Driving wedges with a maul

[turnkey4099]

never said they were. wedges are designed to be hit, so unlikely they would be hardened.

mauls can be hardened or not. Sledges are generally hardened, so swinging hard against a maul buried into a log with a sledge could be a bad thing.

I never have seen a sledge or maul that was hardened - that is the ones meant to be used on farms and in the woods. If they were hardened, they wouldn't be shaped to "hammer" shape.

Harry K

 

[Gark]

Not knowing any better, I always used the hammer end of the maul for sinking
wedges. Always using goggles and re-shaping the mushroomed mauls and wedges. No problems yet with this arrangement.

 

[ranchjn]

All metal tools need care-you have to keep up with the blossoming edges by knocking them off with a file. I usually do it by hand because it feels like the heat from the grinder might effect the metal- but to each his own.

I hand split about six or seven cords a year and just don't use wedges anymore. I leave stuff that can't be split right were it lays. If the crotch is big enough I will leave enough wood above it to split off the sides. But I will do that at the site so I don't move the thing multiple times before it is ruled an official waste of my time.I guess if I had access to a splitter these parts can be done but why the fight? The only waste in the forest is what you remove.

you must be a true woodsman! I completely agree with your point of view and do the same myself. Whenever i come accross a round that has too many knots in it or is too difficult to split, i simply walk away from it! There is nothing shameful than walking away and using your time more effectively splitting easier wood. When i started splitting, i wanted to split everything. I would become tired and frusterated, and yet be stuck on splitting the round that was obviously too difficult for me. When i started walking away, i learned that i could split more wood faster and wouldnt get frusterated. Also, when you are angry you loose your concentration and your technique.

 

[turnkey4099]

you must be a true woodsman! I completely agree with your point of view and do the same myself. Whenever i come accross a round that has too many knots in it or is too difficult to split, i simply walk away from it! There is nothing shameful than walking away and using your time more effectively splitting easier wood. When i started splitting, i wanted to split everything. I would become tired and frusterated, and yet be stuck on splitting the round that was obviously too difficult for me. When i started walking away, i learned that i could split more wood faster and wouldnt get frusterated. Also, when you are angry you loose your concentration and your technique.

I am too much of a scotchman to let good wood go to waste. I also find that the knots and crotches are the best firewood, They seem to be denser and tighter grained. No, I do not try to split them. By planning the split, i.e., a round with one knot, my first split will be down along the side of the knot then on the opposide of it. If the knotty portion is still too large to use I toss them aside and at a convenient time section them with the saw. Doesn't take long. You also wind up with a bunch of very nice shavings for mulch.

Harry K

 

[046]

almost all sledge hammer faces are hardened. otherwise they would not survive for long against concrete. just like almost all std hammer faces are hardened.

backside of mauls can be hardened or not.

sledges can be hot forged or machined. the hardening occurs after hammer/sledge is formed. depending upon metal used. hardening can be done by heating to red hot (or what ever alloy specs') , then air cooled, oil dip, or whatever is spec'd by steel mfg.

I never have seen a sledge or maul that was hardened - that is the ones meant to be used on farms and in the woods. If they were hardened, they wouldn't be shaped to "hammer" shape.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

almost all sledge hammer faces are hardened. otherwise they would not survive for long against concrete. just like almost all std hammer faces are hardened.

backside of mauls can be hardened or not.

sledges can be hot forged or machined. the hardening occurs after hammer/sledge is formed. depending upon metal used. hardening can be done by heating to red hot (or what ever alloy specs') , then air cooled, oil dip, or whatever is spec'd by steel mfg.

You seem to be using an odd definition of hardening. If sledges and mauls were hardened per the common understanding, they wouldn't 'mushroom', they'd chip, break, shatter.

Just out of curiousity. You have your wedge made to be hit. Just what _do_ you hit it with if not the sledge/maul??

Harry K

 

[ray benson]

Some of my accumulated splitting tools. The maul has a 8 lb. sledge head welded to the face. As the face was mangled pretty good from years of hitting the face with a sledge to drive it through the tough pieces of wood. Garage sales are a good source for the wedges and sledges. The biggest wedge comes in handy on the stringy wood that you can bury several wedges.

 

[jensen 32000]

Dense crotch trunk wood

I am too much of a scotchman to let good wood go to waste. I also find that the knots and crotches are the best firewood, They seem to be denser and tighter grained. No, I do not try to split them. By planning the split, i.e., a round with one knot, my first split will be down along the side of the knot then on the opposide of it. If the knotty portion is still too large to use I toss them aside and at a convenient time section them with the saw. Doesn't take long. You also wind up with a bunch of very nice shavings for mulch.

