Chopping wood

Woodchopping (also spelled wood-chopping or wood chopping), called woodchop for short, is a sport that has been around for hundreds of years in several cultures. In woodchopping 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. Participants (especially men) are often referred to as axemen.

The modern sport of woodchopping is said to have had its genesis in 1870 in Ulverstone, Tasmania, as the result of a £25 ($50) bet between two axemen as to who could first fell a tree. An alternative origin story comes from 16th century Basque Country, in which a man ran a marathon and chop ten logs to be allowed to propose to his future wife.

The world's first woodchopping championship was held in 1891, at Bell's Parade, Latrobe, Tasmania. 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.

Woodchopping is practiced in regions where forestry is or has been an important part of the economy:

Many woodchopping 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.

In this event, 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.

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