fire wood.

[che]

I'm a full foot shorter than Tony M....and it's light. Sounds like a good one for me.

We picked up one of those 'things' (I hesitate calling it a maul.....looks like a solid triangle of metal with a metal handle) at our neighbor's yard sale. Last week, my husband had pulled out about five logs of hedge, each needing just to be split in half. I took advantage of him being there to try my hand at it. Got a couple pointers, split each easily...BUT...raising the thing up was a bear. I gave it back to him and told him he could keep it....I'll cut it, he can split it.

I really, really don't want the job of splitting...but if I could split some of what I'm cutting now out in the field, maybe I could at least lift it into the trailer. Maybe I'll look into this type...I like Fiskers products.

Che

 

[tony marks]

che ,believe it or not u are the one i thought about when i first picked this thing up.as long as u can bring it dn with good speed it should work well for u.
the increased speed at contact is the secret i think. good luck.

 

[glens]

I'm 6'-2" and am also very afraid of that short handle, especially in conjunction with the knife-like working edge the tool sports.  If they'd provide one with a proper handle length (like 36 to 38 inches) I'd buy one to try.

Perhaps they leave the handles shorter because it's too easy to break the handle with an over-strike with the undoubtedly great speed that can be attained.  I know, a tractor can drive over the handle and it won't break, but that's not the same thing at all as a sudden stop after rapid acceleration from 11' up in the air.

I followed the link given in a similar thread at the Tool Shed site and saw that a company in Alabama is producing that 15 lb. all-steel handled wedge for "chopping" wood.  I'm sure it works for some in some fashion, but the rationale is beyond me.  It seems like way too much work to lift the weight.  I believe in the more balanced approach of doing closer to the same amount of work while both raising and lowering the tool.  For me, that works out best with an 8 lb. axe-eye maul on a 36" hickory handle with generous palm swell at the end.  I find I have to work too hard on the down-stroke with a 6 lb. head.

Because of the different way 6 and 8 lb. mauls work, I'd be inclined to think the Fiskars tool would be as much or more "out of balance" than the 15 lb. device (at the other end of the spectrum).  Nevertheless, I'd sure like to try one once they make one long enough.

I wonder what effect prolonged exposure to sunlight has on the handle material...

 

[che]

Thanks for thinking of me Tony! I'm afraid of making this all to easy for the guys at my house, though. If I cut it, split it, stack it.....I will NEVER get that furnace complete with thermostat!! I <i>could</i> hide it behind the truck seat though....

The monster maul, shown in the link glens is talking about, looks very similar to the one we picked up at a garage sale. It did split the wood easily...once you got it picked up. But....my guess is that someone with experience could do that with these other mauls and <i>not</i> end up with a hernia.

Che

 

[jokers]

To Tony Marks

Hey Tony, judging by your demeanor here and anywhere else that I`ve run in to you, I`d say that it is more than a safe bet that your children, no matter what age they are and whether they are still children, love you. Of course I could be wrong, LOL, but I suspect that your son`s love for you is a stronger attractant for him to go with you to split wood than the possibilty that he may get to use your new maul! Now if you had said that one of your employees volunteered I`d be alot more influenced by your statement, LOL Russ

 

[glens]

Che,

Another thing about that heavy triangle comes to mind.

I prefer to leave all the splits <i>just</i> attached at the base of the round for as long as possible.&nbsp; So that it looks like a "bloomin' onion".&nbsp; I then "pick" them off one by one with baby blows, or maybe let a two or three-piece chunk get finally broken apart when it lands on the pile.&nbsp; Often, one good judicious blow will separate several pieces at once.&nbsp; I've found that process very much easier than constantly reaching down to stand pieces back up for the next blow, and it really impresses onlookers.

I don't see that being very easy to do with the monster mall.&nbsp; It seems to me a lot of time would be spent bent over, (chasing down and) standing pieces back up.

Another thing I've found is that wood is almost invariably easier to split bottom-to-top than top-to-bottom.&nbsp; Maybe it's because it's spent it's whole life looking skyward and keeping itself from coming apart due to downward forces, and it never even considered the possibility of something coming up from behind.&nbsp; There are the rare exceptions, however, as to most rules.&nbsp; All bets are off with beech or elm (and I imagine sycamore).

Some advice my friend Holly said her mom gave her shortly after her wedding was "never mow the lawn the first time, you'll be the one that has to do it from then on".

Glen

 

[che]

Glen,

You're right...even in my inept hands...this heavy thing split the wood (seasoned hedge) right down to the dirt, first crack.

Next time you see Holly....tell her to LISTEN TO HER MOTHER!

Che
(wishing my mother had told me about hay rakes)

 

[JimL]

All my wood gets split with a old monster maul like that one.

Guess I otta try a 6lber or so.

 

[fun_chopper]

That Stihl axe is nice, but not worth the $$$ they ask for it. I milled an axe out of a large block of high carbon steel, and that is by far the best axe I have ever used, and I can use any handle to my liking! I will add a pic when I get an unbroken digital camera.

