Splitting Maul Handle Broken...repair or replace

16 years ago

hello,

last fall my wooden splitting maul and handle broke in half....i now am coming up on the fall wood season and need it again. what i need to know is whether to replace the handle, and if so how do you and what to replace it with, or wether to just go buy a new maul. i saw a handle on a friends maul that centrifical force kept it on as it was skinny at the bottom and fat at the top...i would like one of these but cannot5 seem to find one. also i would like to know which is better...fiberglass or wood. i do a lot of cold whether splitting if that makes the fiber/wood difference easier to explain

thanks for you help

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Comments (5)

mla2ofus
16 years ago
If this is the kind that has a sledge or axe type handle,saw the handle off flush and drill as many 1/4" holes thru it as you can. should be able to drive it out then. use a 4" disc grinder,bench grinder or wood rasp to work handle down so it just fits in the head socket.Then work it down to same approx size to where it starts increasing in diameter. Tap the handle into socket and w/ a larger hammer,hold handle out in the air w/ head off the ground and drive the handle as far as possible thru socket. Cut what is protruding from socket off,open split in handle w/ flat screwdriver and drive wooden wedge in as far as it will go. Then drive metal wedge in at right angle to wooden wedge.
This has always worked well for me and I've probably changed dozens of sledge handles in 32 yrs of working on rock crushers.
Go buy a rubber sleeve for handle protection. This will help a lot when you make an "overshot".
HTH,
Mike
dmullen
16 years ago
My uncle gave me a 10 lb. sledge hammer head (no handle)so I put in a new fibreglass handle from Home Depot. I have an 8 lb. sledge too and cannot tell the difference in feel between them but am sure that the fibreglass handle will last forever.

The only problem that I had in installation was applying the epoxy.

The first time I did it, all of the epoxy leaked out the bottom joint between the head and handle. I bought some more epoxy, but this time, put in the handle, hot glued the seam between the head and new handle and then poured in the epoxy. Worked perfectly with no leaks this time.

I wish that I had looked around for a rubber sleeve though because I have nicked it once. The damage is just cosmetic but I still would rather have had some protection on there.

The handle prices were about $10 for wood and $15 for the fibreglass.

My maul handle is still in good shape but if it ever fails, I will use fibreglass again.

I use the maul for some wood and sledge and wedge for others.
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chas045
16 years ago
I have not had to replace my fiberglass handle. They ARE better. I have replaced many wooden ones. I didn't even know that you can replace a fiberglass handle, thanks DMULLEN
dmullen
16 years ago
I have not had to replace a fibreglass handle but did put one in a head with no handle. I think you could replace a fibreglass handle if needed by grinding out the old one but I cannot imagine ever breaking one of them. They are tough.

I will put fibreglass on my maul if the wooden one ever breaks and I have a lighter sledge that appears to have a cracked handle. It too will get fibreglass.

When installing a fibreglass handle, be sure that the joint between the metal head and the fibreglass handle is very tight. I had never installed one and mine leaked all the epoxy out. I had to buy some more at Home Depot for about $5 but next time, I put the handle and head together and then hot glued the joint before pouring in the epoxy. No leaks at all and it really set up tight.

I would like to find a place that sells those rubber sleeves because I did hit my new handle on something and put a small ding in it. If it had been wood, there would have been a much bigger ding.
rico567
16 years ago
I probably replaced 7 or 8 handles on my 8 lb. maul during my wood splitting days. Do as was suggested earlier. Drill the stub of the old handle out, then insert a new handle. Make sure it is TIGHT by using inertia, i.e., bang the end of the handle vertically on an old piece of carpet or something else resilient laid on concrete (or something else non-resilient), to force the head down as tightly as possible against the handle. Then hammer in the wedge that should have come with the handle, trim off the excess, and you're ready to go.

The reason the maul handle broke was always the same: eventually I'd swing out too far, and the handle instead of the head hit the wood to be split, and the handle would split instead. Then I found a large rubber block with a hole in it, made specifically to slip over the new handle on replacment, and rest next to the maul head, cushioning the impact if the handle hit the wood to be split. This worked perfectly, as I never again had to replace a handle. If you can't find this device, I'd recommend wrapping an entire roll of duct tape around the 3 inches of the handle next to the maul head.

Splitting Maul Handle Broken...repair or replace

Comments (5)

mla2ofus

dmullen

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