@@jmarch_503 Well it doesn't hurt to ask anyway. :) Shad might already have thought about beginning doing some test writing for the sequel or at least been thinking about what the story will be, which is why it would be good to ask. We can probably expect it several years from now. Probably not 10 years. It also depends on the time Shad puts into pushing for that release and how frequently he writes the story and whatnot, but as a writer I think that is something he does that a lot. But he'll probably release another book first. The more books you make and the better they turn out, the easier it gets to make a good story, and the sooner and more frequently you can release your next book, depending on how thick the book in question is of course. In this case it is the sequel to Shadow of the Conqueror. I'll have to look up that book some time.
@@Oligator.09 I said it was fantastic, so *of course I would NOT recommend it* (sarcasm) But in all seriousness, if you like magic fantasy, you would like this.
You know that really terrible claim that "falchions have an axe like balance and are thick bladed choppers"? You should test that one. Because I'm sick of correcting people about it
This. He's done a video about falchions/messers where he sort of mentions that myth and debunks it, I think, but I'd love to see a video where he tests one. I think it's about time Shad got a nice falchion.
@@JC-sr9zf I mean, testing it is a bit overkill when you can just bring up measurements from museum examples. Cluny falchion is like 1.2mm thick at the foible, after account for losses. Testing that in wood will likely just warp the edge.
Generally speaking, there are three main types of axe heads for woodman's axes: the splitting axe (maul), the felling axe, and the limbing axe. The splitting axe has a nice, wide wedge, and is usually the heaviest of the three. The felling axe has a narrower wedge and is slightly lighter than a splitting axe, but still somewhat weighty, as it is intended to be swung horizontally to gradually buck out chunks of wood to fell a tree; you can still generally split wood with one, but not quite as well as a dedicated splitting axe. The limbing axe doesn't have much of a wedge and is fairly light, so that you could swing it one-handed at branches that may be above your head, if need be; they don't usually work very well for splitting, and while you could use one to chop down a small tree, you wouldn't want to use one to chop down a large tree. So, you could say that the limbing axe isn't too far removed from simpler versions of the battle axe.
I believe a camping axe is meant to be a bit of a do all. It is thin enough to chop at small trees and limbs, but thick enough to split smaller pieces effectively.
@@marine6680 It's certainly true that an axe head can be somewhere in-between these main categories, and you can make hatchet versions of each, too. I myself own a hatchet version of a splitter; it does a surprisingly good job despite it's small size, just as long as you get good edge alignment (just adding two fingers from your off hand to your grip helps immensely) and drop your weight into the swing.
The number one axe for woodsmen over the last century or so is the double bit axe. One side is used for felling, de-limbing, and bucking, and the other side for bumping knots and splitting bolts.
@@jamesfrankiewicz5768 I totally agree and have a hatchet sized "axe" I spit with. In my mind , with such a small implement and limited leverage, it seems like it's more a matter of head weight and edge alignment than geometry.
@@zacharyriley4122 I really fuckin disagree with this opinion..... Double bit is useful in a logging context when you're de-limbing or hitting knots constantly and need to swap out for a keen edge... But I feel like, for an independent "woodsman"/outdoorsman, the combo of a smaller two-handed axe, a hatchet, and a good bush knife splits the jobs of the various blades better and leaves you both carrying and swinging less unnecessary weight.
I just wanted to point out that Shad literally looks more mature after he started wearing a brigandine with a gambeson instead of a suit jacket with a t-shirt, and grew out a fuller beard.
honestly, my history teacher was mentioning medival topics recently and sending us links to some guy's channel that talks bout this stuff and i sent him back link with shad's channel and said that this man uploads good historical videos so he can look him up. and he said that this is top tier quality content. shad ur oficially approved by an educational center
I didn't even get that joke until I read this comment.. Saw it a few times, heard it in the video, but it only clicked when you specially called it out as a pun...
The biggest axe is called a splitting axe, it will do what the name implies, Splitting, you wouldn't debranch or chop down a tree with that, for that task you would use a felling axe, and a felling share more similarities with a camping axe and your small battle-axe, you can find lots of information on "Canada fur Trade Axes" However, as far as entertainment value lol which is the real reason we are here, This video was shape.
so you could do a double-bladed axe, with a splitter on one side and a feller on the other. would also work well in battle, make it an all in one weapon!
@@santi_super_stunts2573 Jesus, hearing someone, who's normally known for being both very serious and polite, suddenly saying "Greetings, I'm mad" with little difference in tone would be terrifying !
A flock of manhunting emus enter the map, scenting Ben's blood. Followed by a herd of alphabeavers. And for good measure, Randy Random throws in a maddened Thrumbo, during a sudden dry thunderstorm.
Thanks Jill! Indeed, there's so much more to explore, although I'll leave testing corsets to you ^_^ But hey, I have done dresses (or the medieval male equivalent) so that's something.
@@shadiversity In my next video I’m testing various degrees of boob armour (made of cardboard, duct tape, chest protectors and plastic bowls 😂) so between us we’ll soon have all the bases covered 😁
Shad has clearly done more woodcutting than Matt Easton (who is terrible at it), but his stance is a bit odd. Look at competitive woodcutters. They will always have their left leg forward (assuming they are right-handed and it is an event where they can choose their stance).
As someone chops woods with her father for every winter I approve of this. You forgot to mention the absolute pain you are in for the first few weeks while you chop wood continuously. The shap your hands ebds up...
