# A word about splitting large firewood rounds by hand



## clayman (Aug 24, 2012)

I have about 40 large oak rounds to split. I don't have a splitter, and I'm too old to work too hard, but I have come up with the following method that seems to work well. I stand the rounds on end, try to find a small center crack, and in line with that, I take my chain saw and cut a quick slanted slot from the outside edge to the center. Then I take a wedge set it in that slot, near the outside edge, and drive it in, and bingo! the round pops open.  On a time I would start that split with a spltting axe, but I'm not the man I used to be.:msp_sad:

The good part is you can stand all the rounds up and make a lot of slot cuts in five minutes, and just think of all the grunting and swearing that can be saved. And best of all you get to use your beloved saw just a little bit more.


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## watsonr (Aug 24, 2012)

Try that same principal without the cut. I find a small check in the wood and align myself with it. Swing the splitting maul to hit the outside edge along the crack (imaginary line from the center to the edge) and even rounds in the 4' range I'm able to split in a couple whacks.


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## Somesawguy (Aug 24, 2012)

I do that as well with a maul or with a wedge for larger pieces. 

I'm glad you found something that works for you.


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## slowp (Aug 24, 2012)

I have bored into the round--and yes, my chain was sharp, to make a seat for a splitting wedge in gnarly Doug-fir. It worked pretty good. In fact, I started boring wedge notches in many of the rounds from one particular tree. 

To bore in, do not just stick the tip of the bar in. Use the lower part of the bar tip and then work in the bar.
It doesn't take much.


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## Arbonaut (Aug 24, 2012)

Good one, Clayman. Thanks for the tip.


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## clayman (Aug 24, 2012)

watsonr said:


> Try that same principal without the cut. I find a small check in the wood and align myself with it. Swing the splitting maul to hit the outside edge along the crack (imaginary line from the center to the edge) and even rounds in the 4' range I'm able to split in a couple whacks.



You are a better man than me for that is exactly what I am trying to avoid, but not too long ago I did the same thing. 74 years of walking under the sun forces one to find an easier way.


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## watsonr (Aug 24, 2012)

clayman said:


> You are a better man than me for that is exactly what I am trying to avoid, but not too long ago I did the same thing. 74 years of walking under the sun forces one to find an easier way.



Sounds exactly like you found an easier way... filed in my mind for later use, only 50 here but I know it's coming! Your still splitting by hand at 74... sounds like your the better man!


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## Denis Gionet (Aug 24, 2012)

clayman said:


> You are a better man than me for that is exactly what I am trying to avoid, but not too long ago I did the same thing. 74 years of walking under the sun forces one to find an easier way.



Any chance you're splitting with a Fiskars ? You should be, the X25 and X27 for splitting wood is like buttering toast. Super easy. As long as you've got the strength to get a fast swing, the X will do the rest. 

Good idea on creating the slice, it also creates a relief area for wood to move towards when you're splitting. Hardest part about splitting a big round is getting the first piece off, the rest come off by themselves afterwards.


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## stihlrookie (Aug 24, 2012)

I align myself with the crack and then I take a light swing at the furthest side and hit some wood but primarily I am trying to hit the bark and put a cut in it. Do the same on the close side, hit some wood but make sure to knick the bark real good. Now a good whack in the center and they usually pop on the first hit. Bark does not split like wood, hence knicking it first. Oh, my "axe" is a 6# maul. Good luck.


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## Mad Professor (Aug 24, 2012)

LITTLE wood use an axe or a fiskars.

Bigger stuff you need a maul or a wedge. Maybe TWO wedges and another maul/sledge.

Try 4' with a fiskars???? Ha HA HA

I've cut knotty hardwood, with no gurly splitter for 40 years.

If you get into real big stuff, get the 20lb sledge out, if you can heave it.


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## CTYank (Aug 24, 2012)

First, there are mauls, and there are MAULS. Not differentiated by weight, but by shape and metallurgy.

Typical cheapie mauls in the US of A widen far too quickly just past the edge, and are made of mild steel. I bought a 3 kg (6.6 lb) Muller (Austrian) maul late this winter- what an eye-opener that was! Both sides of the head are essentially planes (flat) from about .5" behind the edge to the center of the eye. Edge is sharp. Metallurgy: very tough stuff, as alloyed and forged. Other smiths make similar: Gransfors, Wetterling, Oxhead, etc. Muller makes splitting axes too, but recommend them only for kindling and medium-size stuff.

Luckily, straight-grain oak, especially red oak, splits pretty readily. One big double-stemmed red oak that I cut up recently was so big, and held so much water, that I had to quarter much of it on site to be able to carry it out. With the Muller maul, it generally took but a couple of hits to halve the 20-inchers, far-side, near-side, middle, then typically one hit to split the halves. Absolutely no use for chainsaw here. Ditto wedges.

With fork/knot a bit of noodling works. Or when you want to set a wedge (last resort) on one side and use a maul on the other of a really tough piece. (Noodling wastes a lot of wood and makes a huge mess.)

Generally, a GOOD maul used to hit various points along along your intended split line will do it nicely.

After busting up mountains of oak, cherry and ash this spring, that maul looks like new. Except the handle is a bit darker from some Danish oil. Still kicking myself for not buying a maul like that years ago. (I reshaped some cheapie mauls to mimic the Muller's head shape, and they're now fun to use, too.)


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## benp (Aug 24, 2012)

Or you could lay them horizontal on 2 other pieces off of the ground and noodle them with the saw........Saves wear and tear on the body of whipping an axe/sledge/maul around.:msp_thumbup: That's what I do for the real big stuff.

