Evening star., 1937-07-11
Lunberjack
Uses His AK
Efficiently
Increases Power of
Stroke by Correct
Stance and Grip.


or a North Woods guide handle
an ak is to see an exhibition of speed
and grace coupled with amazing skill.
A favorite trick is to stick 5-foot
stake into the ground 80 feet from the
base Of tree to be felled-the falling
tree then drives the stake the rest of
the way in.
These experts do not make hard
work Of chopping. They put their
body into the stroke by using the cor
rect rhythm then relax. There is
no hard gripping of the handle, or
that sticking of the AK which marks
the unskilled Wielder.
A woodsman is as much a crank
over his AK as he is about his gun
1t is his next best friend. Some use
a double-b bitted type, others prefer the
common single. 1t may be the Michi-
gan pattern popular among lumber
jacks there, or the Wisconsin type. or
the Oregon style. and so on. The sim
gle-bit variety has only one cutting
edge, and fiat head for driving
stakes; but the double ak has both
edges sharp The handle of the
double ak is straight that of the sin
gle gracefully curved. The standard
length is 36 inches and the usual
weight between five and six pounds.
Double -bitted aXs are popular be-
cause one edge can be kept razor
sharp and thin for cutting through
hardwood and the other thicker for
rougher work and soft stuff. A good
voodsman always spends few min
utes honing his ak with a stone be-
fore setting it aside-he would as soon
put his gun away dirty as his ak with
out this attention.
A lumberjack stands as carefully
and grips his ak AS precisely as any
golfer. AS you follow this explanation,
think of yourself as holding an ak and
choppine a small log. The feet should
be about "a inches apart-less if you
are under five and a half feet tall
and the toes should point ahead for
best balance The AK should be held
with the left hand three inches from
the end, while the right hand should
grip the handle three quarters of the
way to the head.
In swinging, bring the head over
the right shoulder until it is behind
your back, always keeping your eye
on the spot where you intend to strike
The ak head is then brought down
and around in rhythmic swing, the
right hand sliding down the handle
as the head descends; until at the
time the blade strikes, both hands are
together. The head is then pulled
free, and the hands slide apart on
the handle as the AK is swung back
to the original position. This, the
most common chopping stroke, is
known as the forward swing. The
reverse is the backhand, performed in
the same way except that you turn
and deliver the blow at an angle op-
posite to the forward swing
The expert stands on large logs
but behind smaller ones when chop
ping. He makes one cut with the
forward swing, then another with the
backhand-when his cuts meet he
has a deep notch. Beginners in
variably cut this too narrow. making
for harder work. On a fairly large
log it should be at least 10 inches wide
If the ak is simply driven into the
log, it will stick. and time and effort
will be required to wrench it loose.
The cuts must be properly placed
The first should be in the upper sec
tion and leave a little of the blade
sticking out the next into the lower
part, again with some of the blade out,
and the next into the center Lum-
berjacks call a notch cut like this a
flying cut
For larger trees the broken chip
cut is used-hrst flying cut, then a
single cut into one of the edges, and
then the wood Clipped out between
to enlarge the notch. Then there is
the box cut, keeping one edge square.
1t is merely half flying cut and half
a straight up-and-doWn cut. 1t is
used when telling trees and cutting
logs for cabin.
Lumberjacks always try to drop a
standing tree in the direction of its
lSdll. "IlSll IL uluSG ldll dill
other way a box cut is first made
Into the falling side, halfway through
Then the other side is tackled, and a
box cut made little higher than the
first cut, continuing until the tree
totters and falls One must stand
well away from falling trees because
they often drive back or ride the
stump" Likewise, in axing small
branches, always cut with the branch,
and never into the crotch, Also see
that there are no overhanging boughs
to defect your ak.
Few accidents occur in cutting logs
or standing trees-they usually hap
pen through carelessness when cutting
small stuff for firewood Always chop
on solid surface, preferably large
log, and never straight into the wood,
but at an angle. In this way you pin
the stock down and neither part can
fly and injure you.
While practice will make almost any
one an expert axman, you must first
master the principles as to correct
standing, swinging and stroking. The
hx is a truly North American tool
1t holds interesting possibilities for
exercise and wilderness craftsman
ship about the Summer camp-it is
ono of the outdoormans best friends.