Harry K

Harry; I agree, the 084 put an end to those tuff to split pieces, and they still fell like cast iron, even when seasoned. I used the shavings around my hedges, so nothing went to waste. I'll gladly take those gnarly trunk rounds, that the "Harry Homeowners" with their "dull chain" 36 cc saws, pass on.

 

[jnsn]

Really now-who is wasting anything? Do you take every branch and twig home and weave baskets? Do you bring truckoads of the leaves home to mulch your shruberies ? Why not rip out the stump and cut that up? They are dense and tightly grained. In fact I know they will burn for days.

Out of the whole wood gathering process I regard the most valuable commodity to be my time.

 

[turnkey4099]

Really now-who is wasting anything? Do you take every branch and twig home and weave baskets? Do you bring truckoads of the leaves home to mulch your shruberies ? Why not rip out the stump and cut that up? They are dense and tightly grained. In fact I know they will burn for days.

Out of the whole wood gathering process I regard the most valuable commodity to be my time.

To each his own. How do you equate picking up an already cut off round with digging out a stump? A useable chunk of firewood with a twig?

Harry K

 

[jnsn]

I guess its the words "good wood go to waste"

From the point of BTU's it's all good wood

But from the point of BTU's /per Hour invested you have to make some decisions.Am I going to take the wood I have to pack out, or wood I can drive some wheeled contrivance to.Do I drive an hour to a tree, or pick up what the power companies already have down on my way home. Do I spend 20 minutes per block driving multiple wedges and bars, or read the bark and be onto the fourth block in the same time.Some people would be revving up their multi thousand dollar splitter to do the same block.Everyone makes their decisions.

I'll gladly admit I don't know what I'm doing, just giving my opinion.

 

[046]

wedges are made to be hit by a sledge and are not hardened. anything that mushrooms from being hit is not hardened.

hammers and sledges faces are almost always hardened. mauls can go either way.

and yes if you hit two hammer faces together. you will get flying chips, very dangerous!

You seem to be using an odd definition of hardening. If sledges and mauls were hardened per the common understanding, they wouldn't 'mushroom', they'd chip, break, shatter.

Just out of curiousity. You have your wedge made to be hit. Just what _do_ you hit it with if not the sledge/maul??

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

wedges are made to be hit by a sledge and are not hardened. anything that mushrooms from being hit is not hardened.

hammers and sledges faces are almost always hardened. mauls can go either way.

and yes if you hit two hammer faces together. you will get flying chips, very dangerous!

Odd that every sledge and maul I have ever seen or used (quite a bunch in 60 years) all showed signs of mushrooming, none showed the typical damage of hitting with hardened tools.

That they are heat treated and tempered somewhat is not news. They are not "hardened" in the common understanding of that term.

You made mention of a sledge being "hardened" because it wouldn't last if used to break up concrete. Sorry, I have used my same sledge to break up...hmm, I can recall 3 long sidewalks and a monolithic set of entry steps and had no problems. That is the same sledge that was badly mushroomed when I retired it after learning one needs to keep the mushrooming ground off.

As to hammers. Yes, most of them are hardened (no all) but those are not sledges/mauls.

Harry K

 

[046]

there's many mfg of sledges, which tempers surfaces differently. true, sledges are usually not hardened to degree hammers are.

with so many different mfg, all you can do is generalize. I've never had a sledge mushroom. but all that means is my sledges have not mushroomed. any sledge that mushrooms was probably tempered to reduce hardness.

I collect hammers here's a pic of my hammer drawer and a new box of hammers just purchased...

 

[turnkey4099]

NOw that is a batch of hammers! If it were mine, I would have to be sure not to start and argument with the wife anywhere near that drawer

Harry K

 

[jnsn]

Have you ever heard the saying "as dumb as a box of hammers"? There was an old southern boy I used to work with who used that one.

Looks like you have shears or something underneath

 

[ranchjn]

Whatcha got? Mine widens TOO soon - it's pretty blunt.

A picture of Max, the Axe

what a real splitting maul looks like jk

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Very similar to what I have. Yours has a better taper, though. Mine balloons out too soon.

 

[turnkey4099]

Very similar to what I have. Yours has a better taper, though. Mine balloons out too soon.

I had to buy a new wedge the other day. Lost my favorite one off the tailgate when I forgot about it. The new one has the right taper down to about 3/4" inch from the edge then it steepend for sharpening. Turns it almos unuseable. I tried it out last Friday and it wouldn't even let me start it into the block. It is due for the bench today for a serious regrinding.

Harry K

 

[046]

dumb as a box of hammers!

never heard that one before... yup there's a few pair of old fashion shears underneath.

purchase load of hammers from a widow who was selling off husbands old tools.

What a score! there's a load of high grade hammers in that box.

Have you ever heard the saying "as dumb as a box of hammers"? There was an old southern boy I used to work with who used that one.

Looks like you have shears or something underneath