I dont have a mechanical splitter either plus it can be done in the field..


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## zogger (Aug 24, 2012)

Mad Professor said:


> LITTLE wood use an axe or a fiskars.
> 
> Bigger stuff you need a maul or a wedge. Maybe TWO wedges and another maul/sledge.
> 
> ...



Technically I haven't done a 40"cher yet, but I have done a lot in the 30-38" range with a fiskars. It matters not the diameter, one just starts at the outside and whacks off chunks and go round and round until you get down to a small piece that contains the heartwood, then you quarter that.

The technique between a splitting axe and a maul is different enough that it pays to do it correctly. They are not the same tool and require different techniques to use them effectively. 

I use fiskars axe, splitting maul, then sledge and wedges, (or noodling on a case by case basis) but well over 90% of what I do, including some pretty darn nice big chunks, can be done with the lightweight fiskars before resorting to the heavier tools.

I am not as old as the OP, but at 130 lbs with boots on, and still a greybeard, I have to work smarter as well, and always have, my whole life. Finessee for me, speed and accuracy and "focus" on the swing including reading the wood, trumps blunt force trauma with a larger maul in trying to split wood. More wood split with less effort and damage to ye aulde bod here. 15-20 minutes with my 8lb maul and I am ready for a new hobby, but I can go hours if I feel like it with the fiskars. It's really no contest as to calories burnt/wood in the stack.

IMO the original fiskars supersplitter should have received some engineering awards. To take such a common tool, used for millenia and improve it so much at once, then be able to retail it cheap...there was some real skull sweat involved, plus the input from guys who were serious about improving the wood splitting experience.

I wish fiskars would do up a little youtube documentary on the evolution of those axes, the who what when where how.


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## rymancm (Aug 24, 2012)

A Fiskars should split that straight grained oak like butter. I've split 30" rounds without any trouble at all. Forget about ripping, wedging etc. Get a Fiskars. I know they look cheap and gimmicky but they will change your entire outlook on firewood splitting.


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## RAMROD48 (Aug 24, 2012)

rymancm said:


> A Fiskars should split that straight grained oak like butter. I've split 30" rounds without any trouble at all. Forget about ripping, wedging etc. Get a Fiskars. I know they look cheap and gimmicky but they will change your entire outlook on firewood splitting.



sometimes you cant teach an old dog new tricks, no matter how many new dogs tell them about it....


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## benp (Aug 24, 2012)

rymancm said:


> A Fiskars should split that straight grained oak like butter. I've split 30" rounds without any trouble at all. Forget about ripping, wedging etc. Get a Fiskars. I know they look cheap and gimmicky but they will change your entire outlook on firewood splitting.









They're made in Germany and you know the Germans make good stuff.


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## Denis Gionet (Aug 25, 2012)

zogger said:


> I am not as old as the OP, but at 130 lbs with boots on, and still a greybeard, I have to work smarter as well.....
> 
> ....... 15-20 minutes with my 8lb maul and I am ready for a new hobby........



lmfao !!!!

Yes, I agree that Fiskars has a winner here. Split some very green Tamarack last night (little stuff like 14 inches, but frikken wet) and just love playing with that axe. It seems to take me about 10 minutes of mucking around to warm up and get the "swing" of it every time I split wood, but once in the groove, the swing picks up, sweat trickles and rounds split with ease. 

I'll never buy a splitter as long as I can swing a Fiskars.


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## Redoakranch (Aug 25, 2012)

I'm on the noodle all the way through team, I always use my saw as much as I can! On the same line of thought I don't split by hand anyway, too much time away from the saw.


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## spacemule (Aug 25, 2012)

If you lay them horizontally and noodle them 1/3 of the way through, they'll also pop open easily with a maul. Noodling has the perk of giving you plenty of good fire starter material. Bag the noodles up. You can start fair sized wood with a good pile of noodles and a match.


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## Chris-PA (Aug 25, 2012)

Every tree is different, that's why I have a bunch of different tools. And each tool requires different technique. For the 36" red oak I've been splitting lately the old Chopper1 lever axe is just blasting then apart. Sometimes it's useless I hate mauls and wedges, but sometimes they're the tool for the job. Cutting a shallow kerf is a good help when using wedges though.


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## Mastermind (Aug 25, 2012)

I'm fat and lazy.......

I noodle up the big chunks so I can lift em to the splitter with ease...... :msp_unsure:


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## zogger (Aug 25, 2012)

Mastermind said:


> I'm fat and lazy.......
> 
> I noodle up the big chunks so I can lift em to the splitter with ease...... :msp_unsure:



If I wanted to, around here.. I could be lazier than that, hahahaha! Several years when we first came here I had so many fencelines to clear of saplings and big privet and multiflora, I didn't split a stick, everything I cut fit in the stove as-is. Cut, bring home, stack, that was it. And yep, I cut up the base thick pieces of the privet and the rose and burned them, they work fine.

I could still do that too, just scrounging deadfall branches and small saplings and small standing dead.

The only reason I am cutting big stuff now is it either came from the yard here from those three big trees, dead trees that would fall on something like a fence, or fall or has fallen into the pasture. So it is more big mess defense and cleanup than anything else. I have WAY more potential then what I cut now, could cut by myself every day hard forever and not run out.

I am going over tomorrow to work on a decent hickory that almost hit one of the broiler houses, and it is laying across an access area. I didn't fell it, the lightning and windstorm did. Just has to be cleaned up anyway, might as well bring it home! Most of it will require splitting.