I do have a question, for thoes people who sharpen their axes what angle do you sharpen it at? I usually file (Inever grind) a real flat long angle that makes the axe real (razor and/or 7 stiches)sharp, and it tends to keep an edge for quite a while. I also file a small (.0005-.001) groove about 1/2" in from the edge, and it never sticks in wood because of that (proven by trial and error). Just curious about what you all do..Matt

 

[jokers]

You`re a nut fun_chopper! A groove as small as 5 ten thousandths is enough to keep the axe from sticking? How do you control the depth of this groove and then measure it? I love reading this stuff in the middle of the night, I`m already punch drunk from no sleep and this stuff makes me giddy! Russ

 

[Gypo Logger]

There's nothing that beats a 6 lb. maul. A 4.5 would be even better. Even a hoe dull maul will work nice.
John

 

[Gypo Logger]

More firewood.
John

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

Nice pics John I see your log trucks are running chains already I just got done we'll lunch break from cutting some more wood out of the 200 cord grapple pile out back of my house I got 15 cord I gotta deliver this weekend to a friend After lunch it'll be splittin' time..

later Rob..

 

[Gypo Logger]

Here's a closeup of the grapple, although a bit out of focus, it shows the movement.
John

 

[fun_chopper]

Jokers, I use my milling machine and a really expensive dial indicator mounted on a magenetic stand.

I did read it somewhere when I was in the planning stage of building my own axe from scratch. I really didnt belive it at all, untill I jammed that axe into a log where I had to really work to un-stick it. I took the axe and milled that small light groove into it, and it has never stuck again. Crazy I know, but it works, too abd you need $5k worth of machine tools!-Matt

 

[glens]

<b>fun_chopper</b>:&nbsp; sounds like vacuum relief.&nbsp; I recall an instructor telling us once that if we could machine two pieces of metal perfectly smooth, we wouldn't need any fasteners to attach them to each other.&nbsp; Not exactly the same thing, I know, but it came to mind...

<b>gypo</b>:&nbsp; I actually <i>prefer</i> my <b>8</b>lb. maul to be hoe dull.&nbsp; In fact, over the past 10 years I think I've sharpened it once; I immediately took the edge back off and just stay off the gravel with it.&nbsp; I'm not trying to cut chips when I'm popping rounds open.&nbsp;

Nice pics.&nbsp; Next time you get a chance like that swinging grapple, try to slow the shutter down a another step or two and pan some more.

Here's one taken on 35mm film.&nbsp; The negative is evenly lit as opposed to the lightbulb-looking illumination used by the equipment at Wal-Mart to generate this image.&nbsp; I didn't think they'd turn out worth a flip - it was cold and dreary and my el cheapo 200mm Carl Z. was wide open at f4, and I recall the shutter was set at 1/60 sec.&nbsp; Even the cheesy print is several times better than this image - the decals are tack sharp in the negative.

In case you can't tell, it's Schumacher fixin' to take the checkered flag in a few seconds, to clinch the title for 2000.

I've got a different shot which is actually more interesting, but it shows the action by virtue of the cars being variously blurry coming through the corner he just left.&nbsp; And it would even be somewhat more pertinent to the forum since there's trees in it.&nbsp; I'll refrain from posting it unless someone asks.

 

[jokers]

Hoe Dull

I also concur that this is the desired bevel for a splitting maul. the only "sharpening" I do with a maul is when it is new, I take a 4 1/2" angle grinder and make the bevel symetrical looking down from the top and also remove any roughness from the side of the head where the flashing was ground off. I like to keep the frictional coefficient as low as possible. I have been using a Collins Rapid Maul alot lately with good results. It has a very light head, maybe 3#, but it has a full length glass handle and swings very nicely. I do have to admit to keeping the 8# maul handy for the toughest stuff but the net effect seems to be more production. If I could only have one maul it would still be the six, but I have been blessed with many mauls, LOL. Russ

 

[tony marks]

just thot id get back with this. i tried the fiskar splittin axe on some real hard wood. about 30 inches hickory i think..
2 licks and shes split. after the first split,
the fiskar really shines . like peeling a banna. then.

 

[mikek711]

Off topic

Glenns,
Were you at the Malaysian Grand Prix when you took the shot of Shumacher? It doesnt get any better than that!!!!!!!
See you at Indy for the USGP at the end of September.
Just cant wait!

Mike.

http://my.brickyard.com/usgp/

 

[glens]

re: off topic

Mike,

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was at Indy.&nbsp; Didn't you notice the lack of "Marlboro" (can I say that here?) on the car?&nbsp; As I recall, the only way he wouldn't have locked the title up at that point was if Mika Hakkinen would have won the race.&nbsp; Alas, some of my photos clearly show <i>his</i> vehicle on fire and then pulling into the pits.&nbsp; It was a good race up until that point.&nbsp; I've even got a shot of Michael spinning off onto the grass in the last couple of laps.&nbsp; It's pretty neat when you can be so far ahead that you can afford to do that.

I guess the McLaren/Mercedes would be equivalent to Husqvarna and the Ferrari would be the Stihl?

What the heck... here's Mika out in front.&nbsp; Not bad for 200mm handheld at 1/60 second on a cold and wet and drunken day, huh?&nbsp; You should see the negative.

Reminds me of the first time I brought some film in to the camera shop to have it developed after moving here.&nbsp; When I went to pick the photos up the guy wanted to know what kind of camera I had.&nbsp; When I told him, he said "In those prints you're looking at my machine, but when I saw those negatives I knew it wasn't a Nikon or Canon or anything like that".