Got a Maul ?

[moondoggy]

was reading here the wonders of a Maul vs Axe for splitting especailly rounds/fresh wood, i knew it was good but holy wow.
dont get me wrong, i love my axe for re-splitting some seasoned splits before they go in the stove.
but for or the B-day, my wife got me the 6lb Maul (Truper)from NorthernTool.... holy cow what a brutal tool, made perfectly for doing the job. Used first this weekend, i beat the crud out of some rounds i cut a few weeks ago, water squishing out, but Maul not getting stuck. It's just abusive to stubborn wood.
as for the tool, quality seems good, simple wood handle same thickness all the way down so its a little
hard to judge where the end is w/ gloves on, think i'll put some hockey tape on the end..... great deal @ 13.00.

fellow rookies.. if you dont own one, plan on getting one.

i just want to go home and split wood....

 

[eba1225]

Yes they are a remarkable tool compared to the ax. They do not get stuck and split alot of rounds on the first smack. I have learned that if after 3 smacks I see no progress put the piece aside for mallet and wedges or when I rent a splitter.

By far this is my favorite tool for splitting wood.

 

[mayhem]

My maul is fantastic for splitting rounds...couple hits and its done...the fact that a maul simply cannot get stuck insode the round is possibly the biggest advantage in my opinion. My axe is surprisingly good at splitting rounds though...it lasers right through pretty much anything up to about 10" diameter unless its very knotty.

 

[Vic99]

Felt the same way you did moon . . . got a maul in March . . . what a difference! Great exercise too. Once I combine that with running in the early spring, I'm in great shape. Actually gave my gym membership to my wife because running and splitting wood do it for me.

 

[wallis54806]

I've been using nothing but a maul for splitting for the last 9 years. The first time I used one I was in high school. It sure was more efficient than the wedges or axe that my dad used. Going out to the garage to sharpen mine now.

 

[Gooserider]

was reading here the wonders of a Maul vs Axe for splitting especailly rounds/fresh wood, i knew it was good but holy wow.
dont get me wrong, i love my axe for re-splitting some seasoned splits before they go in the stove.
but for or the B-day, my wife got me the 6lb Maul (Truper)from NorthernTool.... holy cow what a brutal tool, made perfectly for doing the job. Used first this weekend, i beat the crud out of some rounds i cut a few weeks ago, water squishing out, but Maul not getting stuck. It's just abusive to stubborn wood.
as for the tool, quality seems good, simple wood handle same thickness all the way down so its a little
hard to judge where the end is w/ gloves on, think i'll put some hockey tape on the end..... great deal @ 13.00.

fellow rookies.. if you dont own one, plan on getting one.

i just want to go home and split wood....

When you get the hang of the little baby 6 lb maul, you can try moving up to the 12 pound "Monster Maul" class... Regrettably the model for the style, the "Stotz Monster Maul" has gone out of business, but there are clones still available from Northern and other outfits... Gives a serious workout, and really splits big time. I've got an 8lb maul, and I just use the sledge end on the wedges, but 90% of my hand splitting I do with the monster.

(Though I'll admit to having been tempted by the hydraulic side of the force, I may try to upgrade eventually to a gas/hydraulic unit.)

Gooserider

 

[wallis54806]

A "monster maul" was the first one I used. I have a different style 12 lb one that I use now. I should see if my dad still has his monster maul, maybe I could borrow it....

 

[Nofossil]

I started this thread a while back on the topic of splitting axes. After doing a fair amount of splitting, I'd say that a splitting axe is my tool of choice, though I keep an 8 pound maul for the nasty bits. Anything beyond that gets saved for the next time I can borrow a splitter.

 

[JustWood]

was reading here the wonders of a Maul vs Axe for splitting especailly rounds/fresh wood, i knew it was good but holy wow.
dont get me wrong, i love my axe for re-splitting some seasoned splits before they go in the stove.
but for or the B-day, my wife got me the 6lb Maul (Truper)from NorthernTool.... holy cow what a brutal tool, made perfectly for doing the job. Used first this weekend, i beat the crud out of some rounds i cut a few weeks ago, water squishing out, but Maul not getting stuck. It's just abusive to stubborn wood.
as for the tool, quality seems good, simple wood handle same thickness all the way down so its a little
hard to judge where the end is w/ gloves on, think i'll put some hockey tape on the end..... great deal @ 13.00.

fellow rookies.. if you dont own one, plan on getting one.

i just want to go home and split wood....

When you get the hang of the little baby 6 lb maul, you can try moving up to the 12 pound "Monster Maul" class... Regrettably the model for the style, the "Stotz Monster Maul" has gone out of business, but there are clones still available from Northern and other outfits... Gives a serious workout, and really splits big time. I've got an 8lb maul, and I just use the sledge end on the wedges, but 90% of my hand splitting I do with the monster.

(Though I'll admit to having been tempted by the hydraulic side of the force, I may try to upgrade eventually to a gas/hydraulic unit.)
I think they put themselves out of business by making such a good spitting tool. I have had one for 20 years and never broke the handle once. Ran over it with the skidder and bent the handle,took it home that night and pressed the bend out of it. Still works like a charm.

Gooserider

 

[DiscoInferno]

For real fun, use a 12lb monster for a day, and then pick up a 4-6lb splitter/maul. You'll feel like superman it's so light.

 

[MarcM]

My father's used a maul nearly all his life, so I always did the same. When I was younger and a maul was too heavy (shoulda seen the first time I lifted the 8 pounder above my head and it kept right on going backwards... good thing I let go of it) I used an axe that was no good for anything but straight red oak and maple in short lengths.

I use the maul now for everything. We generally cut wood into ~3 foot lengths, split it down into managable chunks and dry it in 3 foot lengths (wood stacks are much less prone to topple a 3 foot lenghts). Axe just wouldn't do for 3 foot lengths. I also tend to never sharpen mine, and not out of apathy, as I keep my side arm (hatchet) sharp as a razor. With the maul, I found a blunt edge tends to follow the grain and path of least resistance, and in my experience splits easier.

I love the exercise though. I feel bad for the people that pay for a gym membership and then pay for fuel oil. Seems kinda backwards to me. I don't think I'd ever buy a hydraulic splitter as long as I can leverage 8 lbs above my head.

 

[wally]

a maul is the only way for doing it by hand. used an original monster maul back in the early '80's, and wore it out. eventually, broke the head off of the handle. fortunately, being all steel, we welded it back together. it eventually got fatigued enough that i bought another "clone", from norhtern tool. i've been using that for 10 years to split the 6 to 8 cds i use every year. great exercise, especially if the pile is attacked in small doses (like 30 to 45 minutes per "outing"). haven't even considered looking for a hydraulic splitter, and wouldn't waste time with an axe, except for kindling/small splitting.

the original monster got abused for more than woodsplitting. used it for pounding posts, rebar, you name it. my new "monster" gets used exclusively for splitting. no pounding. pounding provided by sledge/wedge.

wally