How to POWER CHOP!

Рет қаралды 228,081

8 ай бұрын

Happy splitting 🪓
Learn More:
Axes: • Beginner's Guide to Axes
Split wood basics: • How to Split Wood!
Knots and Big rounds: • How to Chop Big Rounds...
Firewood: • Firewood: Stacking, St...
Differences and difficulties: • Woodchopping: Differen...
Full playlist:
• Beginner's Guide to Axes
SUBSCRIBE! www.youtube.com/@NicoleCoenen...
linktr.ee/nicolemaplecoenen

Пікірлер: 766

@josephsheranda 7 ай бұрын

Those arms look like they belong on an 80's action figure. Simply amazing.

@jensing6889 7 ай бұрын

Bijov that’s one of the best descriptions I’ve ever read 😂 bravo sir! You’ve given me the title of my goal!

@don0giorgio 7 ай бұрын

I can watch 3 things indefinitely: flow of the river, fire burning and Nicole chopping that wood 😊

@dewimatthews6037 7 ай бұрын

Used to be the first two, now only the last one.

@NicoleCoenen 7 ай бұрын

I feel so honored to be associated with these things 😊

@brandon0099 7 ай бұрын

nothing new here from long time @@NicoleCoenen

@brandon0099 7 ай бұрын

P.S. thank you for your work, even if I can't go into the woods it's nice to see people get passionate about @@NicoleCoenen

@manrodstrupe7312 7 ай бұрын

@@NicoleCoenenFinland trenger Deg tilbake ..

@r6ridr 7 ай бұрын

This video saved my bacon today. I was visiting my sister in Alaska this week, and the power went down at 10am. It was 6 degrees Fahrenheit out, and the forced-air furnace needs electricity to work. We went from “there’s an optional wood burning stove (fun!)” to “the pipes are gonna freeze if we can’t keep the house heated with wood” really quickly. It’s been 30+ years since I’d last used a wood splitting maul, so I *kinda remembered the mechanics, but I had a maul and splitting setup I didn’t know, knotty and wet (now frozen) wood to work with, and a “must do” situation. I had forgotten ALL the details of technique that this video covers in detail. After taking 20 frustrating minutes with my first log, I came in to warm up and watched this video. “Oh, guide with your dominant hand! Drop the hips and heels. Measure your distance with your *back hand as the anchor. Got it.” I went back out, and had much better success. This video absolutely made the difference for me- thanks!

@arniesea 7 ай бұрын

Excellent tutorial! I first started chopping wood over 60 years ago and love your channel. Here is a safety tip I learned from my father when I was about 10. When carrying an axe, hold it by the handle right next to the blade. Make sure your index finger and middle finger are placed along the blade extending toward the sharp edge. This will ensure that if you stumble and fall, your natural instinct to flatten your hand out to catch yourself, will also rotate the sharp edge of the blade away from your body. Perhaps axe safety could be a topic for a future video. Love, love your content! Cheers!

@Pokawachne 7 ай бұрын

Hey Nicole. You’re wood splitting mechanics are amazing. I can tell by watching your videos that you’re a beautiful person inside and out. Rock on!!!

@grahamguess4268 7 ай бұрын

This is so cringe. Your technique is all wrong. Sure, it gets through the kindling you're chopping but, if you used that technique on proper firewood you'd be cold and hungry.

@JoeBrecht 4 ай бұрын

@@grahamguess4268. On the contrary @grahamguess4268, this is definitely proper technique. From the gauging of the distance, to the raising of the heels, to the full swing, to the dropping of the weight, to the planting of the heels before the impact, to the flick of the wrists for the cut. Martial arts uses the same techniques for adding power. This is all proper technique.

@grahamguess4268 4 ай бұрын

@@JoeBrecht not for chopping wood. As I said, it's fine for cutting kindling, which is what we use the stuff she's cutting for, but try that with some good long burn hardwood and the Axe would just bounce off.

@Nikki_the_G 4 ай бұрын

@@grahamguess4268You mean like alder or fir, which she also splits using the same technique? You're just triggered and wrong.

@tridelltransportation3603 7 ай бұрын

I’ve been splitting wood for 30 years. I really enjoyed this video for the articulation of the finer points. And of course, the usual pleasure of simply watching you chop wood. I bet if someone asked you at 16,”what do you think you’ll be doing with your life at 30?”, I bet the answer would not have been “chopping wood on my own KZfaq channel “.

