How to Build a Fire: And Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew Read Online Free Page B

couple of inches deep. It’ll help keep the soil warm and moist, prevent weeds and erosion, and just make the whole thing look nice.
    Step 9: Feel proud. Not only do trees help beautify the world, but they also help you save on energy costs, improve your water and air quality, give a home to songbirds, boost your property value, and fight global warming. Take good care of it by watering it once a week and pruning only dead or broken branches.
    More Handy Tips:
To find the best trees for your area, enter your zip code at ArborDay.org and get all the information you’ve ever dreamed of. Better yet, join the Arbor Day Foundation for ten dollars, and you’ll receive ten free trees of your choice. Seriously.
If you’re planting a sapling with naked roots, remove any packaging and soak the roots in a bucket of water for up to six hours before planting.
If you’re planting a tree that came in a pot and the roots look tangled once they’re free, use a utility knife and make an X on the bottom of the root-ball and a vertical line down each side.

Aim True
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“By the time I was six, I was splitting wood. Make sure you’ve got it lined up right and then go from there. It’s not about muscle. The ax will do the work for you, but you can help it a little bit. If you’re lucky, you’ll hit it and have two pieces of wood. Usually, it takes a few blows. And don’t cut your feet!”
—P HILIP S POONER
    H OW TO S PLIT F IREWOOD
    Step 1: Dress appropriately. Wear safety goggles, leather work gloves, steel-toed boots, and a plaid flannel shirt, if you’ve got one. The first three items will help protect you from harm, while the last one will make you look butch. You’ll also need a maul, which is basically a fatter version of an ax built specifically for splitting wood vertically, as opposed to chopping across it. (Axes will work, too, but because they’re slimmer, they tend to get stuck in the wood more often, and that’s just frustrating.)
    Step 2: Set a twelve- to eighteen-inch log on end on a raised, flat wooden surface about fourteen inches tall. The perfect chopping block: a sawed-off tree stump. Your second-best option: on the soft ground. You may have to wrest your maul from the depths of the dirt sometimes, but that’ll only help you build stronger muscles. Never ever split wood on pavement, or you and anybody in your vicinity will get hurt. Flying shards of steel? Not fun.
    Step 3: Get in position, and eyeball where you’d like to split the wood. Cracks are nature’s way of helping you along, so take advantage of them. Once you’ve focused on your target, place the sharp edge of your maul on it and, with your arms fully extended, grip the end of the handle with both hands. Step back a few inches so you’re slightly reaching, and plant your feet shoulder-width apart.
    Step 4: Prepare to strike. Pick up your maul and hold it parallel to the ground, across the front of your body, blade facing away from you. Place your weak hand at the base of the handle, palm facing down, and your dominant hand closer to the head, palm facing up. Grunt for good measure.
    Step 5: Swing deep. Slightly bend your knees, and then raise your maul overhead with your arms extended, allowing your dominant hand to slide to the base of the handle. Keeping your eye on your target, swing your maul in a downward motion to meet the wood. Find the grace in the movement. Every woodsman knows that technique (and gravity) counts more than brute strength.
    Step 6: Repeat as necessary. Maybe it’ll take one good crack, maybe more. Just keep hitting your log in the same place until it splits. Then keep going until you have your desired amount of splits. Save the little pieces, too. They make great kindling.
    Step 7: Stack ’em up and let ’em dry. If it’s new wood, it’ll be ready to burn in about nine months. If it’s already seasoned, it’s ready to burn now.
    More Handy Tips
Knotty, gnarly, or curvy wood can be tough to split.