Wood Splitting style

[pulldownclaw]

One thing I always try to remind myself is to make every swing count. Swinging a 8lb maul over and over trying to get one piece split is a losing proposition. Not to say it doesn't happen, but I try to remember it, especially when I'm starting to get tired. Probably the best thing I've done this year is started using a tire to put the smaller rounds or odd pieces into. When we replaced our minivan's tires this year I kept two, and started using them for splitting. It has been great. I've probably doubled my efficiency by not having to bend over and pick the wood up and reset it after every swing. I think that having to do that over and over is worse for your back than swinging the maul. Plus, if you miss a piece, the maul gently bounces back, instead of getting buried in the ground. Just don't forget to drill some holes in it, or the skeeters will be havin' a field day! ;-P

 

[caber]

I like to use just enough force to split the wood. Works well when its all the same type. But when you're casually splitting poplar and you don't pay attention to the hickory log you've just setup, the sudden stop of the maul when it hits can be jarring.

Yeah, when I'm in a rhythm, I start to pay less attention to accuracy and suddenly I'll hit the edge and end up with a 1x3 split. Wakes you up.

 

[burntime]

Splitting wood with an axe is like golfing, although I am by far better at splitting then golf! If you barely feel the impact life is good! Its the shank shot that makes you want to call a mulligan

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I said it before and someone disputed it, but I find that if I put a reasonable edge on my maul it's MUCH easier. 18" long rounds of oak 10" in diameter come apart with almost the weight of the maul. I don't use a chopping block- split them where they lay- I hate constantly picking up pieces to split, then pick up each side. Just striking it on the end as it lays on its side.

Here's another tip for newbies- don't bother splitting all the way withe each swing! Someone above mentioned getting a good crack and turning it over- that's a LOT of work!. Stand up a piece, get a crack started, now strike at an angle to the first crack. Now another angle. If you do it right you will find that you can just keep swinging and busting it up, but most of it is still standing. Less bending over and picking up pieces to resplit because they're partially connected. Now just pull pieces off by hand easily.

You will find that you take less wild hard swings as you try to keep the pieces together until it's all busted up- just enough to get it cracked, not enough to go through- and you don't need a chopping block. Really hard logs and some wood need to be separated in half first, but with red oak I can split like this all day. Bang-bang-bang- without bending over.

 

[burntime]

And don't try swinging at a log at waist height, the longer the swing the more power transmitted

 

[caber]

And don't try swinging at a log at waist height, the longer the swing the more power transmitted

That's true about a long swing, but would the impact be most efficient when the top of the wood is at or just below waist high and the maul edge is parallel to the wood? You are then hitting with the full edge and not a tip, plus you still have follow thru power left to drive the maul thru the wood. I'm envisioning karate where they are breaking the boards. You don't hit it at the end of your extension because you need force to drive thru the board.

What would the physics be? Does the maul loose power after a certain point in the swing?

I usually split by setting the splittee on top of the widest piece of unsplit wood i have. At 18" each, that would be 3 feet or roughly waist height. Lower than that and I feel like I have lost control and power. Plus the maul strikes when it is at the farthest point from my body and not coming towards me.

hmmmmmm Maybe it depends on how much you are letting the weight and momentum of the maul split the wood versus muscling the maul thru the wood.

I dunno. What I do know is that I've put waaaay too much thought into this.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

More height falling=more power.

I would think that hitting with the point might be even better than the flat blade as you get more penetration from a smaller surface area- as long as the point isn't blunted. Anyway- your swing doesn't have to continue in an arc- you can swing so that the blade strikes downward even below waist height.

The blade hitting with the motion perpendicular to the struck surface is the important part- the force is dircted in the direction of head movement.

 

[caber]

but, most of the power is not from the maul falling, it is from the user exerting force to drive it downward. Dropping an 8lb maul on a log from 10 feet is not going to split it. The key would be striking the point at which the user's power is maximized to drive the maul thru the wood. Which is not necessarily at a lower height. You do not just hit the wood and it pops open. You still need considerable drive left after you hit to continue thru the wood. It may be more of a biomechanical? issue - when is the users strength/force at its greatest. Does it decrease as the arms pass below parallel thus weakening the blow? Does it even really matter?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

"Dropping an 8lb maul on a log from 10 feet is not going to split it. "

I often split logs with just the weight of the maul falling from raised above my head. On days when it's straight grained easy splitting I do this just to see if it works, and sometimes it does.

"You do not just hit the wood and it pops open."

