Great job on the axe, I never knew they could get sharp enough to cut through a log as fast as this. I thought it took atleast 5 - 8 strikes to do that. (Great work!)
GIT THE GULLET,… and cut those logs straight, Mr.Scott! Awesome to see 2 of my 4 favorite channels come together! Now maybe AvE and Vice Grip Garage can show up 🤯
EC, I find your brand of wisdom an envialble trait. I am a young man by your standards, and hope one day to possess a fraction of the wisdom that you continually exude. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I am afraid we now live in a world where people who can understand the value in the things you say is becoming exceedingly rare.
Seeing a tool made by my favourite RU-vidr, in the hands of my other favourite RU-vid channel brings a joy to me I can’t explain. You both have taught me a great deal. Love it! Keep up the good work Scott and Nate! Hope cy gets on here soon again.
If you watch Billy Ray's splitting videos, a huge component of his axe splitting technique is the "flick" as he calls it; allowing (or encouraging) the axe head to turn and force the two pieces of wood apart as it strikes. This works better with an axe head than a maul, as it's longer and thinner and lets you use that length as leverage to overcome the lighter weight. A maul head is thicker and heavier and (as Scott mentioned) relies on impact with that weight to do the work. As both guys have noted, the type of wood makes a big difference, too. I enjoy both channels immensely, and it's great to see you collaborate.
I’m compelled to say I’ve been a consumer of your content for a couple of years with not much to contribute. Thank you for making this page and being such a genuine person. I’ve been fortunate to have had a few people in my life like you. I’m glad I listened to them. And im glad you enjoy being on camera so often. I was cut from similar material as you were and I have such a passion for working with my hands, and the tools that provide for my family.
A great clip - brings back lots of memories. I grew up in SE BC - Creston, then high school in Bonners Ferry, ID. Father was woods manager for sawmills. Graduate forester - top of class @ U of Idaho. He grew up on farm in Central Idaho - Grangeville. Hard work and frugality was his only life. He could out snowshoe/hike anyone! So my brother and I learned that life as well. I love hearing terms like cruisers axe etc. At 6' 4, and 10" palm spread - I am a pretty powerful splitter, even now @ 76 (just not for as long, now). Yes, there is some thing magical for me in splitting wood - always has been. (But then I love shoveling snow - seeing clean walks and drives - very gratifying - maybe a northwoods mystic or anomaly). My experience for my size is an 8#'r with as long a handle as possible. The civil engineer in me says you get more acceleration with the longer radius and F = ma or force = mass times acceleration. So that's my kit. I'd split and stack 6 - 7 cord a winter - only way our house was heated. My dad would have a logging truck load of buckskin tamarack snags when crews were logging old burn areas dropped off every couple of years or so. I loved their straight grain and easy splitting. Best ever was splitting western red cedar to make 8' fence rails or posts as fund raisers for church or scouts. What a great aroma! Lastly and most unique = L.A. grandparents paid for our swimming pool - only one in town of 2,800 in late 60's (see next post for rest of story)
Be still my heart! What a joy! To find 2 of my favourite content creators have found each other and collaborated, organically; brings me so many smiles today. Thanks fellas! You're both absolute gems!
When I was a kid I thought my dad only wanted a boy to have someone to cut and process firewood. Splitting maul and wedges only. He said it was good for my character…it was. I didn’t buy a wood splitter until after my boys were grown and gone. I think it was good for their character too. 😊
Having been a kid that split by hand and discovered wood splitters. It's invaluable knowing what work a pile of timber requires. Grabbing a chainsaw and then firing up a splitter is child play. I found out how quickly calloused hands were as much a tool as anything else. I haven't done rough work in 2 decades, but when I went to physical therapy a few years ago I blew the doc away when I squeezed the dynamometer and hit 160 pounds, according to him gym rats struggle to get hands that strong. If only I could build callouses on the brain!
I have a bad back like Billy and am 57 so I split my wood using a 2 1/2 pound Elwell axe with a 36" hickory handle. The axe head cost me £10 the handle £15 ish, Elwell axes are fifty years old or more. I keep it sharp and with the 36" reach it splits really well. Thanks for your content I watch from the UK and enjoy them. Regards Keith Burton.
You and Buckin Billy Ray are cool Dudes......where we are in Arkansas we don't go to the Bush or Brush but we go to the woods..... yep I love old axes and what y'all do . I have an old plumb ax that belongs to my daddy that he got when he was 8 ....around 1926 ....he made all of his handles with a draw knife . His ax still has a handle in it that was made around1938 when he was a kid .
That's a nice addition. I've been splitting wood for over 50 years with a variety of tools. I like the maul and a heavier axe, this seems like a nice mix of the two. That wood you're splitting looks really neat. Enjoy your channel.