They would do pretty well actually, but not for long. Youd get tired hefting that chunky blade around, and since the head has much less flair it would have a smaller cut size, but tons of damage done to the impacted area
I believe that it ought to be reiterated that there are of course differences between axes specialized for cutting and splitting. The axes which were called "woodcutting axes" in this video look to me to be sort of allroundish in shape. They have a relatively thin blade portion but their head widens noticeably toward the eye of the axe. This gives them both the ability to cut decently well, but also the necessary weight and a sufficiently large wedge needed to split wood. Because of this shape they are useful in many situations with differing demands. However, axe designs dedicated to either of the two most common tasks of axes - which are cutting across the grain and splitting along it - generally produce better results. On the one hand, specialized woodcutting axes typically feature blades which are entirely flat and thin in shape from the edge to the swell of the eye, which - quite similarly to a swordblade for that matter - reduces the amount of material which has to be pushed apart when cutting as well as helping to concentrate the force of the swing on a smaller area, thereby increasing its effectiveness. The thin blade also naturaly creates a sharper angle of the bevel and cutting edge, further aiding in cutting. The result of this type of design are deep, biting cuts with which a lot of material can be removed quickly. This makes them useful for felling trees and removing branches for example. Dedicated woodcutting axes share these characteristics with battle axes. On them, they serve the purpose of reducing their weight in order to improve the weapons' agility and decrease their tiring effect on the user. Furthermore, the thin blade enables them to easier bite into or penetrate both the tissues of opponents as well as their body armour. Therefore it doesn't surprise much, that good battle axes perform quite well when it comes to cutting wood. On the other hand, specialized splitting axes normally have quite long handles, substantially thicker heads and more steeply widening blades. This shape is of course designed to increase the tool's splitting power. The added weight aids to generate the necessary energy for splitting particularly larger pieces of wood along the grain. Unlike with a cutting axe, the user is not the main source of power during the splitting swing, as he can take advantage of gravity while simply guiding the falling heavy axe head onto the target once it has been lifted up. The steep wedge shape then forces the material apart using the axe head's energy. Because it does not take a very sharp edge to enter the endgrain and split the wood apart, splitting axes and especially splitting mauls, which are particularly large and heavy and more hammer-like in appearance, often have relatively blunt edges. They are therefore generally not very good for actual cutting work. Since splitting axes are often very bulky and heavy, they don't lend themselves well for combat. The user would have difficulties trying to control the immense kinetic energy of the weapon and also become tired quickly because of its weight. Moreover, the typically quite small cutting area - or, to utilize the Shad language, their small cutting ratio, makes it hard to hit a target reliably. A solid hit with any axe, especially with a heavy splitting axe however, would of course have a devastating effect on an opponent. I would like to recommend to anyone interested in this matter the UA-cam channel "Wranglerstar", if you don't know it already: ua-cam.com/users/wranglerstarvideos Thanks for attending my nerd talk.
I like to imagine that on weekends Shad will just put on his gambeson and grab 4 axes, some blocks of wood and a camera and then when his wife asks what he's doing he just yells "I'M GOING TO THE SHADLANDS" and then they both continue likes that a normal thing lol
@@TheNeilBlack except the comment is talking about battlefield axes, not battleaxes. Reading is hard I know. And you don´t use axes on a battlefield because they are not made for it. You use axes if you raid a village and in uncoordianted battles.
That one probably suffers the most from fantasy misconceptions, that idea that battle axes are these huge monstrous things that weigh a ton. When all of them are actually quite small and need to be pretty light. And also quite thin and focused.
You know, this makes me realize that the 'rarely used as a purpose built military weapon' battle axe of the Japanese, the Ono, was supposedly used mostly for cutting through castle doors. And, guess what; those axes were huge, six foot long, two-handed axes with a large taper on their head.
When it came to cutting the smaller branches it's why we have the double bit Ax in many circumstances we have a long handle(fulcrum) and wide wedge for splitting. A narrower side for cutting good and sharp narrow wedge and at least one choke point to decrease the total length. Keeping the splitting end a bit dull isn't uncommon while the cutting end is quite sharp.
The ax I inherited from my grandfather was a double bit. It traveled to Kansas from the East Coast in a settlers wagon. As a curious kid I asked him why it wasn't symmetrical, and he took me out in the yard to show me the difference between cutting and splitting.
@@stephensteinhauer3346 absolutely the double bit ax is a powerful tool for wood harvesting mine is from Michigan a bit wider bearded on one end. Its a really helpful tool from both ends. Not too good as a weapon though sadly lol
In my part of Texas, where we have as much rock as dirt, one side is for cutting below the ground line and one side is for cutting above the ground. Above the ground is where you are not chipping the blade and can keep a keen edge. My job as a child was to clear fields of cedar, juniper to the rest of you, and the knee high or less was easily chopped with the chipped blade while the shoulder high cedar used the keen edge to chop limbs to clear the way to the trunk and then the chipped edge to cut it off below the dirt line. Get back to me when you are chopping 2,000 finger to ankle thick trees a day and I'll show you a Shad that has Abs like Ahnuld the Burburiyun.
Summer in australia and this man is standing in the sun wearing thick black gambison, a dark brigandine and swinging axes. Am I the only one confused by this?
@@dionjaywoollaston1349 you would want to wear clothes that cover you, but not in dark colours and not that thick. You want to wear thin white clothing, this is just asking for a heathstroke
Its not coivd that messed with your plans and aspirations. Its the stupid governments crazy insane overreation to a virus that is only dangerous to people who are at death's door already.
My dwarf character should probably wield a battleaxe with a camping axe head thickness. He doesn't only fight spindly goblins and humans. Sometimes he takes on orcs, ogres, trolls, and giants, and that added thickness and density of target calls for a mightier blade than a traditional battleaxe.
That full-sized axe swing made me scared😂not because of the power or anything, but just because Shad made it look so easy. You may have had a future as an executioner had you been born in the middle ages shad😂I love all the videos you’ve been doing lately talking to everyone from Sargon to Critical Drinker to the community of the Sword. Keep up the good work sir.
Hey Shad I like the point you are trying to prove. As a person that lives in the mountains and does a lot of firewood gathering I think I have some experience that I can share. When it comes down to cutting down trees and cutting them in smaller bits a light sharp blade is usually the best. I actually prefer machetes over axes (even for cutting down kindda big trees) as with them you are more precise and tire you less than an axe. With that being said I would greatly prefer having an axe with a thin light blade (like the battle axe). And as you mentioned - cutting long pieces of wood is far more practical for camping that chopping big blocks of wood. *One small nitpicking comment: it is always far better to cut down a piece of wood with diagonal cuts than with perpendicular ones
Machetes were designed to cut through tough wood like sugar cane and I believe there are machetes that look like axes, I think they are called bolo machetes. Edit: I was wrong the name is cane machete
Man now I just want to see a one handed vs two handed battle axe test, perhaps with living trees vs deadwood, how does the axe damage vary through long term vs short term use? Man so many questions this video proposes, hopefully this is the start of a greater axe trend
I'm liking the Shadlands. A change of scenery to mix things up and add more variety. The castle and chair are great, it's just nice to also have a 3rd setting.