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## Cantdog (Aug 25, 2012)

Mastermind said:


> I'm fat and lazy.......
> 
> I noodle up the big chunks so I can lift em to the splitter with ease...... :msp_unsure:




LOL Not to stihl your thunder Randy but I'm even lazier still......my splitter is vertical and mounted on the three point hitch of my tractor.....I just lay the block/cant/wheel down on a of junk of 2x...let the splitter all the way down and simply back the anvil under...get off the tractor sit down on my milk crate and split till it gone and then back under the next one.......almost as easy as oil heat...LOL!!!


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## Mastermind (Aug 25, 2012)

Cantdog said:


> LOL Not to stihl your thunder Randy but I'm even lazier still......my splitter is vertical and mounted on the three point hitch of my tractor.....I just lay the block/cant/wheel down on a of junk of 2x...let the splitter all the way down and simply back the anvil under...get off the tractor sit down on my milk crate and split till it gone and then back under the next one.......almost as easy as oil heat...LOL!!!



Should I start a "Who's The Laziest" thread?????? Complete with a poll?????

Or......or.......how about a "How To Process Firewood While Never Breaking A Sweat" thread????

:msp_biggrin::msp_biggrin::msp_biggrin:


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## Mastermind (Aug 25, 2012)

Mastermind said:


> Should I start a "Who's The Laziest" thread?????? Complete with a poll?????
> 
> Or......or.......how about a "How To Process Firewood While Never Breaking A Sweat" thread????
> 
> :msp_biggrin::msp_biggrin::msp_biggrin:



Crap......I need to do some work.

Laters :msp_unsure:


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## Cantdog (Aug 25, 2012)

Mastermind said:


> Crap......I need to do some work.
> 
> Laters :msp_unsure:




Me too I got 24 hardwood trees to drop this afternoon......now that I've had lunch and corrected a carb problem on the 61/268XP......


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## clayman (Aug 25, 2012)

I don't own a Fiskars splitting axe, but based on all the rave reviews I have read, and not just in this thread, but over the years, I think I will get one. Looks like if they work good this would be a good time to get one. I know they are not cheap, but I suppose if it does the job it will be worth the money. If it doesn't - I ain't going to be happy.

I went out this morning and slot cut all the big rounds and split about 50% of them in half.

BTW How hard is it to clean out the bar oil tank on the 346XP. I'm pretty sure I have some trash in mine. Don't ask me how.


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## zogger (Aug 25, 2012)

clayman said:


> I don't own a Fiskars splitting axe, but based on all the rave reviews I have read, and not just in this thread, but over the years, I think I will get one. Looks like if they work good this would be a good time to get one. I know they are not cheap, but I suppose if it does the job it will be worth the money. If it doesn't - I ain't going to be happy.
> 
> I went out this morning and slot cut all the big rounds and split about 50% of them in half.
> 
> BTW How hard is it to clean out the bar oil tank on the 346XP. I'm pretty sure I have some trash in mine. Don't ask me how.



Just use some of your fuel mix. dump it in, slosh it around good, dump it out. Repeat as necessary.

The fiskars shines in regular "fair" to split or easy wood. Gnarly stuff is gnarly stuff, sucks with mauls wedges or even hydraulics. On fair to easy, it is faster than using most hydraulics I would guess, for most chunks. My timed record is 15 very good splits ffrom a red oak round in 40 seconds. That is straight grained, a nice fat round, easy to split. You can go wicked fast in wood like that.

I *wouldn't* buy or use a Fiskars JUST to do hard pieces and crotches, etc. Wrong tool.

I use fiskars, maul, sledge & wedge, and final resort straight noodling. All have their place. The fiskars does the bulk of it though.


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## El Quachito (Aug 25, 2012)

Yessir. The modern maul at the hardware store is far to blunt. I filed the head on my Chinese made maul and it has a better taper than it did before. It flared up right past the "cutting" edge so I filed that down, easily done by hand when filing Chinese pot metal. Fiskars sounds like a good idea, might be trying one of those.

I have never split with a wedge, for no particular reason, but I do often rip down an inch or two or 1/2 way so that i can pop a 36" + round of doug fir.


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## cheeves (Aug 25, 2012)

clayman said:


> You are a better man than me for that is exactly what I am trying to avoid, but not too long ago I did the same thing. 74 years of walking under the sun forces one to find an easier way.


Clayman, you're my hero!!! Splitting by hand at 74!! I have you to look up to! Just touched up my two favorite splitting mauls yesterday!


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## Officer's Match (Aug 25, 2012)

zogger said:


> Just use some of your fuel mix. dump it in, slosh it around good, dump it out. Repeat as necessary.
> 
> The fiskars shines in regular "fair" to split or easy wood. Gnarly stuff is gnarly stuff, sucks with mauls wedges or even hydraulics. On fair to easy, it is faster than using most hydraulics I would guess, for most chunks. My timed record is 15 very good splits ffrom a red oak round in 40 seconds. That is straight grained, a nice fat round, easy to split. You can go wicked fast in wood like that.
> 
> ...



With you for the most part, but often skip from X27 straight to M-Tronic just 'cause she sounds so sweet.


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## clayman (Aug 25, 2012)

cheeves said:


> Clayman, you're my hero!!! Splitting by hand at 74!! I have you to look up to! Just touched up my two favorite splitting mauls yesterday!



