You’ve gotta face the facts Eric. The friendship you cherished is ending. A cooler, better built, more useful friend has moved in and is delegating the old friend to guarding the shed at night along with the ole’ snowshovel, and tiny homeowner grade chainsaw. You need to move forward and not dwell on the past. It’s what’s best for all involved. You’ll get through this. Be tough for maulies sake. Whatever you do....don’t take him back out, don’t want the tears rusting up the old edge
Please let me grieve! I need to process this in my own way! That maul is doing something for me that I'm having a hard time letting go of. Alas, I know you're right. That's what it's come down to. Either let go or be dragged...
Nope.. That maul hasn't been used in a few years. The back end is mushroomed to an unholy state. The only hand splitting I do is with the double-bit axe on smaller pieces when Chazsbetterhalf wants a fire pit fire. I'm sure my inexperience and "form" likely had a lot to do with it, but I just plain $#ck at hand splitting. I have even considered the Fiskar lineup.. but see no sense in spending the money if it'll seldom get used. Even though I have to admit some enjoyment from hand splitting, I only do this for heat, not recreation.
I can picture it already...poor Maulie looks out the tiny shed window only to see Eric and his new splitter skipping over to the woodpile “ Talkin’ bout’ my best..friend!”
We all handle grief differently. But the maul is like an old girlfriend I moved on from.. I know that the "relationship" is over and cannot be salvaged. We broke up for a reason.. no sense in trying to recapture the "good times" But I am happy with my current love.
Fantastical tales aside, I think you’ll find the maul most useful for popping apart big rounds you can’t get or lift to the splitter. Once halved or quartered the splitter takes over.
Best way to get over a _________ is to get on top of a new one as they say... Or my other favorite, "Is the (mauling) you're getting worth the (mauling) you're getting? "
Eric Schamell I gave up splitting full time with a maul 20 years ago but I still swing it from time to time. What I burn comes from my own property and I do get some nice red and white oak when one of them decides to fall down. When I cut a nice 16 inch round off the trunk many times it is to big for me to handle. I also work alone. If I can at least quarter the rounds with the maul, then that is what I do. If I can't bust it apart, then I noodle them. Noodling wastes a lot of wood so that is only a last resort option. My woods is not very conducive to allow for the splitter to be dragged to the rounds.
I figured on keeping mine around for the same reason. Even if it only gets used once a year, it's worth the space it'll take up in my shed. At least in my eyes anyway. I probably mentioned this 2-3 times on this forum but my maul is something of an heirloom so I'm going to keep it indefinitely.
I had a Home Depot maul for a long time. $40 tool that I'm indifferent about it. The maul I've been using since last year originally belonged to my grandfather. Back in the fall of 2019 he got put into hospice care and my family and I had to clean out his trailer, getting it ready to sell. I ended up taking most of his old gardening tools along with his orange 1970s Monster Maul. I grew up helping him every fall with his firewood, stacking, carrying, etc. He always had that maul with him so it became this piece of nostalgia for me. Something tangible I could remember him with. Anyway, he had a splitter at one point too so I don't feel bad for laying the maul down. I'll hang on to it and make sure to use it once in a great while.
Oh, you can get it to split alright. You just need one of these bad boys. Nothing over 8" diameter though, you may blow the seals and bend the ram. The world's largest hydraulic presses | Gasparini Industries
Your grandfathers old maul sounds cool. So it’s one of those all steel super heavyweights with a big wide triangle head? What’s that bad boy weigh?
Professional Maul - handle mounted in sleeve with silicone rubber. Absorbs shock. (Includes cushion grip.) 17 lbs. 25 Year Guarantee. $28.95 Original Monster Maul - over 1,000,000 sold. Now with triple thick sleeve. 16 lbs. 10 Year Guarantee. $24.95 Lady's Maul - for smaller logs. 12 lbs. 10 Year Guarantee. $21.95 Economy Maul - made similar to imitations that come and go. Priced much less. 15 lbs. 5 Years Guarantee. $16.95 Those were 1986 prices, delivered to your door no less! (Outside the lower 48? Dunno, sorry.) Factory pickup in Columbia Station, OH was $23.95, $19.95, $17.95, and $12.95. Monster Maul still being made.
Yep.. I'd not get rid of that maul either. And would likely use it on a couple of rounds every year. Then fire up the hydro.
Pretty interesting. I’m having a hard time thinking of a 12 lb maul as a lady’s maul though. Most men I know couldn’t swing that for very long if at all.
