Watch those stuck splitting mauls!

[BaldSawRunner]

Yesterday, I am splitting some wood up, the maul gets stuck. Do my normal tapping the handle with my hand, the maul head LEAPS out all at once and pops me right on the left jaw! It didn't knock me down, but it did surprise me. Jawbone is sore, but nothing so gruesome it warrants posting pics (no bruises yet). Just a friendly reminder to stay safe out there

 

[JackD_ME]

Somebody had it in their signature...


My tools are out to get me! LOL
I've come close to catching one in the forehead, but haven'[t been hit . . . . YET.

 

[timbrjackrussel]

Safety

I try to remember to wear my Stihl helmet when splitting with my splitter, full face screen, glasses and ear protection and safety pants. Even a walk in the woods without it I feel that something is missing.

 

[acer saccharum]

Your tools want to kill you.

Ow, hope you are ok.

Every once an a while that maul comes squirting back out at me too. I developed a habit of keeping one hand on the maul head when working a stuck maul out.

 

[BaldSawRunner]

Honestly, I have been in the firewood cutting business on and off for 30 years, and that is the first time I ever had one do that to me. Oh well, live and learn, just be careful out there

 

[bullseye13]

not too long ago i was splitting some knotty stuff, maul went in, piece snapped shut and bounced maul back, and thumped me on the forehead pretty good. I learned to be a little more careful.

 

[kennertree]

Ive been splitting and had a small piece of wood bust off the log spring up and hit me in the mouth. It cut my lip pretty good and was sore for a while.

 

[Mike Van]

Don't drive a maul in with a sledgehammer either - We did that one day, a chunk came off the edge of the maul, sounded like a bullet whizzing away.

 

[EastwoodGang4]

Don't drive a maul in with a sledgehammer either - We did that one day, a chunk came off the edge of the maul, sounded like a bullet whizzing away.

+1

I don't even like using a maul to drive wedges! some mauls don't seem to be hardened on the blunt end!

 

[Zodiac45]

+1

I don't even like using a maul to drive wedges! some mauls don't seem to be hardened on the blunt end!

Actually that's the problem. Remember that the harder the steel the more brittle it becomes. For banging wedges a little softer is better.

 

[LumberjkChamp]

Hey BaldSawRunner, thanks for the "stay safe" reminder. I split all my wood with a maul also and have not had any incidents such as the one you described, but I can see the potetial for it. Some guys like to use a chopping block to raise the wood up, but I dont because it seems like better practice to keep the danger as far away from you're head as you can. I have, however, heard stories similar to the ones being discussed in this thread- just one more thing to watch for when working with wood.

 

[EastwoodGang4]

softer is better

for the wedges, not the striking tool. I must have a junk maul because i used it for beating wedges and the blunt face of the maul is now cracked and starting to mushroom. it beats wedges no more, only sledge hammers hit the wedges. I always thought that hammer heads/maul heads were hardened, and wedges were softer so they would mushroom and fail first. those flying pieces of shrapnel sure wake you up to safety.

 

[stihl sawing]

Ive been splitting and had a small piece of wood bust off the log spring up and hit me in the mouth. It cut my lip pretty good and was sore for a while.

LOL i done that one time but it didn't bust my lip. I have laid the maul down after a long splitting session and tripped over it, And you just have to say DUH why lay it on the ground just lean it against something. The mauls head is big all i would have to do is stand it up on it's own.

 

[tatra805]

Hi, been there done that

Just a contribution to the thread

Some scrapnel separates from a wedge and ends up in my lip.

Small bleeding, take out piece of metal. All ok.

2 weeks later still infected spot. Refuses to heal. Nothing to see but starts to be annoying.

I pinch my lip between 2 fingers and push a second part out through the inside wall of my lip :jawdrop:


Be VERY careful. it was a relative new wedge. Mushrooms are no safety level indicators.

I dont want to imagine what it would have done to one of my eyes...

 

[retoid]

Splitting is dangerous hehe. I wear glasses and ear protection. I've had metal ships hit my eyes several times when not wearing glasses.
And sometimes the metal to metal sound is ear piercing!

 

[CLEARVIEW TREE]

Anybody use a Gudell's maul?

I've got a maul made by gudell's with an epoxy resin endcap and a fiberglass handle and these things are tuff! Stuff flies everywhere! Anybody tried one?

 

[max2cam]

I NEVER use the back side of my maul as a hammer to pound wedges. Instead I use a sledgehammer for that purpose to keep my maul pristine and not bashed up or CRACKED. And with wedges I more or less just tap them in and don't slam on them (unless you gotta).

 

[stihl sawing]

I NEVER use the back side of my maul as a hammer to pound wedges. Instead I use a sledgehammer for that purpose to keep my maul pristine and not bashed up or CRACKED. And with wedges I more or less just tap them in and don't slam on them (unless you gotta).

+1