Splitting/Chopping Tool Review Thread

[woodchip rookie]

So work sent me to Lowes for some stuff. It was a location I had not been to. I had to get a mixing hoe for mixing concrete in a wheel barrow. I go down where the shovels n stuff are and my heart skipped. They had the Isocore on the shelf. Put a big wet log of maple on the block when I got home and "S.P.L.A.T."

I am going to be a SPLITTING MACHINE with this....

 

[benp]

Sweet!!!!!!!

 

[woodchip rookie]

I havent had a chance to really split much since I tried a couple pieces at my gf's house. I wonder how it will do on big dry ash.

 

[woodchip rookie]

Big damp ash rounds suck. I have read that ash splits easier wet. I beg to differ

 

[benp]

Big damp ash rounds suck. I have read that ash splits easier wet. I beg to differ

That sucks dude.

I've never had a negative experience with ash. Even when dealing with white ash when I lived out east.

This is a piece of black ash that went pop with one hit. All ash for me goes pop the majority of the time.

 

[svk]

I've had some white ash that was impossible and other that split like red oak. Really depends on the tree.

 

[dancan]

I picked up a small load today , had a few rounds to to bust up so I figured I'd compare .

Today's winner was the ......

Surprised the heck out of me , the rounds of maple split easily regardless of what I used but the black spruce put up a fight .
Straight grain was still stringy and with a few knots it didn't want to part ways easily .

The GB would stick , the IsoCore seemed too blunt with the Ochsencopf being second best .
Not what I expected .

 

[svk]

Is it just me or are the pics missing?

 

[dancan]

Yup , might be missing for some , Google changed up my G+ to the newer and better smelling G+ to enhance my interwebz experience , FFS....
I've switched back so I'll repost when I'm back on the puter.
Same happens when I post a pic from Picasa, some can see it, others can't.

Mighty Mouse Logging LLC

 

[woodchip rookie]

That sucks dude.

I've never had a negative experience with ash. Even when dealing with white ash when I lived out east.

This is a piece of black ash that went pop with one hit. All ash for me goes pop the majority of the time.

No way could I split the ash I have if it were that long. I have 20" rounds that are only 12" long. When I get ONE round split apart it fills a whole wheel barrow

 

[Ryan'smilling]

No way could I split the ash I have if it were that long. I have 20" rounds that are only 12" long. When I get ONE round split apart it fills a whole wheel barrow

I've had ash like that too. It's normally just about my favorite wood to split, but I bought some loads this spring from a tree service. There was some ash in there that was not splittable with a maul. Even pieces less than 14" in diameter were just about impossible. It was tight and stringy like elm. Ended up borrowing a splitter, which I very rarely do.

 

[svk]

After losing this axe several times in the past few trips to the woods I finally fixed it. It just blends in too well in all black.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

After losing this axe several times in the past few trips to the woods I finally fixed it. It just blends in too well in all black.

View attachment 535790 View attachment 535791

Ever since I bought a logrite cant hook, my favorite color for stuff I'm bringing to the woods is robin's egg blue. Seriously, you can see that cant hook against any background.

I've tried red and orange, but blue is the best IMO.

 

[svk]

Ooo purdy!

 

[Philbert]

After losing this axe several times in the past few trips to the woods I finally fixed it. It just blends in too well in all black.

Funny - I had to put wood grain veneer all over my Fiskars' 'plastic' handle, just so that the purists would think that it cut better!

Philbert

 

[svk]

Funny - I had to put wood grain veneer all over my Fiskars' 'plastic' handle, just so that the purists would think that it cut better!

Philbert

I still have the veneer you gave me as well...debating which tool I want to make "better".

 

[Philbert]

I still have the veneer you gave me as well...debating which tool I want to make "better".

Maybe put it on a saw, so that you can 'sneak up' on a tree . . .

Philbert

 

[Retired]

Y'All are a bad influence. I was at Lowe's last night and they had one IsoCore maul left, so I got it. I can't believe I bought another 8# maul...most of my splitting is done with a 4.5# axe.

They had quite a few 10# Fiskar sledges left, and I'm kind of regretting that I didn't get one of those.

 

[Marshy]

Whike using my Isocore I did notice that it doesn't get stuck like normal mauls. It either splits or bounces. Yes, there is some wood that just needs to be noodled or hydro split. I also go to drive some steel wedge with the isocore and it works great.

 

[woodchip rookie]

I split even small stuff with it. I just lift it up a couple feet from the wood and drop it. I dont even have to swing. J can turn a 1/4 split into kindling right quick with it.