help choosing a Splitting Maul

[NDtreehugger]

This is the best I have found for the money got it from Baileys, it cracks American Elm, Red Elm, Ash, Oak, Box, and all the softwood I can find.

I do all my splitting by hand

Click here

 

[Brushwacker]

A Monster Maul works the best in my opinion.

+1. Learn to swing it properly the way it was designed to be used and I do not think any maul will beat it in tough wood except mabe something home made and bigger. I tried a bunch before and after the first monster maul. I like an light maul or axe when the wood is splitting easy. I dress my bare handled monsters with carpet padding or innertube to take out much of the shock transfered to the bones.
On fiberglass handles it feels you lose some shock to the wood but it feels easiar on the bones to.

 

[blackdoggy]

Six pound and eight pound maul are my weapons of choice then for the big stuff I move up to a eight pound sledge with three different wedges and allot of upper body strength.

 

[Elim]

do a search for fiskars splitter or monster maul-- will keep you busy for a while. BTW mine is a Fiskars

This is great advice. I use a Fiskars primarily also. Splitting with that thing is almost like cheating.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

12# was the biggest I could find

Iron & Oak has a 15 pounder. That's what I have. Good tool.

 

[urhstry]

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=15780&catID=

 

[cuttin-4-heat]

im in for a vote 4 the fiskars. love mine awesome tool. split, pound wedges, drive trap stakes, cut stakes/bait for beaver traps. goes everywhere it seems

 

[MR4WD]

I can pop even the tightest 3 foot paper birch and douglas fir with an 8 pound maul. I must have 4 cords of each. And, about 4 cords of lodgepole pine also. I had a splitting axe like yours, richard, but then I upgraded to a big heavy maul and it made splitting easier. If I split for an hour a weekend I can get a few weeks ahead on the wood. If I have a few weeks off, I can get a few months ahead, all at a leisurely pace.

I don't sell wood, so I don't need a splitter. I split it as I need it, or as I find the time (have spare time)

I'm pretty pooped after an hour of swinging the 8 pounder, but it's all about mass. You can have a high tech 3 pound axe, or a blunt stone-age maul and smash wood to bits easier than you can with a lighter tool. It takes more a$$ to swing something heavy, but it splits wood faster and better than something lighter, no matter how pretty or sophisticated the name.

 

[treemandan]

I would go with something that has a motor attached to it but tell me; how many cords do you guys do by hand?

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I would go with something that has a motor attached to it but tell me; how many cords do you guys do by hand?

The year before I got my splitter I did 6 cords of oak.


Big oak.

 

[adamc]

Another vote for the red handled splitting maul that Richard_ posted.

I also have monster maul, but it gets awfully heavy after a couple of hours of swinging and makes my shoulder ache!. No only can I work longer with the lighter tool, but the physics are in favor of the lighter tool as well.

F=MxA. Force = Mass x Acceleration.

A=M/S^2. Acceleration = Meters per second squared

So, doubling the mass only doubles the force. Doubling the speed of the head quadruples the force.

This assumes that the acceleration as the head impacts the wood is consistent (which it's not), but it is still close.

The other issue is that the optimum head weight is different for everyone. The ideal head weight would be the heaviest that you can still swing as fast as you could swing a lighter weight. If you can swing a monster maul as fast as I can swing my six pounder, I have no problem admitting that you are the much bigger man!

Adam

 

[hopperm]

Monster Maul, steel handle never breaks.

 

[ASEMASTER]

fiskars

if the biger fiskers wont split it it goes to the hyd. spliter

 

[AKKAMAAN]

Another vote for the red handled splitting maul that Richard_ posted.

I also have monster maul, but it gets awfully heavy after a couple of hours of swinging and makes my shoulder ache!. No only can I work longer with the lighter tool, but the physics are in favor of the lighter tool as well.

F=MxA. Force = Mass x Acceleration.

A=M/S^2. Acceleration = Meters per second squared

So, doubling the mass only doubles the force. Doubling the speed of the head quadruples the force.

This assumes that the acceleration as the head impacts the wood is consistent (which it's not), but it is still close.

The other issue is that the optimum head weight is different for everyone. The ideal head weight would be the heaviest that you can still swing as fast as you could swing a lighter weight. If you can swing a monster maul as fast as I can swing my six pounder, I have no problem admitting that you are the much bigger man!

Adam

Great post Adam, this is what it is all about

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I put a Helko Tomahawk 2300G Splitting axe on my Christmas list... Hoorah!

Ian

 

[bowtechmadman]

Anyone used that Helko Splitting Axe? They sure are proud of it. Making my Xmas list here as well.

 

[PistonBroke]

Fiskars splitting axe rocks.
I love mine, except for the time i missed and hit my leg after stitch's I was back into it.
The handle is very strong too, and the little sharpener works a treat.

 

[blackdoggy]

I just got a new red handled eight pounder from Lowes and I like it, it feels good in the hands and is highly visible the only problem I have found is it has a bit of a bounce back.

 

[cord arrow]

I prefer the balance of a double bit axe if I must split by hand...sharp and polished.

There's something to be said for the tremendous speed you can generate. Being able to place your blows within millimeters of target is an asset as well...

I know a fellow that does a windmill move with axe at his side...one handed...first time I'd seen it...can split about anything...

His problem...his hits have such force the splits fly 10 yards in opposite directions...

The Amish around here build a splitter with the same problem...this thing has a huge flywheel (think punch press) that when tripped flies God only knows how fast into the wood...you don't want to catch one of these splits in the chin!!!

 

[sesmith]

Another vote for the red handled splitting maul that Richard_ posted.

I also have monster maul, but it gets awfully heavy after a couple of hours of swinging and makes my shoulder ache!. No only can I work longer with the lighter tool, but the physics are in favor of the lighter tool as well.

F=MxA. Force = Mass x Acceleration.

A=M/S^2. Acceleration = Meters per second squared

So, doubling the mass only doubles the force. Doubling the speed of the head quadruples the force.

This assumes that the acceleration as the head impacts the wood is consistent (which it's not), but it is still close.

The other issue is that the optimum head weight is different for everyone. The ideal head weight would be the heaviest that you can still swing as fast as you could swing a lighter weight. If you can swing a monster maul as fast as I can swing my six pounder, I have no problem admitting that you are the much bigger man!

Adam

You're forgetting that the monster maul has a much wider head and cutting angle than most mauls. This, coupled with the weight gives the mechanical advantage that makes the monster maul work better in tough wood. I find that there is a point where trying to beat a tough round apart with an 8 pound maul is tougher on my body than using the monster maul and getting the job done with fewer hits (and I can hit the same place more than once consistently ). I don't love swinging the monster maul but it gets the job done when needed.

Also, the splitting force when splitting wood is directed out, perpendicular to the direction of the maul's travel, not down (...I think). And A=m/s^2 or A=m*s^-2 NOT A=(m/s)^2 so doubling the speed does not quadruple the force, it doubles it.

Scott