maul form

[blue924.9]

hey guys, i have been looking at some form videos on youtube to correctly use my new roughneck 6 pound splitting maul. one thing i have noticed is that when i strike a piece of wood, instead of bouncing off the wood like it does in the videos, i gets jammed into the piece i am splitting and takes a crap load of effort to get back out. am i doing something wrong? i first tried it on some wetter pieces (but still almost dry) and it got stuck then i tried it on some petrified stuff and i went through like it was nothing. any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated as being 5'9 and 145 doesnt help much lol (but i am hoping splitting by hand will help this)

 

[mad murdock]

Where are you located? And what species of wood? Some species are more of a pain than others, if you are located where it gets below freezing, splitting when the wood is frozen greatly increases the ease of splitting wet wood and reduces the tendency of the maul or add to get stuck in the wood. Try setting the piece to be split with the grain running such that if the tree were still connected to the log round, the root end is up and the top of the tree is on the ground or chopping block

 

[griffonks]

With stringy wood, ya knock off edges of the round

 

[griffonks]

With stringy wood, ya knock off edges of the round

 

[griffonks]

With stringy wood, ya knock off edges of the round

 

[blue924.9]

i am located in iowa, we have a variety, mostly oak, ash, elm, is mostly what we aim for but occasionally get apple, boxalder, birch, and pine

 

[Gypo Logger]

If the wood is stringy, I'd be knocking pieces off the edge of the round.

 

[pcrevelli]

Work your way around the outside, not starting in the center.

 

[sawfun]

Depending on your money, time, or back. Rent a splitter. Noodle it with a chainsaw. Otherwise as been said, use a maul and go from outside to in.

 

[Ronaldo]

i am located in iowa, we have a variety, mostly oak, ash, elm, is mostly what we aim for but occasionally get apple, boxalder, birch, and pine

Where in Iowa, if you dont mind me asking? I am between Marshaltown and Cedar Rapids.

 

[blue924.9]

i'm between little rock and Rock Rapids

 

[Ronaldo]

QUOTE="blue924.9, post: 5238368, member: 124838"]i'm between little rock and Rock Rapids[/QUOTE
Way NW corner, I see. Always looking for members that are close to me for a day of cutting, splitting, fun, etc. We have a spring GTG here in April that I always want to invite folks to, as well, but you are a long distance away. Not that it means you cant or wont come as we have people come from further.
Back on topic: I mentioned the GTG because they are a great way to compare equipment like saws and mauls etc, with what other members bring along and use.

 

[letigre87]

How do you swing? Some people never learned how to swing anything with a long handle and just try to muscle through it. You've got a 6lb wedge designed to bust the wood apart sitting on top of a whole lot of leverage. Shoot for an edge, get the head up to speed and let the tool do the work for you. Don't try to cut it, is not an axe. Don't try to muscle it, you're not a log splitter. A good form will go a long way.

 

[blue924.9]

Over the head straight up and down. I don't arc it over my shoulder like some people do

 

[Ronaldo]

Over the head straight up and down. I don't arc it over my shoulder like some people do

I find that I am considerably more accurate with this method, and is the one I use.

 

[toddol1971]

With stringy wood, ya knock off edges of the round

Something is telling me that you should knock off the edges if the wood is stringy

 

[mels]

(In my best Foghorn Leghorn voice...) No no no boy, ya got it all wrong, wrong that is... If the wood is stringy I say stringy, ya gotta knock the edges off first! First, that is...

 

[thefeckerwest]

Get a sledge hammer - the heaviest that you can handle in comfort - and some wedges. Split a difficult round in half with the wedges, or quarter it, starting from the edge, where the rings are at their widest. Usually when this is done, it is easier to split the rest with the maul.
As for technique, a full roundhouse swing is much more efficient than straight up over your head and back down. Think about it, you have to reverse the movement of the maul in the latter instance, which is a waste of energy. With the roundhouse, the maul is travelling in an arc and gathering momentum all the time. It makes for a stronger, more powerful swing and there is no change of direction in the swing.