y'alls

Back in the 70’s a friend of mine was splitting wood with one of those and the spreader wedge broke off and took out his eye.

Странная штука. Но, думаю, излишне усложненная. Обычный колун стравляется не хуже. У мне поверь. Я в деревне столько дров переколол.

I have owned 4 choppers (and chopper 2's) and they are by far the best axe in existence!

Got one at the flea market in excellent condition for $20. It's a beautiful piece. Nice just having it even without chopping...

Restoring the Weirdest Axe Ever Made That's because it isn't an axe... Its a wood splitter , It was made for splitting and not chopping, great video!!!👍👍👍

We had one of these, it was about as useful as a porcupine at a nudist colony

i love this axe, it splits the wood like butter, good job

Still common enough in Australia especially rural areas. Work a treat splitting wood for the Coonarra !😎👍

Mr. Palmer is correct. This is not an axe but a maul. The wedges do two things, the main is to keep the maul from sinking too far into the wood. If you don't really know what you're doing, you'll spend more energy working your maul out of the grain than splitting. In the process of contacting the wood the wedges serve to disperse the energy of the swing more broadly through the grain. Without the wedges the energy of the swing / momentum drives down into the wood in a narrow slice. The wedges disperse this energy to do more damage. As well, when using a maul without these wedges you have to really know what you are doing and impart as much force into the swing as possible, so as to make enough damage that the maul can easily be removed from the grain. With the wedges, the maul is stopped and easily removed. This allows the user to take an easier swing and allow the force of the extra weight to do the work. However, unless the grain is extremely twisty, an experienced wood chopper with a decent properly sharpened 5 - 7 lb axe can split wood like a machine.

Колун линзой точить надо, штоб он разбивал, а не рубал, если такой заточкой тополь ещё и мокрый порубить то задолбоешся пыль глотать, а акация и молотком разбивается ещё и сухая😉✌️

Ive seen a lot of diffrent an strange items in my Old Age but ive never seen a splitting Ax Head like that. Thank you for sharing.

that handle looks sick. great job.

It’s not made to be so sharp. Like others have said, it is a maul for splitting wood only. Weight of the head and lever action of wedges make for an effective splitter.

Ive always heard those were known as "the great devider".

The little spring-loaded fingers put so a big energy spike into the logs, it would be so cool to see it slow-motion

мне больше нравился колун с роликами)) тут некоторые пишут зачем затачивать колун)) его нужно затачивать, но угол заточки не как у топора. более того все поверхности касающиеся дерева нужно хорошо полировать!))) поверьте опыту, когда за 8 часов по 10-20 кубов швырка поколешь будешь каждый заусенец на лезвии колуна поминать по маме и папе))) я в молодости пару лет поработал на топливном складе, где для населения пилили дрова, перепробовал не мало колунов! самый лучший это с роликами!

Это задумывался как незаклинивающий колун. Еще были с роликами

I literally just moved one of those in my dad's garage so I could take out a ladder.

muy buen trabajo.. te felicito

My father had that axe in the 80's. We burnt an average of 27 cords of maple each year, so lots of chopping! We found that axe worked better with those "throw out lugs" removed. Otherwise it acted like a sledge hammer rather than chop. This can be seen @ 13:07 where the axe bounces up off the log instead of following through. Thanks for the memories✌

Если бы идея работала, все давно бы уже такими колунами кололи.

Why didn't you take the axe apart and clean and oil the mechanisms too?

Excelente restauro😊👍👏👏👏

Quite a find you’ve got Quite a find you’ve got there. Those were sold on ‘70s “as seen on tv” add’s. My father in law picked up a “Chopper 2” and I later acquired it. I love the thing, still works great. Mine came with a hard plastic handle, quite durable. Great for splitting straight grain that’s not to big.

Интересный механизм, но как он работает я так и не понял!?

This is not an axe, it is a splitting maul. I first used one around 1975-76, and it was old then.

Wow man,thats such a bad ass tool! Great job! 👍😱

Awesome axe! Very cool!

At this point you should change your name to “The Russian Craftsman”!

I’ve got one just like it. The deeper it goes in the more it spreads the wood open.

I got my brother one of these a couple of years ago. Incredible axe.

These educational videos certainly did show procedure of use of power tools like grinders well!!!

Монтаж видео хороший, процесс реставрации тоже, но надо бы убрать срач в мастерской.

Заточка к чему такая? Колун, конечно же, интересный... Но как то все бессмысленно, необдуманно... А вот топорище класс.

Przepiękne jest ta siekiera z oba zamkami odrestaurowana pozdrawiam twórcę tego filmiku serdecznie 👍👍👍👍

Love the handle. Nice job on the splitting maul. 🪓

que hermosa hacha felicitaciones

Could you have just sand or soda blasted the rust off in like 5 minutes?

Зачем делал отпуск ? Ты что его закаливал ?

I have that same one & I love it.

These chopper 1&2 re great back savers best tool ever

Выглядит красиво и необычно, а рубит хреново

Странный какой то топорик,нахрена такой наворот!?

Very nice work!

Very cool axe, nice job one the cleanup

Есть у меня похожий, только с роликами, та ещё погремушка, бесполезная, обычный больше нравиться

I seen one on the crazy Russian hacker RU-vid The springs are to spread the wood apart

Great job dude!

It came with a fiberglass handle which really helps with how it works because it gives it a spring when it takes a blow. Not as hard on the hands that way. I also always use a round block of wood as an anvil. The ground itself is to soft and some of the momentum is lost sinking into the dirt.

They are still made today, its a splitting maul.

Видео можно было бы закончить на второй минуте. Ни о чём.

This is one machine!! Very Nice

Thing looks formidable.

Зачем точить колун? Поточил и тюкнул по земле. Автор дровами никогда не занимался.

I agree with you! That is certainly the most unusual and weirdest looking ax.I’ve ever seen.It does look cool though.

Muito diferente, gostei pra caramba! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Beautiful