Nice review!! Buckin’s axe is sure a graceful thing. I actually, with Buckin’s inspiration, re-handled and tuned up some tools this winter that had been abused by a young fella who was used to working on a job site.😀 My go-to splitter is an 8 pounder very much like Scott’s and had been peened over on the hammer end, which I gently re-ground to proper shape. As to wedges, I’ve taken to carrying an old 8lb sledge hammer out to the woodpile for driving them in, saving my newly-restored splitter. Here in the land of hard maple, I’ve learned to set aside the truly wicked, gnarly pieces and bring in the hydraulic splitter to remind them of their duty. Keep up the good work!
@@badlandskid / yes , I thought of that word too , but hesitated using it . Either way , the important thing is Billy Ray drops them pretty much exactly where he says he's going to ! ;-)
@@badcat4707 you are correct we dont say tree feller . here, yer a faller. not a feller , we use felled in the case of F&B , Felled and Bucked. I was a faller... . i am a faller.... can we fall it?... ,, can it be felled?.... are you a faller?.... are you goin' Fallin'?.... I fell for years.... back when i was fallin'... Remember when we fell that snag ,.... Timber faller . love wins
I love splitting wood! I use a long handle Fiskars brand maul I picked up from Walmart for less than $50. Used it to split a lot of wood and still going strong.
Scott and Buckin Billy have done many good things for many good men, old and young. Thank you both for the content and time to show your craft, as well as your world views through said craft and care for others. Now Buckin needs to show you the "flick". :) Godspeed!
Nice to see a quality tool like that put right into service. My Dad acquired a new Gransfors Bruk Felling Axe that he is so reluctant to use due to it’s high quality that it has lived in his gun cabinet since the day it arrived. I expect that it won’t be used until I inherit it, lol.
I use the long handle on the maul, mostly because with Scheuermann's arthritis of the spine and a load of herniated discs, I am not very hm... bendable. I also prefer the boys axe head on a slightly longer handle. I discovered the need for it when I had to help my young nephew with a load of "split fire wood" that had been delivered as whole rounds, some partly soaked. By the way, if you ever get the chance, a video of just splitting wood would be lovely. No music, just the whisper of the breeze, the rustle of fabric as you wind up and swing, followed by the sharp crack of the impact, and the pop of the wood as it splits. Cheers from Ohio, Mr. Wadsworth.
Our first house had a fireplace and was gas heat which I said was a deal breaker but my wife loved the house so for 3 years I cut and split my own wood. I loved felling my own source of heat. Loved the smell and the work absolutely made me a healthier man.
Pure wholesome goodness. Thanks Scott, I love your channel, your positive attitude, and the great content you always put out. I've considered putting an edge on a few mauls, but never have done more than file out nicks. I'll give it a shot though. Don’t stop working, you've still got it!
The use of a chopping block makes splitting much easier. Up here in alaska I use a razor sharp 12lb maul with a long axe handle to split birch and black spruce and it works great, especially when the wood is good and frozen, the difference between frozen and thawed wood is tremendous. Using a block keeps the maul from hitting the ground and directs more force into the round your splitting so less is lost into the ground, and of course it keeps the rounds off the snow, which at times is up to 13 feet deep. Just a tip from the frozen north. Have a great day and thanks for your videos
Split hardwoods for my dad my entire life and I’ve split all of it with his 3 1/2 pound dull double bit axe. Busts up wood great and doesn’t wear you out quite as much. Definitely want something more though when cutting hedge apple. That stuff is gnarly.
Another great video. I've been watching for years. Right now on my way to Seattle, but just now decided to stay the night in Roseburg tonight for the first time. Beautiful country and drive up. Looking forward to seeing the town. Now if the BBQ restaurant will just stay open a little longer... 😄
I always hear that heating with wood heats you 4 times. Once to cut it, once to split and stack it, once to carry it into the house, and then when you burn it. Grew up heating with wood, always loved the smell and warmth it brings.
I always split wood by first putting the chunk on a chopping block that is about 18 inches high. If you do that, there is significantly less chance of injury from a maul or ax. I also use a chain and bungee wrap around the block I am splitting so as you break it up it stays on the stump and saves time. As I age (I’m 73), I also don’t bother with pieces that are too twisted or jointed to split easily. Speed is less important than safety. One mistake with a maul or ax could be catastrophic.
I was told a long time ago that the edge on a splitting maul should be ground unequal. So if you look at the centre line of the cutting edge the angle of grind is different on either side of the centre line. I was told that helps prevent the edge from sticking in the cut and has more of a levering effect. I don't know if it's true but it's the way I've always ground them.
