i use a fiskars x25 and the ~4.5# head make it easier to swing than my council tool 6# maul, so you can go a lot longer with the light tool. what with the light weight the fiskars is an effective splitter. looking on the helko site, they have a cool 3.5# maul, which will be yet easier to multiple whack with. getting into this weight range, are these still effective tools? honestly, if someone had given me the design specs for the fiskars, i would have said it would not work being too light.
The fiskers is a great tool for splitting the dead pine and larch firewood that i cut. Not so great on green wood imho, but i love my x27 now. And yes swinging the x27 for 2 or 3 hours is much easier on my 48 year old back than the traditional 8 pounder.
Love the x27, but it can only do so much. Fiskars also makes a maul, I've got one and I like it a lot. NEW Fiskars ISOCORE 8# Splitting Maul | Page 2 | Firewood Hoarders Club
the fiskars isocore looks promising. i have better ergonomics with a shorter handle. at a bunch more cabbage, and a bit less head weight, i like helko's heavy lucas splitting axe. Pro Series - Heavy Lucas Splitting Axe
i just went for the isocore from bailey's. light splitting maul my butt. my x25 will do what it will do and then the isocore will do the rest. i'm into some difficult oak rounds that the council 6# maul tends to bounce off of. nothing wrong with having some tools. situations call for the full 8#-er with the wedge head. this tool is supposed to be cushioned as it whacks, is that it?
I think you'll like it. Not sure about the whole cushioning thing, I guess maybe it's a little better than a solid wooden handle. The tool works well and if you can manage to break it they give you another...no questions.
I use a 6lb ox head but I don't use my back at all in my swing. I hoist the maul up so it is almost 90 degrees to the ground just slightly tilted back over my head, and contract my triceps and abs. It is a simple but very effective swing that I can repeat with significant accuracy. I am curious to try the fiskars, but so far my ox head hasn't let me down.
Helko stuff is too nice to use, so I hung them on the wall, (Note, wifey was not amused) Isn't this cute?
it's not even remotely a healthy relationship between helko and me anymore. i have a couple of their twisted wedges which are a joy to use. i got a 2.5# axe head from them that is waiting to get a handle installed. i love 3.5# axes and got their classic with a 31" handle, just right for length, oozes quality with its polished head. polished head, give me a break. i use it to split wood every chance i can get before picking up a heavier tool. the 2.5# axe head is going to get a custom shaved 29" handle. the blank, a piece of black ash, is dry and waiting for it in the shop. you're getting into minute degrees of being finicky here but this is the way i want the light axe. i split the handle blanks from a wind blown dead black ash. with multiple mauls, axes, wedges, and accoutrements i am an effete little snob who picks up <just> the right tool for the moment and work. i don't think lincoln or any of the western boys who fought under sherman would approve. them dudes, they were woodsmen. i can't be them but i put as much verve and joy into the work as i can muster.
I can't hardly swing a bag lunch with my back..... Please check this.... What's up today (bullchiting) thread.
About the Council maul, did you do anything with the as-received edge? Could make a big difference for you, sure did for me. Seemed they ship them with edge shaped to please the lawyers- dull and blunt. To mimic what I'd seen work very well with a 3 kg Mueller, I took a Dremel with a sanding drum to my Council maul, polished down the bulges behind the edge, and put an EDGE on it. Works great ever since. HTH
CTYank thanks for the advice. i didn't do anything with the council 6# as it came with a reasonable machine ground bevel, and mauls don't need to be razor sharp. it didn't occur to me to do the normal axe treatment of slenderizing behind the bevel so it would not have a concave shape. now that you mention it, it's clear that this was a 'not at home' mental moment. i don't know. i just looked at the shape behind the bevel and figured that was the way they wanted it for maul duty, thick to wedge in and bust up. i'm a double cut bastard file plus oil guy and will spend some quality moments reshaping the tool tomorrow. i really like having different tools to split with and choose the lightest that will work with the particular stick. you can't have a harem but you can have oodles of mauls, axes, hatches, and wedges. they are great fun.
Lighter splitting mauls can be fun to use. We have the large husqvarna splitting axe at work I would really like to test it out. But like others the fiskars is a very functional splitter. My wife really likes her x25. I really like that I haven't had to replace any handles sense I got it for her. Lol
Helko and Gransfors wedges, 8# sledge, Gransfors maul, el cheapo maul, X25, X17: each tool is best for certain jobs and good enough for several jobs. I try to match to tool to the job but I also try to mix it up some since each tool swings a little differently and by mixing it up, I spread around the wear and tear on my body.
