HammerAxe
- Thread starter *Big Beast*
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no, only just bought it, i`ll post after use and let you know but for the price it`ll at least put pegs in the ground for a long time lol,
Pretty much every maul I have ever used has a hardened poll for hammering wedges. Silly little splitting axes don't though
I'm afraid that one lacks the helve length to be any good as a maul
Red
I'm afraid that one lacks the helve length to be any good as a maul
Red
I would disagree there Red. I use a one-handed maul for my logs. My firepplace only lets me burn logs of less than 8" in length and as I am burning mostly birch these days I can get through the logs with very little effort. So I pick the log up in one hand and bring the maul down with the other. If I use a full sized maul (mine is about 8lbs) then it is over kill most of the time. So I made myself a 4 lb maul with a short handle on it. I can use that to split the logs all day when I need to.
Horses for courses I guess. But it's not just weight that makes a good maul, it's geometry too
My 4lb maul works much better than my 5lb splitting axe by Husky on account of the head shape
Horses for courses I guess. But it's not just weight that makes a good maul, it's geometry too
My 4lb maul works much better than my 5lb splitting axe by Husky on account of the head shape
Hmm
Not sure I can see the point in so heavy a head on such a short handle tbh Dave. I agree the geometry makes a difference and find the more obtuse angle of a maul helpful on big rounds. Don't find I need it on small stuff though. Doing small stuff for my littlest woodburner I use a conventional hand axe. Less unwieldy
Honestly I only like mauls for splitting large rounds. Unless I'm doing that I find them cumbersome. When I do need one though its a full size one
Not sure I can see the point in so heavy a head on such a short handle tbh Dave. I agree the geometry makes a difference and find the more obtuse angle of a maul helpful on big rounds. Don't find I need it on small stuff though. Doing small stuff for my littlest woodburner I use a conventional hand axe. Less unwieldy
Honestly I only like mauls for splitting large rounds. Unless I'm doing that I find them cumbersome. When I do need one though its a full size one
the heavy head means that you don't need to put so much energy into splitting a small log. It's not a case of needing to use a maul for small logs, it's just more efficient than a small axe IMO
taking my own firewood example. I tend to split enough wood to almost half fill my 2x10x6 foot wood store each time I top up, so a fair number of logs.
I started out using a full on maul which is normally used 2-handed, but with the small logs I split it is overkill and I spend a lot of energy walking to the end of the handle (to use 2 hands) and then bending over to pick the log up. The weight is enough to easily split a large knotty log with power, but the birch doesn't require much more than a drop of the head.
If I use a hatchet, then I avoid the walking and bending and I only have to think about picking the log from the wheel barrow and then swinging the axe in the other hand (then I crawl about putting bits back into the wheel barrow to be split further, thus only bending once or twice per barrow load). Because the hatchet is light (1lb - 1 1/2lb) it require me to use force to get it through a full log, so I end up swinging hard and often not getting teh axe through the log on the first attempt.
The short handled maul is heavier to lift, but as with the other maul requires little force to push it through the log due to its weight and geometry. The bonus is the less walking and bending just like the hatchet. The best of both worlds, should a log require more effort than a simple swing (as you would on kindling with a hatchet), then I can give it some and be confident that it will go. The short handle means it is no more unwieldy than a hatchet, assuming that you can lift it easily in one hand (also the maul has a shorter distance between edge and handle than some hatchets, this makes it much easier to get a good angle on the log and is easier on the wrist as you don't get that twist)
I think it needs to be tried to see what works for you, but for me it is ideal for splitting small logs. I wouldn't split kindling with it mostly because I would spend a lot of time running across the room/woods collecting little bits of wood that have been throw aside In the case of kindling I agree the heavy head is a disadvantage.
taking my own firewood example. I tend to split enough wood to almost half fill my 2x10x6 foot wood store each time I top up, so a fair number of logs.
I started out using a full on maul which is normally used 2-handed, but with the small logs I split it is overkill and I spend a lot of energy walking to the end of the handle (to use 2 hands) and then bending over to pick the log up. The weight is enough to easily split a large knotty log with power, but the birch doesn't require much more than a drop of the head.
If I use a hatchet, then I avoid the walking and bending and I only have to think about picking the log from the wheel barrow and then swinging the axe in the other hand (then I crawl about putting bits back into the wheel barrow to be split further, thus only bending once or twice per barrow load). Because the hatchet is light (1lb - 1 1/2lb) it require me to use force to get it through a full log, so I end up swinging hard and often not getting teh axe through the log on the first attempt.
The short handled maul is heavier to lift, but as with the other maul requires little force to push it through the log due to its weight and geometry. The bonus is the less walking and bending just like the hatchet. The best of both worlds, should a log require more effort than a simple swing (as you would on kindling with a hatchet), then I can give it some and be confident that it will go. The short handle means it is no more unwieldy than a hatchet, assuming that you can lift it easily in one hand (also the maul has a shorter distance between edge and handle than some hatchets, this makes it much easier to get a good angle on the log and is easier on the wrist as you don't get that twist)
I think it needs to be tried to see what works for you, but for me it is ideal for splitting small logs. I wouldn't split kindling with it mostly because I would spend a lot of time running across the room/woods collecting little bits of wood that have been throw aside
In the case of kindling I agree the heavy head is a disadvantage.