I can second that boom recommendation! I was pleasantly surprised! Before I got it, I was thinking “oh another youtuber with a book. Woopdieedoo.” But I had my audible subscription and wasn’t sure what to get next so I gave the book a go. And wow! It is genuinely great! I’m proud of you Shad! I’m looking forward to reading more in the future. 🤩
I'm loving seeing shad de-age in his videos. Him regaining his energy is awesome and we get to see even more and better videos like this one. Makes me happy
I would usually just say, “yeah, no shit” But most people don’t think about just how sturdy the average log of wood is, and how *not* sturdy the average human is
This is why I hate when treefolk are given the flammable property in games and such. We burn a lot easier than wood does too. Its thickness is the reason why we burn it!
"to split wood with it would be sacrilege. This tool has but one purpose, and that is war." someone in a mtg card that I really liked when I started playing
@@DFloyd84 YES! Just like how in this video the battle axe performed poorly in chopping through wood,whilst the woodcutting axe performed well because of the wider head shape. In other words,the battle axe was just made for a different task.
@@Khaim.m it's a joke as forester I would be terrified if forced to cut timber or split wood with that thin ax as a historical weapon enthusiast I would be horrified thinking of potential of utterly destroying the ax edge
@@eyeballpapercut4400 Yeah... you make a good point that Shad didn't mention. Even if you COULD effectively cut wood with a Battle Axe, you wouldn't be able to cut much because the edge of that axe would dull REALLY fast and, as you pointed out, potentially break due to reliance on the edge to cut through more than the shape and weight of the axe's head. My take-away from this video and your comments is that if I'm going adventuring and I know I'm going to need to farm wood for fire, fabrication, and/or construction, a One-Handed Wood Chopping Axe is the way to go.
@@ForeverDegenerate It's better to just bring prepacked fuel like tiny gas canisters or paraffin blocks and portable metal stoves/fireplaces tho. Especially in my place where its tropical and only dry fuel sources are twigs and dry leaves at the perimeter of the forest not inside, or making wood chips and shavings with machetes. We only use axes when there is a log in the way. Smaller obstacles only need machetes and hand saws. Meanwhile the gentlemen in the woodworking shed will use three types of axes, but sometimes they'll just use power tools.
Let's also add that a splitting axe is by no means the best choice for chopping or felling. I come from a family of loggers and I often take three different axes out with me. Well technically two axes and a splitting maul. edited for atrocious misspellings
"thickness of the wood" (giggle). Accidental innuendos are the best. This video brought out the real australian in shad. Being outside with tools seems to make the australian accent thicker. This was one of the best videos i've seen in a long time from Shad. Out in the beautiful landscape, swinging axes at stuff. Could not get any better than this.
I'm glad someone mentioned the Vikings. A lot of the Viking's weapons had to be multipurpose/based of common tools. Seax knives, axes, spears, etc. Most weren't just soldiers or raiders but also farmers and craftsmen. They even had a word for peasant armies. Plus they were traveling and so they made every pound count
I can’t recall the exact phrase, but the Warhammer Drawfs believe no tool should have a single purpose. Edit: I mean, Warhammer Dwarfs dislike swords because they're only useful in war, but they prefer pickaxes, hammers, etc.
@no or maybe yes as well as a fourth and fifth use: annoying the elves and yelling profanity/insults at them. The dwarves are basically a combination of the Scottish and Germans, extreme vulgarity mixed with top tier craftsmanship
Alton Brown, of Good Eats, has said that he doesn't like specialized kitchen tools for similar reasons. However, the only single-purpose tool he keeps in his kitchen is a fire extinguisher.
As someone who has used more than a few axes to collect firewood, there's things like felling axes and splitting axes. Felling axe - narrower head, decently sharp, has to bite into the wood a bit more, and is not good at splitting wood. Splitting axe - has more of a wedge shape, and forces wood fibers apart - would not use to cut down a tree.
agreed, it appears the 2H one he had is mostly a Felling axe, designed to chop trees down and to chop up logs. A Splitting Maul has a lot more mass, and looks like a Axe and a Sledge had a 1 night stand.
About the axe head of the battle axe coming loose. If you notice, it's the only axe of the four that has a straight socket, and is pinned. Probably because it's the lighter design, and lightness is what you'd want in a battle axe. While the ones built for wood chopping all have an hourglass shaped socket, with the handle wedged in place. Or perhaps it's better described as a double tapered socket. If you see how a blacksmith forges an axe, and how much time is spent and specialized tapered tools are used on shaping the socket, it starts to make sense that the lighter, straight and pinned socket comes loose easier. It's designed for a different use. I'd say that the socket coming loose is an indication that the socket type is as important for an axe as it's edge geometry, in regards of it's intended use. Here's a link to one of my favourite youtube blacksmiths forging an axe: ua-cam.com/video/FdNxW3_ugHo/v-deo.html
It may not cut wood well, but it does cut Bens well. Get yourself a battle axe, link below! (WARNING: LINK BLOCKED FOR PROMOTING VIOLENCE! USER HAS BEEN TERMINATED! HAVE A NICE DAY!)
Adventuring tasks: Cutting branches, as shown. Made a staff, pole, or spear shaft. Chop through a door or wall. Cut logs for a raft or bridge. Make wooden stakes. Quickly cut a rope. Maybe cut a chain?? Break open a chest.
One minute into the video and we've already seen... a variety of axes, the amazing shad intro, a listing of classic rpg elements, references to several cool (non-rpg) games, beautiful landscape shots with the kind of lively summer sunshine we're currently lacking in Europe, as well as the Shad himself... now, one could ask "but what about dragons?", but so far this video is a 11/10 at least.
A basic note on axes. There are felling/chopping axes, splitting axes and camping/hunting axes. Felling axes are thinner to bite deeper. Splitting axes are thicker, to split wood easier. the camping axe is a happy medium for splitting and chopping.
I was thinking about saying this. Yes he isn’t doing it in good way. But doing it in good way will be changing nothing. Battle axe isn’t woodworking axe, just isn’t. It can be used for some work, shure.
Hi Woodcutting Elite here. I have 47 axes of varying lengths, I have one that I use to slay the redwoods. It's 7 meters long. You know I'm serious. He's cutting the wood wrong.
I had a thought about designing an ‘adventuring axe’ where the axe head thickness is between a tool axe and a battle axe. Something that can be used for making camp but in an emergency it’s a suitable weapon.
As an amateur Carpenter what you're running into their is running across the grain versus with the grain picture the wood fibers like a bunch of straws with glue if you go vertically it helps more to have a wedge if you go against the grain it helps more to have a thin blade
I just finished your audiobook "shadow of the conqueror" and it was fantastic
Shad when's the sequel?
