Stubborn logs with annoying grain no problem. Meet the Leveraxe, a revolutionary axe that cuts and separates wood in the same swinging motion.
Axe design is a pretty stagnant field. With a few minor exceptions, this basic tool continues to remain pretty much unchanged for hundreds, heck, maybe even thousands of years.
The Flaw With The Basic Axe
A stubborn log with tight grain tends to take several hits to split. Axe heads easily get stuck in the log and a battle ensues to get the blade back. Who hasn’t lifted the entire blade and stuck log overhead for a second, third, and fourth swing?
Well, the Leveraxe (Vipukirves) is a simple invention that was released a few years ago. It appears to genuinely speed up the whole log-splitting process.
The Leveraxe Solution
Invented by a Finnish company, the Leveraxe uses a side-weighted cantilever to force the blade of the axe to act as a lever when it impacts wood.
It took me a few seconds to puzzle out how this device would work, but eventually I realized its genius. While innovative, we suspect there will be some situations where it doesn’t work as well as a standard axe or heavy-headed maul. But we have yet to test it out.
The company claims the splitting force of a Leveraxe is considerably stronger than traditional axes.
Upon striking a log, the design automatically turns to the right and detaches the chopped portion from the log. The result: chopped sections remove with a single strike and the blade doesn’t lodge in the log.
The axe is not cheap and is available online for about $200 plus shipping.
We hope to spend a few hours warming (twice) by the side of a campfire testing this clever cleaver this summer.
