My congratulations to you for choosing VIPUKIRVES™

By doing so you chose the best, because VIPUKIRVES™ is designed and manufactured in Finland - it is the result of high-quality Finnish work. It is a precision tool for splitting firewood and the outcome of many years of personal experimentation and testing.
Work safety, efficiency and user comfort when working have been my guiding principles when developing the VIPUKIRVES™ - absolutely without any compromise regarding quality. When I began to further develop the axe, a tool which is among the oldest used by mankind, I encountered many as yet unresolved problems. Nevertheless, I wanted to produce a tool which would be easy and safe to use and one which would function in all kinds of situations without an external source of energy. In other words, “a tool for all conditions” and with due consideration for preserving our beautiful environment.
After over fifteen years of tough planning and experimentation, I arrived at the concept of using leverage in the splitting of firewood. After making numerous test pieces, I found the right technique, dimensions and shapes, as well as the right manufacturers for my invention. For example, the birchwood handle is made at a Finnish workshop specialising in turning.
The blade, which is the “pivotal” part of the VIPUKIRVES™, is a precision-cast product made at Sacotec Components Oy in Riihimäki, southern Finland. The Blade is painted by Laini-salo Oy, Helsinki.
PRECISION CASTING is an age-old method. At first, this process was used mainly in making art and ornamental objects. In the turbulent Middle Ages, the applications for cast parts became more mundane and this manufacturing process has been described in the making and repairing of weapons, for example.

Over the centuries, various metals ranging from gold to bronze have been used in precision casting. During the first half of the past century, the needs of industry, e.g. those of the aircraft industry, expanded to include new materials. Precision casting enabled “ready cast” and this hastened the introduction of these materials.
Modern metal industry uses precision-cast components in numerous applications, e.g. in mechanical engineering, tool and device manufacturing, automobile industry, and process industry. The materials used are usually abundantly alloyed steels, including stainless and super alloys. Even the ends of many golf clubs are precision cast.
The freedom of design and “ready cast”, combined with an almost unlimited range of materials, are further promoting the strengths of precision casting. The freedom of the design means that there are no obstacles to optimizing the product from the user's point of view and “ready cast” enables choosing the best raw material and benefiting from its properties.

Have fun making firewood – strike and loosen!

The VIPUKIRVES™ - man Heikki Kärnä

VIPUKIRVES™ Safety Instructions

* Always hold on to your VIPUKIRVES™ lever axe with both hands when making firewood.

* VIPUKIRVES™ lever axe is meant to be used only for splitting firewood. Don’t use your VIPUKIRVES™ for anything else.

* Do not use any object to strike the back of the VIPUKIRVES™.

* Due to the arc of motion caused by the VIPUKIRVES™ lever axe's shape, a released piece of split wood may have a very high initial velocity. The piece of wood released by the blade is ejected to the left of the tool user.

* The blade of the VIPUKIRVES™ usually stops over the block of wood being split, which is where the kinetic energy terminates. It is almost impossible for the user to injure him/herself when splitting firewood as long as both hands are on the axe handle.

* Additional user comfort when working with the VIPUKIRVES™ can be provided by using work gloves soft from the inside. Work safety is further promoted by using appropriate safety eyewear.

* Never use your VIPUKIRVES™ when under the influence of alcohol or if your senses are impaired by fatigue or medication.

* Children should not be allowed to use the VIPUKIRVES™!

* IMPORTANT! Always ensure that the vicinity of the work place is free of people and animals that may be injured, and of things that may be damaged by a blow from your
VIPUKIRVES™ or by a flying piece of firewood.

Instructions

* The VIPUKIRVES™ is a special axe designed and shaped specifically and only for the purpose of splitting firewood. Do not use your VIPUKIRVES™ for carpentry purposes and do not use the back of the axe as a striking tool.

* The blade of a VIPUKIRVES™ is maximally one-sided in terms of its weight distribution and this is the feature which (due to certain laws of physics) produces a lever effect when the blade strikes wood and achieves a splitting force, which is many times greater than of conventional axes.

* The tool is very simple to use. Use your VIPUKIRVES™ like a conventional axe, but when its blade strikes the wood, you should loosen your grip on the handle. Then the blade is able to perform its lever function unobstructed. It is important that you allow the handle of your VIPUKIRVES™ to turn as you hold on to it with both hands!

* You can use your VIPUKIRVES™ also to strike the block of wood at its edge as well, because there is no fear that the blade would be deflected to hit your foot. This gives a new dimension to splitting firewood. Now you can chop firewood almost in any way you want because every blow is under control right to the end.

* Always strike at left edge of the block of wood being split, about 4-8 cm from the edge.

* When using the VIPUKIRVES™, you need to strike at the end of the wood being split, not at its side, for the splitting mechanism to function properly.

* The blade of the VIPUKIRVES™ sinks only about 0,5-3 cm into the wood and then its lever action causes a piece to besplit off. The blade spreads the wood about 6-8 cm, which is more than any other axe does. You can use the VIPUKIRVES™ for splitting firewood even over hard ground, e.g. rock, asphalt, because the blade does not pass through the wood. But you still need to avoid missing the target!

* However, the best splitting base when using the VIPUKIRVES™ is a chopping-block about half a metre in height. You can further improve the outcome of your work by placing a used car tyre over the chopping-block. Fill the tyre with blocks of wood needing to be split and you can then start series splitting of firewood with your VIPUKIRVES™. The wood remains bunched up during the splitting. You can then pick up an armful of split wood and place it in the wood shed dry.

* There is not limit to the diameter of the piece of wood to be split because splitting it with the VIPUKIRVES™ can begin safely from the edge of the block.

* The best way to loosen kindlings with the VIPUKIRVES™ is to pick up a piece of split wood by striking the blade lightly into the edge of the piece and by then tapping it against the splitting base.

* Shield the blade of your VIPUKIRVES™ after use. Keep your VIPUKIRVES™ in a shelter out of the rain.

* The paint wears out from those parts of the blade which come into contact with wood. This is normal. Treat the blade from time to time with oil to prevent rust.

* Thanks to the special manner of fastening of the blade to handled, the blade of the VIPUKIRVES™ does not come off the handle even if the handle were to become dry.

* Do not place your VIPUKIRVES™ into a container of water to make its handle swell.

* You can sharpen your VIPUKIRVES™ using a grindstone or grinding wheel, for example. Put the finishing touches using a grindstone lightly.

VIPUKIRVES™ guarantee

We will provide a replacement blade in the event of manufacturing defects becoming evident within 10 years. Damages caused by poor maintenance or negligent handling are not covered by this guarantee.