Years ago, after a period of health problems, and being badly overweight, I went on a diet and started working out. Since then God has been good to me. At the gym I tried to think about what I wanted to do, and what exercises would aid me in doing the things I wanted to do. One of those things was splitting wood, because I love having a fire on a cold winter night. Goes back to my childhood I guess when we had an old Warm Morning stove in the living room to scooch up to when the frost was on the pumpkins.


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## ZeroJunk (Aug 25, 2012)

The straight grain oaks that grow in the woods are usually fairly easy to split. But, the large trees I run in to are usually around old home places where they were never timbered, grew in the open, and usaully you only have maybe 15 or twenty feet before they have limbs coming out bigger around than I am.

You can beat on that part until you are blue in the face. Even puttin it on a splitter you spend half your time trying to get the splitter loose after it grunts a little and stops.

Noodling is your friend.


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## SilverKing (Aug 25, 2012)

benp said:


> Or you could lay them horizontal on 2 other pieces off of the ground and noodle them with the saw........Saves wear and tear on the body of whipping an axe/sledge/maul around.:msp_thumbup: That's what I do for the real big stuff.
> 
> I dont have a mechanical splitter either plus it can be done in the field..



A whole lot easier to saw that way to.If I get hold of a bad knot,i noodle it about half way through till the maul will bust it.One more note.I hate the big red triangle shaped mauls.That round handle will turn in your hands,and when you hit the block of wood with the side of that pos,it will vibrate your teeth out


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## Officer's Match (Aug 25, 2012)

SilverKing said:


> .One more note.I hate the big red triangle shaped mauls.That round handle will turn in your hands,and when you hit the block of wood with the side of that pos,it will vibrate your teeth out



Ouch! :censored:


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## 1ruralmailman (Aug 26, 2012)

SilverKing said:


> A whole lot easier to saw that way to.If I get hold of a bad knot,i noodle it about half way through till the maul will bust it.One more note.I hate the big red triangle shaped mauls.That round handle will turn in your hands,and when you hit the block of wood with the side of that pos,it will vibrate your teeth out



been there,done that.and yes it do vibrate like a bugger.


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## Iron Head (Aug 26, 2012)

zogger said:


> Just use some of your fuel mix. dump it in, slosh it around good, dump it out. Repeat as necessary.
> 
> The fiskars shines in regular "fair" to split or easy wood. Gnarly stuff is gnarly stuff, sucks with mauls wedges or even hydraulics. On fair to easy, it is faster than using most hydraulics I would guess, for most chunks. My timed record is 15 very good splits ffrom a red oak round in 40 seconds. That is straight grained, a nice fat round, easy to split. You can go wicked fast in wood like that.
> 
> ...



I totally agree with your assessment.
I have an arsenal of tools for my firewood job.
The Fiskars is a great tool but it is not the almighty tool that alot of people make them to be.
I think everybody should have a Fiskars but don't count on it to be your only splitting axe.


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## BarkBuster20 (Aug 26, 2012)

idk, fiskars are pretty great, can easily take many duties that were once reserved for the maul. sometimes you just need a wedge and maul though. unless it needs to be wedged ill stick with fiskars.


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## Cantdog (Aug 26, 2012)

SilverKing said:


> A whole lot easier to saw that way to.If I get hold of a bad knot,i noodle it about half way through till the maul will bust it.One more note.I hate the big red triangle shaped mauls.That round handle will turn in your hands,and when you hit the block of wood with the side of that pos,it will vibrate your teeth out




Very true...haven't seen one of those for a long time...they truely sucked...who ever came with that idea needs a slap in the back of the head....


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## Joe Kidd (Aug 26, 2012)

Cantdog said:


> Very true...haven't seen one of those for a long time...they truely sucked...who ever came with that idea needs a slap in the back of the head....



+1 Gibbs style, only harder!


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## Streblerm (Aug 26, 2012)

Iron Head said:


> I totally agree with your assessment.
> I have an arsenal of tools for my firewood job.
> The Fiskars is a great tool but it is not the almighty tool that alot of people make them to be.
> I think everybody should have a Fiskars but don't count on it to be your only splitting axe.



If it wont split with the Fiskars then it gets noodled and/or thrown into the splitter pile.


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## fearofpavement (Aug 26, 2012)

If by the big red triangle head shaped maul you are talking about the monster maul or its equivalent, that is what I use to split about 85% of my wood. I have other tools up to and including a very powerful gas engined hydraulic splitter but use the monster maul because it is faster than other methods I've tried and gives a good workout. It will split all but the most stubborn chunks and they get tossed in a pile that I attend to about once a year with the power splitter.

It takes a while to acquire the technique of these monster mauls but long story short it is all or nothing. ie, a bunch of little taps does nothing, it is go for broke on every swing. Overall I feel it is the least amount of "work" to split the wood. I split pieces on the ground, ie, with this tool the sharpness doesn't matter and I hit dirt on every swing. So I go around the pile and stand up and split pieces where they are. When I get a few split I stack those while panting and then I am ready for a few more swings. I like to do a little at a time in the evening as my "workout".

I have a little Fiskars axe I picked up yesterday at a flea market for $10 but I don't think it is one of the splitting axes. More like a camp axe? I guess I'll have to compare it with some online photos and see what model it is.


