We can easily get fooled seeing a splitting axe to be a maul or vice versa because of its size. But if you strike a log with a splitting axe and let it stand there and then you strike a maul near it to see the distinction of their heads, you can quickly see their physical differences.
A maul has a thicker and wider head and usually, the top of its head is rounded like of a sledgehammer. This design makes the maul to become very heavy that’s why mauls can weigh between 5.5 to 8 pounds.
From the very top head of the maul down to its tapering part and into the bottom part, this part is made to be blunt and not as sharp like with the splitting axe. So basically, this part is actually more of a wedge. But why it was designed to be blunt? This is for certain purposes.
The design of the maul is what makes it more powerful in splitting wood or logs. Rather than making it sharp and getting the metal stuck in the wood, the wedge was made to be blunt so that this can crack open a log by means of its sheer weight and the force you put into it.
Here how this splitting thing happens –
Through the maul’s weight and the momentum it gathers as you swing the maul, you can create a small crack once the maul landed on the wood. As another blow comes down right on the crack, the gap becomes bigger. Another blow and the log will come apart. So with brute force and by utilizing the heft of the maul, a log doesn’t stand a chance of keeping itself whole and this is why we call the maul a splitting maul.
If you still want to know the difference between the maul vs axe , you have to look closely on their physical attributes and other factors.
To quickly know the differences between the two, why not we make a summary based on the description we have discussed above and expounds it for better understanding.