Anybody tried this axe yet?

[WetBehindtheEar]

Ok lemme AXE a coupla stupid questions...

Ok. So I'm most definitely NOT a seasoned veteran hand-splitter (although the lack of a gas-powered one will make me a veteran in short order).

My neighbor let me borrow his 4 lb Lowes special. It works ok but I kept getting it stuck in the rounds.

Question #1.

Is the Lowe's model a splitting MAUL or splitting AXE?

I am more accustomed to using a steel wedge and a 8lb sledge hammer to get through rounds - yeah, I know it's way more labor-intensive(my low back agrees).

Question #2.
(And I think the answer is, "No you can't/shouldn't")
If I get the Lowe's splitting maul/axe in the round, can I use my sledge to pound it the rest of the way through the piece a-la the traditional wedge?

 

[Ultimus_ab]

True temper slitting axe

Just got done using it today. It does get stuck in the wood if it does not split it. In a way I kind of like it. With a maul if it does not split the wood, it tends to knock it over. With this head, the wood stays put and you just rock it out instead of picking up the piece of wood and putting it back on the block. If I can not split the piece due its size with this axe, I simply set the head with a good swing, and drive it the rest of the way through with my 8 lb maul as you would with a wedge. The back of the axe has some indentations in it from the maul but nothing major. The head is cast and is not really that hard but I have not had any problems out of it and have been using it for 2 years now. I like the fiber glass handle, but not the ergonomics of it. I wish it was more traditional shaped. Hope this helps.

 

[oldirty]

I simply set the head with a good swing, and drive it the rest of the way through with my 8 lb maul as you would with a wedge. The back of the axe has some indentations in it from the maul but nothing major.

i got less than 3 cord out of my maul doing it this way. cracked the mofo right off the handle.

but

i did go out and buy another one just because i love how it splits the wood. i just wont be beating on it with my sledge.

ive found that working the edges of the wood first then getting into the heart works good with this maul.

i like it. easy to swing too.

 

[michael j]

. If I can not split the piece due its size with this axe, I simply set the head with a good swing, and drive it the rest of the way through with my 8 lb maul as you would with a wedge.

I've been usingthis method for 35 years. Since then I've only had one loose handle on my maul, due to my neighbor fighing when it stuck.

Mike

 

[huskystihl]

Stihl makes two awesome axes, one for splitting and a splitting maul. They run a little hi $ wise like $65 but are great products.

 

[Slvrmple72]

Ian, get the longer wood handle and overstrike protector. Longer and wooden is much better with the axe head but keep the FG handle for beating stupid people with.

I have been splitting all weekend with both the Ames wavy handle ( yes I have been striking the back of it with a sledge when it gets stuck, destroyed the do not strike back of axe head sticker first couple of hits) and the Vario ( been using this for the smaller and easier ,no crotches, to split stuff) Like them both but recommend the cheap Ames one more. I think partly because I can switch my leading hand comfortably on the wavy handle. Normally, I am left hand dominant but I am also ambidextrous. I would say I did 55% with the Ames and 45% with the Vario for just shy of six cords split total.

Yes, the MTD splitter has been sobbing in the garage and my lower back has been wimpering a little bit too!

 

[Richard_]

thanks for the test on the Vario , I was thinking of getting one myself , but now I will pass , maybe look into the STIHL or HUSQVARNA ones , but for now , these two will have to suffice .

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Ian, get the longer wood handle and overstrike protector.

Nah, that'd make it a $120-$130 maul. The handle, overstrike protector, backing plate and hardware to convert it run $50 + shipping.

Ian

 

[Stihl here]

I have one of those lowes ames splitting mauls and like it alot for splittng firewood!!! Better for me than my 8# maul for most use!!!!

 

[chainsawboy1996]

yea, i used one during my hunting season to split firewood and it split perfectly and just because i like to say it i got my first buck a 3x2 not bad for a first buck. perfect neck shot,again i like to say it :chainsawguy:

 

[stargazer]

Why do all these videos show making matchsticks out of decent firewood. Is it being burned in a pellet stove?? I don't like processed wood because too much small stuff.

I prefer big chunks and small rounds. I've only burned wood my entire life. I like a maul. I don't like anything that sticks in the wood, you instantly lose more than you gained with the light and fast. Fighting to get the axe out is not making splits.

I don't like all that handling, picking up and standing up and fighting with the tire etc. I split lots of it just as it lays, and the tough ones I stand up right where they lay unless very steep sidehill. Since my maul bounces, and isn't sharp, I don't worry about the ground, only hit it occasionally. I use an easy swing, treating the tool as though I were twirling a rock on a string, not "pushing" through the swing. Need extra force for a 2 1/2 footer? Lift the maul above your waist, drop it and swing down by your side and clear around gaining speed easily, at full extension. Hits like dynamite with little effort. That's a John Henry swing, not some forced roundhouse swing. I think I read he swung through 27 1/2 feet. More importantly, he was relaxed and could go all day. Generally though, I just toss it out at head height and swing down easily. I work right and lefty, and focus on accuracy. Then I pick it up the wood once, later on, and toss into the tractor bucket and dump into the dumptruck. Or, like yesterday, if real close, just drive the bucket to the door and leave it at chest height, and walk it in and stack it indoors.

