Your Favorite Maul for Splitting Wood?

T

thunderstick

Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
554
What is your favorite size--traditional 6lb or 8ib? or Monster Maul types?
What is your favorite geometric profile and the manufacturer that uses it?
Does your selection vary with the species of wood being split?

My favorite right now is an Seymour Structron 8lb maul head that I removed from a fiberglass handle.
http://www.seymourmfg.com/striking-tools/striking-tools/

Model--SM-8FG

I selected this maul solely for the head profile and finish. The maul starts fairly narrow (for penetration) and widens rapidly near the eye (to prevent sticking) somewhat similar to the Gransfors maul profile--which was what I was looking for. The ramp portion is finished very smoothly and the paint can be sanded off to reveal the polished steel underneath. The corners of the bit are swept back for easily rotating it out of the wood. At first I was very disappointed as the handle flexed too much, absorbing rather than transferring too much of the impact, and the protective collar ripped up pretty easily.

I removed the fiberglass handle and replaced it with a hickory sledge eye handle. I wrapped the handle in 2 thicknesses of leather using contact cement so I could stretch it fairly tight. This was my shock absorption layer. Then I wrapped with hockey tape as my replaceable sacrifice layer. Now I had a great handle that had the right balance of shock absorption and transfer of impact that has good overstrike protection.

Then I kept thinning the first 1/2" of the bit till it quit bouncing on twisted grain would get some bite on the 1st blow without sticking. When the first blow does not open a split it still leaves a deep crack for the next blow to follow up with or to insert a wedge. When the split starts you get deep penetration and about the time when a maul would start to stick you are engaging the harder ramp to the eye. This allows easy extraction for the final blow to drive it thru. While most wood blows apart in 1-3 blows, the elimination of the bounce or stick with the right profile really makes it a joy to use even on the harder twisted pieces. I hone the maul to a keen edge for good initial penetration for cutting wood fibers. The steel is sufficiently hard to hold an edge fairly well. I also find that a honed edge will be less apt to chip than a raw filed edge and needs less dressing.

That is my set-up for not a lot of money--what is yours?

Your selections should be based on real splitting experience.
For the sake of this discussion axes and splitting axes are off limits ...
 
My favorite is a 5-pound Plumb rafting axe. From there I usually turn to sledge and wedges. There are few pieces that the Plumb can't split that a maul will. But there are a few and I use a typical 8-pound maul for those.
 
I picked up a Husqvarna splitting maul. I think it splits better than the duller shaped ones. but I have never done any work to the common one to improve them either. Have done unscientific comparisons with common and monster maul and everyone felt the husky was getting the job done with less effort.
Just recreational splitting or helping friends for me, don't heat with wood. I have thought about overstrike protection but the thing looks so cool didn't want to spoil it lol. Use grenade wedges and sledge on the "ugly" pile.
ry%3D400
 
I have a 6 lb. no name made in usa maul. 3 splitting wedges made hollow on top so wood can be inserted to pound on. Also have a Hults Bruk splitting axe and a 3 1/2 lb. single bit axe dedicated for splitting.
 
I got the Husky splitting axe this year, and I love the light weight. I predominantly split oak, so this is a relatively easy splitting wood. The splitting axe will split rounds up to at least 10-12 inch in diameter, but the lighter weight makes my splits much more accurate on the smaller stuff. If rounds are larger, I go to the Gransfors Bruks maul for the first split, then go back to the splitting axe. This maul is also lighter than my American made mauls from years ago. If it is too large for this maul, I go to the wedge and sledge hammer. I probably would have evolved to a different setup if I split a lot of Elm, but I find that this setup works well for 99% of what I do.

I should add that I am no spring chicken, so swinging lighter weight tools appeals to me and keeps me by the wood pile longer. This setup just seems to work much more efficiently and accurately than having to swing 8# mauls. Both the axe and the maul are shaving sharp, and I keep them this way.
 
Forget what I said about splitting axe. I just realized that they are off limits. Sorry.
 
