Need new splitting maul

[jensent]

I split 8 to 10 cord of wood per year. Mostly I split by hand for the exercise. Im 66yo. I need a new splitting maul and my wife said to buy a quality tool. She knows that real money could be spent. We looked at the Gransfors Bruks splitting maul last weekend. The head of the maul is a work of art. The tool felt good in my hands. I have never had a maul with a wood handle, only fiberglass. The only problem I have had with a maul or sledge hammer is to have the heads come loose. I used sledge hammers and axes for 38yrs at my work. The handles were all wood. I never did break a handle but had lots of heads come loose. What tool have you had good luck with and what would you buy if you were in my position? Ive looked at Helko, Stihl, Ox-Head, Husqvarna etc,etc. Performance and reliability and quality are tops on my list.
Also from someone who knows, how do you maintain wooden handles. Most of these high quality tools come only with a wood handle. I replaced a lot of them at work and it is not easy!
Thanks
Tom

 

[CTburning]

Look at the Friskars Super Splitter. It has a fiberglass handle and should run you about $40. I am half your age, 6'2" and still pretty strong and would not bother with a maul again. The Friskars is a precision device and will allow you to split most pieces with less effort than anything else I have tried. There are pieces of Oak that I split that it just bounces off like it did with my old maul. In that case I use a crappy craftsman axe and beat it with a sledge and wedges. The Friskars is small but don't let it's size fool you. It will save you a lot of work and make it more enjoyable at the same time.

 

[jensent]

I have the Fiskars SS and think it is a great tool, but it is a splittting axe. I am looking for information from someone that has had experience with a high quality splitting maul.
Tom

 

[Bigg_Redd]

A maul is a maul is a maul. And I can prove it. Buy the Gransfors or the Snow & Neally and split a couple cord. If you can honestly feel a difference in performance from a generic fiberglass handle maul I will mail you a check for the difference in price.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am not a Fiskar's fan. I also like wood handles. Linseed oil on the handles works great for making them last.

 

[oldspark]

I have the Fiskars SS and think it is a great tool, but it is a splittting axe. I am looking for information from someone that has had experience with a high quality splitting maul.
Tom

It does not work for you, I only use my maul for the crappy stuff other wise the fiskars splits it all.

 

[Battenkiller]

I much prefer the feel of a wood handle, but I have to say, I did break my first one last week. It was a brand new handle for my 8# maul and it popped when I reached too far across the round I was trying to split. The Fiskars finished the splitting session.

IF you don't mind spending the money, get the tool you love to handle. I have a small Gransfors hatchet, and sometimes I get it out just because I like the heft of it. I have other nice hatchets, but that is the one that feels special in my hand. Handle shape and tool balance can make a long session seem shorter. The Gransfors has a nice weight, too - 5 1/2 pounds. Then there is that steel collar by the head, something that would have saved me some aggravation the other day. Looks like a real winner, but the admission price is a bit high for me.

 

[jensent]

I am not a Fiskar's fan. I also like wood handles. Linseed oil on the handles works great for making them last.

Can you tell me more about how to use linseed oil and which product to look for? Do you soak the entire tool? Is it raw or boil linseed oil and do you cut it with something like turpentine or use it straight. I think it is highly flammable.
Thanks
Tom

 

[jensent]

A maul is a maul is a maul. And I can prove it. Buy the Gransfors or the Snow & Neally and split a couple cord. If you can honestly feel a difference in performance from a generic fiberglass handle maul I will mail you a check for the difference in price.

If our ancestors followed this logic we would still be shivering throughout the winter in N.America. Try and tell a carpenter that a hammer is a hammer. Thanks for posting.
Tom

 

[Danno77]

I am not a Fiskar's fan. I also like wood handles. Linseed oil on the handles works great for making them last.

Can you tell me more about how to use linseed oil and which product to look for? Do you soak the entire tool? Is it raw or boil linseed oil and do you cut it with something like turpentine or use it straight. I think it is highly flammable.
Thanks
Tom

BLO soak the head and if it ever starts to come loose, then soak the whole head again. I don't treat my whole handle, just the head, but I think that Back-Sav is suggesting you wipe some on the whole handle. I don't cut mine with anything, I just pour some in a plastic bag or a gallon ziplock and then put the head in it, usually tie the top off and let it just marinate for a couple days.

I have a 6lb maul, an 8lb maul, a fancy Ames Tru Temper splitting axe thing, and a fiskars super splitter as well as a couple of axes. With every batch of wood I start with the 6lb, and if I find myself switching between it and the 8lb then I just give up and use the 8lb exclusively. This happens alot. If I find that it's all splitting easily with the 6lb, then I try the fiskars. This does happen sometimes, but not as often as I'd like. I've determined that the best way to get the work done is to use them all. I really am just not finding a whole lot of use for the fiskars, but it sure is a joy to use when the wood is easy. Almost as fun as having wood that splits with an Axe.

 

[dave360up]

I disagree about the "maul is a maul is a maul" idea. I've used good mauls and bad ones, and the key difference is the shape of the wedge. The ones that bulge out right after the sharp edge are awful. The ones that gradually taper out away from the sharp edge are SO much better! It doesn't seem that it would be any harder or more expensive to make one than the other. I have seen and used cheap ones with good taper and cheap ones with bad taper.

I haven't used those ridiculously expensive mauls you mentioned ($173.95 and $79.99 on Amazon), but I bet they have a good taper to them and would easily outperform the cheap bulgy kind, but woudn't necessarily outperform the cheap kind with the right taper.

