You can make wood chips using a wood chipper machine, which is the fastest and most consistent method, or by hand with an axe or hatchet if you only need a small amount. The approach you choose depends on how many chips you need, what you plan to use them for, and how much you want to spend on equipment.
Using a Wood Chipper
A wood chipper is a powered machine that feeds in branches and logs and spits out chips on the other end. For most homeowners doing yard cleanup or making garden mulch, this is the practical choice. Residential electric chippers handle branches up to about 3 inches in diameter and run on a standard 120-volt outlet. Gas-powered models handle 4-inch branches or larger and don’t need to stay near an outlet, making them better for bigger properties. Commercial-grade hydraulic chippers can process branches 6 inches and beyond.
If you only need to chip material once or twice a year, renting a chipper from a home improvement store or equipment rental shop is far more cost-effective than buying one. A half-day rental typically gives you enough time to process a large pile of pruned branches.
Disc Chippers vs. Drum Chippers
The two main types of wood chippers work differently and produce slightly different results. Disc chippers use a large steel disc with mounted blades. Branches are held against the spinning disc by a roller, and the gap between the roller and disc can be adjusted, giving you more control over chip size. Disc chippers generally produce larger, more uniform chips.
Drum chippers use a rotating drum with fixed teeth or knives. Branches feed into a narrow opening, and the drum’s spinning momentum does the cutting. Chip size depends on the knife shape and drum speed, and the results tend to be more variable. Drum chippers typically spin at higher RPMs than disc models, which gives them strong chip ejection but also makes them louder. Changing or sharpening the knives on a drum chipper also requires adjusting the shear bar, which can be time-consuming. Disc chippers with modern designs skip that step entirely when you swap blades.
For most homeowners, the type matters less than the capacity rating. Match the chipper to the thickest branches you need to process, and you’ll get usable chips either way.
How Wood Type Affects the Process
Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory are denser, so they require more power to chip and will dull blades faster than softwoods like pine or cedar. If you’re processing a large amount of hardwood, expect to sharpen or replace blades more frequently. Softwood species chip more quickly and put less strain on equipment, yielding higher productivity per hour.
This distinction also matters depending on what you’re making the chips for. If you plan to use them for smoking meat on a grill or BBQ, always use hardwood. Softwoods contain resins that produce bitter, unpleasant smoke and can leave a chemical taste on food. Fruitwoods like apple and cherry, along with hickory and mesquite, are popular choices for smoking. If your chips are destined for garden mulch or pathways, either type works fine.
Making Wood Chips by Hand
If you don’t have access to a chipper and only need a small quantity, you can produce rough chips using an axe or hatchet. The traditional technique is called scoring: you chop a series of cuts perpendicular to the length of a log, spaced 3 to 4 inches apart, down to a consistent depth. Then you split off the material between the cuts by chopping parallel to the grain, popping out chips as you go.
For larger logs, a technique called “juggling” works better. You chop a series of shallow V-notches spaced 10 to 12 inches apart, alternating forehand and backhand swings while standing on top of the log. Then you chop along the grain between the notches to break out the chips. This is slow, physical work, and the chips won’t be uniform, but it’s a viable option for producing small batches for smoking, fire starting, or filling a raised bed path.
A chainsaw can also rough-cut logs into smaller pieces that you then split further with a hatchet. Some people make a series of shallow chainsaw cuts across a log, then use a hatchet to knock the slivers free. This is faster than pure axe work but produces coarser, more uneven pieces.
Using Fresh Chips vs. Aged Chips
Fresh wood chips are perfectly fine for most uses, but there’s one important consideration for gardeners. When fresh chips sit on soil, microbes begin breaking down the wood and consume nitrogen from the surrounding soil in the process. This creates a thin zone of nitrogen deficiency right at the surface where the mulch meets the dirt. For established trees and shrubs with deep root systems, this doesn’t cause problems because their roots sit well below that zone. Research from Washington State University suggests the nitrogen drawdown actually helps suppress weed seed germination at the surface, which is a bonus.
However, fresh wood chip mulch can be a problem in annual flower beds or vegetable gardens, where plants have shallow root systems that sit right in that nitrogen-depleted zone. For those areas, let your chips age for several months before applying them, or use them only as pathway material between beds rather than directly around plants. Keep in mind that aging chips in a pile does cause some nutrient loss, particularly nitrogen from any leaves or needles mixed in. If your chips include green leafy material, spreading them fresh ensures that foliar nitrogen feeds your landscape rather than evaporating in a compost pile.
Chip Size for Different Uses
The size of your chips should match how you plan to use them. For garden mulch, chips in the range of 1 to 3 inches work well. They’re large enough to stay in place and suppress weeds but small enough to break down over a season or two. For pathways, slightly larger chips provide better footing and last longer before decomposing.
For BBQ smoking, you want smaller pieces, roughly thumbnail-sized or a bit larger. Smaller chips ignite and smolder more easily in a smoker box. If your chipper produces pieces that are too large for smoking, you can break them down further with a hatchet or run them through the chipper a second time. Some people soak smoking chips in water for 30 minutes before use to slow combustion and produce more smoke, though this is a matter of personal preference.
For composting, smaller and more varied chip sizes actually break down faster because they have more surface area for microbes to work on. The less uniform output from a drum chipper, or even hand-cut chips, is perfectly suited for this purpose.
Safety When Operating a Chipper
Wood chippers are powerful machines that deserve serious respect. OSHA recommends wearing earplugs, safety glasses, a hard hat, and gloves every time you operate one. Never wear loose-fitting clothing, scarves, or dangling jewelry near a chipper. The feed mechanism can grab fabric and pull you toward the blades before you have time to react.
Keep a safe distance of at least two log lengths between the chipper and any other people working nearby. Always feed branches butt-end first, and stand to the side of the feed chute rather than directly behind it. If material jams, shut the machine off completely before attempting to clear it. Never push material in with your hands or feet. Use a long branch or a push stick to guide material into the feed opening.