Whats everyones favorite splitting device?

[The Shooters Apprentice]

When I was a kid my dad had a splitting maul named "Old red". Old red was a solid chuck on steel in a perfect triangle with a short pipe handle. My dad swore that was the best thing for splitting wood, and that's all he used. When I became a teenager, I bought one of those big heavy mauls and carried it around in my wood truck.

Flash forward 10 years and I had moved back to Alaska and was gonna start heating my house with wood again. During one of my moves around the lower 48 I had opted to leave that heavy POS behind and needed a new maul. My wife convinced me to try a "Speed maul" and I ended up with a 4.5lb channel lock speed maul with a 36" handle.

Man what a difference! that thing splits wood and you don't tear your arm off swinging it. I've split a lot of wood with that maul in the last couple years, and even though I have a 30 ton splitter, I almost always hand split since its faster.

However, I had a old timer tell me once that a properly shaped double bit was the best thing for splitting, because it had more weight then a standard single bit axe. I thought it was bull pucky. I have a couple double bit axes, and none of them really split that well.

A few weeks ago we were clearing out a locker at work and there was a old double bit axe in there and I took it home. I can't find any markings on it, but I believe it is a plumb brand. Man, this axe SPLITS. It swings easy, and splits instead of getting stuck and has become my go to splitting tool. The other axes I have are mostly Kelly True Temper axes ive picked up here and there, most likely misplaced from forest service crews. The bits on these are quite a bit longer then this plumb axe.

Anyway, figured I would show off a few pics.

 

[SweetMK]

When I was 23 years old, I could use a single bit axe to split a 16 foot C60 Chevy grain body truck full of oak in an afternoon.
I did that several times for relatives as I did not own a home, .
When I was 30 years old, I bought a Sotz Monster Maul,, because I could no longer swing the single blade axe hard enough.
At 35 Years old, I built my first hydraulic splitter, the Monster Maul was retired.
At 50 years old, I quit cutting or burning wood.
At 68 years old, I started cutting and splitting wood for exercise, I now give it to neighbors.

 

[Squareground3691]

Pick ur poison

 

[Sawdust Man]

My favorite splitting device?
My sons......

 

[SweetMK]

I am thinking about switching to black powder.
THAT would make splitting MUCH more interesting.

There are several YouTube videos on the subject.
Most everyone is giggling like a little girl after the charge goes off,,,

 

[Sawdust Man]

I am thinking about switching to black powder.
THAT would make splitting MUCH more interesting.

There are several YouTube videos on the subject.
Most everyone is giggling like a little girl after the charge goes off,,,

Now you're talking!!!

 

[BigMoneyGrip]

My dad bought the one on the top about 40 years ago. He gave it to me and I cleaned it up, painted it gold and rehung it. It's an 8lbs "K Head" made in Japan. It does OK but the G-B I got a couple of years ago smokes it.

 

[SweetMK]

the G-B I got a couple of years ago smokes it!

I looked that splitter up,,,
I once built a hydraulic splitter for about what they want for that thing!! WOW!!

And, once I built a hydraulic splitter for far less $$$
but, the lower cost splitter was powered by the hydraulics of my tractor,,

 

[Woodchuckels]

Pick ur poison.

Nice looking stable.

 

[calamari]

It must be softwoods that are being split with a double bit. I can't imagine using one to split oak. Either it will get so stuck so tightly you can't get it out or it will bounce back and do more than part your hair.
I have one of those big Super mauls that I've used for years and love that you can't break the handle. I used it to split some big Eucalyptus rounds once. I was able to accomplish it but thought my heart was going to explode in the process.
I have a bad back and take pain meds every three hours but nothing makes my back feel better than splitting wood by hand. Helps my crappy golf game too. Unfortunately, I'm old and slow so I now use a hydraulic splitter most of the time but when I split oak by hand I do it this way. Multiple wedges and you just have to go around kind of tapping each one and it all falls apart.
When I went to the quack recently I found I was 1 1/2 inches shorter than while in my 20s. Picking up heavy rounds is a big reason why. I guess swinging a sledge pulls my spine out and makes it feel better.

 

[calamari]

Notice there are no mushroomed heads on the wedges. Grind them off! A local lad was splitting wood with a broomed over wedge and a piece came off, went into his chest though his shirt, into his heart and he bled out right there by the wood pile. Be very careful with even this simple tool.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Depends...

Easy to split, axe.
Medium to split, splitting axe.
Hard to split, 6lb maul.
impossible to split, sledges and wedges.

Splitting for other people we usually use their hydraulic splitter.

