I'm 69 and, I'm brushing up on my long ago bushcraft skills from my pass, and am passing what I remember onto my grandkids but I'm learning a lot more then I ever knew from all of your videos! Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Great channel and I've been a subscriber for a number of yrs. I love how his videos are short and to the point with some humour. You don't have to waste your time skipping through all the talk and unnecessary unwanted or useless video like other youtubers.
Hey Dan!! I recalled this same video of yours maybe 18 months or so back in time!! AND I FINALLY found AND bought some short White Birch logs & pieces. Planning on making one or two batons PLUS two or three mauls similar to your FINE examples in your video!! If the little bit of rain will hold off, I will get started right a way!! See ya Man. I look forward to perhaps meeting you in person sometime!! Keep up the Good Work!!
That tip about using the saw blade as a depth gauge is quite useful and handy. Used it today to make a beauty maul out of a gorgeous piece of birch. Thanks!
they are very short but informative videos that you make, but I absolutely love them. succinctly we say here in Holland Dan, I've been following you for a while, if I had lived in America I would certainly have looked you up to take a course. 
Nice job, anything that makes your life easier is a major boost for both a person's morale, and lessens physical wear. Even simple things like a maul can make you feel human again.
Thanks for this video. I actually made one of these once to craft log furniture, but I didn't know the secret about using a knotted section for the striker part. Mine didn't handle the pounding too long. I ended up duct taping it together just to keep it going through my last project. I'm looking forward to making a new maul this way.
Having watched various videos there appears to be different mauls for different tasks and where you're at whether in the woods or in the shop. And of course personal preferences, big and small.
Great work Dan, I love the look of the birch. I've made a few mallets like that but the look of the birch beats our oak and dogwood. We have some ironwood though that is touch as steel!
Very cool. One improvement you could make..... add 2-3 inches to the handle end. But when whittling down the handle leave not only a bulge at the top end towards the maul head where you can get that good grip you were describing, but carve a big ball at the end of the handle. This allows you to use it more efficiently with less muscle fatigue when making many swings. It's the same idea as why forestry axes for felling, wood splitting, etc have bulbous ends. It allows more work with less muscle fatigue. Cool video btw. I'm now a subscriber!
Great to have a several mauls of different sizes.I love those bow saws. I have two "antique" ones I got in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in the 80s. They cut like a chainsaw, and are more controllable.
A proper whacking stick is always part of my brush craft stuff. Good for finishing off small game and fish , you can hurl it at things, and batoning. I personally like longer whacker than a maul but has a tool they work great
So cool. You made it look like say. Looked you up after reading New Yorker article by Dorothy Wickenden about writer Wendell Berry. He told her about making a maul, and how the head should be the “gnurly, gnarly” part of the wood (even the rooty part from just under the soil) because that is the strongest, like the knots and burls that you mentioned.
Fortunately I have one my father handed down to me. A treasure for me as well as light weight highly functional water proof match safe. Great stuff from Marbles.
received my patches thank you bro the look amazing and just figured out you like 2 1/2 hrs from me I might have to come out for a class one day lol thanks again bro
I am completely digging your bushcraft wind generator in the background. Awesome! j/k, have found your videos very informative, and even entertaining. Great work!
Again, such nice and educational videos. You could just as well be a school teacher the kids would remember forever, hehe. Thank you! Greetings from Germany
You might only get 10% of the kids in school that really want to pay attention to learning new bushcraft skills, if they don't have a cell phone, ipad or ipod near their ears, they get bored very easily. Only those with an interest in the woods and camping will pursue greatness and survive. The rest will starve, freeze and die.
Those 'fingerless' gloves are also a 'pro tip.' I have a good carving maul and I would take that with me 'car camping' where wood harvesting is discouraged. Otherwise, I am continually amazed that his viz bushcrafters put off making a useful maul for their bug out camps...or a sawhorse. I notice they are all younger than I am and probably that are a lot more bendable than I am. I like that 'bump' grip for functionality but it also 'classes up' the design. A solid head seems to be a key point.
I see the windmills in the background. I live in Pennsylvania and I have those right in my backyard too. I can only think of a couple places that have them ,so I bet we're pretty close.
I am 58 and just returned from one of Dan's classes. It was great! Consider taking a class, which will give you a great time in the woods with people interested in bushcraft.