Depends on the wood. Sometimes it really does pop open- as I sort of posted above- I usually try to avoid driving all the way through it, and the wood splits anyway. If it's stringy/knotty etc- then it's a PITA whatever you do and you ned to power through.

 

[burntime]

Lower log gives more time to build up speed. Take 2 pieces of elm and see how far you bury the mallet in each...that will give you your answer. I am sure someone can give you all the math and physics of it, my response is from experience. I used to put the log on a bigger log...once the ground got firm after a wet spring it is much easier to split a log on the ground!

 

[gerry100]

I've found the staright up over the head, facing the log (legs spread ) spread method is the most efficient for me.

Also the most repeatable which has given me excellent accuracy ove rthe years. I can hit within a 1/4' of where I look. As with othere things reps make all of the difference, (30 years and million whacks !)

Anaolgies to a golf swing are valid. It's all club(maul) head speed and angle of impact.

If you really "muscle up" a swing you may exert more while actually slowing down the impact and therfore the energy.

A good swing comes from your whole body from your toes to your hands working in unison. No one can do many if any useful arm swings.

I raise it up, look at the spot I want to hit. extend my arms out in front and drop the maul head onthe log. Some times a little extra break of the wrist will be needed for some extra pop.

Practice,practice ,practice and thank God for fiberglass Maul handles.

Each one you hit takes American wealth out of the pockets of those who finance the human debris that murdered 3000 on 9/11.

 

[burntime]

When I split by hand I would line up a bunch and my wife would laugh and say I looked like an S cause I would use my momentum and keep a swingin

 

[Jack65]

I try to relieve everyday stress by putting a name to each piece of wood as I place it on the splitting stump, and then use the over the shoulder swing with my feet not very far apart. In order to keep all my body parts functioning properly I bend my knees slightly as the maul comes forward. This not only puts a little more force into the swing it keeps my feet away from the maul on those occasions when I miss the piece. Try it "very" slowly. Bring the maul down and miss on purpose while bending your knees and the maul head digs into the dirt outside your foot. Try it "very" slowly without bending your knees and see where the maul head lands.

 

[Jags]

but, most of the power is not from the maul falling, it is from the user exerting force to drive it downward.

Ummm...kinda. The users force is actually accelerating the maul. The amount of force the user has is pretty minimal without the addition of speed/weight.

Proof: set the mauls edge onto a log, now exert all the force downward you can. Doesn't do too much. That is the force of the user, minus the speed/weight. Not alot of work is gonna get done without the speed/weight parts added into the equation.

 

[fossil]

...What would the physics be?

Quite complicated, actually, if you wanted a precise answer. The variables involved in a rigorous solution would have to include the mass of the tool, the sharpness (thus the cutting efficiency and coefficient of friction), the type of wood, its hardness and moisture content, the height from which the swing starts, the acceleration rate of the cutting head (a combination of gravity and the energy imparted by the woodsplitter), and thus the velocity at contact, and probably a host of other things I haven't taken into account. Basically (and I mean basically...it's really complicated by the fact that we're talking about the mass moving in an arc rather than a straight line...but hey, we're just woodburners, we're not looking to write a thisis on it) what's important is the kinetic energy with which the splitting tool strikes the wood to be split. KE=1/2mv^2. So, velocity is your friend in imparting energy to your splitting tool. Moreso than the mass of the tool. As I said, lots of other things are involved, (like, if you're trying to split wood with a rock, the KE isn't your biggest challenge) but I, for one, know that I can get more work done with less fatigue using a reasonably weighted, very sharp, properly configured tool (like a Fiskars splitting axe) swung quickly, than I can with a really heavy maul lifted and dropped. But, then, I'm just a softwood burner, so maybe I don't know squat about this. Rick

 

[bartlett920]

Have you all seen the wood splitter that attaches to the hub of your car and is just like a giant wood screw its crazy check it out. Heres the web address www.thestickler.com/ I dont want to change a tire everytime I split wood although when I split Thorny Locust I seem to change alot of tires.

 

[Ken45]

I was wondering if that was still around! I remember seeing it advertised 30 years ago.

I want to see it work on some of the elm we have talked about. Their video showed some very easy, clean splitting wood.

Ken

Have you all seen the wood splitter that attaches to the hub of your car and is just like a giant wood screw its crazy check it out. Heres the web address www.thestickler.com/ I dont want to change a tire everytime I split wood although when I split Thorny Locust I seem to change alot of tires.