Splitting wood by hand

[HillStreet]

My brother-in-law is 68 years old and cuts his own wood and splits 6 cords a year with maul and wedges. He does it for the exercise and actually likes doing it. I am really feeling my age at 64, I would be better off following his example.

 

[grnspot110]

I'm 63, have a hydraulic splitter for my JD 790, I prefer to split by hand (Fiskar's splitting axe). I use the tractor splitter when I need to split a trailer load in warm weather! ~~ grnspot

 

[s219]

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

In your case, the X25 would probably be a better choice. Back when the X27 first came out, my understanding is that it was mainly intended for taller people, for which the X25 was dangerous -- an over-swing could potentially aim it right at the foot/shin area on a tall person. With the X27, and over-swing will still hit the ground even for taller people.

I'm 6'1" and the X27 fits me well, but I sure would not want it to be any longer! Based on that, I'd suggest an X25 for you.

 

[2458n]

I did not care for the Fiskar at all the handle was some type of plastic and the end of the handle was hollow, Just never felt right. It may have just been a axe, and not the splitting type axe mentioned. Grandfather had a farm and alot of oak and hickory trees. Here is my best tip buy a gas log splitter and use it while your young....

 

[MortalWombat]

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

If it makes any difference, I'm 5'8" and have the X27. I like the length because it puts some more distance between the ax head and my feet if I ever happen to miss (which I haven't so far, but it puts me more at ease). My wife even tried it and she's 5'3" and had no problem swinging it.

 

[dmccarty]

I'm late to this forum. I was looking for better ways to cut and stack wood. When I first started reading it I was just going to contribute my 2 cents. I have a old maul that my dad gave to me that never comes out of the shed. I used his old double bit axe with a wood handle when I was a kid, and I still use it today. I bought a single bit with a fiberglass handle to teach my son how to do it. I thought that was safer.

After busting my back and shoulders this weekend on white oak with those axes and the old wedges with an 8 pound sledge I think I may have to try the Fiskars.

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

I have a Fiskar 27 and I wish it was a bit longer but I am 6 foot tall. An X25 should work for you. My two cents is that the handle should be as long as your leg height. Course you can't get axe handles as easy as you can pant sizes. If the axe handle is too short, and the ax does not hit the splitting "stump", you could get whacked in the foot or leg by the axe.

With my hydraulic splitter it would take about 12 hours to split a cord. Last week, I split wood with the Fiskar for about 6 hours and got 3/4 of a cord. This was nice red oak with only a few pieces of forked wood. The Fiskar's axe handle has held up much better than the fiberglass handled splitters I have used in the past. I really like the Fiskar though I wish it was an inch or two longer and a bit heavier. Danged thing is sharp too and holds and edge.

As soon as I finished goofing off on TBN, I am going out side to split more wood. I really like the exercise. I have been wearing a heart rate monitor and I am burning 350-500 caloris an hour when splitting. The day I split wood for almost 6 hours, I burned around 3,400 calories and really got my heart rate up. I can get my average and peak heart rate to a level that matches what I do in the gym using a stepper or rowing machine. With splitting wood I burn calories, get exercise AND get firewood to heat the house! :thumbsup:

Later,
Dan

 

[s219]

I did not care for the Fiskar at all the handle was some type of plastic and the end of the handle was hollow, Just never felt right. It may have just been a axe, and not the splitting type axe mentioned. Grandfather had a farm and alot of oak and hickory trees. Here is my best tip buy a gas log splitter and use it while your young....

The handle is pretty much indestructible. Don't know the material, but it is very tough.

As for the hollow part, it's per the design which tapers the weight distribution so the max weight is at the head. Almost like the concept of a golf driver. The whole key here is high head speed, which gives you more momentum than you could get with a heavier maul.

 

[dmccarty]

The handle is pretty much indestructible. Don't know the material, but it is very tough.

As for the hollow part, it's per the design which tapers the weight distribution so the max weight is at the head. Almost like the concept of a golf driver. The whole key here is high head speed, which gives you more momentum than you could get with a heavier maul.

Yeppers. My guess is that the plastic handle is put on the ax head while hot and the plastic shrinks as it cools. I beat the heck out of the Fiskar and use it to pry loose wood that did not quite split off the round. I have a couple axes and mauls where the head has loosened from the handles. I think one handle has broken and I could not fix it. These were the yellow fiberglass handles. I think I will have to really abuse the Fiskar to break its head loose from the handle.

The end of the handle has a little nub. If the edge of your strong arm hand is just up from that nub, you can flick/twist your wrist just before the ax head hits the wood. That wrist flick really can accelerate the ax head with very little effort.

I was splitting again yesterday and "training" my left arm to split wood. I am right handed so it is taking a bit of effort to use the left arm but it worked surprisingly well. The left arm is not as precise as my right arm when using the ax but it will not take much time to get "train" the left arm. Using the left arm to split the big rounds helped give my right arm a rest. It was cold out there yesterday though and I had to put on a light coat to keep from getting chilled when I was stacking the wood. I think I am getting addicted to splitting wood. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing: I really wanted to split wood today but my back, after three days of splitting, was whispering that I needed a break. :laughing::laughing::laughing: Plus I needed to make some Navy bean and ham soup and some bread. Both are almost done and we can eat soon. :licking::licking::licking:

Later,
Dan

 

[turnkey4099]

I'm late to this forum. I was looking for better ways to cut and stack wood. When I first started reading it I was just going to contribute my 2 cents. I have a old maul that my dad gave to me that never comes out of the shed. I used his old double bit axe with a wood handle when I was a kid, and I still use it today. I bought a single bit with a fiberglass handle to teach my son how to do it. I thought that was safer.

After busting my back and shoulders this weekend on white oak with those axes and the old wedges with an 8 pound sledge I think I may have to try the Fiskars.

Does the length of the handle make a difference? I'm only 5'8" and was considering the X25 instead of the X27. I think I will have to get one of them this weekend!

Just keep in mind that the Fiskars is not a maul and is not a replacement for a maul. It shines in clear grain wood. If you expect to split only with the Fiskars, you will be disappointed. A good arsenal is:
Fiskars, 6 or 8lb maul, wedge/10lb sledge. I'm 78, put in time everyday the weather allows and use primarily the Fiskars and 6lb maul (to "tap" the back of the fiskars when the split doesn't finish) but all three get used.

Harry K

 

[cqaigy2]

Just keep in mind that the Fiskars is not a maul and is not a replacement for a maul. It shines in clear grain wood. If you expect to split only with the Fiskars, you will be disappointed. A good arsenal is:
Fiskars, 6 or 8lb maul, wedge/10lb sledge. I'm 78, put in time everyday the weather allows and use primarily the Fiskars and 6lb maul (to "tap" the back of the fiskars when the split doesn't finish) but all three get used.

Harry K

Pretty close to what i have and use. The long Fiskars splitting axe, 8lb splitting maul, wedge. I just can't bring myself to "tap" the fiskars with the maul though, but i will take another swing with the splitting axe at the incomplete split.