@@KoreyMacGill you know how long it took just for that one ?
@@jmarch_503 Well it doesn't hurt to ask anyway. :) Shad might already have thought about beginning doing some test writing for the sequel or at least been thinking about what the story will be, which is why it would be good to ask. We can probably expect it several years from now. Probably not 10 years. It also depends on the time Shad puts into pushing for that release and how frequently he writes the story and whatnot, but as a writer I think that is something he does that a lot. But he'll probably release another book first.
The more books you make and the better they turn out, the easier it gets to make a good story, and the sooner and more frequently you can release your next book, depending on how thick the book in question is of course. In this case it is the sequel to Shadow of the Conqueror.
I'll have to look up that book some time.
Do you recommend it
@@Oligator.09 I said it was fantastic, so *of course I would NOT recommend it* (sarcasm)
But in all seriousness, if you like magic fantasy, you would like this.
This video is a bit choppy..
Only 50 frames...
I just realized this was a dad joke
Or you axidentally did something that caused it to be choppy.
I laughed at this way more than i should have
As long as you can get wood if you axe for it
Looks like Shad’s surgery was a success. Dude’s got more energy and enthusiasm than ever before!
Just as planned. . . .
what was the surgery again?
That's one of the first things I noticed. I was like damn Shad is looking pretty lively for chopping wood.
just replying to get a notification when someone says if shad actually did get a surgery
@@phosphatepod He did, perhaps a year or two ago. He made a video about it.
You know that really terrible claim that "falchions have an axe like balance and are thick bladed choppers"? You should test that one. Because I'm sick of correcting people about it
This. He's done a video about falchions/messers where he sort of mentions that myth and debunks it, I think, but I'd love to see a video where he tests one. I think it's about time Shad got a nice falchion.
@@JC-sr9zf I mean, testing it is a bit overkill when you can just bring up measurements from museum examples. Cluny falchion is like 1.2mm thick at the foible, after account for losses. Testing that in wood will likely just warp the edge.
Well, they can be.
He’s got a whole series about them. They are fantastic videos. Here’s the first:
m.ua-cam.com/video/7WaE9AqrIAU/v-deo.html
@@mitcharcher7528 I'm aware. But tests get more views than video essays
Generally speaking, there are three main types of axe heads for woodman's axes: the splitting axe (maul), the felling axe, and the limbing axe. The splitting axe has a nice, wide wedge, and is usually the heaviest of the three. The felling axe has a narrower wedge and is slightly lighter than a splitting axe, but still somewhat weighty, as it is intended to be swung horizontally to gradually buck out chunks of wood to fell a tree; you can still generally split wood with one, but not quite as well as a dedicated splitting axe. The limbing axe doesn't have much of a wedge and is fairly light, so that you could swing it one-handed at branches that may be above your head, if need be; they don't usually work very well for splitting, and while you could use one to chop down a small tree, you wouldn't want to use one to chop down a large tree. So, you could say that the limbing axe isn't too far removed from simpler versions of the battle axe.
I believe a camping axe is meant to be a bit of a do all. It is thin enough to chop at small trees and limbs, but thick enough to split smaller pieces effectively.
@@marine6680 It's certainly true that an axe head can be somewhere in-between these main categories, and you can make hatchet versions of each, too. I myself own a hatchet version of a splitter; it does a surprisingly good job despite it's small size, just as long as you get good edge alignment (just adding two fingers from your off hand to your grip helps immensely) and drop your weight into the swing.
The number one axe for woodsmen over the last century or so is the double bit axe. One side is used for felling, de-limbing, and bucking, and the other side for bumping knots and splitting bolts.
@@jamesfrankiewicz5768 I totally agree and have a hatchet sized "axe" I spit with. In my mind , with such a small implement and limited leverage, it seems like it's more a matter of head weight and edge alignment than geometry.
@@zacharyriley4122 I really fuckin disagree with this opinion..... Double bit is useful in a logging context when you're de-limbing or hitting knots constantly and need to swap out for a keen edge... But I feel like, for an independent "woodsman"/outdoorsman, the combo of a smaller two-handed axe, a hatchet, and a good bush knife splits the jobs of the various blades better and leaves you both carrying and swinging less unnecessary weight.
I just wanted to point out that Shad literally looks more mature after he started wearing a brigandine with a gambeson instead of a suit jacket with a t-shirt, and grew out a fuller beard.
Technically it's called a blood channel beard.
I mean he is older.
He will always be [insert current age]-going-on-26-years-old.
Maybe it's like the armor Thomas wore in "Magician", and Shad will gradually transform into some kind of super-human demi-god?
Not so easy to take him seriously when he's channeling Kevin Smith.
honestly, my history teacher was mentioning medival topics recently and sending us links to some guy's channel that talks bout this stuff and i sent him back link with shad's channel and said that this man uploads good historical videos so he can look him up. and he said that this is top tier quality content. shad ur oficially approved by an educational center
Who was the other guy? Was he any good?
Nice
Now that's a compliment, where's the honorary teaching title at? 🧐 😄
As he should be
Next: how well can a medieval longsword spread butter
lol nice...underrated comment
A longsword would be really great to slice open a baguette or two
@@plt927 unless the baguette has been sitting on the counter for more than 24 hours coz then it becomes hard as concrete lmao
Good idea
Ayyyo fuck yeah. I wanna see that now
This could explain why Treebeard accepted Gimlis explain that his axe was only for orc necks!
While "axe-ident" was a good pun, I still think "the Shadlands" was the best pun of the episode.
I didn't even get that joke until I read this comment.. Saw it a few times, heard it in the video, but it only clicked when you specially called it out as a pun...
Long live king Shad, Lord of the Shadland and slayer of the wretched wood trolls!
I think his fans started using that name for his fandom originally
Intreeguing
Mrs. Shad : "If you're just going to play with that battle ax all day be useful and chop some firewood"
Shad: "My gosh that's my next video!"
Firewood in Australia, in the hottest month of the year >.>
@@Besieged1927 winter is coming...
The biggest axe is called a splitting axe, it will do what the name implies, Splitting, you wouldn't debranch or chop down a tree with that, for that task you would use a felling axe, and a felling share more similarities with a camping axe and your small battle-axe, you can find lots of information on "Canada fur Trade Axes" However, as far as entertainment value lol which is the real reason we are here, This video was shape.
