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Most guys who split firewood regularly never touch the edge on their maul. They figure a splitting maul is a blunt instrument, it drives wood apart by force, and keeping it sharp is for guys who do not understand how splitting works. That thinking is mostly right and partly wrong, and the partly wrong part is costing them work. Here is what sharp actually means on a splitting maul, when it matters, and how to fix the edge in ten minutes when it needs it. What a Splitting Maul Is Actually Doing A splitting maul does not cut wood. It...

Most people own one or two files, reach for whichever one is closest, and call it good. That works until it does not, which is usually when a tool needs real work and the wrong file either skips across the surface or buries itself and stops cutting. Files are not interchangeable. The cut, the shape, and the length all affect what a file does and how well it does it. Understanding the basics takes about five minutes and pays off every time you pick one up. Here is the whole picture, written for people who use files on axes, hand...

A sharpening puck is the tool that lives in your pack, your truck, your woodshed, or your back pocket on a long day of splitting. It is not the first tool in the sharpening sequence, and it is not the last, but for regular maintenance of a working axe it is the one you reach for more than anything else. Most people use one wrong. Most people also buy the wrong one. This covers both. Where the Puck Fits in the Sharpening Sequence Before anything else, it helps to understand what a sharpening puck is designed to do, because using...

Yes, that is really what it is called. No, it is not a joke. The bastard file is a legitimate tool classification with a century of use behind it, and if you sharpen axes by hand, it is probably the most important file you own or should own. Here is what it is, where it fits in the sharpening sequence, and how to use one on an axe without destroying the edge or burning out the file. What a Bastard File Actually Is Files are classified by their cut, which describes the coarseness of the teeth and how aggressively they...

A dull axe is more dangerous than a sharp one. This is the first thing most guys get told when they start learning about axes and it sounds like the kind of thing people say to get you to sharpen your axe. It's also completely true. A sharp axe bites into wood and stays there. A dull axe glances off, changes direction, and goes somewhere you didn't intend. Sharp axes do what you tell them to. Dull axes have their own ideas. The good news is that sharpening an axe is not complicated. You don't need a bunch of equipment....