The reason I said axes are off limits is that I supposed most of us prefer to use them when we can. My new favorite is the Condor splitting axe. However for the big stuff I still prefer the 6 or 8lb maul before getting out the wedges. I can say that it is amazing how much difference it makes on a traditional maul when you get the first 1/2" of geometry right so they don't bounce or stick. The maul has a whole new level of efficiency that leaves the wedges just for the really large and nasty twisted grain stuff.

I have no experience with the monster maul--they just appear to me as a big bludgeon with little design or finesse--but I'm sure they have their place.
 
A Visitor said:
I picked up a Husqvarna splitting maul. I think it splits better than the duller shaped ones. but I have never done any work to the common one to improve them either. Have done unscientific comparisons with common and monster maul and everyone felt the husky was getting the job done with less effort.
Just recreational splitting or helping friends for me, don't heat with wood. I have thought about overstrike protection but the thing looks so cool didn't want to spoil it lol. Use grenade wedges and sledge on the "ugly" pile.
ry%3D400
Click to expand...

I have been eyeing the Husky/Wetterling mauls for some time. They seem quite long in the front so I was wondering how well they are balanced--they look bit heavy.

The overstrike or splitting protection works for more than over strikes as stray wood can sometimes impact the handle on the way down thru. What I described above does not hurt the looks IMO. I use black hockey tape over the leather wrap so it blends in with the traditional look quite well. On regular axes I just use the hockey tape so the handle stays thinner than the head. I don't like going to all the work to have (or to buy) a well fitted handle and then to have it gouged up by the stray pieces of wood. Splitting with a twist eliminates a lot of the damage...but that is not as well suited to a maul as to an axe.
 
halfaxe said:
I have a 6 lb. no name made in usa maul. 3 splitting wedges made hollow on top so wood can be inserted to pound on. Also have a Hults Bruk splitting axe and a 3 1/2 lb. single bit axe dedicated for splitting.
Click to expand...

Are the wedges made hollow similar to the old-time wedges that had a wooden end with steel containment ring? My grandpa had a few of them. Back then I gravitated to the steel wedges because I thought the wood absorbed too much impact and split more slowly. When I was a boy it was all about getting done as quickly as possible :) Now I wish I had bought some when we had his farm sale.
 
Gransfors Splitting Maul. It's gotten through 14" rounds no problem. 1-2 strikes. Great profile, perfect handle length, low vibration. It's costly, but I wanted the best, and that's what I got. That being said, I do a lot of my splitting with a lighter Fiskars splitting axe.
 
Another vote for the Gransfors. Mine has been in use for maybe 10-12 years now and has split something around a 100 cord of wood.
 
thunderstick said:
Are the wedges made hollow similar to the old-time wedges that had a wooden end with steel containment ring? My grandpa had a few of them. Back then I gravitated to the steel wedges because I thought the wood absorbed too much impact and split more slowly. When I was a boy it was all about getting done as quickly as possible :) Now I wish I had bought some when we had his farm sale.
Click to expand...

That's it exactly, steel containment rings. I can replace the wood part shaping with an axe. They are flat rings and wedges using wood about 1 x 3 inches across. I bought them in an antique store for $5 each. If the maul doesn't do it in three whacks, then it's time for a wedge.
 
I would have considered buying a Gransfors but I was afraid it would be too light and not do much more than a 4.5 lb splitting axe.
 
Being designed for splitting rather than chopping helps a lot. I've never had any problem the Gransfors handling anything we bucked. Alder and big leaf maple up to around 24-inches.
 
I meant ... I wonder how much better the 4.5lb Gransfors splitting maul can be than my 4.5 lb splitting axe with ears?
 
If the small GB splitter is any indication of the effectiveness of design, I can only imagine what a joy it would be to use the large model. I got the small splitter to take on canoe trips and splits better that the larger trad splitters I own.
 
I also have and really like the large GB maul, it is exceptionally well made.
 
I have a Husqvarna Splitting Maul and I really like it! I find that it is far better than the no name splitting mauls from the box stores that I have had in the past!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top