Choosing a Splitting Axe

My wood is the stringy type with lots of connecting fibers. A 6lb. wide cheek splitting maul tends to bounce out for many swings. Whereas, my 5 lb. fireman ax with thinner face tends to drive deep, cutting those fibers. Facilitating a split with fewer swings.
I was splitting some yesterday and this round took 8 hits to split. The first 5 bounced off. #6 stuck, #7 drove down starting the split and # 8 finished it. And my wood doesn't fly apart. It would have taken half the swings had I been using the Council firemen ax. DM
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Two different approaches. You either wedge it apart with a heavy, wide cheek maul. Or you cut it apart with a thinner, face ax. DM
 
The wood will define the tool. But one thing I prefer is a long handle. When splitting for extended periods of time you will miss. A long handle helps to prevent you from hitting your feet. And for accuracy, a long handle works as well as a shorter handle IMO.
For easy to split pine I even use a double bitted axe with the longest handle I could find. For stringy wood I prefer an 8lb maul. And wedges. I say wedges plural. I had a cottonwood tree that needed cut down. Even after aging 3 years I could bury a wedge in a cottonwood round and would have to use a second wedge to complete the split. Ended up cutting one crotch piece with the chainsaw. I'll never bother with cottonwood again.
Another wood I will stay away from is Elm. Got 2 cords of elm free once. It stinks when it burns, and it leaves a hard cake of ash similar to a boiler clinker. Had to empty ash from the wood stove very often.
edit: I have 7 different axes and one maul. I always pick up the longer handled ones for splitting, saving the shorter handle axes for camping, etc.
 
There was a member here some years ago that liked a Pulaski for splitting. He felt the mattox style bit on the back continued the split once the axe face had passed the top of the wood. I suspect linear energy plays a role as well. Same for the fire axe, a lot of mass moving in a straight line behind the edge.
Bill

Speaking of 300SIX-- is he still around?
 
FLINT77 said:
You don't have to order a wedge. If you can hang an axe, you can make a wedge.
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Ain't the wedge a special type of soft wood that compresses? The one I've used in the past was a type of wood I've never dealt with or seen before.
 
348win said:
Ain't the wedge a special type of soft wood that compresses? The one I've used in the past was a type of wood I've never dealt with or seen before.
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Poplar is the industrial standard, but you can use all sorts of different woods. You mostly want there to be a difference in hardness between the handle and the wedge.
 
A personal favorite splitter of mine. Rinaldi 5.5lb maul with the edge made thin and smooth.

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yeah, any soft wood will work. I've even used some hard woods before - but I've heard people say that hard woods can back out sometime so i'd stick with a softer wood - plus the softer wood is more likely to deform and fill in all those cracks and gaps and stuff. I've used poplar and maple and basswood. I tried red cedar one time - but that wood is way too brittle and broke up before I could fully drive it in, so I had to get it all out - that was a pain. if you have access to hardwood pallets - you can usually find some made out of poplar. I snatched up a couple poplar pallets last year, and free wood is always good. ps. the poplar I'm referring to is tulip poplar (which isn't actually a poplar at all but a magnolia, but anyways...).
 
David Martin said:
My wood is the stringy type with lots of connecting fibers. A 6lb. wide cheek splitting maul tends to bounce out for many swings. Whereas, my 5 lb. fireman ax with thinner face tends to drive deep, cutting those fibers. Facilitating a split with fewer swings.
I was splitting some yesterday and this round took 8 hits to split. The first 5 bounced off. #6 stuck, #7 drove down starting the split and # 8 finished it. And my wood doesn't fly apart. It would have taken half the swings had I been using the Council firemen ax. DM
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Your haft is installed backwards on the maul.
 
348win said:
Ain't the wedge a special type of soft wood that compresses? The one I've used in the past was a type of wood I've never dealt with or seen before.
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You are correct. I should have been more specific and said splitting wedge. A splitting wedge is steel. And please don't ruin a nice axe by hitting a splitting wedge with the axe poll. Use a splitting maul or a sledge hammer. And use eye protection. As you use a splitting wedge the head will mushroom. I've heard of a piece of the mushroom flying off and sticking into a mans neck. I will occasionally grind off the mushroomed steel.
 
I have a Plumb 4.5# (I believe) axe on its way in the mail.

Weight: 5lb 12oz
Bit: 5 1/8"x7 7/8"
Handle: 33 1/2"

It gonna be a tad shorter than the 35" 4lb box store Michigan axe I been running.

I'm excited to try it!!!!! This will be the first "high" centerline axe I have got to use.
 
348win said:
I have a Plumb 4.5# (I believe) axe on its way in the mail.

Weight: 5lb 12oz
Bit: 5 1/8"x7 7/8"
Handle: 33 1/2"

It gonna be a tad shorter than the 35" 4lb box store Michigan axe I been running.

I'm excited to try it!!!!! This will be the first "high" centerline axe I have got to use.
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Sounds awesome! Be sure to post pics when you get it!

348win said:
Reason I don't think it's a 5lb head is I think a handle weighs more than 3/4 of a lb.
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depends on whether it is a vintage original handle - a 33" slim handle shouldn't weigh more than a pound. either way your head should be between 4.5 and 5lbs

348win said:
I been using 5"x8" as a rough reference for a 5# single bit
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Depends on the pattern. I think my 5lb rafting head measures about 5" x 8" , but my 4.5 lb plumb jersey is I think 5 3/4" x 7.5"
 
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