People in my area call big splitting axes (like a pointy sledge hammer) a 'maul'
@@DjDolHaus86 yep, im in nova scotia canada, we tend to call them splitting maul. split with one side, sledge for your wedges on the other.
@@DjDolHaus86 it is often called a "Maul" here as well.
@@GameHoardGame in Alberta we also call them that
so you could do a double-bladed axe, with a splitter on one side and a feller on the other. would also work well in battle, make it an all in one weapon!
I wonder if Shad goes "Greetings, I'm dad." when he picks his kids up from school?
When they get in trouble he also says “Greetings , I’m mad”
@@santi_super_stunts2573 Jesus, hearing someone, who's normally known for being both very serious and polite, suddenly saying "Greetings, I'm mad" with little difference in tone would be terrifying !
when he feels awesome: "Greetings, i'm rad"
Greetings im Sh..Dad
Wearing a kilt: “Greetings, I’m Plaid”
Anyone else feel like his wife assigned him some chores and he decided to make a video about it?
Not gonna lie, it makes sense 🤣
Don't tell his secret.
The lengths we men go to in order to make chores bearable is beyond imaginable
Greetings, I'm Shad. When you're out adventuring, can you find food in between the blades of grass? Let's mow it down and see.
Hey, content is content
"I am out here in the Shadlands doing some adventuring"
DM: You encounter 1d6 Dire Kangaroos and a Giant Koala
And biologists have recently proven that Dire Kangaroos are not really kangaroos.
Just so long as he doesn't piss off the DM to the point of sending in the Emu.
A flock of manhunting emus enter the map, scenting Ben's blood.
Followed by a herd of alphabeavers.
And for good measure, Randy Random throws in a maddened Thrumbo, during a sudden dry thunderstorm.
Roll to see if the Giant Koala is in fact a Dropbear!
@@leandersearle5094 if that happens he has no hope
I thought for a minute, "where is he" then went "oh thats right hes got his own land" then i realised, "hes making us watch him clean up his land"
lol. Most people: "But I don't have one".
Shad: "I don't have one on me...at the moment".
Empirical testing FTW 😁
Hey, Jill! Your vids are awesome!
Thanks Jill! Indeed, there's so much more to explore, although I'll leave testing corsets to you ^_^
But hey, I have done dresses (or the medieval male equivalent) so that's something.
@@shadiversity In my next video I’m testing various degrees of boob armour (made of cardboard, duct tape, chest protectors and plastic bowls 😂) so between us we’ll soon have all the bases covered 😁
So Happy to see you here in Shadland Jill ♡♡♡
Shad has clearly done more woodcutting than Matt Easton (who is terrible at it), but his stance is a bit odd. Look at competitive woodcutters. They will always have their left leg forward (assuming they are right-handed and it is an event where they can choose their stance).
So... basically the Camping Axe is a sweet spot for Adventurers who choose the Axe then?
As someone chops woods with her father for every winter I approve of this. You forgot to mention the absolute pain you are in for the first few weeks while you chop wood continuously. The shap your hands ebds up...
Man, I feel manlier by proxy just watching Shad be an absolute Chad chopping wood like its marshmallows
As an Axe main, I approve this video.
Finally someone who agrees with me, swords are just too long and pointy. A solid one handed axe is more practical and does the trick just fine.
@@williammilliron8735 For when they get too close to use the spear effectively...
what a coincidence, i was about to axe you the question
Up next on Shadiversity: How effective is a CAMPING AXE at cutting off limbs? (Feat. Sir Ben)
rip ben
'Tis but a scratch!
"Your bloody arm is off"
"No it isn't"
Or splitting skulls, as they're made for splitting.
They would do pretty well actually, but not for long. Youd get tired hefting that chunky blade around, and since the head has much less flair it would have a smaller cut size, but tons of damage done to the impacted area
Usually hate ads but Audible is awesome and I complete second what Shad said about them.
Using it since forever. I suscribed there when it wasnt even bought by amazon. It is so good.
I believe that it ought to be reiterated that there are of course differences between axes specialized for cutting and splitting.
The axes which were called "woodcutting axes" in this video look to me to be sort of allroundish in shape. They have a relatively thin blade portion but their head widens noticeably toward the eye of the axe. This gives them both the ability to cut decently well, but also the necessary weight and a sufficiently large wedge needed to split wood. Because of this shape they are useful in many situations with differing demands.
However, axe designs dedicated to either of the two most common tasks of axes - which are cutting across the grain and splitting along it - generally produce better results.
On the one hand, specialized woodcutting axes typically feature blades which are entirely flat and thin in shape from the edge to the swell of the eye, which - quite similarly to a swordblade for that matter - reduces the amount of material which has to be pushed apart when cutting as well as helping to concentrate the force of the swing on a smaller area, thereby increasing its effectiveness. The thin blade also naturaly creates a sharper angle of the bevel and cutting edge, further aiding in cutting. The result of this type of design are deep, biting cuts with which a lot of material can be removed quickly. This makes them useful for felling trees and removing branches for example.
Dedicated woodcutting axes share these characteristics with battle axes. On them, they serve the purpose of reducing their weight in order to improve the weapons' agility and decrease their tiring effect on the user. Furthermore, the thin blade enables them to easier bite into or penetrate both the tissues of opponents as well as their body armour. Therefore it doesn't surprise much, that good battle axes perform quite well when it comes to cutting wood.
On the other hand, specialized splitting axes normally have quite long handles, substantially thicker heads and more steeply widening blades. This shape is of course designed to increase the tool's splitting power. The added weight aids to generate the necessary energy for splitting particularly larger pieces of wood along the grain. Unlike with a cutting axe, the user is not the main source of power during the splitting swing, as he can take advantage of gravity while simply guiding the falling heavy axe head onto the target once it has been lifted up. The steep wedge shape then forces the material apart using the axe head's energy. Because it does not take a very sharp edge to enter the endgrain and split the wood apart, splitting axes and especially splitting mauls, which are particularly large and heavy and more hammer-like in appearance, often have relatively blunt edges. They are therefore generally not very good for actual cutting work.
Since splitting axes are often very bulky and heavy, they don't lend themselves well for combat. The user would have difficulties trying to control the immense kinetic energy of the weapon and also become tired quickly because of its weight. Moreover, the typically quite small cutting area - or, to utilize the Shad language, their small cutting ratio, makes it hard to hit a target reliably. A solid hit with any axe, especially with a heavy splitting axe however, would of course have a devastating effect on an opponent.
I would like to recommend to anyone interested in this matter the UA-cam channel "Wranglerstar", if you don't know it already: ua-cam.com/users/wranglerstarvideos
Thanks for attending my nerd talk.
"Ben, come say you're fine so you can't sue me later for a workplace injury."
Need to get your squire some armor Haha
Tis but a scratch.
@@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc is just a flesh wound
I like to imagine that on weekends Shad will just put on his gambeson and grab 4 axes, some blocks of wood and a camera and then when his wife asks what he's doing he just yells "I'M GOING TO THE SHADLANDS" and then they both continue likes that a normal thing lol
Haha! Yeah that's pretty much what happens
@@ladyshadiversity397 So now that he's chopped the wood... are you all going to toast marshmallows around the campfire? 😁
My wife has come home to me cooking or doing dishes in armor several times, I don't think she notices any more.
@@sanguinemoon9201 But have you ever used a kettle helmet as an actual kettle?
@@Damienx247 wait thats genius there needs to be a video on if Kettle helmets are good for eating soup out of
I've updated my adventuring equipment list to simply include "1 shad"
"Look mom, the strange man is choping wood in his armor again!"
Alternative title: How Much Wood Could a Battleaxe Chop if a Battleaxe Could Chop Wood?
Battlefield bows: Large
Battlefield pikes: MASSIVE
Battlefield axes: tiny
There are no battlefield axes, since the weapon isn't made for a battlefield.
@@berndarndt9924 ah
@@berndarndt9924 You're literally on a video about battle axes...
@@TheNeilBlack except the comment is talking about battlefield axes, not battleaxes. Reading is hard I know.
And you don´t use axes on a battlefield because they are not made for it.
You use axes if you raid a village and in uncoordianted battles.
@@berndarndt9924We have lots of accounts of axes being used on battlefields. Including their use by several kings.
That one probably suffers the most from fantasy misconceptions, that idea that battle axes are these huge monstrous things that weigh a ton. When all of them are actually quite small and need to be pretty light. And also quite thin and focused.
On a battlefield I doubt a big clumsy axe would be effective. Sure it will kill but you are going to be open for attacks for ever
Conan fans will curse you for those words... 😂🤪
I'm starting to like the new main character of this anime. That log has quite the personality.
You know, this makes me realize that the 'rarely used as a purpose built military weapon' battle axe of the Japanese, the Ono, was supposedly used mostly for cutting through castle doors. And, guess what; those axes were huge, six foot long, two-handed axes with a large taper on their head.
Completely off topic but that's quite the back yard .. I'm a little envious.
"The shadlands" I like that lol
Better than Brookland, that's for sure
When it came to cutting the smaller branches it's why we have the double bit Ax in many circumstances we have a long handle(fulcrum) and wide wedge for splitting. A narrower side for cutting good and sharp narrow wedge and at least one choke point to decrease the total length. Keeping the splitting end a bit dull isn't uncommon while the cutting end is quite sharp.
The ax I inherited from my grandfather was a double bit. It traveled to Kansas from the East Coast in a settlers wagon. As a curious kid I asked him why it wasn't symmetrical, and he took me out in the yard to show me the difference between cutting and splitting.
@@stephensteinhauer3346 absolutely the double bit ax is a powerful tool for wood harvesting mine is from Michigan a bit wider bearded on one end. Its a really helpful tool from both ends. Not too good as a weapon though sadly lol
In my part of Texas, where we have as much rock as dirt, one side is for cutting below the ground line and one side is for cutting above the ground. Above the ground is where you are not chipping the blade and can keep a keen edge. My job as a child was to clear fields of cedar, juniper to the rest of you, and the knee high or less was easily chopped with the chipped blade while the shoulder high cedar used the keen edge to chop limbs to clear the way to the trunk and then the chipped edge to cut it off below the dirt line. Get back to me when you are chopping 2,000 finger to ankle thick trees a day and I'll show you a Shad that has Abs like Ahnuld the Burburiyun.
We all just watched a video about how different axes chop wood and thought it was well worth the time, we are weird.
One thing I learned from an audiobook, is don't jump off a cliff while holding two different stones, stuff happens.
Yes
Summer in australia and this man is standing in the sun wearing thick black gambison, a dark brigandine and swinging axes. Am I the only one confused by this?
He’s used to the heat, plus the less clothes he wears the more likely he is to get sunburn
@@dionjaywoollaston1349 you would want to wear clothes that cover you, but not in dark colours and not that thick. You want to wear thin white clothing, this is just asking for a heathstroke
Its shad.
Bro, I’m more confused about the creatures that he could find in the wild, in Australia, like damn I wouldn’t even go a cm away from the streets 🤣
@@hanalexcranealister6799 he has four axes
I suggest "Bensbane" as that axe's name.
That axe went trough those branches like Covid went through my plans and aspirations.
Damn I felt that.
Ouch
Yeah same
That axe went through those branches like my parents went through my will to live
Its not coivd that messed with your plans and aspirations. Its the stupid governments crazy insane overreation to a virus that is only dangerous to people who are at death's door already.
Since witches burn and wood burns, that means witches are made out of wood.
Good video for which axe to take for witch hunting.
My dwarf character should probably wield a battleaxe with a camping axe head thickness. He doesn't only fight spindly goblins and humans. Sometimes he takes on orcs, ogres, trolls, and giants, and that added thickness and density of target calls for a mightier blade than a traditional battleaxe.
That full-sized axe swing made me scared😂not because of the power or anything, but just because Shad made it look so easy. You may have had a future as an executioner had you been born in the middle ages shad😂I love all the videos you’ve been doing lately talking to everyone from Sargon to Critical Drinker to the community of the Sword. Keep up the good work sir.
For splitting wood, you just need to make the axe moving. Gravity does most of the work. You'll get more tired with small axe than with the big one.
Hey Shad I like the point you are trying to prove. As a person that lives in the mountains and does a lot of firewood gathering I think I have some experience that I can share. When it comes down to cutting down trees and cutting them in smaller bits a light sharp blade is usually the best. I actually prefer machetes over axes (even for cutting down kindda big trees) as with them you are more precise and tire you less than an axe. With that being said I would greatly prefer having an axe with a thin light blade (like the battle axe). And as you mentioned - cutting long pieces of wood is far more practical for camping that chopping big blocks of wood.
