Looking for the ultimate splitting tools

[biggenius29]

I am looking for the "ultimate" splitting tools. I have a spliter.

I enjoy splitting by hand, there is something about going out and splitting wood, it is my time to think and ignore everything else going around me. Also, right now my daughter is 2 yrs old and my son is 3 weeks old and I imagine when they get older helping me split wood will be one of those jobs they hate to do at the time but once they grow up they will enjoy those times with dad. (Or, I am dreaming and my kids will loath me for making them help me with the task.)

Anyways, right now I have the Fiskars SS, a cheap-o maul, and a torpedo style wedge.

Is there any other tools that would be usefull for HAND splitting? I absolutly love my Fiskars, I have found with good straight grained wood I can split a round way faster by hand than I can with my log splitter.

What is a good maul to buy? I have a bunch of huge (40") rounds of maple that need to be knocked down and they just seem to laugh at my stuff. My Fiskars jumps away along with my maul, and I set my wedge in and give it a good pounding and it bounces off.

I am looking for a good maul, wedges and possible ax. (Is a ax even used for splitting big rounds? I wish Fiskars made their handles about 6" longer.

 

[howellhandmade]

Maple can be spongy and springy. If you have a splitter, there's your answer. If it were me I'd split everything the Fiskars can handle by hand, and everything else I'd noodle up with the saw and/or put on the splitter and at least get it down to a size the Fiskars can split. If you HAVE to split big rounds by hand, saw a groove in the face to set your wedges in, saves lots of trouble trying to get them set. I've got several different splitting mauls, but use the Fiskars pretty much all the time, just switch when I have to hit wedges.

Jack

 

[371groundie]

i use axes almost exclusively. honestly i go to antique stores and pick up the cheapest ugliest axe i can find. when you look from the top they should look like a triangle. not thin in the front then thick in the back. those just get stuck. you want it to look like a miniature version of a monster maul.

 

[StihlyinEly]

Bigg, if what you've got isn't handling those big rounds, I don't know what other hand splitting tool you should/could use. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm going to ask how you go about tackling those rounds. I split a lot of maple, though nothing quite that big, and when I've got something too big for the SS or the 8-lb splitting maul/wedges to crack, I'm always able to start at an edge and get a split a few inches thick. That creates a nice sharp edge, and I'm able to whittle off 3-6 inch splits by working around the edge of the round until it's lost enough diameter to split from the center. The Fiskars is a great tool for this kind of approach. While those first bunch of splits aren't that big, a fella needs some small wood, too.

I used to watch an old Indian guy who'd been splitting wood for years and years for heat/cooking. All he had was a standard old ax with a hickory handle, and he was always able to get those big rounds into pieces.

Hope that helps. And if you've already thought of it, and have tried it and it still isn't working, then I hope you get some good advice from others here!

 

[banshee67]

I wish Fiskars made their handles about 6" longer.

just bought one last week, that is the FIRST thing i said too, that is about the only complaint i can come up with, 6" longer handle and it would be even better than it already is

 

[biggenius29]

Bigg, if what you've got isn't handling those big rounds, I don't know what other hand splitting tool you should/could use. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm going to ask how you go about tackling those rounds. I split a lot of maple, though nothing quite that big, and when I've got something too big for the SS or the 8-lb splitting maul/wedges to crack, I'm always able to start at an edge and get a split a few inches thick. That creates a nice sharp edge, and I'm able to whittle off 3-6 inch splits by working around the edge of the round until it's lost enough diameter to split from the center. The Fiskars is a great tool for this kind of approach. While those first bunch of splits aren't that big, a fella needs some small wood, too.

I used to watch an old Indian guy who'd been splitting wood for years and years for heat/cooking. All he had was a standard old ax with a hickory handle, and he was always able to get those big rounds into pieces.

Hope that helps. And if you've already thought of it, and have tried it and it still isn't working, then I hope you get some good advice from others here!

Maybe I am going about it splitting wrong. I am very new to splitting by hand. I will just have to keep trying.

It would help if I can put the huge rounds on a harder surface, I do think some of the problem is I am splitting on the ground and I think the ground does give. Yesterday I had some medium size rounds and put them on a huge round, it helped to have a solid surface, and to put the round up a little higher. Pieces of wood were flying all over. But a 40" round isnt going to move so nice.

 

[pioneer_boy]

i like my fathers splittin maul. its a solid steel triangle about 6 inches long and about 4 inches wide at the back with a 1 or 1 1/4 inch round steel handle it must wieh like 15 or 20 lbs and i can split a 20 inch round in one hit. you can buy them in most ahrdware stores is they even make them anymore.