I am 62 also, just now getting back into after raising a family that wasn’t into it. Man this didn’t exist... well actually, thanks to the internet the decades of experience the internet allows people to share with us is fantastic. Dan, I’m in central Ohio. The Pathfinder school is very close. No one doubts Dave Canterbury. That said, I’m less into bug out and more into bushcraft. What you teach is bushcraft. Bushcraft is the key to survival. A person can have all the bug out gear they want but if they don’t know bushcraft they’ll survive until their rations run out and a few more days after that. Well, longer actually. I’ve gone 21 days without food. You get used to it. Time for a coalcracker class.
Dan I made one during my recent camp after watching your video. It’s awesome and was crazy easy. Following your lead with this and another video I batoned my hatchet. A lot of people say batoning a hatchet weakens it at the eye. I have a Husqvarna 13” and love it but until this trip haven’t batoned it. Your thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.
Coalcracker Bushcraft Dan I’m sorry, I didn’t see your reply until this morning! Thanks for letting me know about batoning my hatchet. I’m still figuring out the ins and outs of youtube but have been intrigued by Instagram so I’ll check it out today and follow you and send you a pic. My maul looks a lot like yours including the color of the bark. I beveled the edges as you suggested. I had sanded the handle smooth even tho I usually wear gloves when working. Ultimately I wanted to make the handle a bit narrower so I used the Surform Shaver to do it. That was a win-win because not only did it give me a smooth end product but also a small baggies of wood shavings for the next fire.
Nowakezone I baton my cheap harbor freight hatchet and have for years and it’s still a stout useful tool. Now I did it a lot with steel hammer or back of my 6lb maul and make the back ugly but the eye is still fine and that’s gotta be the cheapest on the market.
Great video! Am I the only one seeing a cool paradox of the old (maul) and the new(wind generator)? Of course you might argue that wind mills are retro tech.
Ok, given the different types of mauls, how do you determine which type of maul you need for the tool or project you're making or tool you need it on, and how to build it?
my shoulder still has some misery in it from bass fishing to much this summer ( yea i know)but i am 63 i think i'll make one on my lathe looks kinda cool
I see the big wind turbines in the background. Those things are massive and all over that area. They start right around Centralia. Oh and another great video! You're really cranking them out! It's a great time of year to be out in the woods though. I'd imagine you wind be making any the next two weeks though with deer season here. Good luck Monday!
If possible, it would be good to have a radius in the area where the handle comes into the head. This will help transfer the impact energy from the head into the handle and will keep the mall from breaking off there. With a square intersection at this point, all the energy is gathered there and causes stress that will weaken it. It would be best to use only the axe to make the handle and reduce the diameter more gradually. The handle bulge should still be made as it greatly increases the range of use. One caution: don`t make the head too big and heavy as using this sort of tool infrequently can lead tomuscle strain and even "golfer`s elbow". Yes, that is a real thing. I have personal experience with this.
I doubt you'll see this as the video is a couple years old now, but just thought I'd try: Is it better if the wood is green or is seasoned firewood ok for the workpiece i.e. if I'm having difficulty maybe it's my tool and/or low skills or is it because I need to be trying to work on greenwood? I'm trying to source green material but not there yet
Ok... No laughing... Seriously, you can laugh...🤪 I tried the maul! Did it with a kitchen knife, and burned it with a blowtorch. My maul attempt is funnier than YOU tackling the (deer) target!! Just funny! Thanks for your videos. I try to mimick them, because you make them LOOK easy...then I try a few more times... Home the skills! Never know when we might be called upon to do this to save lives...
hey Dan, as you are selecting the wood for the maul, are you usually using green wood, or something that has been downed for a while and may have seasoned some? Thanks! Enjoyed this one.
I'd try to find one in the barn. Lol just kidding. I probably wouldn't cut a large tree down if I had no tools. If I had access to flint that might work. Would take a long time. In this area there is anything that would allow me to accomplish that task
I'm 69 and, I'm brushing up on my long ago bushcraft skills from my pass, and am passing what I remember onto my grandkids but I'm learning a lot more then I ever knew from all of your videos! Thanks so much for sharing with us!
4 years ago, and still super legit and valid today. Cheers. Great throwback.
stumbled across your channel, now my fav. Calm concise lifesaving knowledge. thank you ,God bless
Great channel and I've been a subscriber for a number of yrs. I love how his videos are short and to the point with some humour. You don't have to waste your time skipping through all the talk and unnecessary unwanted or useless video like other youtubers.
Hey Dan!! I recalled this same video of yours maybe 18 months or so back in time!!
AND I FINALLY found AND bought some short White Birch logs & pieces. Planning on making one or two batons PLUS two or three mauls similar to your FINE examples in your video!!
If the little bit of rain will hold off, I will get started right a way!!
See ya Man. I look forward to perhaps meeting you in person sometime!!