*One small nitpicking comment: it is always far better to cut down a piece of wood with diagonal cuts than with perpendicular ones
Machetes were designed to cut through tough wood like sugar cane and I believe there are machetes that look like axes, I think they are called bolo machetes.
Edit: I was wrong the name is cane machete
Man now I just want to see a one handed vs two handed battle axe test, perhaps with living trees vs deadwood, how does the axe damage vary through long term vs short term use? Man so many questions this video proposes, hopefully this is the start of a greater axe trend
I think your axing to much.
Just like Tod's videos brings up more questions than answers.
4:30 - I half expected the fallen trunk to get wedged apart by the mighty Shad... but then I saw he wasn't even trying (for now).
I'm liking the Shadlands. A change of scenery to mix things up and add more variety. The castle and chair are great, it's just nice to also have a 3rd setting.
Captions: "Greetings, I'm shattered."
Me too
And he's in the Shadowlands
I'm also shattered!
...from Shatterath, Outland
UA-cam also thinks he was talking about three-handed battle axes too.
ben: *(gets hand cut off)* "TIS JUST A FLESH WOUND!"
Flesh is weak.
From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh it disgusted me
I see we all are here to praise the machine spirit
Monty Python: the holy grail.
Axe 1: EASY!
Axe 2: DECENT!
Axe 3: WORKS WELL!
Axe 4: HAPPENED EXACTLY AS I WAS EXPECTING!
Loved those post-axing exclamations Shad
I’m impressed that he’s swinging an axe around in the summer dressed like that
I'm impressed that he's existing in the summer dressed like that.
Next video- mideval deodorant!
"Tis but a flesh wound."
That's what they all say. Then your arms fall off.
That's what the Black Kight said when his arms came off.
I can second that boom recommendation! I was pleasantly surprised! Before I got it, I was thinking “oh another youtuber with a book. Woopdieedoo.” But I had my audible subscription and wasn’t sure what to get next so I gave the book a go. And wow! It is genuinely great! I’m proud of you Shad! I’m looking forward to reading more in the future. 🤩
I too like that book.
I'm loving seeing shad de-age in his videos. Him regaining his energy is awesome and we get to see even more and better videos like this one. Makes me happy
What we've actually learned today is that chopping wood is more difficult than chopping humans.
I would usually just say, “yeah, no shit”
But most people don’t think about just how sturdy the average log of wood is, and how *not* sturdy the average human is
@@wisemankugelmemicus1701
Now imagine fighting ents and dryads and start respecting the orcs of Saruman.
This is why I hate when treefolk are given the flammable property in games and such. We burn a lot easier than wood does too. Its thickness is the reason why we burn it!
@@crappyusername69 that just means it burns longer. It takes damage longer than humans.
@@crappyusername69 To be fair, poor treefolk basically doused in _molten iron._
Just as a sidenote, it really does seem like you have a lot more energy in your presentation than you did months ago. I'm super happy for ya!
Hearing Shad do battle grunts while chopping wood adds to the adventure
My wife walked by asking why the guy on screen is wearing kilt, dont even know where to start with this one
Hehe
"He's shad, ruler of the shad lands and bane of dragons"
You can add master of machicolations as well
Now I know why in Australia it isn´t uncommon for people to have more than one axe, at least two. One type for woodcutting, one type for snakes.
"it's just a flash wound" - Ben the black knight :D
"to split wood with it would be sacrilege. This tool has but one purpose, and that is war." someone in a mtg card that I really liked when I started playing
Shad after a camping trip and some small misadventures with a battleaxe.
“How well can a Flamberge cut bread?”
Bread knives are typically serrated to better cut through spongy bread. I would expect the flamberge to perform poorly in such an experiment.
@@DFloyd84 YES!
Just like how in this video the battle axe performed poorly in chopping through wood,whilst the woodcutting axe performed well because of the wider head shape.
In other words,the battle axe was just made for a different task.
“The Shadlands” I love that 😂
regular axe: I'm the best at cutting wood
camping axe: hold my beer
Battleaxe: girls, girls, you're both cute
Chainsaw: haha you all funny
V8 powered chainsaw: look at these fools
Ponsse scorpion king harvester: Im speed
MG43: thanks grandpa, I am quite good at cutting down trees
nuclear bomb: i cut trees FIFTY TIMES FASTER NERDS
@@blackbed5108 thermonuclear bomb: while all of you chop trees, I chop entire forests...
@@Terminate1783 high frequency blade: molecules are my bitch
Shax is the first yt i see placd an ad in àn ad.
D’well played
0:59 Shad: _Survival_ *Craft*
The Actual game survival craft’s logo: aM I a jOkE tO yOu
Normal people "better go clear that brush"
Shad "AXE VIDEO IDEA!!!"
Me who's both a forester and a historical weapon enthusiast: *confused screaming*
Please do explain all the things he did wrong!
@@Khaim.m it's a joke
as forester I would be terrified if forced to cut timber or split wood with that thin ax
as a historical weapon enthusiast I would be horrified thinking of potential of utterly destroying the ax edge
@@eyeballpapercut4400 Yeah... you make a good point that Shad didn't mention. Even if you COULD effectively cut wood with a Battle Axe, you wouldn't be able to cut much because the edge of that axe would dull REALLY fast and, as you pointed out, potentially break due to reliance on the edge to cut through more than the shape and weight of the axe's head.
My take-away from this video and your comments is that if I'm going adventuring and I know I'm going to need to farm wood for fire, fabrication, and/or construction, a One-Handed Wood Chopping Axe is the way to go.
@@ForeverDegenerate It's better to just bring prepacked fuel like tiny gas canisters or paraffin blocks and portable metal stoves/fireplaces tho. Especially in my place where its tropical and only dry fuel sources are twigs and dry leaves at the perimeter of the forest not inside, or making wood chips and shavings with machetes. We only use axes when there is a log in the way. Smaller obstacles only need machetes and hand saws.
Meanwhile the gentlemen in the woodworking shed will use three types of axes, but sometimes they'll just use power tools.
Let's also add that a splitting axe is by no means the best choice for chopping or felling. I come from a family of loggers and I often take three different axes out with me. Well technically two axes and a splitting maul. edited for atrocious misspellings
"thickness of the wood" (giggle). Accidental innuendos are the best.
This video brought out the real australian in shad. Being outside with tools seems to make the australian accent thicker. This was one of the best videos i've seen in a long time from Shad. Out in the beautiful landscape, swinging axes at stuff. Could not get any better than this.