@bob67497 7 ай бұрын

Thank you SO much for mentioning the wrist flick at the end! I've been doing EVERYTHING else in this video almost the whole time I've been chopping wood, but that flick at the end for the extra mechanical advantage on the blade NEVER occurred to me until you said it. This is why I love having experts share their knowledge. Thanks so much!

@gan314159 5 ай бұрын

i'd never heard of the flick, yet it makes so much sense

@user-ml8rv3qs8u 7 ай бұрын

It's not like starting tomorrow I'm going to cut wood. But it is nice to see the dedication you put into teaching us the best way to cut wood. Thank you for teaching us so much, Nicole ❤

@ryimscaith1593 7 ай бұрын

51, and a country boy, so I've split more than my fair share of wood. So when this came up in my feed I was ... taken aback a bit. Then I noticed the guns you are sporting there, young lady. So I watched, and listened and was mightily impressed. Good education for those just starting, no nonsense, good technique. Respect.

@michaellacross5266 6 ай бұрын

You know what? That what probably the most accurate and lucid instruction I've received on KZfaq....and I'm 65 years old! This young woman saved my lower back and shoulders.

@alanwong9280 7 ай бұрын

Excellent and accurate job explaining how to swing an 🪓 all the way to your toes and wrists. This translates pretty much to swinging a sledgehammer and Maddox as well. Well done. Love watching you swing.

@babajaga9249 16 сағат бұрын

Nicole seems to have unlimited power and energy - her strong arms are fantastic!!!

@PAPIKen0728 7 ай бұрын

Nicole is the sensei of wood splitting. Now to write a book, "Zen and the Art of Wood Splitting ". A sequel to "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".

@NicoleCoenen 7 ай бұрын

A woodchopping book miiiiight become a reality (but you didn't hear that from me 😉)

@davewatchedthat 7 ай бұрын

@@NicoleCoenenWhere do we (hypothetically) sign up?😃

@falconeshield 6 ай бұрын

Motor skills and forest ones? Are you my lost cool sister?

@w0033944 5 ай бұрын

🤩@@NicoleCoenen

@jimbutke 7 ай бұрын

Having upper body strength and build like you certainly helps!! 🤩 okie dokie!! 😁

@andreasmerkel5717 7 ай бұрын

i assure you, after some weeks of intensive woodsplitting every day you had that body, too....

@Ilovegames296 7 ай бұрын

@@andreasmerkel5717do I need strong hand to cut wood easily?

@Obstreperous_Octopus 7 ай бұрын

A long time ago, my grandfather taught me to split wood with an axe, and what he taught me was pretty much this exactly (except I never learned the wrist flick or the heel part, but for an amateur I think I was pretty close!) So I find this video both relatable, and validating ("Is she gonna talk about shifting your grip for better momentum? Yeah! Grandpa was right!") Now, I'm for sure not as strong as you, nor an expert by any stretch, but even I can do decently well on technique. I even went to a state fair once, and did the swing-the-hammer-hit-the-thing-ball-go-up-and-ding-the-bell game (you know the one) and scored better than some guys way buffer than me. My grandfather passed away years ago, but seeing this reminds me of him and everything he taught me :, ) Thank you for sharing this video-- it might sound silly, but it kinda means a lot to me.

@xpatsteve 7 ай бұрын

Nicole is what the Jedi were before they invented light sabers. A true master of her craft with a dedication to imparting knowledge.

@StephenClark 6 ай бұрын

Last weekend I taught Beaver Scouts how to chop wood and used some of the tips from this video. I used rotten logs so they were easy to cut through without much effort, but the look on the faces of 5-7 yo boys and girls when they did this grown-up thing was priceless. Thanks for your instructional videos and I hope to see more.

@Jessieannnwade 7 ай бұрын

This is so helpful as I’m just starting to learn wood chopping - thank you for the tips!

@clivetonge4352 7 ай бұрын

Thank you Nicole. I had some wood to chop recently. I noticed that working at placing the axe where I wanted to cut, then when I was able to do that, adding more power was much better, then starting by adding more power.

@ericvanvlandren8987 7 ай бұрын

Nicole, I realize I am not your target audience, but … damn. You rock.

@richardcarey169 Ай бұрын

Finally, a woman that is for real and walks the walk, I do this stuff everyday in our harsh winters in the Snowy Mountains of Australia, but watching you brings a smile to my old face and a warmth to my heart, no nonsense, no semi clad BS and No make up,,,well done young woman from an old soldier and outdoors expert

@marcusanders9365 Күн бұрын

You have the greatest charisma oozing through your video. Whatever you do in life you will be successful.

