Place the log you’re going to chop onto a tree stump, or otherwise a hard ground. If you do it on a soft surface it decreases the energy delivered by the maul or axe into the log. You’re less likely to damage your axe or maul when it goes through the log. Also, by having it at a higher surface, you’re much less likely to swing through and hit your feet! If you read a lot of my blogs, you’ll know that this Ryobi 18 volt chainsaw has been one of the genuinely game-changing tools that I’ve bought for my DIY: felling rotten trees, cutting through submerged roots, and now trimming all my logs down to size 350mm so I can fit them two deep in the log store (and also handily into the log burner). So we’ve got the maul and the log splitter, but in some situations (such as logs that are too long for the log splitter, or logs that need to be squared off), you really need a chainsaw. I’ve got two kits: the first from Portek is a 12v sharpener, so I’ve made a couple of connectors from some 2.5mm copper electrical wire to go in my Milwaukee drill battery. If you do this, just make sure the wires don’t touch, as you can get thermal run-down that could destroy the battery and cause a nasty fire. However, I want to leave you with a bit of a discovery I recently made, when I decided that it was about time to stop buying new chains every time my existing ones got blunt. It’s surprising just how easy it is to sharpen the cutters on your chainsaw chain.

As mentioned earlier, don’t be tempted to try and go with the heavier 8lb maul. Velocity is more important than mass - so a 6lb maul that you can deliver faster will generate greater splitting force.You choose the right stone based on your chain, as directed in the instructions, and then use the multi-wrench to adjust the height of the stone. Two annoying design features - the notch for the stone I need doesn’t seem to fit, and then when you tighten the sharpening guide you have to be careful not to over-tighten the screws in the plastic base of the guide. But from then on, it’s pretty straight forward. I mark the first cutter with a marker pen so I know where I started, and gradually work my way round the chain, which literally only takes a few minutes.

Stand with feet shoulder width apart. My technique’s not particularly good, as I’m unbalanced at the top, meaning the accuracy of the downstroke is a bit uncontrolled. I also realised I was leading with one leg, which also makes you less balanced on the downstroke.Most of the tutorials you see, the legs are pretty parallel to what you’re cutting.

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