Splitting axe or maul

[csl]

Our central heating is wood fired, so we get through a lot of logs. Although I've got a hydraulic log splitter it's a relatively recent acquisition, and has hardly been used. The bulk of our firewood is split by my wife wielding an axe. She enjoys it.
Today I offered her a maul to try instead. After 5 minutes she'd thrown it aside and was happily splitting logs with her trusty old axe. The maul - which was given to me by a neighbour - is back in the tool shed, and I doubt it'll ever see the light of day again.

You don't have a problem with nasty chumps containing a lot of branches joining it or very 'wet' species then?

 

[VSS]

you could get some use from it, saw up the shaft and burn it?

Fibreglass shaft.
Suppose the head might do for a door stop.

You don't have a problem with nasty chumps containing a lot of branches joining it or very 'wet' species then?

All grist to the mill.

 

[shakey jake]

Fibreglass shaft.
Suppose the head might do for a door stop.

All grist to the mill.

well put it in classified, i hear some ones after one. i hear there pretty good

 

[Feugh]

It's great to see so many people are burning wood to heat their homes. It makes a lot of sense, long may it continue. It seems though that my comment about softwood seemed to have raised a few questions. No problem everyone has their own point of view. If softwood hits your price point then go for it. But please read the following to understand some of the risks involved in burning high sap content wood.

Another type of wood that should not be in your fireplace, (specifically fireplaces with a chimney), are sap-saturated timbers.

Wood types that have a lot of tree sap or pitch in them, such as Cedar and Spruce, can increase the risk of a chimney fire. That’s because that thick resinous tree sap can collect in the soot lining your chimney flue. This can cause chimney blockages, which in turn can cause a fire.

What About Leylandii? This Wood Is Safe To Burn In A Fireplace, Right?​

Leylandii tree sap can sometimes cause severe skin irritation. But, you’d have to burn a lot of Leylandii lumber (all at once) for heat-vaporised sap to become a real problem for you.

But, this alone should be a good enough reason to skip over using this particular tree for firewood. Nevertheless, if that isn’t a good enough reason, then the fire hazard Leylandii poses should be.

Burning this tree in a fireplace is not a good idea. And why is that? Well, because this tree’s lumber has a lot of sap in it.

In fact, it has enough thick tree resin in it to make it unsuitable for an indoor fireplace. What’s more, that excess sap will also produce a lot of extra thick smoke (as the sap evaporates).

Still, another reason to skip over Leylandii firewood, is the fact that it doesn’t produce that much heat.

And How Much Heat Does Leylandii Produce?​

When it comes to firewood, if you want to know how much heat it produces, you need to check it’s BTU.

The BTU (British Thermal Unit) rating of a wood species refers to how much energy it takes for fire to burn that wood.

The higher the BTU, then the more energy it takes. And the more energy it takes, then the longer that wood will burn.

And if wood takes a long while to burn, that means it will produce heat for a lot longer too.

Now, when it comes to Leylandii, (also known as the Leyland Cypress), this wood has a decent 21.7 BTU. And to be perfectly honest, for a fairly soft timber, that BTU level is actually not too bad. It certainly isn’t low enough to dismiss Leylandii softwood as merely kindling.

Still, Leylandii doesn’t compare to traditional hardwood firewood. For example, White Oak has a BTU of 25.7, and Birch wood has a 23.6 BTU rating.

I'm just trying to help. If you are invested in softwood go for it. But having had chimney fires and having had to replace a chimney once in Canada, although not through softwood burning but rather not having access to chimney sweeps in a very rural area, I can tell you when you hear the sound of a jet airplane /blast furnace taking off in your chimney late at
night get ready and hold on. A tip, block off the oxygen.

I have also gone through this discussion with friends about using eucalyptus, which I have a lot of here. Slightly different problem, but although when properly seasoned you do lose the sap unfortunately the oil stays. It's another tree that will never burn in my home.

It seems that burning softwood isn’t a problem if it’s burnt hot (I.e. using properly dried wood and without restricting the air supply at all). I burn both hard and softwood in the log burner, not had any problem so far.

 

[Feugh]

Thank you for all the replies. Still looking for my splitting axe. Haven’t been able to pick up a fiskars yet to see how it feels.
Would be interested in peoples views on other woods that would be found when tidying up a small estate head in the south east. Thing like birch, hawthorn and alder. How do they burn?

 

[Puds]

I find one of these (with a tractor stuck onto the back of it) works much better than an axe or maul.

 

[Wilbur]

Thank you for all the replies. Still looking for my splitting axe. Haven’t been able to pick up a fiskars yet to see how it feels.
Would be interested in peoples views on other woods that would be found when tidying up a small estate head in the south east. Thing like birch, hawthorn and alder. How do they burn?