My summer "job" when I was 14 was breaking down the three, 45 foot gnarly pine trees my folks had an arborist take down in our suburban tract backyard. Yes, it took me a few hours each morning, I hadn't the slightest idea of where/how to do any of it and it was usually around 95° by noon and I had baseball or soccer practice most afternoons. I learned to do it though and the hands were pretty rough in the end; probably the last free summer I've had in the 30 years since...and wish I had some trees to fell now.
I grew up splitting wood with splitting mauls that had a axe handles. Did make it harder to use the sledge face to drive splitting wedges when needed though.
Scott, Just a word of precaution for future splitting. At the end of your video you were using one maul to drive the other maul down into the wood. I did that with an heirloom maul that I was certain was just as good and as structurally sound as any brand new six pound splitting maul. While I was splitting one day, I discovered the most efficient way to split some large diameter red oak. It went something like, bring two mauls, get one maul stuck, then use the other maul to hammer it through (hammer to hammer) until the wood splits. It worked so well on many occasions until, On one round in particular I did this new found method, I had my heirloom maul stuck in the oak, then proceeded to hammer the heirloom maul with my newer maul. I hammered on the maul to drive them through the wood but then I felt a sudden pinch, burn, and quite a sharp pain in the middle of my right calf muscle. I thought to myself, "surely its just a cramp or a pinched nerve" and tried to walk it off. However, the more I walked it off the more it hurt, to the point I finally looked down at my jeans and lo and behold my jeans and boots are covered in my blood. All of this transpiring over the course of about 30 seconds. After 2 blood soaked towels, about an hour of my wife holding pressure on my leg to stop the bleeding, and a trip to the urgent care clinic, I found that a fragment of my heirloom maul was lodged in the middle of my calf and wound up needing surgery to remove it for fear of potential infections. Moral of the story, I got lucky. Luckily, it was just my calf that was damaged, not my head or my abdomen, or worse (someone else). Keep up the hard work, really enjoy your content!
Today I learned the true powers of a splitting maul. I have two small axes, great for making firestarters etc, but they have no chance of getting that wood split as we can see in the end. So I got 3 logs cut to around 80 cm, 40 cm in diameter and was wondering how the hell am I going to manage that. My neighbour has a chainsaw, so it's the first thing I asked him but then he said he's got a good splitting axe which made me giggle a little. When I saw him do all 3 logs in 5 minuts into manageable pieces I now know I must get me some of that beautiful piece of steel. He used Fiskars, 70 cm long, and about 1.5 kg heavy. Did wonders. Keep up the good content!
Back in the late 50's my dad would order a dump load of Dug Fir pealer cores from Rogue River Mill.That and Madrone we burned in our fireplace.My brother split and I hauled and stacked as I was 6 .Dad didn't want me to loose a foot.
I have a stihl branded maul it has quite a different shape than an old school maul but it works amazing its obviously rebranded ox head makes them and then puts stihl colors and logos on them but the are good
Some ppl (even the more seasoned ones) will never learn that an old tire will help: 1) prevent a bad cut and 2) hold those cut pieces from scattering. Just keep an old empty tire in back of the truck every time you're going to use an Axe for cutting firewood.
Here Australia (Tasmania) they are called block splitters. I prefer mine to be slightly dull and not as pointy - sharp and pointy gets stuck in Tasmanian hardwood and expending energy pulling it out is not fun. So a blunt instrument works better IMHO
I'm from Arizona never split wood in my life until I went to my in laws up north there's something about splitting wood that's therapeutic just the hard work work and open out doors
Longer straight hafted maul or heavy rafting style ax works best for me. Convex cheeks separate fibers better than flat or concave. When I make hafts for ax or maul they usually are 40 inches long; the standard 36 was adopted when the average ax wielder was close to a foot shorter than today! Leverage and speed are gained and I feel my strikes are more accurate. I know when chopping the chips are larger and fewer in number with a longer haft.
I've got one of those and it does work good,but I kept breaking the handles. Where it's got the thin vertical profile just beneath the head. It would occasionally make contact with the round,if it split crooked or weird and after a few of those impacts itd develop into a crack. I've not seen the same problem with sledge eyed mauls. I imagine that the axe eyed maul would be great for clear straight grained rounds,I'm just relaying my experience with them.
I often wrap a bit of carpet around the base of my handles with insulation tape and then a sheet of tin from a can again wrapped with tape. Like you say, one hard miss hit and your handle can be gone. It's a disappointment when you put every effort into making it strong.
@@hopefilledsinner3911 I rehandled it and hung it on the wall,at least for now. I usually shun fiberglass handled tools,but I bought a fiskars isocore 8lb maul for general work. It's more blunt and requires a little more swing,but it's quite comfortable as long as you wear gloves. I still split my smaller stuff with a 4lb dayton pattern axe with a good hickory handle. I may give your guard idea a try. I love a good wood handled tool.