@ShyGetsHi 7 ай бұрын

A WOOD SPLITTING SWORD. I love you 😭

@Mr3DBob 7 ай бұрын

Fifty years of heating with wood, and I'm still learning how to chop without wasting energy. I find your videos to be a good study. I wish I had one of those swords, but even more, I wish you were here making your videos on my wood pile. I'd set 'em up and haul away the splits to the stack, while you show the world of wood that it can't withstand the force of a good axe swung with strong arms and a good eye.

@paulkinzer7661 7 ай бұрын

I've not split much wood, but there's real overlap with doing demolition work with a sledgehammer. I did a fair amount of that when I was younger, so I really relate to the obvious joy you express when you get a great swing to just rip through a log. As you say, 'Very satisfying!' There's also, it seems to me, some overlap with paddling a canoe -- something I did a lot of at one time. Getting the motion of the paddle through the water to a smooth rhythm that uses all the muscles involved in an efficient, balanced way, and then switching sides with a learned but later unconscious smoothness, all while placing the paddle exactly where it needs to go to make the canoe move in the direction you want it to go. Again, very satisfying. For no reason I know, you came up in my feed last night. I'm very glad. You are a delight, and I've now subscribed.

@treesareafewofmyfavoritethings 7 ай бұрын

Great lesson! I see so many people doing a back straining up and down motion when the circular swing is so much more fluid and powerful

@kenhill4565 7 ай бұрын

Of course, when using the sword, it helps if you cry, "By the Power of Grayskull!" first. Love you Nicole!❤

@richardhatt6541 5 ай бұрын

Your axe has a short handle. I was metal detecting an old farm that has since been torn down and came across an old axe head. I dropped it in vinegar and left it a few days. It came out a dull grey except the actual edge. At the top of the axe you can see where a piece of hardened steel was forged welded into the eye area. When you look from the top, the darker metal resembles a diamond. The edge is one long point, and the other faces the eye. The softer metal goes down both sides about halfway. I hung a handle on it last year intending to use it. This december I smoothed it out with an angle grinder on the cheeks and tried it. It is the best splitting axe I have used in my life. It was made by the Filcher Company in St. Louis early 1900s as the Blackjack series. Good chopping to you.

@paktype 3 ай бұрын

Your enthusiasm and joy in what you’re doing is so heartwarming and charming. I’m a city boy, born and raised but I love your videos and I have subscribed!

@phatbassanchor 7 ай бұрын

Hahaha🤣 Naughty Knotty! Hahaha🤣 Adventure ever on dear friend, Phat🏹

@matheusarruda6462 7 ай бұрын

We learned the power chop, can you now tell us of the ancient, forbidden okie dokie chop?

@jamespaul2587 7 ай бұрын

She could, but then she'd have to kill us 😊

@NicoleCoenen 7 ай бұрын

Once you are ready. I will teach you. You will find me in the forest at dawn. Bring maple syrup.

@matheusarruda6462 7 ай бұрын

@@NicoleCoenen Yes sensei!

@brandon0099 7 ай бұрын

okie dokie still in her heart @@matheusarruda6462

@danielpeters9680 7 ай бұрын

LOVE your sense of humour Nicole. Thanks for the great tips.

@brunomeral7885 7 ай бұрын

This is proper lumberjacks' bushido (no pity for the logs) !

@re_negat 7 ай бұрын

Love that jumpsuit!

@jennifers5560 7 ай бұрын

Excellent “how to” video!!

@jimhornyak6596 7 ай бұрын

Very good Nicole!! I, for one, appreciate your demonstrations.

@PatrickquintonOwens Ай бұрын

Wow Nicole I wish I could chop wood like that! Thats amazing! You have a gift!❤

@locomotivefaox 7 ай бұрын

I have become fascinated with wood chopping since finding your channel, these tutorials are especially fun. I should probably refrain from trying it myself though because I'd definetly just do it for hours on end without stopping.

@bobbobbobbob2111 7 ай бұрын

My Dad used to give the wood cutting duties to me. I fell in love with the stress release and "me" time. Between me and my brothers, I'd split, rick, and just go cut. Locust would snap through the hollers, echoing across. Made me a 20lb splitting maul with a steel handle, and with a missed chop, it would rattle me from head to toe. That taught me to chop with more accuracy lmao. Stumbled across your KZfaq shorts and loved it!

@jewelhome1 7 ай бұрын

Such a wholesome uplift to the day! Thanks.

