Tell me about Axes....

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Not bad advice but once you split with an 8 the only way you go back to a 6 is if you loose the 8 or you are injured!
Lol - I hate my 8lb and want to get another 6lb. My wife had bought me a Craftsman 6lb with a glass handle and teflon coating. It worked pretty well, but was junk - it cracked at the handle hole. Then she bought me anther with a hickory handle, but the guy talked her into an 8lb. Next time I want to buy my own, although I appreciate her good intentions.
 
Lol - I hate my 8lb and want to get another 6lb. My wife had bought me a Craftsman 6lb with a glass handle and teflon coating. It worked pretty well, but was junk - it cracked at the handle hole. Then she bought me anther with a hickory handle, but the guy talked her into an 8lb. Next time I want to buy my own, although I appreciate her good intentions.
I can't do the 8lb either I can't get enough velocity behind it I stick with a 4-1/2 lb axe and if that won't bust it in 3-4 licks switch up to wedges the finally noodling as a last resort.
 
The way the grain runs has little to do with the strength of the handle unless it is a dog legged one.

Screen shot 2014-11-16 at 1.03.22 PM.png
My understanding of handle grain is that it matters in a couple of way. One, as mentioned, is that the handle is more likely to split if the grain 'runs out'. In the illustration above, I would call the upper handle 'better', not necessarily 'good.


Screen shot 2014-11-16 at 1.00.07 PM.png
The other is in stiffness of the handle. With grain running parallel to the head, the handle will be stiffer. With grain running perpendicular to the head, the handle will flex more. Try this with a small piece of wood to feel the difference.

Philbert
 
Ahhh so once the fiskars fan boys leave the truth comes out!!!

As I said on the first page, I have the Fiskars (both sizes) and a cheap plastic-handled maul. I prefer the maul. Fiskars just doesn't have the weight, unless you're splitting straight-grain easy stuff.
 
As I said on the first page, I have the Fiskars (both sizes) and a cheap plastic-handled maul. I prefer the maul. Fiskars just doesn't have the weight, unless you're splitting straight-grain easy stuff.
I agree, and have found that to be very true the 8 lb works best any heavier your gonna ruin your lower back.
 
Learning your tool, keeping it sharp, and reading the wood is more important than tool selection. It's like chainsaws, a guy who knows how to fell and buck and keep a sharp chain will get more done at the end of the day running some homerenter class saw than a noobie with the newest fancy pro saw.

all axes and mauls swing different, they just do. there is no single technique that works with all those tools.

If you can swing fast and have good aim, you can get by with a lighter splitting axe. Same kinetic energy to the wood as a heavier one, swung slower.

Personally, I have better aim with lighter splitting axes, mostly because I learned, and learned fast, how to split wood with a lightweight limbing axe.. I own a small variety of splitting tools and usually use all of them processing wood, and then there's noodling once it really gets hard going.

Wayyy back in the day when I worked for some firewood guys, they wanted me to use a monster maul..it busts wood, but shazam, I could only swing it for a little while, went back to my light axe and developed technique, and kept up with the big guys splitting with the monster maul.

When you are a little guy competing against big guys in a physical labor world, you have to learn finesse and technique over brute grunt power.

I own and use an original fiskars supersplitter, which is my fav I have ever used, a TSC generic maul, a husky/wetterlings splitting axe, then sledge and wedges. I use them all. Zombie apocalypse hits, I am grabbing the fiskars and doing my mini HO scale annoyed Conan routine...
 
As I said on the first page, I have the Fiskars (both sizes) and a cheap plastic-handled maul. I prefer the maul. Fiskars just doesn't have the weight, unless you're splitting straight-grain easy stuff.

I have both plus a wedge/sledge. Right tool for the right job is the answer. None of them will do all jobs well.

Harry K
 
I prefer a 6lb maul 90% of the time. my 10lb maul comes out when I am in 36"+ wood.
I seem to be able to split longer with the 6lb over the 4lb axe
 
I have a conventional, single bit, wood handled, hardware store axe that I used to split with, based on my Boy Scout training. It works. I have a wood handled, 6 0r 8 pound (?) sledge and several 3 to 5 pound steel, splitting wedges (I pick them up at garage sales habitually) for larger stuff. Less mess (and faster?) than noodling. Good to have at least three wedges in case the first two get stuck. I also have a couple of 'wood grenade' wedges that picked up at garage sales and keep for show and tell, but they don't work that great IMHO.

I bought an earlier Fiskars maul, then an X27 when they came out to try it:

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/fiskars-28-and-36-side-by-side-comaprison.170817/

I got a monster maul from a neighbor who moved, and tried it for a while, but put it on CraigsList after comparing it to my Fiskars. I also picked up a couple of Fiskars chopping axes which I like for light limbing and driving plastic wedges when cutting with a chainsaw.

Philbert
 
I can't do the 8lb either I can't get enough velocity behind it...
Unlike an ax, velocity is not the key when using a maul... power and momentum (follow-through) are.
You should not concentrate your aim where the maul first strikes the round... your aim should be concentrated on where the maul finishes, where it strikes the splitting stump. That's what I meant about the different techniques; you aim an ax where it strikes, you aim a maul where it finishes... ya' haf'ta be thinking opposite ends of the round being split.

You'll often hear guys who use an ax explain how they "snap" or "cant" their wrists slightly just as, or just before, the ax strikes the round.
You don't do that with a maul, you should still be "swinging" as the maul finishes (or stops)... follow-through, follow-through, follow-through...
*
 
Unlike an ax, velocity is not the key when using a maul... power and momentum (follow-through) are.
You should not concentrate your aim where the maul first strikes the round... your aim should be concentrated on where the maul finishes, where it strikes the splitting stump. That's what I meant about the different techniques; you aim an ax where it strikes, you aim a maul where it finishes... ya' haf'ta be thinking opposite ends of the round being split.

You'll often hear guys who use an ax explain how they "snap" or "cant" their wrists slightly just as, or just before, the ax strikes the round.
You don't do that with a maul, you should still be "swinging" as the maul finishes (or stops)... follow-through, follow-through, follow-through...
*
I'll have to give it a try if I ever get another maul. I have one I reworked then found out I can't get a handle for it.
 
If you are interested in an actual axe for small limbing and kindling etc then I strongly suggest the Husqvarna forest axe. I think I paid around $65 for it and it's a hand forged hickory handled beauty from Sweden. Shaving sharp and the perfect small and light axe. It goes with me whenever I'm out cutting wood.
 
Unlike an ax, velocity is not the key when using a maul
The equation for kinetic energy is:
KineticEnergy120.png
So if you double the mass you double the energy imparted at impact (assuming you can swing it as fast), but if you double the velocity you get 4 times the energy. This is just as true for a maul as it is for an axe. Even with a maul you're better off if you can swing it fast, which is why I don't like an 8lb maul - I can swing one fast but I can feel I'm losing altitude with every swing! I can swing a 6lb maul at a decent velocity for quite a while, at least when I'm in shape.
 
Im going to get a cheap one see how long it lasts. Just like my cheap stihl saw.....
b8298fffb35942af3bba358dad675364.jpg
 
You guys know a splitting maul that can also be used as a sledge? I don't want to be forced to drag 20 freaking things with me when I scrounge for firewood. Already have to carry the chainsaw, PPE, bar oil, chain file, extra chain, possibly larger bar, fuel, bucking/felling wedges, Fiskars, etc. If you can't use the maul as a sledge why the hell do they make the other end flat!? Make the other end into an axe head. I agree it will be one heavy axe but at least it will purposeful.

Anyways, I would be really grateful if someone can recommend a dual purpose maul.
 
Back
Top