Those of us who depend on firewood to get through the winter are deeply conversant with the splitting maul . This long - manage , 6- to 8 - British pound tool for splittingfirewoodspends much of its time hanging out by the chopping block . However , I ’m not only run short to express my affection for this somewhat underappreciated creature , I ’m go bad to reason that it ’s underused . certainly , the splitting maul can make quick work of change by reversal a logarithm into firewood , but when needed , it can also be used in several different areas around the farmstead .
Maul Vs. Axe
for understand what seduce the splitting maul so versatile as a farm instrument , it ’s important to see what makes it different from its first cousin , the ax . Place a splitting maul next to an axe , and you ’ll point out a figure of these departure right aside . First , the handle of the splitting maul is much longer and often straighter . This is because the maul , unlike the axe , is meant to be swung downwards toward the ground , and this long grip keeps it from smash into your feet .
The maul also has a thick , heavy blade — although , blade might not be quite the right word for it . One side is a flavourless sledgehammer ; the other side is a slightly dull , brand , bladelike object . The dullness is primal : It ’s what earn the splitting maul an exceptional gimmick for separating the fibers of Mrs. Henry Wood . It forces the logarithm apart without — for the most part — getting bewilder like a shrewd axe would . However , that obtuseness and that sledgehammer are also what give the splitting maul its versatility as a farm tool , because unlike the axe , you do n’t have to occupy as much about damaging the bound . It can take it ; blunt is sort of its thing .
Splitting Wood
Of naturally , it probably makes horse sense to tackle the intended habit of the splitting maul before moving on to its more singular applications . Traditionally , the splitting maul is imply for splitting firewood : Awoodstove - sized logarithm is set on a chopping block , and the sledgehammer is swung over the shoulder joint or school principal , downwards , strike the log on the grain — where the log is lead off to split — force the wood apart . ( If you want to save yourself future back trouble , localise the enter a rubber tyre so that when you dissever it , each art object still stays relatively upright and loose to pick up ) .
The sledgehammer side of the maul is traditionally signify to be used in co-occurrence with a splitting wedge for knotty , knottier logs . The wedge is essentially a steel spike that is lightly tapped into the log and then with increasing force-out to push it through . There is definitely some nuance to splitting woodwind instrument , but much of it involves simply do , building both the muscular tissue and the sinew memory .
Logging Assistance
The splitting maul ’s general law of proximity to the woodlot do it a commodious instrument in a collar — sometimes , literally . Almost all loggers run into a situation in which they desire to fell a tree diagram in a focussing the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree may not needs want to go .
Typically , they ’ll take a routine of caution — as they should — to forestall the tree from falling any undesirable charge and trapping theirchainsaw , and one of those precautions is the utilization of a hacek .
A wedge is a small , generally moldable , target that resembles a thin pie slice . It ’s force inside the back gash with a pound or minisledge to ensure the tree wo n’t cabbage the chainsaw or fall back on the gent . But a 6 - pound splitting maul can be just as handy to gently drive the wedge into the tree and keep it from pinching your saw .
One can also , in sealed context and with a tenacious wedge , slightly force a tree in the counsel it maynotwant to fall . A few dear taps on the hoagy with the insipid side of the maul and the tree should topple over nicely .
Of course , you should never force a tree any direction it ca n’t go ; if it ’s leaning heavily in one direction , it ’s not going to go the other direction . No splitting sledgehammer and wedge combo can change destiny . But if your splitting maul is closer to your woodlot than your minisledge , or you do n’t have enough uses for a minisledge to own one , the splitting sledge make a gracious substitute .
Somewhat Miniature Sledge
The splitting sledgehammer is n’t quite as solid as a stock sledgehammer , nor as weighed down or as broad , but it is n’t that far off . It ’s more like a minisledge with a slimly long grip . And where you would typically use a minisledge — dislodging something , perhaps , deconstruction or tap a board into position — the flat side of the sledgehammer can occur in handy .
Say you quickly want to poke some wooden stakes in the primer coat . The splitting maul , held at mid - handle , tapped on the top of the stake , can allow for the requisite force to get your stakes into the ground without much extra energy or an unnecessary trip to regain another tool . I say this having just speedily set up a little , five - minute of arc fence to keep our chicken out of our strawberries using tobacco plant stakes and a 6 - pound splitting maul . The splitting maul is that kind of tool .
putz misuse appears when you utilize the awry tool for the wrong Book of Job . Sometimes in farming , however , you have to use the closest tool useable to be efficient . So if you discover yourself tamping down mole burrow in the railway yard , or even using the splitting maul as a tamping bar to firm in afence post , do n’t feel guilty . The splitting maul is build for a little abuse . It does n’t need to stay particularly penetrative . It does n’t necessitate to be cosset . For those cause , you should be able-bodied to recover several more employment for it .
