The wood splitting maul I am using is on the handle transplant list.
Fortunately, due to an alert from an early warning detection system ( my eyes) I already have on hand a new handle and an extra wedge in case I can’t recycle the one that is currently securing the handle in the head.
The primary cause of handle failure is to overhit the target block of wood. Which is to say to swing past the block so the head of the maul never hits the wood and the inertia of the head isn’t transfered into the wood but instead is stopped and absorbed by the handle.
Overhitting is a common neophyte error, even when explicit instructions are given to err on the side of missing short instead. It is often caused by thinking that a longer stroke is better, so the newbie starts the arc of the swing with the maul head behind his back down by his ankles somewhere.
Instead, the power in the stroke is generated by flexing the knees at the moment of impact so the full weight of the body is brought down on the wood. Speed is generated by pushing with the upper hand on the handle and pulling on the bottom simultaneously immediately prior to striking the wood.
Enough overhitting and eventually the handle fails. Just like if an institution has the correct theory (maul head) but overemphasizes the wrong striking points, eventually it fails and becomes useless.
Even though I have the handle for the transplant, I continue to use this one out of curiosity to see how long it will last. When I look at it, it seems as if at any stroke, it could go. I am fairly confident that the next overhit and it is finished, so I feel like I am walking on the wild side using it. Sometimes, given my religious and health limitations, I have to get my thrills where I can. :-) Woo hoo! Extreme wood chopping!
The problem with using the maul in this condition is that I have to adjust my swing in order that the head hits the wood at the correct angle. As the front of the handle is the part broken , the head is slightly bent back. This does make for an awkwardness that may diminish the overall impact and effectiveness of the stroke, but my curiosity is outweighing my common sense.
It is the same reason I continue to be involved wilh an institution that I feel is fatally flawed in its current configuration, will eventually completely break down, and needs an overhaul, which is doable, that it is currently resisting.
Nurse, stand by with the handle.
December 31, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Gosh… as you may know, I have heated three of my homes with wood exclusively. Handles can certainly get that way. I, however, preferred an axe and only used the maul for the big pieces.
Further, as you know, I am looking at the same institution and wondering about joining… my wondering due to those fatal flaws you mentioned.
January 1, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Accept what you see as favorable for your devotional service, and reject what you find unfavorable for your devotional service.
It is not an all or nothing choice — clearly some aspects are wonderful, but blind faith is not advised.
It isn’t that some other institution somewhere else is exempt from the imperfections of the material world.
The real question is whether your participation is helping solve the inevitable problems any institution faces or making them worse. That is all you have control over.
January 1, 2008 at 2:38 pm
To cut = Saw do = Sadhu.
I appreciate your comparison of the diminshed effectiveness of the maul handle to the institution. Very clever and insightful. As you say, as long as we avoid correcting what is obviously flawed, the overall impact will continue to be impared.
Chaits
January 2, 2008 at 10:51 am
If it had been really clever I wouldn’t have had to spell it out. :-)
January 2, 2008 at 11:07 am
Ed: as per wondering about joining, here is an article you may find relevant:
http://deshika.wordpress.com/2008/01/01/iskcons-second-class-citizens/
Here is a response on the same topic:
http://www.atmayogi.com/node/544
January 4, 2008 at 10:02 am
I thought you were referring to the institution of the Meberg Family…Hahaha.
January 4, 2008 at 10:57 am
That would also be included. My life is littered with flawed institutions. :-)
Institutions, all institutions, are inherently flawed.
The danger is when an institution thinks of itself as exempt from material nature and is in denial of its flaws, hence not dealing with them or being on guard.
The other side is when members of an institution get disgruntled because they have the illusion that it is possible to have flawless institutions.
January 14, 2008 at 8:30 pm
“What have I learned but
the proper use for several tools?”
–from What Have I Learned,
by Gary Snyder
January 17, 2008 at 5:04 am
“Master, what did you do before enlightenment?”
“Chopped wood and carried water.”
“Master, what did you do after enlightenment?”
“Chopped wood and carried water.”