The great splitting maul debate

[SpaceBus]

I've split about 10 cords of hardwood by hand this year with this combo:

8# Fiskars Maul
8# Sledge
Fiskars X27

I use the maul as a wedge on the giant rounds and just pound it with the sledge. The x27 does 95% of the work though, I only use the maul/sledge when necessary. My wife who is 5'4 and 120 lbs actually prefers the maul...go figure! They have held up nicely even hitting all sorts of hidden metal, rocks, and driveway along the way. I just touch up the edge on the x27 with my chainsaw file if it gets gnarly.

The Gransfor's looks like a really nice tool I'd love to try one out. Hard to justify the cost though when I love my x27 for 1/4 the price. If I ever splurge on a new axe it'll be that one or something custom. Next purchase is going to be a splitter I'm going to split (lol) with my father and brother in law. No sense in each buying our own we are all local and can share!

Be careful pounding on hammers with other hammers (a maul is a hammer with a sharp side). If you do, wear eye protection, pieces of metal are likely to go flying. Wedges are ok to beat on because they will deform and are softer than the hammer. Your Fiskars maul is very hard steel and you could cause some significant damage beating on it with a sledge.

 

[Caw]

Be careful pounding on hammers with other hammers (a maul is a hammer with a sharp side). If you do, wear eye protection, pieces of metal are likely to go flying. Wedges are ok to beat on because they will deform and are softer than the hammer. Your Fiskars maul is very hard steel and you could cause some significant damage beating on it with a sledge.

The Fiskars maul is designed to be struck with other tools. It says so right on their website and the Amazon listing has a picture of it too. The hammer side is a much softer alloy that deforms and takes the beating well.

I think we can all agree that eye protection is always a good idea when splitting though. You never know when a piece of wood or tool is going to go flying with such big forces at play.

 

[stoveliker]

Well, if one whacks the maul holding the sledge like that, indeed nothing will come flying off...

 

[Caw]

I've hit the spring time I'm sick of firewood wall. The thought of splitting s few cords right now makes my back start to tighten lol. I'll be over it soon though and back into scrounge mode because...you know....I'm an addict.

 

[SpaceBus]

The Fiskars maul is designed to be struck with other tools. It says so right on their website and the Amazon listing has a picture of it too. The hammer side is a much softer alloy that deforms and takes the beating well.

I think we can all agree that eye protection is always a good idea when splitting though. You never know when a piece of wood or tool is going to go flying with such big forces at play.

View attachment 278762View attachment 278763

I wish I had known that before, I have an 8lb isocore!

 

[hickoryhoarder]

For most splitting I can't imagine using an axe instead of a maul. I use a wedge only for crooked grain or low on the tree.

My maul says 8 on it, with a wooden handle. Can't see any brand. $27 ten years ago. The weight of the head alone does a lot of the splitting. I'm not even 50% as strong as I was 40 years ago, but it is not hard to swing.

 

[Caw]

I wish I had known that before, I have an 8lb isocore!

I accept tips for my tips

 

[dylanboro]

I use a USA made 8 lb. splitting maul and wedge from 1989 I got from craigslist for $25. Studies show splitting wood by hand raises testosterone levels and eliminates noodle arms.

 

[dylanboro]

If a $200 axe is in your budget, the Gransfors Bruk Large Splitting Axe is an awesome tool. I justified it by saying that I wasn't going to spend $1,000 - $2,000 on a splitter, so I was going to spend a little more and get a really good axe.
View attachment 278716
I got some para cord and wrapped the handle to give myself a little better grip and a little extra protection for the handle in case I miss a swing and hit the handle on a round of wood.
View attachment 278717
I also got a Fiskars 8 lb maul for Christmas and I barely use it. I can swing the axe all day long and it's a good workout but doesn't kill me. It's just no fun swinging that heavy maul and wearing myself out quickly, plus my aim suffers with the heavy maul.

In short, splitting with the axe is actually enjoyable. Using the maul is too much like work

I can't imagine paying $200 for something I bury in the dirty and use to scare my neighbors.

 

[SpaceBus]

I can't imagine paying $200 for something I bury in the dirty and use to scare my neighbors.

Why do you put it in the dirt?

 

[BCC_Burner]

If I can't split it with my X27, then it goes in the pile for the hydraulic splitter.

I would like to try a Fiskars maul, but the ones I've tried previously has been disappointing in terms of performance and have left me feeling like I got hit by a bus after a few hours of swinging them.

 

[EbS-P]

Stringing the back of the x27 splitting axe will void its warranty (I think).

If I can't split it with my X27, then it goes in the pile for the hydraulic splitter.

I would like to try a Fiskars maul, but the ones I've tried previously has been disappointing in terms of performance and have left me feeling like I got hit by a bus after a few hours of swinging them.

I think a six pound version (maybe even on a shorter handle$ of the fiskars maul would be nice.

 

[Labfriend]

i use my Fiskars maul and ax. I have some wedges I have had for years for real tough knots. My best wedge is is the head of a un unbreakable maul that I broke the handle of several years back.