Burning wood warms me at least 7 times: - when I cut it - when load it into the truck - when I unload the truck - when I split it - when I stack it in the shed - when I haul it back to the house - when I burn it Depending on how wet it is I may have to haul it out of the woods to the truck...and you also have to clean out the stove and haul the ashes away.
Gnarly? Mate, you should see some of the stuff we've got down south in Australia. Struggle to split something 12" diameter 18" long with a wedge and a 12lb sledge. Although if it's cut into those sections it will split after a few years.
When I want to split wood (it's been a while), I have handy an ax, a maul, a sledge, and some wedges. I don't know the weight of the maul (it's in storage while we're mobile), but it's probably about 8 pounds. And I keep it sharp. My sledge is a 12 pounder, because I'm too cheap to replace it with a 16 pounder like I would rather use. With 12, I have too much inclination to use my back, really try to "pull" the sledge down onto a wedge, while the 16 lets me just use the weight. When I've used those, my back has been happier with me. When we settle back down somewhere, I should probably just get one. But the maul was never a blunt instrument for me, any more than the ax, or pick, or mattock. Typically, with a smaller log I'd try to just split it with the ax, and that often did the job. If it just stuck in, I'd pull it back out and either switch to the maul or put a wedge in the cut it made and go for the sledge. It may turn out I've been splitting wood all wrong for over four decades, but it seems to work pretty well. Which reminds me---we bought a couple of those "bundles" of firewood, from the campground we're in, and I need to process some of it into kindling. All I have, aside from some knives, is a lightweight hatchet. This may be a challenge.
If you haven't seen this, place the wood you're chopping inside an old vehicle tyre until you're done chopping. It stops you having to right the cut pieces every time you're successful.
As Pat McManus wrote, "Wood warms you three times, if you drop the tree over your neighbor's fence, and your father hears about it, and warms your behind."
The one issue Ive come across with a sharp splitter is instead of splitting the wood and following the grain, it will cut the grain and bite into the wood and sometimes end up twisting and racking your wrist, making for a very uncomfortable experience. This may be overcome with the axe profile though. With my Fiskars 8# splitting maul, ive had this happen white a bit, but it has more of a concave profile, making the leading edge a lot thinner than the typical maul.
@tony C.. True, One sommer some years back, I had a full truckload of wood delivered to my mothers house. My summer weight loss program was sawing, splitting with a maul and stacking that entire truckload of logs. Nothing like splitting wood for an excerise program. It worked. :)
Rest of the story:.....dad soon said: "sometimes you can't afford to receive free gifts!" the cost of gas to heat the pool in N Idaho was staggering. In his typical McGyver way, he had 2" copper pipe bent into a helix coil, put into a double jacket of culverts for a heating column that sat atop a fire box of fire brick - a pool heater like you've never seen before! We soon had lots of "friends" dropping by and became smarter = work, then play....you split wood for the pool heater, then showered off with a warm hose line off the heater - then have fun in the pool! "....those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...." I am so grateful to have grown up "a country boy" (thanks Dad)
My neighbors across the street took down 6 Siberian Elms. Horrible, dirty trees that drop millions of seeds, suffer partial winter kill and then sprout around it leaving dead patches in the tree, splitting it with a hand tool is impossible, and the 20-ton hydraulic splitter from the rental shop has to work pretty hard. But, Oh! Does that wood burn hot and clean and long.
I had access to red oak trees a few years ago. I wanted to split the big rounds before loading on a trailer but found it impossible. Couldn`t even get a wedge started. My 27 ton splitter would spit out the split pieces with a big bang. They would fly 10 ft. making it scary. How did this get done before log splitting machines?
A lot of drying time is my guess. Live oak here in florida is about as tough as any wood ive run into. After 2 seasons of drying it started to split a little better but still took everything i had to brake it up.
about 2 weeks into december, local guy up the road from me had an english oak come down after some heavy winds, they cut up and split the smaller stuff on a splitter, and had one hell of a time. I cut up the rest with a Hytest tassie and a Wards master quality. Would take everything i had on nearly every swing, but eventually the tassie would force it to split open, then swap to the Wards which is a thiner profile and could slip into the split made by the tassie, took a bit longer but ill admit, that was some of the toughest wood ive come across that wasnt twisted or so full of knots that it would be unsplitable.
I used to love splitting wood. Two frozen shoulders later and the universe has convinced me that's not a good thing to do. Still sounds nice and smells great though.
I have six wedges... I like that maul. But, it's a professional tool: meaning it's dangerous. It's meant for a guy who uses it OFTEN. And who is in proper shape, physically. It's all about avoiding that "one mistake". You delineated that,, well.
