What are splitting mauls used for?

What are splitting mauls used for?

A splitting maul also known as a block buster, block splitter, chop and maul, sledge axe, go-devil or hamaxe is a heavy, long-handled axe used for splitting a piece of wood along its grain. One side of its head is like a sledgehammer, and the other side is like an axe.

Are splitting mauls hardened?

Most maul heads are made of forged steel to endure repeated hard impacts, whether splitting wood with the sharp side or pounding a metal wedge with the flat side. Maul handles, however, can be made of a variety of materials.

How do you split logs in maul?

By hitting near the edge (bark), the maul strikes at 90 degrees to growth rings where they are wide and vulnerable. Look and listen for the beginnings of a split. Strike the split with the next and subsequent blows and watch it progress across the round.

Can you split wood with a maul?

A maul or ax. A maul is heaver and has a wider head than an ax which makes it advantageous to splitting wood. But an ax can work just as well for smaller wood splitting jobs.

What’s better a splitting axe or maul?

Head Design The splitting axe offers a tapered head with a sharper blade which makes it able to split and cut wood. Splitting mauls have a fatter and blunter head with a wider wedge which makes it extremely effective when splitting large wood.

Is an axe or maul better for splitting wood?

For smaller pieces of wood, or splitting around the wood’s edges, a splitting axe is the better choice. It’s lighter, easier to swing and performs similarly to a splitting maul. The wood-cutting pros at Husqvarna recommend you have both, as together they form an excellent one-two punch for your wood splitting needs.

Can you hit a splitting maul with a sledgehammer?

However, that dullness and that sledgehammer are also what give the splitting maul its versatility as a farm tool, because unlike the axe, you don’t have to worry as much about damaging the edge. It can take it; blunt is sort of its thing.

Can you hit a splitting maul with a sledge hammer?

Mauls should never be used to strike concrete, metal or equally hard materials. Use a wood splitting maul or an axe to make a starting notch. Insert the wedge into the notch and strike with the striking face of the wedge or a sledge hammer with a larger striking face than the struck face of the wedge.

Is a maul or axe better for splitting wood?

Is it better to split wood with an axe or a maul?

Why is it called a splitting maul?

Now to the splitting maul, sometimes just called a maul, and occasionally called a “splitting axe” by old-timers. The maul has the opposite characteristics of the axe: it’s blunt and fat. The maul is designed to divide a piece of wood in two by forcing the wood fibers apart parallel to the grain.

How long should firewood dry before splitting?

six months
Let the wood dry at least six months and preferably longer The hardest lesson: firewood takes a very long time to season Most folks who split their wood and stack it in well-spaced rows find that they can dry their wood in about six months.

What is the heaviest splitting maul?

The Truper 32415 Splitting Maul comes in as the heaviest option, weighing in at 12 pounds.

How heavy should a sledgehammer be for splitting wood?

This 4 lb Roughneck Sledgehammer is excellent for splitting wood with the Kindling Cracker (sold separately), as well as some other heavy hammer work like driving spikes or spikes into the ground and demolition work.

Can you hit a wedge with a maul?

The sledgehammer side of the maul is traditionally meant to be used in conjunction with a splitting wedge for tougher, knottier logs. The wedge is essentially a steel spike that is lightly tapped into the log and then with increasing force to push it through.

Should you split green wood?

Green firewood is for the most part easier to split than dry, so try to split the wood as soon as possible after felling trees. And splitting the green wood speeds the process of “seasoning” (drying out) the firewood, which ensures more efficient burning. Green wood is also easier to saw.