@jimpreston3487 7 ай бұрын

Yes the flick, I'm SO glad you mentioned it! I thought I was the only one. I call it a snap but it's the same thing. Every time I tell people about it, they squint at me like I'm talking about Bigfoot, but it pulls the handle around at the last instant like a whip-crack & accelerates the head into the target. I feel so validated. ;) Thank you.

@vangmountain 7 ай бұрын

The "flick" most ax folks refer to is a sideways flick which causes the ax to rotate at the last second to cuase it to strike the wood at an angle even though its path of travel is vertical. This causes the ax to imbed in the wood only a little bit and rotate generating very high torque to pry the wood apart. This technique allows you to split big logs with just a very thin felling ax and it keeps an ax from penetrating too deep and getting stuck. Have you seen Tom Clark's old videos? I did a video on the flick technique showcasing how a tiny 26" 2lb felling axe can be used to easily split big logs. With the "flick", a felling ax becomes a maul, but without the hefty weight of a maul. Buckin Billin Ray has the best ax skills bar none of anyone on youtube. He also utilized the flick to easily pry would apart. He and anyone who uses it, do not swing through the wood like folks who don't. This is good for the blade and for the handle. This "flick" you guys speak of, is a natural motion of swinging the axe, be it straight overhead or around and over. It's the bending of the wrist at the end of the swing to align the arm and the ax handle so they form a staight line. It's the same thing you do to your wrist when you are measuring the distance to the log. You have to bend the wrist or else you cannot form a straight line with the ax handle and your arm

@claytonbaker1776 Ай бұрын

You got me into wood splitting, thank you!

@richard_n 7 ай бұрын

Nicole I just wanted to say how much I really enjoy your videos. They always make my day.

@ceriedwards3 3 ай бұрын

That was really helpful, thanks😊

@rantdmc 7 ай бұрын

Poetry in motion and delicious humour too! 😊

@19ghost73 7 ай бұрын

Your vids really "ooze" positive vibes...sooooo good!

@RandomAFP Ай бұрын

Had a couple of goes at putting this into practice a week or so apart and we're getting the hang of it and I can feel that I'm stronger the second time around too. Thank you! This is going to be *fun*

@amanofnoreputation2164 7 ай бұрын

Heartwood of the same knotty tree: "That wasn't even my final form."

@peterlabiak1051 6 ай бұрын

I don't chop wood apart from Christmas's when I go and visit my mum and she has a fireplace. Still, that red/black checkered onsie is an absolute hit!!! 🔥

@kittydaddy2023 7 ай бұрын

I just love Nicole's smiling face and positive attitude.

@jean-marcandjoshua-petsjournal 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for the lesson, defiently comprehensive.

@simoncaron1553 7 ай бұрын

I wanna say thanks, brought huge pieces of land, and made my own firewood. The way i was splitting was not feeling natural. Your video helped a lot. Thank you🇨🇦

@ryuthecold6007 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for this, I've been wanting a refresher for chopping and this hit the one thing nobody else was telling me; chopping distance

@alexhajnal107 7 ай бұрын

That was excellent. Thank you.

@p.o.ackley1540 7 ай бұрын

It's cool what you can do. Been watching your videos for a while. If I had a daughter like you, I would be very proud of her. In every sense.

@xxxRoseQueenxxx 7 ай бұрын

I've always been a bit terrified of chopping my leg off chopping wood but your tutorial gives me more confidence to try again. 😊

@aaronhilde5430 7 ай бұрын

That’s actually pretty good advice. The mechanics of the chop make a big difference. 👍

@ChiChi-dy9qi 2 ай бұрын

I laughed so hard but I also learned some stuff. Love you humour and your style.

@awesomecreationschannel 7 ай бұрын

I've never had the need to chop wood, but I am restoring an old wood burner soon so hopefully I'll get the chance! My first restoration was an old axe which I'm also looking forward to using 😊 This vide will definitely help, thanks Nicole 👍

@PetrBouda-un9qo 7 ай бұрын

Nice one. I must admit that I chopped the wood simply by using strength of my hands only, and sometimes it was really hard to get it chopped (I had the same problems during paddling on a dragon ship in which I used only my hands, not the whole body, and after the first training I wasn´t able to lift my hands above waist level). Now I have a nice tutorial to improve my technique.

