tool talk: the cutting edge

THE CUTTING EDGE

Penny Woodward looks at important winter tools for cleaning up gardens and cutting firewood.

Winter may be a quieter time for gardeners in many regions but there is still plenty to do and a whole set of tools you’ll need to get things done. Let’s start with cleaning and tidying – clearing weedy areas or tall grasses that have got away during summer, and pruning out dead and dying tree branches. If you have a wood-burning stove or a fi replace, then it’s also time for splitting and cutting fi rewood.

Quality and safety become even more important when you are using tools that are inherently dangerous, especially if wrongly used or badly made. Typically, handles on axes and splitters are timber or fi berglass. If they are timber and made overseas, they will probably be white hickory, or ash for smaller tools. If made in Australia, then probably a hardwood like spotted gum. With all of these tools, the quality of the forged steel used to make the head, the quality of the timber or fi breglass used for the handle and the way the head is attached to the handle (with timber handles, typically timber and steel wedges are used) will determine the cost, safety of use and how long your tool is likely to last.

As usual, it’s about buying the best quality you can afford, and looking for a warranty of at least 10 years but better if it’s a lifetime guarantee. For safety you should always wear solid shoes and long pants when using these cutting tools. With axes and splitters protective glasses are also recommended.

Axes

There’s a whole world of axes out there that goes way beyond the “just need to split some timber for fi rewood”. There are wood chopping competition axes that can be as expensive as $800, while the cheapest home garden ones are about $50. Unless you’re an

Above: Wood splitter. Facing page: Heavy axe designed for chopping and splitting.

axe lover (‘heirloom’ axes, which are individually numbered, are available) or have acres of timber to care for, then a lower priced axe should be fine.

Choose the right size and weight. Hold the axe just under the axe head and tip the handle back towards you. It should be the same length as your arm. To check the weight, hold the axe at the end of the handle with your elbow tucked into your body. Lift the axe just using your forearm, if it’s too heavy, choose a lighter axe. Some heavier axes are also designed as splitters.

Splitters

I still have a wood fire used at night in winter, burning only wood collected on our property. My go-to tool for splitting bigger logs, is my splitter (of course). The heavy, forged steel head with one angled, pointed edge splits the log along the length of the grain, without cutting deeply into the timber so it is less likely to get stuck. These are also sometimes called mauls. Let the weight of the tool do the work. Be very careful that your legs are well-braced and feet about 30cm apart and your swing hits home on the stump to avoid serious leg injuries.

Hachets and tomahawks

These are really just smaller axes with shorter handles. In the garden they’re mainly used to split kindling, knock small branches from trees or shape timber. They are generally used one-handed while the other hand holds the timber you are chopping. There are camping and timber working types, where the poll (back of the head of the tomahawk ) is designed to bang in things such as pegs, nails and spikes.

Above: Tomahawks can be used for splitting kindling.

Top: Pruning saw in use. Above: Using a bill hook to coppice a hazel. Hand saws

The two main hand saws used in gardening are pruning and bow saws. They have slightly different uses. Pruning saws get into tighter spaces and are better for smaller branches and cause less damage to living trees. Good bow saws can cut off or cut up quite big branches. These saws may mean you don’t need to start up an electric or petrol driven chainsaw, especially for one-off or small jobs. Some pruning saws can be folded when not in use and some also have replaceable blades. All bow saws have replaceable blades that mean you can have different toothed blades for dry and green timber, and easily replace them if damaged or blunted.

Machetes, slashers, sickles & hooks

These tools are variously used for cutting down brush, clearing weeds, bush regeneration, cutting back hedges, harvesting crops, such as lavender, and chopping kindling. There are specialised bill hooks for maintaining hedgerows and others for cutting long grass or coppicing trees. Some are the handheld equivalent of the whippersnipper and/or electric hedge trimmers. These are versatile tools made with forged carbon steel heads, with very sharp edges, and usually timber handles. For safety when transporting, they often come with heavyduty sheaths made from rubber or leather.

Suppliers

cyclone.com.au fiskars.com.au forestrytools.com.au garden-master.com.au huntgathergrow.com.au spearandjackson.com.au europeantoolsaustralia.com