# Wedge keeps killing my splitting maul



## mystic_cobra (Apr 18, 2011)

I have a Craftsman splitting maul that I use to split firewood. Maybe a cord a year on average. I also have a wedge. The maul seems to last by itself but it seems that after using the flat side a few times on the wedge to get through stubborn logs, the handle ends up cracking where it meets the metal head and eventually falling out. 



I've always split wood this way since my dad taught me 30+ years ago. I started out with a wooden handle maul. Sears replaces it under the lifetime tool warranty without question. I've replaced about 15 over the last 5-10 years. Eventually they stopped carrying the wood handle version and so now I get the fiberglass handle version. It seems they both last about the same amount of time but start to crack very soon after I use them to bang the wedge through a stubborn log. 



Do others split wood this way? 

Should I use a sledge hammer instead of the maul to hit the wedge? 

Am I doing it wrong? 

Is the Craftsman maul just junk? 



thanks!


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

A splitting maul is not used to drive a wedge. The maul IS a wedge and both can be driven with a heavy hammer, sledge or otherwise.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm curious.

How many times do you miss and hit the handle on the wedge instead of the maul head?

even once can cause cracking to start.

Get a sledgehammer, as heavy as you can handle.

4 pound up to a 20 pound, are available. 

only get what you can safely swing, don't over do it, this takes muscles that you forgot you had. :vs_laugh:


ED


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## mystic_cobra (Apr 18, 2011)

de-nagorg said:


> I'm curious.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This maul has a really good rubber collar that protects the handle when I miss. It's definitely hitting the wedge that causes the cracks at the joint. Sounds like i need a sledge hammer! 

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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

I can't say I used a wedge and a maul; either one or the other and when using a wedge I used a sledge. One danger of using a wedge on a particular piece of nasty wood is getting it, well, wedged. At least with a maul you have handle to work it free. The only time I used both was to use the wedge to keep pressure on a split on a large log whilst I gave it another whack with the maul, but well away from from the target area (which for me is usually quite large).


As 'de-nagorg' says, the more you miss the more you shorten the life of the handle.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> This maul has a really good rubber collar that protects the handle when I miss.


That’s what you think. The protection of that little rubber piece is not that great. It also does nothing to stop the momentum of the maul head. 

Because a sledge has a greater distance between the face of the hammer and the handle, hopefully the face will make contact with the wood before the handle impacts the wedge. But even with the sledge, if it takes too many impacts on the handle right behind the head, you will snap it off. 

I’d suggest you back up a bit. It’s better to glance off the wedge to the front, or even miss entirely to the front, that to take a handle impact.

The other thing, how much effort are you putting into the swing. If you are swinging it like most guys do when trying to ring the bell at the carnival, you are over swinging and are less accurate as a result. A square accurate hit on the wedge with a moderate swing will drive it better than a wild super swing.


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

Last spring I moved to a gas splitter for my main wood supply. Before that, exclusively an 8’ lb fiberglass handle splitting maul and a supply of 5 lb wedges. Sheer nonsense to carry both a sledge and a maul out into the field....and unnecessary. My current maul is going on about 9 years or so with no worries.


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## PatentPending (Aug 7, 2018)

chandler48 said:


> A splitting maul is not used to drive a wedge. The maul IS a wedge and both can be driven with a heavy hammer, sledge or otherwise.


I recently bought a Fiskars maul that has a striking face opposite the wedge, so maybe he's using something similar?

<unsolicited recommendation>If you're looking for a maul to use both as a maul and for driving wedges, I can't recommend the aforementioned Fiskars enough. It's apparently also perfectly kosher (per Fiskars' answer to an Amazon question) to use the maul _as_ a wedge and strike the striking face with a hammer when it gets stuck (I have found this very useful). The handle is steel-cored with some kind of vibration reducing witchcraft, so you're not going to break it. I bought this to take care of some of the rounds that are a bit too recalcitrant for the x27 (which I also recommend). I know some people thumb their nose at Fiskars because their axes aren't handmade on the thighs of Nordic virgins or whatever, but it's ultimately a pointy hammer, not a museum piece.</unsolicited recommendation>


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## mystic_cobra (Apr 18, 2011)

I thought I was going crazy so I checked to see what the manufacturers recommend. 
Both Sears and Fiskars state in product descriptions that their maul IS TO BE USED as a sledge hammer.
sears.com: (https://www.sears.com/craftsman-splitting-maul-6lb/p-07109976000P)
Whether working on a project or stocking up on firewood, the Craftsman splitting maul can help you get the job done efficiently. When you need some extra force, the splitting maul's other side can be used like a sledgehammer. The tool is a great addition to any toolbox.
Great for splitting wood
Head weight of 6 lbs.
One side of the tool's head can be used as a sledgehammer

Fiskars maul:
(http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Home-Improvement-Tools/Sledge-Hammers/IsoCore-8-lb-Maul-36)
(first bullet point)
-Ideal for splitting wood (splitting face) or driving wedges and stakes (driving face)


Besides, Why would they shape the head like a hammer if it wasn't for hitting things? 


Interestingly, the Fiskars 750610-1001 IsoCore 8 lb Sledge Hammer, 36 in is shaped like a maul. It has a flat head and a wedge-shaped head for bashing concrete. I do have a concrete patio that has to go so maybe this tool would help my splitting maul to last longer.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> Both Sears and Fiskars state in product descriptions that their maul IS TO BE USED as a sledge hammer.


That presumes you are hitting what you are aiming at.
At least part of the time, you are not.

Show me where they say that the handle can be used to strike a stationary object.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I always use an 8 lb sledge hammer if I need to use my wedge but normally I just use my maul for splitting wood. I occasionally use the stuck maul as wedge.


Does Sears still sell Craftsman mauls? Our local Sears quit carrying them several yrs before they closed. I've never remembered to look in the only remaining Sears store within driving distance.


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## mystic_cobra (Apr 18, 2011)

mark sr said:


> I always use an 8 lb sledge hammer if I need to use my wedge but normally I just use my maul for splitting wood. I occasionally use the stuck maul as wedge.
> 
> 
> Does Sears still sell Craftsman mauls? Our local Sears quit carrying them several yrs before they closed. I've never remembered to look in the only remaining Sears store within driving distance.


I'm not trying to say "you guys are wrong ". I'm just looking for a good discussion so I can learn something. 
Many Sears stores are gone. Many have scaled down. I used to have three plus two Sears hardware stores within 20 miles of me. Now I have one. Yes, they carry the splitting maul at mine. Only the one with the fiberglass handle. They didn't hesitate to take my wooden one for the tool warranty swap. 

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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> I'm just looking for a good discussion so I can learn something.


Ayuh,..... As has been said, If ya hit steel to steel,....... No problem,.....

_It's when the handle hits the wedge, ya break the handle_,.......

I have both wooden, 'n fiberglass handled mauls,......

I wrap the 4" nearest the head with quality black electrical tape, 'n then a chunk of big self-sealing heat-shrink tubin' over that,......
Even then, it only takes a few _Misses_, 'n I'm redoin' the tape cushion,....


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