 

[calamari]

Depends...

Easy to split, axe.
Medium to split, splitting axe.
Hard to split, 6lb maul.
impossible to split, sledges and wedges.

Splitting for other people we usually use their hydraulic splitter.

That's how I'd rank it too. Unfortunately not a lot of easy wood in my area except for Incense Cedar which I don't burn.

 

[Screwbolts]

A Wallenstein WP830 or a Huskee 35 ton splitter

 

[Karrl]

Nice axes and mauls guys, I hydraulic split 99% of my wood but I have started to use wedges to half my big oak rounds. Cut a slot in the top of the log and then pound the wedge into the slot. With straight grain oak it pops pretty fast from there.

The fiskars maul and splitting axe are fun to swing around but the difficult tree service wood I get really needs the hydraulic to get anything done.

 

[Bearcreek]

It must be softwoods that are being split with a double bit. I can't imagine using one to split oak. Either it will get so stuck so tightly you can't get it out or it will bounce back and do more than part your hair.

It is. I used to live in Ohio and now live in North Idaho. A reasonably fit person can fairly easily get away with nothing but a felling axe for all their splitting needs here in the northern Rockies. Definitely not possible with eastern hardwoods.

 

[calamari]

It is. I used to live in Ohio and now live in North Idaho. A reasonably fit person can fairly easily get away with nothing but a felling axe for all their splitting needs here in the northern Rockies. Definitely not possible with eastern hardwoods.

It's all a trade off. Splitting is easier but feeding the stove more often and having to cut more wood as a result is the downside. Not having needle like Madrone slivers in your fingers from picking up pieces w/o a glove is a real plus. Reminds me of when I was a molding grader. It took me a year before my hands looked normal after I quit.
I've got a former step son who lives in Culdesac, Idaho. Beautiful country!

 

[copen]

It must be softwoods that are being split with a double bit. I can't imagine using one to split oak. Either it will get so stuck so tightly you can't get it out or it will bounce back and do more than part your hair.
I have one of those big Super mauls that I've used for years and love that you can't break the handle. I used it to split some big Eucalyptus rounds once. I was able to accomplish it but thought my heart was going to explode in the process.
I have a bad back and take pain meds every three hours but nothing makes my back feel better than splitting wood by hand. Helps my crappy golf game too. Unfortunately, I'm old and slow so I now use a hydraulic splitter most of the time but when I split oak by hand I do it this way. Multiple wedges and you just have to go around kind of tapping each one and it all falls apart.
When I went to the quack recently I found I was 1 1/2 inches shorter than while in my 20s. Picking up heavy rounds is a big reason why. I guess swinging a sledge pulls my spine out and makes it feel better.
View attachment 962059

I used to think the handle on my big red monster maul would out live me too. I was wrong. It cracked at the transition point where the diameter changes, about 4 or 5 inches below the head. Funny thing is that it cracked on the bottom side of the handle when it seems like it would have been on the top side, due to my distance miscalculations once or twice. That dude'll ring your bell if you give it a little too much handle. A little welding and so far so good.
Wish I had your problem of splitting wood making my back feel better. After about half an hour or so, I gotta stop and "collect my thoughts" for a while. Don't know if it's the splittin or the bending over and pickin up, but sumpin ain't right.

 

[calamari]

I used to think the handle on my big red monster maul would out live me too. I was wrong. It cracked at the transition point where the diameter changes, about 4 or 5 inches below the head. Funny thing is that it cracked on the bottom side of the handle when it seems like it would have been on the top side, due to my distance miscalculations once or twice. That dude'll ring your bell if you give it a little too much handle. A little welding and so far so good.
Wish I had your problem of splitting wood making my back feel better. After about half an hour or so, I gotta stop and "collect my thoughts" for a while. Don't know if it's the splittin or the bending over and pickin up, but sumpin ain't right.

No one is more pleasantly surprised about it being a benefit to my back than me and my golfing partners.
If you cracked it on the bottom that would have been a really mighty swing that was on target. On the top means it was a mighty swing that was "just a little outside" as Bob Uecker used to say when "Wild Thing" threw the ball into the stands.

 

[square1]

In the 80s I used a Chopper One. Had fingers inside the business end of the splitting head which had little dogs a little farther back from the leading edge.
The edge would penetrate the round burying the fingers, the dogs would contact the top of the round throwing the fingers outward and splitting most anything with one solid strike.
Must have been some lawyers got involved, can't find one today.
Now an X27 is my main tool followed up with a sledge & wedges for the really ornery stuff.