How to Safely Chop Kindling

Make a simple tool to protect fingers when wielding an axe

Hello and welcome to Joe Shows How! Tis the season for warming yourself beside a roaring fireplace. And the key to starting a fire in a fireplace is to set crumpled newspaper under the grate and small, narrow pieces of wood, known as kindling, on top of the grate. Next, add a layer or two of crisscrossing pieces of firewood. Then set the newspaper on fire, which will cause the kindling to burn, which will in turn ignite the firewood.

However, the challenge is how to protect your fingers from injury when using an axe to chop kindling. Caution: Never hold the board with one hand while chopping it with the other. You don’t want to end up needing both hands to order four beers! In this week’s video, I show how to make a simple tool that will keep your free hand well away from danger as you swing the axe.

Start by cutting a handle from a narrow strip of wood; be sure it’s at least 14 inches long. Next, drive a 1 5/8-inch drywall screw through one end of the handle. When you’re ready to split a board into kindling, simply set the tip of the drywall screw on top of the board, then tap the screw head with the blunt end of the axe. Now, hold the end of the handle and begin chopping the board into thin strips of kindling.

Note that this technique can be used when chopping kindling from scrap lumber or from a piece of split firewood. Just be sure never to burn pressure-treated wood or lumber that’s painted or stained.

Hope this tip keeps you warm—and safe—throughout this winter. Thanks for watching!