best splitting ax for 6'4" novice

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Big_jack

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Aug 29, 2015
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Hey, I'm sure this has been asked a ton but I can't find it. Please recommend me an ax to cut up my 150yr old white oak. The tree guys got it down but left all the other work for me for a discount (and firewood). Budget is less than $100.

THANKS!
 
If you're entirely new at this then you won't have any preconceived notions, meaning beg/buy/borrow a splitting axe/maul at least expense. You can become more discriminating as you gain some experience. Splitting wedge and a sledge hammer will also do the job, especially if there are lots of knots involved.
 
300Six said:
If you're entirely new at this then you won't have any preconceived notions, meaning beg/buy/borrow a splitting axe/maul at least expense. You can become more discriminating as you gain some experience. Splitting wedge and a sledge hammer will also do the job, especially if there are lots of knots involved.
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Not a lot of knots. As far as being more discriminating, I figured I skip that part by asking y'all haha.
 
I would invest in a 6 or 8 pound splitting maul. An axe will work but a maul will work best for a beginner and will always be useful to have around.
 
halfaxe said:
I would invest in a 6 or 8 pound splitting maul. An axe will work but a maul will work best for a beginner and will always be useful to have around.
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I can't disagree with that. A maul has a proper hammer-type poll that can be used to 'persuade' many other things whereas an axe head will merely deform and ultimately ruin the tool.
 
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I like a couple of 6 lb mauls, one splits and the other is used as a sledge if the first doesn't split on the first swing. A 6 lb is light enough for me to swing with one hand (choked up halfway on the haft), the other steadies the splitting maul in the round of wood. I also use a couple wedges for very stubborn knotty wood.

I hadn't done this work since I was a teen, but picked it right back up after a few awkward swings.
 
Big_jack said:
Hey, I'm sure this has been asked a ton but I can't find it. Please recommend me an ax to cut up my 150yr old white oak. The tree guys got it down but left all the other work for me for a discount (and firewood). Budget is less than $100.

THANKS!
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X27 is tough to beat, lifetime warranty as well. I'm all for vintage, but for splitting big rounds it's lighter than a maul and likely matches performance. I use it for big spruce rounds right now.
 
A cheap maul and wedge from harbor freight should work fine for a beginner.
Once you know what you like you can find a vintage one and restore it, maul heads and wedges are a dime a dozen at sales and flea's in my area, so I'd think you should be able to find one no problem. ( splitting axes tend to be easier to wield for beginners )
 
I would recommend a 6lb maul, a 4lb hammer and a wedge. If you are splitting rounds of clean wood a Nnice 3.5lb axe is good, for all else you want the heavy tools. I can say that at 75 inches I personally Iike 6lb for better speed and control.
 
On big oak you're likely to need a big hammer and wedges. The maul can double as the big hammer. But once the first splits are made you might be better off with a 4 pound axe.

Minimum kit - maul plus 2 wedges.
 
Square_peg said:
On big oak you're likely to need a big hammer and wedges. The maul can double as the big hammer. But once the first splits are made you might be better off with a 4 pound axe.

Minimum kit - maul plus 2 wedges.
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That is a good starter set.

Also workable set you can get to from above in steps: 6-8# maul, two 5# wedges, 8-10# or heavier hammer, and 3.5-4# axe. Make yourself some larger wooden wedges to open up stringy pieces and free your iron ones.
 
If you shop at eBay, splitting maul heads seem to be reasonably priced, then pick a handle up at your local hardware store or get one online and a couple of wedges and your set:)
 
Well, I got down with a 8lb sledge and wedge and a Fisker X27. Oh and my father in law ran the chainsaw. We got all of the main stem cut into slices and split in half except for a 6 foot piece that's trying to fall down the steep slope to the lake. I'll have to find some poles or metal to hammer into the dirt to keep it from rolling in. It's about a 20 foot drop.
All the other branches are uncut but the main part is done which I need his help for (novice remember). Sore as shit already. I'm going to feel it tomorrow.
 
One more vote for the Fiskars X27.
I love all my vintage tools I have collected and restored.
But for practical work I would reach first for the Fiskars every time.
Great edge geometry for splitting.
 
I think the Fiskars X27 is hard to beat for a starter tool as its lighter weight helps for more accuracy and control and can handle overstrikes.
 
A 6-pound maul gets my vote. The extra weight actually helps stabilize your aim and swing.

Mauls were available with a round eye to take a sledge-hammer handle, or an axe-eye to take a single-bit axe handle. I like and have used a 6-pound axe-eye maul for over 40 years. I am about 6'3" tall and once I got that maul in my hands I never had any use for hammers, wedges or axes for splitting.

The axe-handle is stronger than the sledge-handle, so if it gets stuck you can simply lever the head out of the log and hit it again. Don't mess around with mauls that have heads shaped like a simple triangle, get a maul that is shaped like a streamlined splitting wedge, they go through wood like shit through a goose.

When you take a swing at a large log, you don't aim for the middle, you want to "slab" it, you take a slab off the side, then a slab off another side etc. until you get it down in size. And when you come down you of course have the handle parallel with the ground at the time it strikes the log, otherwise if it skips or you miss it will end up in your leg or foot. When you hit the log, you never have the head strike the center of the wood, you aim for close to the outside of the log, this gives you more splitting power. I think I need to make a video on splitting with a maul this summer....
 
Man I own alot of axes more splitting and mauls than anything from rafting to Dayton to chopper one 8 lb heads to 15 lb mauls hults bruks, gransfors Kellys plumb and everything in between and I am huge skeptic when it comes to fiberglass/plastic handles because nothing beats the feel of a solid wood handle but those fiskars x27 are the real deal I would put mine up against any axe old or new if a man was wanting an axe to split firewood to sale that would be the one.
 
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