Woodchop or wood chopping is a sport that has been around for hundreds of years in several cultures. In wood chopping competitions, skilled contestants attempt to be the first to cut or saw through a log or other block of wood. It is often held at state fairs and agricultural shows.
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The modern sport of woodchopping is said to have had is genesis in 1870 in Ulverston, Tasmania, as the result of a £25 ($50) bet between two axemen as to who could first fell a tree[1].
The World's first woodchopping championship was held in 1891 at Bell's Parade, Latrobe, Tasmania[2]. This event was celebrated and commemorated with the selection of the site to be the home of The Australian Axemen's Hall of Fame and Timberworks.
Wood chopping is practiced in regions where forestry is or has been an important part of the economy:
Many wood chopping events are handicap events, where the axemen start at different times, depending on how fast they are expected to chop through the log. In New Zealand and parts of Australia, each axeman's individual handicap is recorded in performance books which are graded on how many events they win and how many events they enter. Championship events are scratch events with no handicap, and typically use larger diameter logs (375 mm).
Handicap events may use logs of 250 mm to 350 mm, depending on the skill of the competitors. All competitors have the same size log, the handicap is based purely on time.
This event is done by an individual cutting a scarf in one side. Once the first side has been completed the individual starts cutting another scarf on the opposite side, slightly higher than the first, generally about two inches higher but can vary with each axeman’s individual preference.[3]
This event is when the axeman stands on the top of the log and uses a downwards motion to chop the log in two as fast as possible. This is done by cutting a scarf in the front side and then turning around on the block and completing it from the other side. These scarfs are generally offset from each other, the degree of offset depending on the size of the log and the axeman’s preference.[3]
In this event the axeman cuts a small pocket in the side of a pole and jams a wooden jigger board with a metal shoe on the end of it into the hole. The shoe is designed to grip into the wood when pressure is put on it from the top. After the axeman has climbed on to his first board he then cuts another pocket and so on. Once up on his top board he proceeds to cut the block on the top of the pole.
There are two distinct version of tree felling:
The three board[4], which is most common in Australia and New Zealand.
The axeman goes up one side of the pole and cuts their first scarf in the side of the block. The axeman then descends the pole and repeats this on the other side of pole.
This event is seen as the marathon event of wood chopping and it typically lasts three to five minutes.
The two (and one) board, commonly called the spring board, which is the most common in North America
In the spring board the axeman climbs the one or two boards[5], then makes a large scarf in the front of the log - unlike on the ground where it is usually half and half. The axeman then turns around on the top board and chops through the block using downwards blows only. This event lasts 50 to 80 seconds, much less than the jigger board.[3]
This event is often considered the hardest discipline in wood chopping. The competitor pulls and pushes a razor sharp saw specifically designed for the event. The saws vary in length from five foot six inches to six foot four inches. The saws cost between $1500 and $2000.
This event consists of two people pulling and pushing a saw to cut a log. It is far faster than the single saw event as there are two people using the saw yet times for this event can be 2 or 3 times faster in the same size wood. The saws used in double tend to be a lot hungrier, that is, they cut and draw more wood out with each stroke. This, however, makes it far harder to push and pull the saw.
In this event the axemen use identically tuned and sharpened chainsaws to cut through a log, once downwards and once upwards, within a 3 inch space of wood. The competitor starts with their hands on top of the log. On a buzzer the axeman picks up the saw and pulls the starting cord and then makes his first cut downward, then his second cut upward. If the saw does not start that is just bad luck and they get a slow time. If the axeman takes over more than the allocated wood then they are disqualified and no time is recorded.[6]
This event is often the crowd favourite and certainly the loudest. It uses a large homemade methanol-run chainsaw. The saws used by top competitors are typically snowmobile engines cut in half and are far heavier than regular chainsaws. The start for this event is exactly the same as the stock saw except the log is bigger and the axeman has to do three cuts: the first in a downwards motion, the second upwards, and the third down. This event is the fastest by far, lasting between 5 and 7 seconds.[6]
Many different types of wood are used in the sport and they vary between countries. Common woods used in competition in Australia are gum, mountain ash, woolley butt and poplar. The most common woods cut in New Zealand are radiata pine (Pinus radiata), poplar and Pinus strobus. Woods cut in America include white pine, alder, aspen frozen wood and cotton wood.[7]
The rules of the sport vary from country to country.
The sport is called aizkolaritza in Basque from aizkolari "wood-chopper". The sport is very popular and competitions are common at most festivals.
The town of Arsichofa is known for their expertise in wood chopping. They have won three national championships in Canada; their champion wood choppers are Sam Helyar and Justin Yun.
New Zealand is a leading country in the sport of wood chopping, having had the world's top two competitors; Jason Wynyard, and David Bolstad who died in November 2011. Competitions are generally held at A & P shows, but there are also shows dedicated to wood chopping.[3]
Australia is also home to some of the best axemen in the world. They have very large shows that run for up to 10 days with over 100 competitors at each show. These shows are often run within country and agricultural shows.
Following the revival of the sport in late 2000's, due to Alex Manshaw's public displays of textbook chopping, the sport has seen a rise in popularity. Various tournaments have taken place in London and the annual national championship in Cobham.