Leveraxe
Chopping wood is great exercise, but it’s also difficult and incredibly tiring. Luckily, most of us can pick up a bundle of firewood at the supermarket or convenience store. Still, humankind has been waiting centuries for someone to improve on the regular wood-chopping axe, and now Heikki Kärnä, a Finnish inventor, has done just that with the “Vipukirves” LeverAxe.
Kinetic Axe Design
Lever Axe made in Finland


Vipukirves translates to “lever axe,” which gives a good idea of what this ingenious tool does. It uses not only the power of your muscles and a simple blade to chop wood; it acts as a lever instead of just a wedge. The head of the axe does use a blade, but there is also a piece projecting from the side of the head that moves the axe’s center of gravity. When you swing the blade down, the axe’s kinetic energy pushes the head down and to the side thanks to its shifted center of gravity. In this way, the axe not only cuts the wood but also pushes it apart with one smooth movement.
https://youtu.be/Xlh-QuHBydU
The best way to understand how the Vipukirves works is to watch it in action in the video above. With what looks like very little effort, the axe chops logs into neat little pieces of firewood ready to keep you cozy on a chilly evening.
“Leveraxe is a smart wood-splitting tool. Leveraxe is based on a lever mechanism and rotational action. The blade is attached from the side, not the center, which alters its center of gravity. After you hit a log, Leveraxe blade will break in few millimeters and then stops. At the same time counterweight on the right side of the blade forces the axe to fall sideways, splitting the log apart with ease. Because of that Leveraxe can handle any type and diameter wood. It is simply clever and safest axe in the world.”