If you can’t get a fiskars get a gerber it’s the same axe,w

 

[csl]

I find one of these (with a tractor stuck onto the back of it) works much better than an axe or maul. View attachment 277132

Me too!

 

[Wilbur]

I split all my logs and stack them in the spring and there fine for the winter,it used to be with an axe then a electric splitter,now it’s with a tractor,my friends used to say they could split wood quicker with an axe than I could with my electric splitter but after an hour they were tired and I just kept plodding along and done more than them in a shift

 

[njc110381]

Gransfors maul for me, and I've split a lot of wood with a lot of axes! It's not huge so not hard work, it never gets stuck and it's a tool to be proud of. The Fiskars is a good tool but it's plastic, it's just a bit naff...

 

[User00035]

I split all my logs and stack them in the spring and there fine for the winter,it used to be with an axe then a electric splitter,now it’s with a tractor,my friends used to say they could split wood quicker with an axe than I could with my electric splitter but after an hour they were tired and I just kept plodding along and done more than them in a shift

I used to fill the shed through the spring and summer so I had a shed full in perfect condition that would last all winter. Haven't got a shed big enough for that now, so I stack the wood in cords, cover the stack in the autumn when the wet weather starts and cut and split as required. I spent about an hour yesterday sawing and splitting logs. That was long enough swinging an axe on a Sunday morning, but I did about a dumpy bag full in that time. Little and often soon fills the shed.

 

[Cyres]

Agree Fiskars is a joy to use. I do have a Lidl Florbest splitting axe. Its very handy for splitting very difficult knotty rings as I embedded it in the ring and then use a big sledge hammer on the axe. It is v robust and better than log grenades.

I am fortunate to have a very old splitting axe which I found in a long dead old ladies coal shed. It has a throat on it and with a new handle is very good.

D

 

[muddy42]

It depends on the job:
- For small wood, no knots, especially softwood, I find a axe is best. Its just lighter and more accurate. But it gets stuck easily in thicker knottier wood.
- for denser thicker wood, a maul just has more heft, weight and momentum to get the job done..
- For really massive chunks, I use a sledgehammer and metal wedges. This isn't much fun, so I try to avoid firewood like this, but sometimes it can't be helped like when you have to clear a try off a fence.

P.S. Watch out for the new ecodesign stoves people. I am having a terrible experience with mine. Yes its supposedly more efficient, but it doesn't draw well (to encourage reburning of exhaust I guess) so is hard to light and can smoke back into the room unless I'm careful. What's the point of a stove that produces cleaner smoke outside if its worse for the indoor air quality? I'm sure its good business for the stove installers though, with all the relining, cowls and cherry picker hire!

 

[pj1]

Well after having some serious log splitting envy from the picture posted by csl ( I do love a grey fergy) I’ve had my axe delivered.

now to move on to log store construction. Won’t be massive. Maybe 2 meter by 1 meter foot print. Up in the air so the teckels can get underneath it and deter any rats. Solid roof but what for the sides and back ?

 

[merlin]

Well after having some serious log splitting envy from the picture posted by csl ( I do love a grey fergy) I’ve had my axe delivered.

now to move on to log store construction. Won’t be massive. Maybe 2 meter by 1 meter foot print. Up in the air so the teckels can get underneath it and deter any rats. Solid roof but what for the sides and back ?

Pallets work for base, back and sides - allows plenty of airflow to dry

 

[VSS]

Well after having some serious log splitting envy from the picture posted by csl ( I do love a grey fergy) I’ve had my axe delivered.

now to move on to log store construction. Won’t be massive. Maybe 2 meter by 1 meter foot print. Up in the air so the teckels can get underneath it and deter any rats. Solid roof but what for the sides and back ?

I think you'll curse that axe in time. The cutting edge is too narrow.

 

[rem284]

Shorter the log the easier to split. The ones that I struggle to split with the maul then I place them on the block and use the chainsaw. Normally doing all this in the woods so the majority of mess is left there.

I have thought about getting a splitter. The main thing that puts me off is the storage of it

 

[rsf]

pj1,

Well done on getting the axe. I don't recognise the brand though. It looks hand forged but other than that I'm guessing. The shape is definitely more axe than maul though. Good luck with it.

As an aside never wear gloves. Big boots, but never gloves.

 

[Feugh]

Maul for the really knotty stuff, axe for everything else. The maul on the left was my grandfather’s, and I have rehandled it. The middle head was free and it came off a friend’s fibreglass handle. I rehandled it with wood.
If anyone wants to see the profile of axe that works well, watch Buckin Billy Ray on YouTube.

 

[csl]

watch Buckin Billy Ray on YouTube.

I'm a watcher!... I feel the language used is a bit odd, friend , but it's good content.