 

[Simonkenton]

Thanks for that tip CAW on the Fiskars. I have been trying to get my brother to quit using his Fiskars as a splitting wedge but he, as usual, ignores everything I say. Now, I see that he was right all along.

 

[CatfishHunter]

For goodness sakes, don't let him know that he was right!

 

[clancey]

It might go to his head...lol clancey

 

[CatfishHunter]

I loved a no-name 6lb maul that I used for over a decade, until the no-break fiberglass handle broke. I changed to an 8lb Fiskars maul last year, which works well, but my noodle arms struggle with the control a bit more. I think that I'll find myself a 6lb Fiskars (maybe the 27X) and be happy again.

 

[CreosoteCowboy]

I've used most of the common options: Monster Maul, hardware store special with a fiberglass handle, Fiskers X25, Fiskers X27, the Gransfors Bruk Maul, and a Hults Bruk Bjork splitting axe.

The Fiskers options are head and shoulders better than anything else on the market in their price range. If you don't mind tools with plastic handles, they're probably all you really need.

Early last spring I picked up a Gransfors Bruk maul, and it's the finest splitter I've ever used.

The only real shortcoming is that it's heavy. I'd like to try the GB Large Splitting Axe that @Solarguy3500 is using on smaller pieces.

If I didn't already have the GB maul, I'd be interested in trying the Husqvarna maul that's made by Hults Bruk.

 

[SpaceBus]

I really like my GB carving hatchet. Bought it for making wood shingles the old way, but it does an awesome job splitting kindling down to very small sizes for easy fire lighting. Easy to sharpen and holds an edge well.

 

[Solarguy3500]

I've used most of the common options: Monster Maul, hardware store special with a fiberglass handle, Fiskers X25, Fiskers X27, the Gransfors Bruk Maul, and a Hults Bruk Bjork splitting axe.

The Fiskers options are head and shoulders better than anything else on the market in their price range. If you don't mind tools with plastic handles, they're probably all you really need.

Early last spring I picked up a Gransfors Bruk maul, and it's the finest splitter I've ever used.

The only real shortcoming is that it's heavy. I'd like to try the GB Large Splitting Axe that @Solarguy3500 is using on smaller pieces.

If I didn't already have the GB maul, I'd be interested in trying the Husqvarna maul that's made by Hults Bruk.

I should have clarified better in my original post. I'm actually using the GB Large Splitting Axe on all my wood, even the bigger stuff that I would have used a maul on previously. It's that good. You just have to start from the edges and work your way in, rather than going for the center on your first swing.





My friend has the GB maul, and before I bought the axe I went over to his house and split a bunch of his wood using the maul to try it out. I almost bought the maul because GB says you can use the back of it to strike a wedge, but you can't do that with the axe. In the end, I went with the axe because I figured most of what I'd be splitting wouldn't need a wedge, and for the few pieces that do I have a sledge I can pound wedges with.

 

[CreosoteCowboy]

My friend has the GB maul, and before I bought the axe I went over to his house and split a bunch of his wood using the maul to try it out. I almost bought the maul because GB says you can use the back of it to strike a wedge, but you can't do that with the axe. In the end, I went with the axe because I figured most of what I'd be splitting wouldn't need a wedge, and for the few pieces that do I have a sledge I can pound wedges with.

Good info on the splitting axe. Sounds like I should get one.

As for the nasty stuff, I don't even own a splitting wedge. If I can't split it with the maul, I noodle it with the saw. Even if I can split the really twisted pieces, the result usually doesn't stack well.

 

[SpaceBus]

When we started burning wood I thought I was going to split a bunch of knotty spruce and fir rounds by hand. Never again! It took a sledge and wedges for the majority of the rounds.

 

[Solarguy3500]

Good info on the splitting axe. Sounds like I should get one.

As for the nasty stuff, I don't even own a splitting wedge. If I can't split it with the maul, I noodle it with the saw. Even if I can split the really twisted pieces, the result usually doesn't stack well.

One thing that should be noted for anyone considering buying a GB axe or maul.

They only have one authorized US distributor called Grand Forest in SC. Grand Forest has a number of authorized retailers around the country, and they also sell directly to the public through their website, which is how I got my axe. GB has a 20 year warranty on their axes, but only if you get it from an authorized dealer. If you buy one on Amazon, eBay, etc. They will not honor the warranty.

Edit: One other thing to think about with regard to the GB large splitting axe is that they actually make 2 versions of it. The regular one has I believe a 27" handle with a curve at the end. They also make one called the Long and Large Splitting Axe which uses the same straight handle as their maul, which I believe is 31" long. This is the one I got because I'm 6'2" and I was afraid the shorter handle would be awkward for me to use.

 

[Lakeside]

start from the edges and work your way in, rather than going for the center

That's the way to do -- Mikey likey !!

 

[TradEddie]

I can't say enough good things about the Fiskars X27, I don't know how such a light tool can split so well, but it simply does. With its low weight, low vibration and normally only one one swing needed, it's the least tiring splitting tool I've ever had. I have a sledge and wedges for tougher stuff, and although I do have an 8lb maul, it rarely gets used. Different wood types respond better to different tools, so its good to have a choice, but if I had to pick one, I'd pick the Fiskers, worth every penny.

TE