Hazards of a Splitting Maul

[wooduser]

At one time I used a heavy sledge hammer, ten pounds or so, to drive a splitting maul. That tended to cause metal chips to fly off the maul, and eventually one hit me in the thigh muscle.

My doctor reviewed the xrays and said the chip was about the size of a .38 bullet, and was too deep to go in and get unless some actual surgery was done.

So I'm still carrying the chip, and I gave up pounding on the maul. No problem with wedges.


Anyone else have this kind of problem? The maul certainly looks like it has a good spot designed for striking, but it didn't work with that mul, anyway.

 

[bholler]

At one time I used a heavy sledge hammer, ten pounds or so, to drive a splitting maul. That tended to cause metal chips to fly off the maul, and eventually one hit me in the thigh muscle.

My doctor reviewed the xrays and said the chip was about the size of a .38 bullet, and was too deep to go in and get unless some actual surgery was done.

So I'm still carrying the chip, and I gave up pounding on the maul. No problem with wedges.


Anyone else have this kind of problem? The maul certainly looks like it has a good spot designed for striking, but it didn't work with that mul, anyway.

Well you should have read the warnings on the handle. You shouldnt do that. Both faces are hardened so they can do exactly what happened to you. You should have been using wedges.

Knowing how to properly use your equipment is pretty important.

 

[Adabiviak]

I might be misunderstanding... you used the head from a splitting maul (handle or no) as a wedge, driven with a sledgehammer? Sounds like the failure mode here was that both surfaces were the "hard" metal of the business ends of these hammers, where the wedges are "soft" metal, specifically to avoid this sort of thing? When the metal on the hammers fatigued enough, the chip came off catastrophically, and buried itself in your leg. That's a drag man, sorry to hear.

 

[wooduser]

? When the metal on the hammers fatigued enough, the chip came off catastrophically, and buried itself in your leg. That's a drag man, sorry to hear.

Actually, I consider myself lucky. A couple of inches farther over and it would have been MUCH more damaging, and painful.


<<Well you should have read the warnings on the handle. You shouldnt do that. Both faces are hardened so they can do exactly what happened to you. You should have been using wedges.


NOW you tell me! The face of the splitting maul looked like an inviting target to hit with a sledge hammer, so I did.

And I've been using wedges ever since!

I figure that there are a FEW people who can learn from parents, teachers, and other benevolent authorities,

A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY of people who learn from their mistakes,

And another smaller group ----who NEVER learn.


I can cl;aim to be in the middle group.

 

[mcstatz5829]

Actually, I consider myself lucky. A couple of inches farther over and it would have been MUCH more damaging, and painful.


<<Well you should have read the warnings on the handle. You shouldnt do that. Both faces are hardened so they can do exactly what happened to you. You should have been using wedges.


NOW you tell me! The face of the splitting maul looked like an inviting target to hit with a sledge hammer, so I did.

And I've been using wedges ever since!

I figure that there are a FEW people who can learn from parents, teachers, and other benevolent authorities,

A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY of people who learn from their mistakes,

And another smaller group ----who NEVER learn.


I can cl;aim to be in the middle group.

If it makes you feel better, I plan on learning from your mistake.

 

[Modenacart]

At one time I used a heavy sledge hammer, ten pounds or so, to drive a splitting maul. That tended to cause metal chips to fly off the maul, and eventually one hit me in the thigh muscle.

My doctor reviewed the xrays and said the chip was about the size of a .38 bullet, and was too deep to go in and get unless some actual surgery was done.

So I'm still carrying the chip, and I gave up pounding on the maul. No problem with wedges.


Anyone else have this kind of problem? The maul certainly looks like it has a good spot designed for striking, but it didn't work with that mul, anyway.

I am sure a lot of people will roll their eyes when they read this forgetting that they have done the same thing in the past.

My maul came with no instructions. I am glad I am able to learn from others to stop using the surface on the maul as a pounding block. The internet is great.


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[Bad LP]

Well you should have read the warnings on the handle. You shouldnt do that. Both faces are hardened so they can do exactly what happened to you. You should have been using wedges.

Knowing how to properly use your equipment is pretty important.

Learned this in grade school back in the mid 70's. NEVER strike two hammer faces together. When using a wedge with a sledge the wedge is softer. Also when the face gets mushroomed over, grind the edge back to a slight bevel to prevent shrapnel.

Be thankful it landed in your leg and not your eye.

 

[Microduck17]

I've had some nasty shards come off old wedges and sting me a few times.
I had a 5 pound wedge come back out of a big knotted round of red oak and meet my face. The ground was wet and caused my feet to slip during the swing and hit the wedge off center. Got 5 stitches out of that deal.

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[KJamesJR]

Worst I’ve done is strike clean through a big round and into a rock. Bye bye Fiskars.

 

[wooduser]

If it makes you feel better, I plan on learning from your mistake.

Thank you. It was my hope to get the word out to some people who, like me, saw no reason not to do this.

This seemed like a perfect forum for that.

 

[David.Ervin]

Aren't you also supposed to grind off the mushrooming on a well used splitting wedge so the edges don't chip off when struck? I've never had one get that bad, and for the price of a new wedge I'd probably not bother either.

 

[SpaceBus]

Good to know, my maul didn't say anything about striking with a hammer, but I have been using wedges anyway. My wife would have a heart attack if that happened to me. I'm glad you're mostly OK.

 

[wooduser]

Good to know, my maul didn't say anything about striking with a hammer, but I have been using wedges anyway. My wife would have a heart attack if that happened to me. I'm glad you're mostly OK.

Yes, this was several years ago.

A little bit of nerve damage at the surface of the leg. Just enough to be a reminder not to do that again, although THAT reminder I don't need.


Some people learn by reading the instructions.

The majority of people learn from their mistakes -----that's me.

And then there's the folks who NEVER learn!

 

[Modenacart]

Good to know, my maul didn't say anything about striking with a hammer, but I have been using wedges anyway. My wife would have a heart attack if that happened to me. I'm glad you're mostly OK.

I wife would have rather collected the insurance money!


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