It's just an old splitting maul...still a fun project though

[OutdoorEnvy 1,601]

A few months back I finally came across an old Collins 6lb splitting maul with the axe eye design.  I've been holding out for a splitting maul with this exact size and eye for a bit now.   Seen lots of the round holes around but wanted the axe eye version.  I know you can buy them new still but it's funner for me to save an oldie and get a fun side project for a rainy day.  I had split down most of my wood pile with axes, which I prefer to use, but there are number of big knotty rounds that the axes were no match for.  So this will fill a nice niche in the splitting arsenal for me. 

 

For the handle I had been looking around the last few months and honestly the hardware stores have gotten pretty pathetic over the last 5 years or so.  Seems even a decade ago or more I could still get a good selection to hand pick a handle from a large lot.  Still could find a cruiser handle, etc too.  Now it's not much and they never stock more than a couple of any kind it seems.  But I decided to try a Truper handle brand that looked good enough to try.  I'd probably grade it a B or high C as it did have a little knot towards the handle end but don't think it'll be an issue.  We'll find out though.  Anyways...on with the hanging.  Marked out the line to cut some off the end.  I always leave about half an inch more than you think when you lay the head over it.  Wood shrinks when you're pressing it in so don't cut it off too short.  But it's nice to eliminate the top inch or so and not have to waste time working that down.  Step one was sanding off all the lacquer...worse part of the job.

 

 

getting it worked down...slowly but surely...

 

 

I do like to bring them all the way down on the shoulder.  It's the strongest point for most of that impact stress.  This looks good and will take the head off one last time for final sanding and also do some edge work on the head before final hanging

 

 

 

So this head must of been made on a Friday at 4:55pm as the edge was not lined up well and much thicker on one side.  I used the grinder to take it down a lot then finished up with the file. 

 

 

 

Got the edge where I want it so now for final hafting

 

 

The wedge set nice with lots of curling

 

 

trimmed it down and left the kerf about 3/8" proud.  Filled out the eye nicely!

 

 

I then set in a metal step wedge and gave it a BLO rubdown and headed off to the wood pile to try it out on one of the knotted rounds

 

 

 

 

Split up the round with ease! 

 

 

I profiled the cheeks down and gave it just enough edge to stick in the splitting stump pretty easily.  Turned out really nice and I'm looking forward to putting it to use!

 

 

thanks for looking!  And feel free to post up your favorite wood pile splitter!  I'd love to see em!

[ebinmaine 68,746]

Excellent work!

 

 

 

23 minutes ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

And feel free to post up your favorite wood pile splitter!  I'd love to see em!

Ours is a hydraulic version.  

🙂

 

And a fiskars... 

[WHX?? 49,441]

My shoulders hurt just reading that Outdoor so I gotta side with EB. 

Back in the day tho dad and I split everything with a maul. He continued well in his late 70s 'till he bought power. He was blessed with great shoulders.  

I broke one of his favorite handles and replaced it with a fiberglass  handle that was epoxied on. That one took a beating too but still holding up for occasional use.

@formariz may be interested in this thread. 

 

[Lane Ranger 11,013]

My recommendation is to buy only a hickory handle and get a local blacksmith to make you a splitting wedge!  Use the hammer end of your maul or get a short handle sledge!  Theat will save you a lot of frustration and fewer handles being broken!

[OutdoorEnvy 1,601]

12 minutes ago, Lane Ranger said:

My recommendation is to buy only a hickory handle and get a local blacksmith to make you a splitting wedge!  Use the hammer end of your maul or get a short handle sledge!  Theat will save you a lot of frustration and fewer handles being broken!

 

Right now I'm still young enough to enjoy the exercise and I don't use wood to heat my home or anything that warrants this being a regular chore.  It's mainly for backyard fires and camping/hunting trips.  I do want to get a splitting wedge and I did get one of these little splitting hatchets by Estwing a while back.  This pick is when it was new.  But its been a tough and good tool for sure and will make a few splitting chores easier.

 

[WHX?? 49,441]

12 minutes ago, Lane Ranger said:

 to make you a splitting wedge! 

I have four of them.

13 minutes ago, Lane Ranger said:

 fewer handles being broken!

I was alot younger and wilder!

[Skwerl58 729]

I had  a 6lb maul like yours that I purchased probably new in 81 or 82 that I had used  until I picked up a Craftsman with a fiberglass handle. I rehandled the old maul head a couple of years ago and gave it to my oldest son.  I have been buying a few handles from House Handles from their on line site. They are good handles and pricing is excellent. At 64 I work wiser so I do use a gas splitter when I have a lot to split. Swing away!

[Pullstart 63,175]

4 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

fiskars

 for the scissors comp’ny!  Need proof?

 

 

 

 

 

[OutdoorEnvy 1,601]

1 hour ago, Skwerl58 said:

I had  a 6lb maul like yours that I purchased probably new in 81 or 82 that I had used  until I picked up a Craftsman with a fiberglass handle. I rehandled the old maul head a couple of years ago and gave it to my oldest son.  I have been buying a few handles from House Handles from their on line site. They are good handles and pricing is excellent. At 64 I work wiser so I do use a gas splitter when I have a lot to split. Swing away!

House Handle is good.  I’ve used them and like what handles I have received.  I use them when ordering a lot of handles.  Otherwise shipping isn’t worth it.  
 

chop on!

[formariz 11,988]

Great find. Pretty hard to find one with the ax eye. They should all be that way. There would be much less handles breaking. There is another improvement you can try which I did many years ago when my back allowed for hand splitting . It may seem like overkill but it does work better. File and polish the sides to a mirror finish. Create a non perceptible transition between bevel and head sides. That along with ocasional waxing, greatly reduces friction upon entering wood allowing it to penetrate deeper. Sounds crazy but after a whole day of swinging it it makes a real difference. It also eliminates most of the getting stuck. Kind of a similar philosophy to sharpening a carving tool. 

Edited January 3, 2023 by formariz

[WHGuy413 2,757]

I was working in the garage one day and I kept hearing this tink tink tink sound. I walked out side and there are my boys using my little sledge hammer from the garage to drive an old hatchet into a big piece of fire wood. Once I saw what they were up to I quickly switched them to a real sledge and a real wedge. They had a blast splitting about 10 pieces of maple between them. I said to them “hey boys you do know we have a wood splitter right?” The reply I got was priceless. “Yeah we know dad but this is more fun because you didn’t tell us to do it we just did it”. Now if they would just do other things I didn’t tell them to do like clean their room. I purchased a pair of mauls for them from an old timer I used to work with. They quickly got bored with those. They never did finish that pile of wood. Guess I should leave the sledge and wedges out where they can see them and maybe they will be  inspired to start again.