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## Cantdog (Aug 26, 2012)

fearofpavement said:


> If by the big red triangle head shaped maul you are talking about the monster maul or its equivalent, that is what I use to split about 85% of my wood. I have other tools up to and including a very powerful gas engined hydraulic splitter but use the monster maul because it is faster than other methods I've tried and gives a good workout. It will split all but the most stubborn chunks and they get tossed in a pile that I attend to about once a year with the power splitter.
> 
> It takes a while to acquire the technique of these monster mauls but long story short it is all or nothing. ie, a bunch of little taps does nothing, it is go for broke on every swing. Overall I feel it is the least amount of "work" to split the wood. I split pieces on the ground, ie, with this tool the sharpness doesn't matter and I hit dirt on every swing. So I go around the pile and stand up and split pieces where they are. When I get a few split I stack those while panting and then I am ready for a few more swings. I like to do a little at a time in the evening as my "workout".
> 
> I have a little Fiskars axe I picked up yesterday at a flea market for $10 but I don't think it is one of the splitting axes. More like a camp axe? I guess I'll have to compare it with some online photos and see what model it is.



Well Lad..... good for you...glad you can use this item...you're the only person I've ever heard of that enjoyed these tools....I despise them myself... but thats just me......Bravo I say!!!


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## spacemule (Aug 26, 2012)

Cantdog said:


> Well Lad..... good for you...glad you can use this item...you're the only person I've ever heard of that enjoyed these tools....I despise them myself... but thats just me......Bravo I say!!!



In my experience, the young and foolhardy think they're faster. The older and experienced know they get increased speed with a properly shaped 5 to 6 pound splitter.


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## Denis Gionet (Aug 26, 2012)

SilverKing said:


> A whole lot easier to saw that way to.If I get hold of a bad knot,i noodle it about half way through till the maul will bust it.One more note.I hate the big red triangle shaped mauls.That round handle will turn in your hands,and when you hit the block of wood with the side of that pos,it will vibrate your teeth out



Monster Maul ? The expression "*Anvil on a stick*" comes to mind.... I can swing my neighbors' 14t hydraulic splitter twice as hard as that anchor. At least the splitter has more grab on it.


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## Cantdog (Aug 26, 2012)

LOL!!!!! If the man can get good results from this poorly designed chunk of welded plate steel...just think of what he could achieve with a real spliting maul!!! If I owned a "Monster Maul" I would gladly send it to him for a spare...if he paid shipping....but alas.... I don't......


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## El Quachito (Aug 26, 2012)

I have a monster maul and I try not to use it. but it does work good on wood that my regular maul bounces off of. as mentioned you do have to hone the proper technique with a monster maul, i think. it sure sends the pieces flying though.


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## watsonr (Aug 26, 2012)

El Quachito said:


> I have a monster maul and I try not to use it. but it does work good on wood that my regular maul bounces off of. as mentioned you do have to hone the proper technique with a monster maul, i think. it sure sends the pieces flying though.



Yea, but swinging an 8lb maul will flat wear you out really quick. Us smaller guys enjoy the 4.5lb head of the Fiskars, I can swing it all day long!! No problem going through the whole load in one sitting..... big, little don't matter. Those that I can't split with it get the saw and then that has only happened on BIG gnarly pieces. 

I gave all my mauls away and have never even pondered if I did the right thing... not once! Everybody that tries my X27 buys one... period!


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## Mastermind (Aug 26, 2012)

This thread has cost me money....

I ordered a Fiskars splitting ax today. :msp_wink:


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## fearofpavement (Aug 26, 2012)

While I don't have one of the Fiskars splitting axes, I do have 4 other mauls plus some axes and have tried splitting wood with all of them. Hit an ordinary maul on a freshly cut round of sweetgum and it'll come right back at your forehead!

I use the monster maul because it works well for me on the wood I split. (mostly red and white oak with some other misc mixed in)

If I have really straight grained wood, I use a lighter maul but most everything has knots in it (as Zogger stated) and an ordinary maul just won't do the job as well.

Guess different strokes for different folks. I have a good friend that also uses the same type of maul and he is 65 yrs old and a retired airline pilot so he could afford any maul or axe he wanted. He also uses it because it works well.

And they never stick in the wood. I don't sell these or own stock. Don't even know if they are still available new. I've had mine for a couple decades. I just happen to like it.


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## zogger (Aug 26, 2012)

Mastermind said:


> This thread has cost me money....
> 
> I ordered a Fiskars splitting ax today. :msp_wink:



Spend some more! A few bucks. The factory teflon coating is REAL nice and greatly improves the splittability, BUT it wears off. You can really tell, too, then it is not so nice (I am at a little over 16 cords done with my original supersplitter). IF I had it to do over again I would get a can of spray on teflon lube and lube that bad boy up right over the factory coating before the first swing. And use it every session.

I am going to drop serious hints for the upcoming binge buying season and hopefully garden goddess will get me an x27 (or I will gift myself) and I plan on doing the teflon spray.

I tried the spray on let it sit for a day graphite treatment, and although it worked, it wears off fast (about two sessions for me and back to sticking in the wood worse) so heck with it, cheaper teflon spray, spray and swing. I think if you did it immediately over the factory coating and kept it up, it would work out real well.


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## Cantdog (Aug 26, 2012)

This is all very complicated....to complicated for me.....I have a gray milk crate I sit on....within reach of my lever...pull it down to split...up to return....listen to the diesel.....I can do this all day long.....really...... even at my age...no chit....for days on end if necessary.......What's even better is I move the splitter rather than the wood...I told ya earlier...I'm a lazy sob..it's taken an entire lifetime to get to this stage of wood processing because I've always burned wood as the only heat source....if I could make it more efficient without paying someone else I would ....but besides being lazy.... I am also cheep...LOL!!!