@brennansnowdon4642 7 ай бұрын

Great explanation of techniques involved to get your whole body into the chop looks beautiful out there

@takinastabatit 7 ай бұрын

So, I've been enjoying seeing your shorts roll through my feed for a while now. Then I got in a load of firewood that needs chopping, so I decided to come see if you had any pointers for me, and I was absolutely THRILLED to see this series. I feel like I just leveled up! Thank you so much.

@georgebartholemew8444 7 ай бұрын

REALLY liked this video, Thank you!

@maike375 6 ай бұрын

This is amazing! Thanks for that tutorial 😘💪

@JamesJames-gm1uk 6 ай бұрын

Beautiful smile. This is what I need for my morning coffee. Thank you.

@5pac3man 6 ай бұрын

So good! Thank you!

@patrickbehrend5403 7 ай бұрын

Haven´t chopped wood in a while but these tips are really useful. I really like the added humor as well. loved the naughty wood 😄Great work

@chaswarren7239 7 ай бұрын

Fantastic tutorial by an expert !

@Gerginthehat 7 ай бұрын

Beautiful form.

@ms-ht1cj 4 ай бұрын

I could watch this again and again ❤

@tomarmstrong4761 7 ай бұрын

I'm glad that you included the "right through the target" line. While the swing of the axe (or maul) is roughly an arc, it's good to use body mechanics to direct the axe-head motion from "arc" to "straight down the length of the wood being split." It takes some work to get there, but it's worth the effort! It's also worth noting that some species of wood splits more readily than others. Here in Kentucky, most of the wood I've split was some variety of Cherry or Ash, with some Elm and Maple and Mulberry for variety. I had a Chinese Chestnut cut down several years ago, and all I had to do was show the splitting maul to the wood and it would fall apart. The Cherry was different... On great big rounds, I've found it more satisfying to cleave by aiming for chords closer to the edges rather than try to split a large round in half. I don't need "pie wedge" firewood, I need firewood that will burn. Slabs from the edge of the round work well, and if I need to do a second set of slabs from a then-smaller round, so be it. I find the "around and down" gives me a tiny bit more power on impact, too. Sadly, my current house lacks a wood-burning fireplace. I miss having reason to split wood. The exercise did me good, and it was also satisfying mentally.

@jasonbaez5230 4 ай бұрын

Your content is so awsome me an my wife watch all your videos and there very helpful keep doing your thing queen

@JohnBGood1 7 ай бұрын

I came across her yt channel yesterday, and I'm trying to figure it out now, but I think it's her smile that is mesmerizing.

@DorianTheCruel 6 ай бұрын

Love your movies! I chop wood since I was 6/7 yo and I still love it!

@ManicSalamander 2 ай бұрын

Would love to see a video about how to cultivate accuracy in placement. You are so good at hitting in the same place, or along the same line, over and over. I'm sure that's key to throughput...

@cyberpunk-2O77 7 ай бұрын

Ill be employing that flick from now on! Thank you for the wisdom

@stevee.6725 7 ай бұрын

I've been waiting for this video!!

@padders1068 7 ай бұрын

Nicole, great video as ever! Thanks for sharing and no one is going to mess with you with those skills 😂🙂❤

@twobears5978 19 күн бұрын

Just love watching

@MartySteinberg 7 ай бұрын

you are such a bad ass! thank you for sharing these video, I really look forward to them.

@oldpossum57 7 ай бұрын

I think some artists and sculptors will be inspired.

@jameschandler2776 3 ай бұрын

You have great style when splitting. It is all about timing and using the legs. You do a great job. Very few people know how to get the proper power when splitting. Most try to do it all with their arms and shoulders. They lose over half their power.

@BT-xm6ne 7 ай бұрын

I just love how she makes chopping wood educational & entertaining at the same time.

@GCGomez 7 ай бұрын

Nicole would kill it in Ms. Physique contest! 💪 CHOP ON NICOLE!!!⚡❤️⚡

@MrBestbefore 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for this! I have some logs to process in the next couple of days so I can use this to improve my technique.

@mistersmith3986 7 ай бұрын

I love your PJ's

@hapa9615 7 ай бұрын

Just found your channel, great content and humor! Perfect to watch for an old fisherman and lumberjack from Norway😃

@EmoSew1 7 ай бұрын

thank u for the tutorial i noticed by ur delts on another video that this might be a good workout for them and ive got wood to split so it works out thank uu👍

@iwantcheesypuffs 7 ай бұрын

Good to see the young ones chopping wood. Excellent form. I also much prefer the curved handle with the "knobby" thing on the end. Chopping wood is a whole body exercise, helps with getting wood for the stove, cardio, and very good at clearing the mind.