Turning old wood from a shed into neat firewood

[neiln]

I had the roughneck stuff, cheap but poor.  I got a to x27: first Christmas, awesome.  Very tough wood still needs a maul so I went for quality and weight, the 8lb stihl Pro maul.  If they doesn't smash through then noodle. 

I have wedges, as above the grenade tends to just nail stuff to the block, so I then bought a couple of twist wedges and another straight one.  After several battles I've learnt wedges are really for huge but straight grained rounds. Knotty stuff just noodle.  And with flaking technique even massive rounds can be split with an axe so I very rarely use wedges.

Edited May 27, 2020 by neiln

[trigger_andy]

2 hours ago, neiln said:

I had the roughneck stuff, cheap but poor.  I got a to x27: first Christmas, awesome.  Very tough wood still needs a maul so I went for quality and weight, the to 8lb stihl Pro maul.  If they doesn't smash through then noodle. 

I have wedges, as above the grenade tends to just nail stuff to the block, so I be then bought a couple of twist wedges and another straight one.  After several beetles I've learnt wedges are reallyv for huge but straight grained rounds. Knotty stuff just noodle.  And with flaking technique even massive rounds can be split with an axe so I very rarely use wedges.

The X27 is fine of the logs are fresh and not very knotty. But then I find the handle to long for easy logs. The Head is to light for anything Gnarly, or at least you're wasting a lot of time and energy blow after blow. I think the X25, which has the same head weight as the X27 would be better suited, at least for myself anyway. The distance you need to be away from the log for using the X27 for regular splitting is frustrating. I use a Husky S1600 for that, but its a bit short. So I feel the X25 would be the Sweet Spot for me. 

[neiln]

I rattle through easy stuff with the x17.  I've also got a 2 3/4lb elwell on a28" haft (needs rehanging though) and also a4lb wetterlings and 5lb hultsbruk heads to hang, I intend to go 30-32 inch hafts for those.  Oh and a 4.5lb Kelly Jersey pattern.... As buckin' says, take several axes to split as no axe splits everything best.

 

I reckon the x27 is about the best all-rounder though.

[Stubby]

8 hours ago, neiln said:

I rattle through easy stuff with the x17.  I've also got a 2 3/4lb elwell on a28" haft (needs rehanging though) and also a4lb wetterlings and 5lb hultsbruk heads to hang, I intend to go 30-32 inch hafts for those.  Oh and a 4.5lb Kelly Jersey pattern.... As buckin' says, take several axes to split as no axe splits everything best.

 

I reckon the x27 is about the best all-rounder though.

I think that the teflon cheeks are a benefit . 

[Stere]

Like the look of theese ones

 

  Leveraxe

 

 

 

Halder simplex

 

 

Helko tommahawk

 

 

Fiskars Pro Spalthammer XXL

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Stere

[Stubby]

18 minutes ago, Stere said:

Like the look of theese ones

 

  Leveraxe

 

 

 

Halder simplex

 

 

Helko tommahawk

 

 

Fiskars Pro Spalthammer XXL

 

 

 

 

There is an art to using the top one . You have to loosen your grip at the point of impact to allow it to work as designed .

[neiln]

leverax works in straight grained stuff but i red it struggles in knotty stuff

 

look up maulrat on 'tube, he has a review of the halder i think.

[HuntingHicap]

On 25/05/2020 at 19:54, trigger_andy said:

Id not bother with the X27 if you already a Maul. I think the X27 is a fad to be honest. 

bollocks

[HuntingHicap]

I do about 15 tons of firewood a winter. Mostly for myself, but I sell a bit to family and friends as well. I run a log burner which heats my house, from september through to March. The wood is free, it is arb waste, a by product of work. I use a variety of axes, including, Helko Vario 2000, Gransfors bruks maul, Granfors bruks large splitting axe, Husky S280, Husky splitting maul, and the fiskars x27 does basically everything that all the others do. Except the Helko, that is like the nuclear answer to dense wood, if you can't split it with that then use a saw.

[HuntingHicap]

On 25/05/2020 at 12:02, Stere said:

Dunno is just a cheap non brand one with yellow fibre handle thats decades old,  & the head profile looks abit similar to this bacho. Mines about  a 3kg head i think.

 

MES-3.0-900 - Splitting Axes with Ash Wood Handle and One Flat Face 900 mm 3.5 kg | BAHCO

WWW.BAHCO.COM

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{ "1": "Splitting Axes with Ash Wood Handle and One Flat Face 900 mm 3.5 kg" }

 

 

Some of the cheaper ones iv'e noticed the  head profile looks too narrow a V shape imo more like a felling axes in profile might be why some aren't as that good.

 

If you looks at the expensive ones  gransfor maul  &the germans brands   etc they tend has fairly a wide V profile head.

 

 

 

 

Thats the key I reckon...

 

Splitting maul „prime-type“ 0257

WWW.MUELLER-HAMMERWERK.AT

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The ideal tool for splitting, and also for driving in plastic or aluminium felling wedges, and respectively aluminium...

 

 

Splitting hammers

WWW.OCHSENKOPF.COM

Cheap mauls are great for the early onset of white finger. They are shit. And look ugly. An axe should be a thing of beauty. ?