Edit....Do NOT take offence but I have to smile when listening to southern folks talk seriously about spiltting wood..sorry guys.... my fires runs nonstop 8-9 months a yr..usually starts the end of Sept with the cookstove and ends early May....wood is not for fun for me...it's just part of the lifestyle living here.....I have... different requirements....and have done it all by hand even without a chainsaw..just a bucksaw....yrs ago....that sucked..even then...carry on.... as I said no offence intended...your requirements may differ.....


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## Officer's Match (Aug 26, 2012)

Mastermind said:


> This thread has cost me money....
> 
> I ordered a Fiskars splitting ax today. :msp_wink:



I think you'll love it Randy. It is a speed swing that works best with these, not a power swing. Sometimes when I'm unloading at a customers they'll ask me how I split it. I grab the X27 out of the back of my truck and usually get an incredulous look (I'm 5'9" 175lbs).


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## watsonr (Aug 26, 2012)

Cantdog said:


> Edit....Do NOT take offence but I have to smile when listening to southern folks talk seriously about spiltting wood..sorry guys.... my fires runs nonstop 8-9 months a yr..usually starts the end of Sept with the cookstove and ends early May....wood is not for fun for me...it's just part of the lifestyle living here.....I have... different requirements....and have done it all by hand even without a chainsaw..just a bucksaw....yrs ago....that sucked..even then...carry on.... as I said no offence intended...your requirements may differ.....



....Born and raised in Idaho, burned 15 cord a year and sold about 100 more each year and split by hand every one of them that needed it. Couldn't afford a gas powered splitter and now that I can, don't feel I'm ready to give up just yet. Take it as you may, the Super splitter, in my personal opinion is the best splitter ever made for hand splitting.

I do agree, a chainsaw is better than a bucksaw or a two-man cross-cut... done that before... guess you could say a chainsaw is the lazy way too! Different strokes for different folks, just like you said....... :msp_wink:


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## fearofpavement (Aug 26, 2012)

Edit....Do NOT take offence but I have to smile when listening to southern folks talk seriously about spiltting wood..sorry guys.... my fires runs nonstop 8-9 months a yr..usually starts the end of Sept with the cookstove and ends early May....wood is not for fun for me...it's just part of the lifestyle living here.....I have... different requirements....and have done it all by hand even without a chainsaw..just a bucksaw....yrs ago....that sucked..even then...carry on.... as I said no offence intended...your requirements may differ.....[/QUOTE]

No offense taken but you have a common misconception that it doesn't get cold in the south. I live about 50 miles south of Atlanta and we burn about four cords of wood per year to heat our house. We have a continuous fire going from about the later part of October until early March. We don't get snow here, not because it isn't cold but because it isn't cloudy. I'm from Michigan and there the sky was gray for months at a time. Here it is sunny almost every day in the winter. A January morning is typically 20 degrees F give or take a few. It usually gets above freezing in the afternoon. Parts of Florida are warm all year long but most places not so much. In Michigan, we got a lot of snow due to lake effect but we didn't get the cold temps like they do farther west where it's 30 below and 40 mph winds. That would be rough... If I had to cut wood by hand, I would be heating with electric.


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## Cantdog (Aug 26, 2012)

fearofpavement said:


> Edit....Do NOT take offence but I have to smile when listening to southern folks talk seriously about spiltting wood..sorry guys.... my fires runs nonstop 8-9 months a yr..usually starts the end of Sept with the cookstove and ends early May....wood is not for fun for me...it's just part of the lifestyle living here.....I have... different requirements....and have done it all by hand even without a chainsaw..just a bucksaw....yrs ago....that sucked..even then...carry on.... as I said no offence intended...your requirements may differ.....



No offense taken but you have a common misconception that it doesn't get cold in the south. I live about 50 miles south of Atlanta and we burn about four cords of wood per year to heat our house. We have a continuous fire going from about the later part of October until early March. We don't get snow here, not because it isn't cold but because it isn't cloudy. I'm from Michigan and there the sky was gray for months at a time. Here it is sunny almost every day in the winter. A January morning is typically 20 degrees F give or take a few. It usually gets above freezing in the afternoon. Parts of Florida are warm all year long but most places not so much. In Michigan, we got a lot of snow due to lake effect but we didn't get the cold temps like they do farther west where it's 30 below and 40 mph winds. That would be rough... If I had to cut wood by hand, I would be heating with electric.[/QUOTE]

Yes Fear.... I understand.....used to go to Daytona the end of Feb for yrs and yrs....Georgia was where I could start to roll down the window and ride with my arm out.......I had left here in a snow bank and more likely than not the snowbank would be 14-16 inches deeper when I returned in 2-3 weeks......cold here is -20 and warms to 0...that may go on from Dec to the end of Feb you never know.....as I said requirements may differ...Are you burning/splitting hardwood or soft wood down there?


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## watsonr (Aug 27, 2012)

If it's like Virginia, all hardwood and an occasional pine for kindling. Mostly red and white oak with white being my favorite because I like the smell.


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## Incomplete (Aug 27, 2012)

Denis Gionet said:


> Monster Maul ? The expression "*Anvil on a stick*" comes to mind.... I can swing my neighbors' 14t hydraulic splitter twice as hard as that anchor. At least the splitter has more grab on it.



I haven't laughed this hard in a couple of days: thanks!

Rural King sells these Anvil's on a stick: I never thought they were meant for swinging (you gotta be an ox with lots of testosterone or something to prove to swing those). I thought it was a wedge with a handle, for two man spitting with a sledge. Thanks for the heads up, I was thinking about getting one.