“Axe-ident.” Love it! Not the injury, just the pun.
Designing an axe for both carpentry and fighting is exactly what the Vikings did. Thrand tested some axes like that.
I'm glad someone mentioned the Vikings. A lot of the Viking's weapons had to be multipurpose/based of common tools. Seax knives, axes, spears, etc. Most weren't just soldiers or raiders but also farmers and craftsmen. They even had a word for peasant armies. Plus they were traveling and so they made every pound count
I can’t recall the exact phrase, but the Warhammer Drawfs believe no tool should have a single purpose.
Edit: I mean, Warhammer Dwarfs dislike swords because they're only useful in war, but they prefer pickaxes, hammers, etc.
Ah yes, I'm sure glad my surgeon is using a scalculator rather than just a scalpel.
@no or maybe yes as well as a fourth and fifth use: annoying the elves and yelling profanity/insults at them.
The dwarves are basically a combination of the Scottish and Germans, extreme vulgarity mixed with top tier craftsmanship
@@Mike23443 a what?
@@the11382 You know... a scalculator. A scalpel and a calculator put together. Because no tool should have only one use.
Alton Brown, of Good Eats, has said that he doesn't like specialized kitchen tools for similar reasons. However, the only single-purpose tool he keeps in his kitchen is a fire extinguisher.
Here we have Shad, in the Shadlands, shading.
Maybe spell it Shadding so it doesn't look like he's taken up art
@@aubreyackermann8432 I see I see. But I can't edit it now since I'll lose the heart thing. Sorry. 😅
As someone who has used more than a few axes to collect firewood, there's things like felling axes and splitting axes. Felling axe - narrower head, decently sharp, has to bite into the wood a bit more, and is not good at splitting wood. Splitting axe - has more of a wedge shape, and forces wood fibers apart - would not use to cut down a tree.
agreed, it appears the 2H one he had is mostly a Felling axe, designed to chop trees down and to chop up logs. A Splitting Maul has a lot more mass, and looks like a Axe and a Sledge had a 1 night stand.
@@jacara1981 Yep.... I need to do some tool shopping.
About the axe head of the battle axe coming loose. If you notice, it's the only axe of the four that has a straight socket, and is pinned. Probably because it's the lighter design, and lightness is what you'd want in a battle axe. While the ones built for wood chopping all have an hourglass shaped socket, with the handle wedged in place. Or perhaps it's better described as a double tapered socket. If you see how a blacksmith forges an axe, and how much time is spent and specialized tapered tools are used on shaping the socket, it starts to make sense that the lighter, straight and pinned socket comes loose easier. It's designed for a different use. I'd say that the socket coming loose is an indication that the socket type is as important for an axe as it's edge geometry, in regards of it's intended use. Here's a link to one of my favourite youtube blacksmiths forging an axe: ua-cam.com/video/FdNxW3_ugHo/v-deo.html
Me screaming internally when Shad hits the branches that are horizontally with the axe hitting from straight above
It may not cut wood well, but it does cut Bens well. Get yourself a battle axe, link below!
(WARNING: LINK BLOCKED FOR PROMOTING VIOLENCE! USER HAS BEEN TERMINATED! HAVE A NICE DAY!)
"User has been terminated"
That sounds rather violent itself, lol.
@@AliceErishech *[puts on sunglasses]*
I'll be back.
How to know Shad is really in Australia: Random Didgeridoo sounds in the background 3:10
Oh you are right lol
The ambient music is clearly modded
That's a plane
@@ricolange4978 yes, but it's funny it sounds like a digeridoo
Reminds me of when i used to play Ty the Tazmanian tiger.
Man I wasn't expecting you to be this good at chopping wood in general, that's impressive
The more videos he makes, the more he transitions from Shad to Chad
Adventuring tasks: Cutting branches, as shown. Made a staff, pole, or spear shaft. Chop through a door or wall. Cut logs for a raft or bridge. Make wooden stakes. Quickly cut a rope. Maybe cut a chain?? Break open a chest.
I think if Shad went adventuring he would probably just split the wood with his bare hands - Captain America style.
Shad: I’m out in the Shadlands doing some adventuring
The same fallen tree from the last 4 videos: 👀
Wow. We are really axing for this. :) Keep up the great work, Shad.
Shad: I'm going camping!
Ents: Shuffling away from Shads favourite camping site.
Closed captions " Greetings I'm shattered"..... UA-cam's depressed today I see
One minute into the video and we've already seen... a variety of axes, the amazing shad intro, a listing of classic rpg elements, references to several cool (non-rpg) games, beautiful landscape shots with the kind of lively summer sunshine we're currently lacking in Europe, as well as the Shad himself... now, one could ask "but what about dragons?", but so far this video is a 11/10 at least.
A basic note on axes. There are felling/chopping axes, splitting axes and camping/hunting axes. Felling axes are thinner to bite deeper. Splitting axes are thicker, to split wood easier. the camping axe is a happy medium for splitting and chopping.
Careful, Shad. I swear that Ent hiding in the background is preparing to strike after seeing you hack into his dead waifu again and again...
Just ordered your book! Super excited to read it 😄
"The Shadlands".....he's Baron of his own territory, I knew it.
I challenge you to make a comparison of obsidian arrows against iron arrows
Shad, you swing that axe like a true lumberjack. Perfect form! 👌
Shad I have to say that I'm very impressed with your wood chopping skills. It takes practice to do well.
When being on a journey, one thing that is even more useful than a wood chopping axe is....a servant with a wood chopping axe.
I have a feeling that says "There's going to be woodcutting elites that are going to say 'you're cutting the wood wrong!' won't there?"
I was thinking about saying this. Yes he isn’t doing it in good way. But doing it in good way will be changing nothing. Battle axe isn’t woodworking axe, just isn’t. It can be used for some work, shure.
Hi Woodcutting Elite here.
I have 47 axes of varying lengths, I have one that I use to slay the redwoods. It's 7 meters long. You know I'm serious.
He's cutting the wood wrong.
I had a thought about designing an ‘adventuring axe’ where the axe head thickness is between a tool axe and a battle axe. Something that can be used for making camp but in an emergency it’s a suitable weapon.
As an amateur Carpenter what you're running into their is running across the grain versus with the grain picture the wood fibers like a bunch of straws with glue if you go vertically it helps more to have a wedge if you go against the grain it helps more to have a thin blade