Training location forest

Workout in the forest

Forestry tools in regular use are put to the test time and time again. One person who uses his OCHSENKOPF tools to the limit is Ralf Dengler from Württemberg. He uses axes in two directions at once. To be precise, he has turned his passion into a sport.

Whether sappie, axe or splitting hammer - Ralf Dengler was practically born with the tools and was infected with the ‘forest virus’ by his grandfather. ‘My grandfather always took me into his forest and taught me a lot about using an axe. I also learnt how to fell trees from him. I practically grew up in the forest,’ recalls Dengler.

Ralf Dengler has since inherited the forest. The forest has quickly become the perfect ‘training ground’ for his passion and that of his two brothers. Ralf Dengler and his brothers Markus and Karlheinz dedicated themselves to timbersport decades ago and have played a major role in the fact that this sport, which involves chopping wood and felling trees, was able to take off in Germany after the wave swept over from America. Timbersport involves chopping down tree trunks between 30 and 40 cm with special axes or chainsaws. This is exactly what the Denglers do. They wanted to turn their passion into a sport and compete with others. And that's exactly what they still do today.

Let the chips fall with the sports axe

While the forest serves as a training ground and the tools used there must of course be adapted to the purpose and correspondingly effective and efficient, the situation is of course different for targeted training and competitions. Timber sports require very special equipment. Competitions must be attractive. The sports axe must therefore obey a very specific geometry. ‘While a conventional splitting axe or the Rotband plus splitting hammer from OCHSENKOPF has a bevel of around 30°, the sports axe has a bevel of around 15°. The splitting hammer has to split the wood and the sports axe has to cut, chips have to fly, that's what the spectators want to see,’ says Dengler. For all this to work, however, an appropriate material composition is also required. It has to be carbon steel. This is ideal for sharpening. ‘The axe must be razor-sharp’. But this also shows the other side of the coin. Such a specialised material always has shortcomings elsewhere. In this case, it is the lack of corrosion protection. Once exposed to moisture for a longer period of time, the sports axe immediately starts to rust. And this is far more dramatic than it initially sounds. The surface of the axe must be smooth so that it penetrates the wood well, but also so that it doesn't get stuck, because that takes time and effort. Rust dulls the surface. The tool needs to be refinished. ‘... or can be hung over the fireplace as a souvenir, because the axe is no longer good for anything else. At best, it can be used as a training axe’.

Splitting hammer from Ochsenkopf the non plus ultra

In the forest, Dengler works and trains with the 3.5 kg splitting hammer from Ochsenkopf, and he relies on the good German Ochsenkopf quality for all his ‘tools of the trade’ in the forest. ‘I've never been disappointed here,’ he remarks in passing! ‘The red metal ring on the Rotband Plus tools in particular provides safety and a long service life - it's simply a great invention! The quality of the splitting hammer is significantly better than the other hammers,’ emphasises the man from Jagsttal (Württemberg). When felling the trees - currently mainly spruce and fir - Dengler, who is now increasingly being assisted by his sons, relies almost entirely on manual labour. The tree is sawn with a chainsaw, split with Spaltfix and, if necessary, brought down with one or more wedges. Large deciduous trees that are not quite ‘healthy’ are felled with the battery-powered felling wedge to be on the safe side. 

Ochsenkopf Sappie provides good service

The tractor with cable winch is only used when the tree trunks, which have been cut to a length of 4 - 5 metres for sale, need to be pulled out of the forest. ‘If it gets too tight for the tractor, then the sappie is used to pull the logs out or lay them in the right direction so that the undergrowth and the trees that are still standing are spared. The long sappie with a wooden handle from OCHSENKOPF really serves us well here,’ he says. The trunks then go to the sawmill or are processed into firewood by Dengler himself. ‘I've always split spruce wood by hand. Hardly anyone does that nowadays, but it's the perfect workout for me. I used to go to the fitness centre regularly until 2010, but my back and shoulders can no longer cope with that.’ Since then, it's been like this: in winter he makes firewood, goes jogging and gets training wood, in spring he trains on the wood and then comes the competitions. Dengler relies on good weather for training. He does not have a training hall.

From a hobby competition to an insider tip

‘For me, these were still fun competitions that took place in front of a few spectators. But it was a close-knit community, because in a place like Widdern, you just know each other.’ Over time, the national lumberjack competition developed into an insider tip with an international field of competitors before Stihl launched the Stihl Timbersports Series in 2001 with a national championship in Germany. ‘We were a pioneer with our competition, but now we could either follow suit or fade into insignificance,’ recalls Ralf Dengler.