I use an 8 lb maul and a 3 lb single bit axe: drive the maul and if it binds, rotate the long on the block, and strike the back of the log with the axe in line with the maul. This usally pops the maul out, rotate the long up onto its end and strike the virgin end with the maul and it usally pops right apart. I cut my firewood at 20 inches so it usually needs a little more work, and I've been cutting some gnarly stuff too: sycs the worse. I got a 6 lb maul for the small stuff but I over-struck it on the third swing  I was mad. We'll see how long the ductape lasts. Of course this is the Collin's axe maul made in mexico with a a cutting face wider than the back of the maul :msp_angry:

I'm gonna get a friskee's. I love axes :msp_wub:


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## Whitespider (Aug 27, 2012)

Iron Head said:


> *The Fiskars is a great tool but it is not the almighty tool that alot of people make them to be. ...don't count on it to be your only splitting axe.*



I agree.

I have a Fiskars X27, and while it's a great tool for the right wood, it ain't the holy grail of splitting tools that some make it out to be. Yeah, I can swing the X27 about twice as long as I can swing the 8# maul... but if I have to swing the X27 two, three, or four times to split the same piece that the maul would handle with one swing... where am I saving time, or energy?

Seriously though, I do the vast majority of my splitting with hydraulics. When I decide it's a splittin' day... well then, that means _all day_. I'll start at sun-up and work until mid-afternoon or so... and swinging anything, even a relatively light Fiskars, for 8-10 hours just ain't gonna' happen. Yeah, fresh out of the gate hand splittin' is faster, but coming down the stretch hydraulics will pass you while your leaning on the handle... tongue hanging out.

About the only time I hand split is when I'm cleaning up after a storm or some such... when there's just a small pile to be split, not worth dragging out the splitter. Red Oak, soft maple, pine or fir and I'll grab the Fiskars... White or Burr Oak, hard maple, elm or Hackberry I'll grab the 8# every time... And with ash, cherry and walnut I'll carry them both to the pile, sometimes, depending on the tree, even those need the extra oooomph that only the 8-pounder can deliver. I don't get stuck in a rut thinkin' I have to modify my technique so the Fiskars can get the job done, like walkin' around the log "slabbing" pieces off, I know right after the first couple swings when it ain't the right tool for the job... I toss it to the side and grab the correct tool.


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## Cantdog (Aug 27, 2012)

Did 'ja ever have fun splitting wood.....Looks like this guy does!!!!!

Black Powder Log Splitting - YouTube


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## Incomplete (Aug 28, 2012)

Gotta get one of these!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhmKBDIAXd0&sns=em


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## bcorradi (Aug 28, 2012)

Whitespider said:


> I agree.
> 
> I have a Fiskars X27, and while it's a great tool for the right wood, it ain't the holy grail of splitting tools that some make it out to be. Yeah, I can swing the X27 about twice as long as I can swing the 8# maul... but if I have to swing the X27 two, three, or four times to split the same piece that the maul would handle with one swing... where am I saving time, or energy?
> 
> ...



I personally disagree. I purchased my x27 and x25 late last fall and split a 13 cord load of birch then and I'm about finishing up a big load of red oak. It will not go through everything easily, but for example out of the big load of red oak i just got, there was only about 40 pieces I wasn't able to get busted within a few swings so I tossed them into the cull pile. I split everything close to where it was bucked so I don't hoist anything onto a splitter or on top of a large block of cottonwood etc. So i think the energy consumed between the two is negligible. It is all personal preference, but I highly respect what an x27 can do.


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## Chris-PA (Aug 28, 2012)

zogger said:


> Spend some more! A few bucks. The factory teflon coating is REAL nice and greatly improves the splittability, BUT it wears off. You can really tell, too, then it is not so nice (I am at a little over 16 cords done with my original supersplitter). IF I had it to do over again I would get a can of spray on teflon lube and lube that bad boy up right over the factory coating before the first swing. And use it every session.
> 
> I am going to drop serious hints for the upcoming binge buying season and hopefully garden goddess will get me an x27 (or I will gift myself) and I plan on doing the teflon spray.
> 
> I tried the spray on let it sit for a day graphite treatment, and although it worked, it wears off fast (about two sessions for me and back to sticking in the wood worse) so heck with it, cheaper teflon spray, spray and swing. I think if you did it immediately over the factory coating and kept it up, it would work out real well.


Why not have Fiskars replace it? I have to say that any tool which relies on coatings sounds a like a disposable axe to me, but since they claim they'll replace it then why not? I seriously doubt a spray on Teflon is going to last or work anything like what the original coating did, and of course you could put that on any axe.


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## Officer's Match (Aug 28, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Why not have Fiskars replace it? I have to say that any tool which relies on coatings sounds a like a disposable axe to me, but since they claim they'll replace it then why not? I seriously doubt a spray on Teflon is going to last or work anything like what the original coating did, and of course you could put that on any axe.



I don't see where a "coating" has anything to do with the X27's performance. Now the edge is another story. They need to be kept very sharp, and has long as it's not totally boogered up, Fiskars' little roller-thingy works just fine to hone the edge.


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## Chris-PA (Aug 28, 2012)

Officer's Match said:


> I don't see where a "coating" has anything to do with the X27's performance. Now the edge is another story. They need to be kept very sharp, and has long as it's not totally boogered up, Fiskars' little roller-thingy works just fine to hone the edge.