 

[ROBERT F]

You have to match the tool to the job. i wouldnt go roofing with a ball peen hammer, and I dont strike punches with a framing hammer. When I used to split pecan it was an 8Lb maul with a very blunt head, mesquite worked best with a super spliter type knock off. Cotton wood, a 6 lb maul with more gradual taper and then a single bit michigan to severe it. Some of the pine I split now, a double bit slices it clean, and some takes many many blows with diferent tools. The heavy taper maul will bounce right off, the gradual tapered 6 lber sinks in an inch or two, and the single and double bit axes sink in to hoplesly be wiggled out for the next hour. Thats when the 10 lb sledge, and an assortment of wedges comes out. Then I got tired, busy and tore up my shoulder last year. 22 ton hydro and no looking back.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

A maul is a maul is a maul. And I can prove it. Buy the Gransfors or the Snow & Neally and split a couple cord. If you can honestly feel a difference in performance from a generic fiberglass handle maul I will mail you a check for the difference in price.

If our ancestors followed this logic we would still be shivering throughout the winter in N.America. Try and tell a carpenter that a hammer is a hammer. Thanks for posting.
Tom

Did you think I was kidding?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I disagree about the "maul is a maul is a maul" idea. I've used good mauls and bad ones, and the key difference is the shape of the wedge. The ones that bulge out right after the sharp edge are awful. The ones that gradually taper out away from the sharp edge are SO much better! It doesn't seem that it would be any harder or more expensive to make one than the other. I have seen and used cheap ones with good taper and cheap ones with bad taper.

I haven't used those ridiculously expensive mauls you mentioned ($173.95 and $79.99 on Amazon), but I bet they have a good taper to them and would easily outperform the cheap bulgy kind, but woudn't necessarily outperform the cheap kind with the right taper.

Agreed, but you can get either shape in expensive or generic mauls.

 

[Jefflee1]

I have tried most all splitting mauls out there, My favorite in the Stihl. 5.5 bls.

 

[Dune]

Loose wood handles; as mentioned above, soak head in oil. Boiled linseed oil is good, tranny fluid also works though. For a rehandled tool, a two week soak (14 days) would be good.
If (when) the heads gets loose again, two more weeks soaking. I have literaly hundreds of wood handled tools, this works for me. The same effect (swelling) can be had from a water soak, but it will not last long.

Here is something someone may not know; when changing a wood hammer handle, cut the broken handle off just under the head. Now drive the stubb out by hitting from the bottom, not the top (part where the wedges are). It will take a bit of effort, but will come right out. Trying to drive the wedge end through the head is frustrating. Drilling is a waste,(seen it done) and burning it out leaves one with a chunk of dead soft steel.

 

[flyingcow]

Loose wood handles; as mentioned above, soak head in oil. Boiled linseed oil is good, tranny fluid also works though. For a rehandled tool, a two week soak (14 days) would be good.
If (when) the heads gets loose again, two more weeks soaking. I have literaly hundreds of wood handled tools, this works for me. The same effect (swelling) can be had from a water soak, but it will not last long.

Here is something someone may not know; when changing a wood hammer handle, cut the broken handle off just under the head. Now drive the stubb out by hitting from the bottom, not the top (part where the wedges are). It will take a bit of effort, but will come right out. Trying to drive the wedge end through the head is frustrating. Drilling is a waste,(seen it done) and burning it out leaves one with a chunk of dead soft steel.

Good thread, like the fix for a loose head. Now i just got to figure how to soak my own head in boiled linseed oil for 2 weeks.

Which tool to use for splitting wood? Which maul is better? Every region and wood burner has such a variation in wood/quality/size etc. My maple isn't the same as your maple. Our yellow birch is just plain nasty to split.
It's hard to beat an 8lb maul for the wood I have. Fiberglass vs wood? Do what my father did. I used to overreach every once in a while, usually when I wanted to take off. He welded a steel pipe to the head. Problem solved. Growing up we went thru 14 to 18 cord a yr. Usually big trees we cut down, took alot of spitting. BTW...got a nice hyd splitter now.

Good luck with your choice of mauls.

Back in the day(when i was in good shape).....I would bet you dollar for dollar that my 8lb maul will split more wood in the run of an afternoon, than any splittin' axe. Hour after hour. But keep in mind, your wood is not the same as I'm handling. Vice versa.

 

[southbound]

I consider my Helko Vario 2000 Heavy Splitting Axe - 2300G more of a heavy maul then axe.. I do own a Fiskars SS as well and prefer the helko...

 

[richg]

I have a 16 lb Mega Mule Maul from Baileys, and a Fiskars SS. The Mule is used to bust up a stubborn round into manageable pieces, and then the Fiskars slices and dices into manageable splits. The Mule has a metal handle. Wear glasses, gloves, heavy boots etc as wood flies when the Mule hits. It's not something I'd want to swing all day, let alone for more than an hour.

 

[Mcbride]

I have tried the fancy axes, and still prefer the good old heavy maul.
I have 2 mauls, and usually use my 8lb one, sometimes use the 12 pounder.
They are not fancy, and have no idea what brand they are.
They have wood handles, and a big fat, heavy head.
I got them at the local hardware store, and just know the head on both was painted blue when I bought them, but half the paints gone now.
The 8 lb'er needed an extra wedge in the handle to tighten the head up, the 12lb just needs a soak every 6 months or so.
Both are many years old, and handles are still fine.

 

[Georgiadave]

I have found that wood handles stay tight if I leave them to season for a year or so before installing them. Not much help if you need a handle now. Also, use a rubber handle saver and select handles that have grain perpendicular to the direction of the strike. Like a wooden baseball bat. With splitting tools, be sure to strike the near edge of the wood, as the handle can not hit the wood and break.