While the competitions in Widdern have not only become a tradition, but have also developed into a real highlight of the region, Ralf Dengler fights for titles on the German and European stages and provides the best entertainment, because in Timbersport the shreds fly in the truest sense of the word. ‘And that's what people want to see,’ he says. The string of successes is almost endless. It ranges from podium finishes, including at the first open German championship in Munich in 2001 (third/second German), at the second German championship in Essen (second) and at the International Trade Fair Cup Leipzig in 2005 and 2006, to top placings at the French Open and various European Cups, to regular top 10 placings at national championships. In Waiblingen in 2005, he was the best German at the European Championships with 5th place and second overall with his team. Further first places in lesser-known competitions complete the list - for example in Widdern and Grendelbruch/France, the toughest competition in Europe to date according to Dengler. Here he has won the Golden Axe four times! He has also taken part in several world championships for team relays in the Timbersport series.

Springboard as his favourite discipline

Dengler not only remembers his first competition in front of a home crowd in 1991, ‘Stihl then launched the Timbersport series in Europe in 2001 and brought in experienced coaches from overseas who were able to teach us a lot, especially in the springboard. I would like to say that I was the first European to be reasonably confident on the board,’ emphasises Dengler. 

The first German Championships, embedded in a competition with starters of international standing in the Olympic Park in Munich, have a special significance. Here he was able to compete in his favourite discipline, the springboard, not only against opponents from Germany, but also against the global elite, against cracks from New Zealand, Australia and Canada. ‘And the whole thing took place in the Olympic Park against a gigantic backdrop. The stage was placed on the lake on a scaffolding podium. That was a huge thing for me and I still have goosebumps today,’ says Dengler, thinking back with enthusiasm to the competition over 20 years ago.

With the great memories in his head, however, the man from Württemberg will leave the field to the younger ones in future. ‘At 57, it's time to cut back,’ he says - also because it has simply become difficult with the current competition. ‘Springboard now comes a long way back in the competition schedule. I'm usually not even there anymore and can't show off my favourite discipline,’ he explains.

However, he doesn't want to say goodbye to the sport that is simply in his blood. ‘I will continue to take part in smaller competitions, help organise the local competition and of course pass on my experience, especially to my sons, if there is a need and interest.’

Springboard

After the referee has given the starting signal, the athlete uses the axe to knock a first pocket about 10 cm deep into the trunk at shoulder height. He then inserts the tip of his first springboard into this pocket. The athlete climbs onto the first springboard and knocks a second pocket into the trunk from there. After placing the second springboard at a height of approx. 2 metres, the athlete climbs onto it and can now begin to break through the log attached to the top. It is mandatory that the log is cut from two sides. Otherwise the athlete will be disqualified. The springboard is also known as the ‘supreme discipline’, as it not only depends on the athlete's precise technique and strength, but also on balance and skill.

Standing Block Chop

This discipline simulates the felling of a tree. A vertically anchored block of wood (diameter 30 cm) must be chopped through from the side as quickly as possible. Optimum placement of the axe and a powerful axe swing are crucial for quick success in this discipline. European top times for this discipline are around 20 seconds.

Underhand Chop

Simulates the chopping of a tree that has already been felled. Standing on a horizontally anchored block, the athletes attempt to break through the 32 cm diameter trunk with axe blows. The log must be cut through from both sides. A one-sided break will lead to disqualification in this discipline. The European best times for the underhand chop are under 20 seconds.

STIHL Stock Saw

All participants work with a standard STIHL chainsaw. After an initial warm-up, the saw is put down and after the starting signal is given, the saw is guided to the log (diameter 40 cm) with a quick grip. Two cookies (wooden discs) are sawn off the horizontally fixed log with a downward and an upward cut. Both discs must be cut completely in one piece within a marked area of 10 cm. If the cookies are incomplete or the marking line is overcut, the participant will be disqualified.

Single Buck

A wooden disc is sawn off a horizontally fixed block (diameter 46 cm) using a 2-metre handsaw. The rhythm and dynamics of the athlete are decisive in this discipline. In some competition formats, the athletes have an assistant who uses a wedge and spray to make it easier for the saw to glide.

Hot Saw

Using tuned, extremely powerful chainsaws, three complete cookies must be sawn from a horizontally anchored block of wood (Ø 46 cm) within a range of 15 cm. The challenge lies in mastering the concentrated power of the chainsaw, which has up to 80 hp. With a chain speed of around 240 km/h and a weight of around 27 kg, the ‘hot saw’ demands maximum performance from the athlete. Athletes can either compete with their own customised model or use a hot saw provided by STIHL. The best times in the Hot Saw discipline are under seven seconds.