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Splitting Axe


lord_seagrave
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If you’re happy to make an investment in something traditional/craftsman made then look at Gransfor Bruks.  Really enjoy using mine, but the wife still thinks I was nuts to spend that much on an axe... even though one of my kids will inherit it!

The fiskars are meant to be great axes though.

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3 hours ago, SxS said:

If you’re happy to make an investment in something traditional/craftsman made then look at Gransfor Bruks.  Really enjoy using mine, but the wife still thinks I was nuts to spend that much on an axe... even though one of my kids will inherit it!

The fiskars are meant to be great axes though.

Gosh, those Gransfor Bruks are beauties :wub:

The maul looks the bizzle in terms of weight and length... :good:

Might need to save up a bit.

LS

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45 minutes ago, haynes said:

Buy a splitting maul. Cheap and heavy. Axe wont get stuck in a log. Either it splits it or stops dead. 

I bought one of these a few years ago, nothing special fibre glass handle i think.

question, should it be sharpened like an axe?

also bought a splitting wedge, never really used either much.

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Just bought the xxl 27 as I kept breaking axe handles and was replacing every 6 months so hopefully will not have to withe the fiskers which has a 25 yr guarantee. I think u can get a free sharpener still if you get the xxl 27 through Tooled-Up” delivered for £60. 

I have used the xxl 27 for a few hrs and  it splits well better than anything I previously have used either heavy splitter or a 4 1/2 lb cutting axe

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21 minutes ago, Mice! said:

I bought one of these a few years ago, nothing special fibre glass handle i think.

question, should it be sharpened like an axe?

also bought a splitting wedge, never really used either much.

Ive never bothered. Maybe a touch with a grinder if youve hit a stone or concrete. But i think if sharp like an axe it might stick. Hated using an axe to split. Too much effort needed to force the blow through the wood. Then every other blow would have it stick in the timber, especially if it was knotty. 

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1 hour ago, haynes said:

Ive never bothered. Maybe a touch with a grinder if youve hit a stone or concrete. But i think if sharp like an axe it might stick. Hated using an axe to split. Too much effort needed to force the blow through the wood. Then every other blow would have it stick in the timber, especially if it was knotty. 

Agree.  A felling axe needs to be sharp to go across the grain (you’re cutting!) but a splitting axe is used along the grain and instead of needing to be sharp needs the head to have a broad spread to open up the wood. Think knife vs wedge.

I’d probably knock out any chips from the leading edge with a grinder, but that shouldn’t happen if you’re using a block (which you want to do anyway for safety). 

Had also heard about the husqvana/witterlings, but went GB as my father in law is swift to “borrow” anything with Husqvana written on it! 

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Don't know what make mine is but more a maul than an axe with a 'plastic' probably fibreglass handle.  Do not use it that much as I have a 4ft long 5 inch diamter ram which sorts most splitting problems out for me. 

One thing with the splitting maul it has a flat face on the back and can be used as a lightweight sledge hammer....duel purpose so to speak.

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4 hours ago, haynes said:

Ive never bothered. Maybe a touch with a grinder if youve hit a stone or concrete. But i think if sharp like an axe it might stick. Hated using an axe to split. Too much effort needed to force the blow through the wood. Then every other blow would have it stick in the timber, especially if it was knotty. 

 

3 hours ago, SxS said:

Agree.  A felling axe needs to be sharp to go across the grain (you’re cutting!) but a splitting axe is used along the grain and instead of needing to be sharp needs the head to have a broad spread to open up the wood. Think knife vs wedge.

I’d probably knock out any chips from the leading edge with a grinder, but that shouldn’t happen if you’re using a block (which you want to do anyway for safety). 

Had also heard about the husqvana/witterlings, but went GB as my father in law is swift to “borrow” anything with Husqvana written on it! 

cheers gents makes sense, mine is probably an Aldi special now i think about it.

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38 minutes ago, Nuke said:

And very expensive too.

That is if you can find one in this country.

I do quite a lot of log splitting and have a hydraulic log splitter and the Roughneck wood splitting set, mentioned earlier.

The splitter is very easy, but needs electricity. The Roughneck set is slower, but a good workout.

I would avoid normal axes and go for the log splitting maul (like the one in the Roughneck set), as that is what the tool is designed for doing.

With a normal axe, you will spend half your time and energy trying to release a jammed axe.

Also, have look on YouTube at the tyre method, where you fill an old tyre with logs and chop away. It can can you a lot of time and back ache.

Not sure if you will be doing kindling chopping? But, this week, I have just bought one of these (as just before Christmas, I cut my thumb badly chopping kindling). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_rac8FJVs

The one I bought was very similar off fleabay.

 

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2 hours ago, Nuke said:

For straight grained wood it is fine , but for knotty wood, not enough punch.

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15 hours ago, haynes said:

Ive never bothered. Maybe a touch with a grinder if youve hit a stone or concrete. But i think if sharp like an axe it might stick. Hated using an axe to split. Too much effort needed to force the blow through the wood. Then every other blow would have it stick in the timber, especially if it was knotty. 

A maul should still have a sharp edge, the difference is the edge geometry will be 45+ degrees edge going back to a 30 degrees bevel a instead of the 30 to 40 edge of a felling axe going back to a 15 to 20 degree bevel.

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