Maul from sledgehammer

[philip in china]

I want to make a maul for splitting small logs. With the hand tools I have got is it a viable proposition to reforge on side of a sledgehammer? I would probably use about a 5 pound hammer head and enlist a couple of strikers to pound on it. Does anybody have any advice to offer please?

[John Martin]

I made one by hand with a four-pound sledge. Make sure it's right before welding heat, and you'll have no problems. However, it didn't turn out that well. Didn't know what I was doing at the time for HT. Quenched in water, and the thing cracked all over the place. Lol.

[Glenn]

Start with straight grain wood that splits easily. Short lengths 12 inches long will split easier than 30 inch lengths. What ever length you cut to, make sure it fits YOUR stove.

Look for the longest crack in the end grain of the wood and place your wedge in that natural separation. One light hit to set the wedge and then add power to the hammer stroke. A long thin wedge works better than a short thick wedge.

We cut and split 15-20 cords of wood a year. I have used a lot of tools to split wood, and go back to the hammer and wedge when the other tools fail. . There are some pieces of wood that refuse to split, but they yield real fast when I bring out the chain saw. Cut them into blocks and use them as all nighters adding them to the fire just before bed.

[andy ebbers]

And find some safety glasses! I split wood with mauls and wedges since I was old enough to swing the maul, just got lucky I guess, yet another plug for safety gear! of course, it gets really cold here in Wisconsin, and big chunks of hardwood seem to split really well when it is somewhere below zero Farenheit. With some experience, mauls and different sizes of wedges work great, but the hydraulic woodsplitter is a great thing for us older folks.Cheers, Andy

[jayco]

Philip, how long are these logs you will be splitting? Are they to be used as firewood, or perhaps hewn beams.....or shovel handles?

The reason I ask is because splitting long logs with a splitting maul and no other tools is not easy. To split long sections, I always used a sledge hammer and 2 iron wedges.....using the wedges in 'leapfrog fashion.
Starting at the end of the log....driving the first wedge in as far as I could........creating a split.....I would use the second wedge in the split created by the first wedge.

Driving the second wedge would free up the first wedge.......well, you get the idea.

Unless the grain of the log is very straight, there will be places where the split.......even when nearly completed, will be tied together by the cross grain.

This is where the splitting maul really comes in handy........you can sever or seperate those cross sinews with a swing or 2 of the maul.......usually

I used to split 4 & 1/2 ft. oak and hickory logs into pie shaped "bolts" to make tobbaco sticks with a froe.........It's a lot of hard work!

I hope I have not wandered completely from the subject........and I hope this helps!

[philip in china]

Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought about the mass of the maul. I will ask the wife how heavy a one she wants ;-)

She will be splitting very short logs so I don't think she will have too much trouble. I keep the pieces small enough so that I can pick them up easily and slide them into the stove.

The interesting burn is the local palm trees which are dense and as tough as anything! When they burn they give off little flares of flame out through the bark. They just look like little gas flames. Would this be the palm oil burning?

[Frosty]

Palm farts Philip. Next time don't pull it's finger.

Frosty

[jimbob]

Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought about the mass of the maul. I will ask the wife how heavy a one she wants ;-)

She will be splitting very short logs so I don't think she will have too much trouble. I keep the pieces small enough so that I can pick them up easily and slide them into the stove.

The interesting burn is the local palm trees which are dense and as tough as anything! When they burn they give off little flares of flame out through the bark. They just look like little gas flames. Would this be the palm oil burning?

Philip I split a lot of starter wood for my fire place ...I've found a large ax with the handle cut to about 18 inches (miners ax) workes better that a mall
if and when it gets stuck you can always pound on the pole end