The Teflon coating is a very low friction surface, and I'm sure the angles they chose for the head are optimized to work with that low friction coating. They may not be optimal without the coating. 

I had a Teflon coated 6lb maul from Sears which worked pretty well (until the head cracked). It was quite nice in that once it got into the wood it would slide on through noticeably easier than other mauls. 

I dunno, I've spent some time swinging an X27, and I just didn't feel the magic. It worked very well, but not really any different than my favorite 4-1/2lb splitting axe. But then I usually split with an axe - a very very sharp axe, usually 4-1/2lb. My favorite is an old axe head that has been sharpened a few too many times, so it has a steeper nose angle than a felling axe. The X27 is a very sharp 4lb splitting axe, and it was no surprise that it felt about the same.

I do find that having a very sharp edge is important for splitting too - even my Chopper1 has a good edge on it, and I dressed the Collins maul as well.


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## zogger (Aug 28, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Why not have Fiskars replace it? I have to say that any tool which relies on coatings sounds a like a disposable axe to me, but since they claim they'll replace it then why not? I seriously doubt a spray on Teflon is going to last or work anything like what the original coating did, and of course you could put that on any axe.



Well, never really thought about having it replaced as it isn't broken, just well used now. I emailed their customer service and asked about having it factory recoated but they don't do that.

I don't want to get rid off that anyway, it's the axe I split the wooden match lengthwise with.

I've done a lot of various "target shooting", but that match I was really happy dancing around, ha!

This was my first coated blade axe and yes, I like how it works coated. I haven't used all the graphite up yet, but when I do I'll switch to spray on teflon, the slippery coating improves performance by a noticeable factor. You can still split well without it, but for five cents (whatever, cheap) a spritz, why not?


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## bcorradi (Aug 28, 2012)

I think they perform exceptionally well. I just finished splitting up this red oak exclusively with the x27 and x25. My wife and son favor the shorter X25 while I prefer the X27. View attachment 250431


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## watsonr (Aug 28, 2012)

bcorradi said:


> I think they perform exceptionally well. I just finished splitting up this red oak exclusively with the x27 and x25. My wife and son favor the shorter X25 while I prefer the X27. View attachment 250431



Nice stack of wood!!


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## BloodOnTheIce (Aug 28, 2012)

Log splitters are cheap to rent but maybe I'm be too practical. 

Some guys just like working harder than need be.


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## cheeves (Aug 28, 2012)

Cantdog said:


> This is all very complicated....to complicated for me.....I have a gray milk crate I sit on....within reach of my lever...pull it down to split...up to return....listen to the diesel.....I can do this all day long.....really...... even at my age...no chit....for days on end if necessary.......What's even better is I move the splitter rather than the wood...I told ya earlier...I'm a lazy sob..it's taken an entire lifetime to get to this stage of wood processing because I've always burned wood as the only heat source....if I could make it more efficient without paying someone else I would ....but besides being lazy.... I am also cheep...LOL!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Edit....Do NOT take offence but I have to smile when listening to southern folks talk seriously about spiltting wood..sorry guys.... my fires runs nonstop 8-9 months a yr..usually starts the end of Sept with the cookstove and ends early May....wood is not for fun for me...it's just part of the lifestyle living here.....I have... different requirements....and have done it all by hand even without a chainsaw..just a bucksaw....yrs ago....that sucked..even then...carry on.... as I said no offence intended...your requirements may differ.....


I hear Yah CD!


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## bcorradi (Aug 28, 2012)

BloodOnTheIce said:


> Log splitters are cheap to rent but maybe I'm be too practical.
> 
> Some guys just like working harder than need be.



All this wood was cut from a 12 cord log load I had delivered. 

My method for processing is the following:
1) Pull 4 to 5 logs down with the pickeroon onto the log skids. 
2) Buck 4 to 5 logs up.
3) Then my son, wife, or even daughter (except the youngest can stand them up on the spot)
4) My oldest son, wife & I split the rounds while the two youngest daughters toss them in a pile. We usually finish splitting before the daughters are able to throw all the splits in a pile so we help them when we are done. I then go back to step #1. I'm not saying we are all always out there at once, but when we are this is the method I do.

If I was going to rent a splitter I would want to get the splitting done in as few days as possible. So I'd have to do it the following way.
1) Buck up all 12 cords up at once while tossing rounds in a windrow on each side of the pile.
2) Rent a splitter and process all the rounds and toss them into a split pile in between the two windrows.

At minimum I would need two days rent on the splitter and I'd be handling all the pieces one extra time. Around here splitters cost about $75 per day to rent. I'm not saying I would mind a splitter for the 40 tough pieces I encountered that I'm going to noodle, but renting a splitter for those wouldn't be very cost effective. Another advantage of hand splitting is I never have to carry or hoist the rounds to and onto the splitter. I bring the ax to the wood right where I bucked them up.

Use whatever method works best for you, but this method is the most efficient and cost effective with the crew I'm working with .


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## benp (Aug 28, 2012)

Officer's Match said:


> I don't see where a "coating" has anything to do with the X27's performance. Now the edge is another story. *They need to be kept very sharp*, and has long as it's not totally boogered up, Fiskars' little roller-thingy works just fine to hone the edge.



I agree with this. I hit the edge with the raker file every so often to touch it up. There is a difference. 



BloodOnTheIce said:


> Log splitters are cheap to rent but maybe I'm be too practical.
> 
> Some guys just like working harder than need be.



Some of us dont have that luxury.

Even the local for sale splitters dont go as big as my firebox will comfortably hold.


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