Don't knock yourself out trying to split biggies in one whack. Look for the weakness, and draw a line across the top with several strikes perfectly lined up, just letting it bounce off. Should spit easily, because that loosens it up. Generally, my wood stays up (no tire) and I can split most of it without picking it back up. I do often step around the side to avoid handle breaks. Often I end up with the split pieces standing there in a circle. Wherever they fall, I just leave them, unless I need to kick them out of the way.

Since I'm splitting right where the tree fell, I'm moving along getting my feet away from the split wood pile. Again, if possible, I like to pick it up once and into the tractor bucket (or onto the toboggan in the bad old days).

I like this site, like to see people sharing what works for them, lots to learn here.

I've been using a 6 lb wooden handled maul I got for a couple bucks at a yard sale. Just "splurged" for a new shiny red wood splitter )), one of those red handled 8 lb. true temper mauls at Lowe's. Haven't swung it yet, but I know that fiberglass handles do break, just a bit tougher than wood. I think the rubber insert should be on the front edge where your fingers rest, not very useful on the sides. Probably tape mine, feels slippery. Wanted a bit extra weight for some large twisty black locust, dead for 20 years. Stuff is like pressure treated, but burns like coal.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Why do all these videos show making matchsticks out of decent firewood.

LOL... Yup.

Ian

 

[flotek]

Why do all these videos show making matchsticks out of decent firewood. Is it being burned in a pellet stove?? l.

agreed... not only is it tiny short rounds but it appears the wood is already seasoned and not of a dense variety maybe he only burns kindling or hes making pellets for a pellet burner as you suggested lol

 

[Woodjack]

This is a long thread about splitting axes with barely a mention of the Fiskars Pro Splitting Axe. I love mine. The handle is short which seemed weird at first, but I developed a baseball bat grip and swing with it. I hold both hands on the very end of the handle (like you'd hold a baseball bat) and tomahawk it down. I get incredible speed and striking force with this style. Splits wood like butter , , , not to mention my improved softball hitting.

 

[Finland]

Many answers

Why do all these videos show making matchsticks out of decent firewood. Is it being burned in a pellet stove?? I don't like processed wood because too much small stuff.

I prefer big chunks and small rounds. I've only burned wood my entire life. I like a maul. I don't like anything that sticks in the wood, you instantly lose more than you gained with the light and fast. Fighting to get the axe out is not making splits.

I don't like all that handling, picking up and standing up and fighting with the tire etc. I split lots of it just as it lays, and the tough ones I stand up right where they lay unless very steep sidehill. Since my maul bounces, and isn't sharp, I don't worry about the ground, only hit it occasionally. I use an easy swing, treating the tool as though I were twirling a rock on a string, not "pushing" through the swing. Need extra force for a 2 1/2 footer? Lift the maul above your waist, drop it and swing down by your side and clear around gaining speed easily, at full extension. Hits like dynamite with little effort. That's a John Henry swing, not some forced roundhouse swing. I think I read he swung through 27 1/2 feet. More importantly, he was relaxed and could go all day. Generally though, I just toss it out at head height and swing down easily. I work right and lefty, and focus on accuracy. Then I pick it up the wood once, later on, and toss into the tractor bucket and dump into the dumptruck. Or, like yesterday, if real close, just drive the bucket to the door and leave it at chest height, and walk it in and stack it indoors.

Don't knock yourself out trying to split biggies in one whack. Look for the weakness, and draw a line across the top with several strikes perfectly lined up, just letting it bounce off. Should spit easily, because that loosens it up. Generally, my wood stays up (no tire) and I can split most of it without picking it back up. I do often step around the side to avoid handle breaks. Often I end up with the split pieces standing there in a circle. Wherever they fall, I just leave them, unless I need to kick them out of the way.

Since I'm splitting right where the tree fell, I'm moving along getting my feet away from the split wood pile. Again, if possible, I like to pick it up once and into the tractor bucket (or onto the toboggan in the bad old days).

I like this site, like to see people sharing what works for them, lots to learn here.

I've been using a 6 lb wooden handled maul I got for a couple bucks at a yard sale. Just "splurged" for a new shiny red wood splitter )), one of those red handled 8 lb. true temper mauls at Lowe's. Haven't swung it yet, but I know that fiberglass handles do break, just a bit tougher than wood. I think the rubber insert should be on the front edge where your fingers rest, not very useful on the sides. Probably tape mine, feels slippery. Wanted a bit extra weight for some large twisty black locust, dead for 20 years. Stuff is like pressure treated, but burns like coal.

MANY ANSWERS can be found on the http://www.biohousing.eu.com/stoveheating

Best regards

Heikki, the inventor

:computer: