What do you use? Old tree trunk, the floor, slab of stone?

May go for a wonder in local woods and try and source one 😆

Big old tree stumpy section of trees. I prefer quite high ones.

Struggling without at the moment but a top tip is to bolt a car tyre onto the block, stand a load of wood into it and then go to town chopping it into bits without having to bend down and pick up each peice every chop.

Branch union off something, have to be pretty determined to break them apart, unless you have a 10t splitter. Got an oak piece in the garden at the moment. Did have a blackthorn stem for kindling chopping by the door, but got lost in house move.

Big lump of Eucalypus that was cut down a few years ago.

The big ring that I can’t split and is thicker than the chainsaw blade, that becomes the next chopping block.

Best not to be too high IM(very limited)E, as you want the maul to have a good distance to drop onto the bit you’re trying to split. I tend to use one of the big rings that I haven’t got round to sawing up yet, usually with a tyre on top (but not fixed down, actually I’ve been swapping between a car and mtb tyre depending on what I’m splitting).

The biggest log in the pile, replace as required. I never thought it required any thought.

No doubt this is a hugely divisive and controversial issue but I prefer something just below waist height. That way if you over strike or miss the log there’s less chance of the axe going into your shin or foot. Also less chance of getting your axe in the dirt. No need for a bigger swing than that, let the tool do the work. It’s easier on the back too.

If something’s big enough to need split with a maul then having it on the ground shouldn’t be an issue.

cruzcampo – Member
What do you use? Old tree trunk, the floor, slab of stone?

😯 Nooooooooo!
Old tree trunk or section of large branch.

Leave wood from local woods where it belongs.

A knotty wood stump that I cannot be bothered splitting, grown quite fond of it now 😉

A big old ring of oak that is slightly too thick to split with the maul.

The biggest piece of wood I’ve got normally. I’ve got one I’ve had almost two years although I suspect it’s death is rapidly approaching.

Crappy old piece of Thuia. Not worth burning. About as high as my settee seat. Often the biggest round in the pile does the job though and stand that on the split blocks at the end.

My log man gave me a bit of cherry tree stump to use and that has been going strong for about 4 years . He also gave me a plastic dustbin with bits of broom handle tapped into the handles to use to carry my logs to the woodshed . and he has only put his price up once in all the years I’ve used him.

Learnt the hard way that the location of the chopping block is quite important too. I recommend not using it on a patio even when the weather is shite and you can’t be bothered going into the back garden. I now have a small patch of crazy paving 😳

Are you near the coast or a river?

Pop down to see if they’re doing any timber works and try and scrounge some spare Ekki or Greenheart trimmed off the piles

I have 3 Greenheart blocks, 400×400 about 80kg each, varying heights for different jobs. Rock Steady, dense and as rot proof as you can get.

Don’t try and lift it on your own and greenheart splinters are irritating

Ekki or Greenheart trimmed off the piles

I have 3 Greenheart blocks, 400×400 about 80kg each, varying heights for different jobs
is this you?

Seems like plenty of pro choppers in here 😉

Tree stump
[url=https://flic.kr/p/m7xsc4]Wood store[/url] by brf, on Flickr

@footflaps damn impressive!

So a trunk is required then, going to pop into local tree surgeons this weekend see what they’ve got. Had a couple of close encounters with the brick paved driveway already 😯 Nearly turned a brick into kindling 😆

One chopping block?
Stack a few up all at once, swing axe, repeat. Saves having to bend down for each axe swing. Keep going ’til you have one round left and save that for next time.