Fiskars 8lb Maul... bouncing right off of green rounds (4' diameter)

[777funk]

I bought one of these at the local walmart for $60 along with some cone wedges and ended up returning it. It just bounced right off upon a strike (expected) and did the same when hit with a sledge (not expected).

The cone/diamond type wedges ($11 walmart off brand) worked great. I planted two of them into a crack and off they'd go.

This was green wood with water coming out of where I planted the wedge... not ideal but I could not move the rounds without breaking them down a bit.

The maul has 5 stars on amazon... so something must be wrong... maybe just wrong tool for the job. I have their axe and it works great (on one year seasoned 8-10" diameter x 18" length hickory or oak rounds). Tap and it just falls apart. I guess I don't understand how the maul gets good ratings... maybe this isn't it's correct application.

 

[johneh]

What kind of wood was it ?
Wet American Elm will bounce just about any splitting tool
as will others

 

[Tar12]

What kind of wood was it ?
Wet American Elm will bounce just about any splitting tool
as will others

You got that right! I have split 60 in oak rounds with my fiskars maul

 

[Ashful]

You gotta take the protective rubber cover off the thing, first.

 

[777funk]

Ha ha on the cover... and johneh, this is red oak. It's a freshly cut tree. I put a Fiskars axe to it (better than the maul), the maul, and the cone wedges. The wedges were the only tool that did any good.

 

[brenndatomu]

I have the Fiskars maul...its a good tool, I would have kept it. There will always be a piece of wood that will stop any hand tool. Heck, I have run into plenty of chunks that almost stopped my 23 ton hydraulic splitter...almost
If you had worked around the edges, slab some pieces off to "open up" the round, it would most likely have went for ya with the 8 lb. maul.
I have had times where I had to start a crack with the X27, then finish 'er off with the 8 lb...I carry both in the truck along with some wedges when I go out to cut

 

[777funk]

I found the wedge shape tends to be difficult to start. I bought an Estwing E-5 Sure Split based on it's good reviews. It also is a bear to get started in a crack. The cheap Walmart cone shaped splitters something like this:

are super easy to get started in green wood. It's almost like driving a nail. I am going to keep the Estwing splitter because it does a good job finishing after the cone shaped splitter gets an opening started.

 

[xman23]

So that's correct, when a maul won't crack a round with a number of well placed hits. Get a few wedges started and you will split it. Depends on the wood, but most green wet wood is harder to split. I let most dry a few months, or let them freeze.

 

[777funk]

That's what I do as well (let it dry... preferably until gray with spider web cracks) then it splits super easy even with an axe. These big guys pretty much had to be split in at least half to be moved without heavy equipment. The cones seemed to be the ticket for them. Nothing else would really do much.

 

[blacktail]

These big guys pretty much had to be split in at least half

That's your problem. Don't try to split them in half. That's literally trying to break them open at their widest point.

 

[777funk]

That's your problem. Don't try to split them in half. That's literally trying to break them open at their widest point.

I also tried taking the perimeter... bounce... bounce... bounce... and a puddle of water wicking at each minuscule dent the axe or maul made.

 

[Ashful]

I also tried taking the perimeter... bounce... bounce... bounce... and a puddle of water wicking at each minuscule dent the axe or maul made.

Minuscule? Time to hand that maul to your dad. It takes a man to swing those things.

 

[777funk]

I would say the 48" green round as full of water as it was, would have won with Paul Bunyan swinging the maul. It was not willing to split. Not a problem with the cone wedge hit with a 10# sledge hammer.

 

[Allagash350]

I am surprised. I have found wet red oak one of the easiest woods to split with the Fiskars. As others have said start around the edges and work in

 

[Manly]

I bought one of these at the local walmart for $60 along with some cone wedges and ended up returning it. It just bounced right off upon a strike (expected) and did the same when hit with a sledge (not expected).

The cone/diamond type wedges ($11 walmart off brand) worked great. I planted two of them into a crack and off they'd go.

This was green wood with water coming out of where I planted the wedge... not ideal but I could not move the rounds without breaking them down a bit.

The maul has 5 stars on amazon... so something must be wrong... maybe just wrong tool for the job. I have their axe and it works great (on one year seasoned 8-10" diameter x 18" length hickory or oak rounds). Tap and it just falls apart. I guess I don't understand how the maul gets good ratings... maybe this isn't it's correct application.

Sounds like you need the larger sized. Either the 16 or 24 lb model might do it. I would recommend you stay away from the 32lb model unless you are particularly Manly

 

[saewoody]

Any chance this was a yard tree? I have found red oak yard trees to be a bear to split. They seem to twist as they grow, and there are old branches that were cut years ago buried inside the round that will not give up a split without a long and serious fight.


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[Jazzberry]

I bought one of these at the local walmart for $60 along with some cone wedges and ended up returning it. It just bounced right off upon a strike (expected) and did the same when hit with a sledge (not expected).

The cone/diamond type wedges ($11 walmart off brand) worked great. I planted two of them into a crack and off they'd go.

This was green wood with water coming out of where I planted the wedge... not ideal but I could not move the rounds without breaking them down a bit.

The maul has 5 stars on amazon... so something must be wrong... maybe just wrong tool for the job. I have their axe and it works great (on one year seasoned 8-10" diameter x 18" length hickory or oak rounds). Tap and it just falls apart. I guess I don't understand how the maul gets good ratings... maybe this isn't it's correct application.

Hit it with your big purse lol

 

[sportbikerider78]

I've never had my splitter bounce. That is why I have one.

 

[Fulldraw13]

I use fiskars iso core maul to split rounds then finish it off with my x27 splitting axe best combo I ever used.


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[VirginiaIron]

Ha ha on the cover... and johneh, this is red oak. It's a freshly cut tree. I put a Fiskars axe to it (better than the maul), the maul, and the cone wedges. The wedges were the only tool that did any good.

This is good testimony that one should have more than one type of tool in our toolbox.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I also tried taking the perimeter... bounce... bounce... bounce... and a puddle of water wicking at each minuscule dent the axe or maul made.

I have found that spongy ground beneath the round will absorb a lot of energy. Try putting something solid under the round and try it. On smaller rounds, many times I have used a round below to accomplish this.

 

[darktower007]

I have found that spongy ground beneath the round will absorb a lot of energy. Try putting something solid under the round and try it. On smaller rounds, many times I have used a round below to accomplish this.

Some guy on YouTube had a big tree round with a tire on top he spit in. This helped keep the splits in one place. I normally split on the ground as it’s safer I feel. Missed swings at elevation can hit a shin or toe. And as stated splitting green wood sucks!


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[AlbergSteve]

You'd need a big tire to split the stuff we have here in the PNW. This is an IsoCore in green Doug fir. Rubber bungee and a short length of chain works great.

 

[Chas0218]

Some guy on YouTube had a big tree round with a tire on top he spit in. This helped keep the splits in one place. I normally split on the ground as it’s safer I feel. Missed swings at elevation can hit a shin or toe. And as stated splitting green wood sucks!


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Split spread eagle and those missed splits go into the ground or the splitting surface. The problem is when rookies try to correct a missed or an edge strike. I did it a few times when I first started splitting when I was 16 and darn near took a maul to the foot. Steel toes are nice or at least a leather boot. I also use a 20" tire on my splitting surface but there are some rounds that just don't fit.

I've never had a maul bounce off a round but I do keep mine sharper than most. I find the grenade style wedge harder to start but are more productive.

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

I use a heavy Stihl maul (Oxhead Germany). Even that does not work on everything.