Keep up the Good Work!!
That tip about using the saw blade as a depth gauge is quite useful and handy. Used it today to make a beauty maul out of a gorgeous piece of birch. Thanks!
Bushcraft is one of the most awesome things on earth..
I’ve watched 8 or 9 of your videos now and am very impressed with range of knowledge, Thanks, new subscriber
they are very short but informative videos that you make, but I absolutely love them. succinctly we say here in Holland Dan, I've been following you for a while, if I had lived in America I would certainly have looked you up to take a course.

I love the trees creaking in the wind. Makes me think of the Maine woods.
Just made my first Wooden Baton and it came out great, thanks for the vid.
This video is incredibly helpful. I brought a mallet last camping trip. This is a fast way to make one wherever you are. Thank you
Nice job, anything that makes your life easier is a major boost for both a person's morale, and lessens physical wear. Even simple things like a maul can make you feel human again.
Love the Bushcraft wind mill on the hill in the background over your right shoulder..
I love your videos, and I know this was shot several years ago, but the wind turbine just kills the bushcraft ambiance! Ha!
Thanks for this demo. Simple and right to the point.
I totally relate to those last statements you made. Nice demo Dan.
Thanks for this video. I actually made one of these once to craft log furniture, but I didn't know the secret about using a knotted section for the striker part. Mine didn't handle the pounding too long. I ended up duct taping it together just to keep it going through my last project. I'm looking forward to making a new maul this way.
I love these kinds of videos, keep showing how to make cool camp stuff i can't wait to use this one!
Having watched various videos there appears to be different mauls for different tasks and where you're at whether in the woods or in the shop. And of course personal preferences, big and small.
Great work Dan, I love the look of the birch. I've made a few mallets like that but the look of the birch beats our oak and dogwood. We have some ironwood though that is touch as steel!
Love your videos, they inspire me to get out and do SOMETHING! Thank you.
Another outstanding teaching.
Keep up the good work.
Very cool. One improvement you could make..... add 2-3 inches to the handle end. But when whittling down the handle leave not only a bulge at the top end towards the maul head where you can get that good grip you were describing, but carve a big ball at the end of the handle. This allows you to use it more efficiently with less muscle fatigue when making many swings. It's the same idea as why forestry axes for felling, wood splitting, etc have bulbous ends. It allows more work with less muscle fatigue.
Cool video btw. I'm now a subscriber!
I really like the demonstration of the thought process that produced the maul. Clear and concise. Readily applicable to any bushcraft task. Thank you!
Great to have a several mauls of different sizes.I love those bow saws. I have two "antique" ones I got in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in the 80s. They cut like a chainsaw, and are more controllable.
A proper whacking stick is always part of my brush craft stuff. Good for finishing off small game and fish , you can hurl it at things, and batoning. I personally like longer whacker than a maul but has a tool they work great
So cool. You made it look like say. Looked you up after reading New Yorker article by Dorothy Wickenden about writer Wendell Berry. He told her about making a maul, and how the head should be the “gnurly, gnarly” part of the wood (even the rooty part from just under the soil) because that is the strongest, like the knots and burls that you mentioned.
Fortunately I have one my father handed down to me. A treasure for me as well as light weight highly functional water proof match safe. Great stuff from Marbles.
bro your the man I can't wait to get my patches in the mail and get them on my bag thanks for all the tips and keep making videos
They will be shipped tomorrow due to no mail today
received my patches thank you bro the look amazing and just figured out you like 2 1/2 hrs from me I might have to come out for a class one day lol thanks again bro
I am completely digging your bushcraft wind generator in the background. Awesome! j/k, have found your videos very informative, and even entertaining. Great work!
I've finally found someone to subscribe to who is really a bush craft practitioner.
This is freegin awesome thanks mr. Coalcracker!
That was really cool. Handy for driving tent pegs into the ground, I'm sure
Again, such nice and educational videos.
You could just as well be a school teacher the kids would remember forever, hehe.
Thank you!
Greetings from Germany
You might only get 10% of the kids in school that really want to pay attention to learning new bushcraft skills, if they don't have a cell phone, ipad or ipod near their ears, they get bored very easily. Only those with an interest in the woods and camping will pursue greatness and survive. The rest will starve, freeze and die.
True!
I'll make one of these tomorrow and thro you out a shout out Mr.Dan! Stay blessed bruv! Cheers, Jerbs
Had made one of these to months back , very useful . Great tutorial .
Those 'fingerless' gloves are also a 'pro tip.' I have a good carving maul and I would take that with me 'car camping' where wood harvesting is discouraged. Otherwise, I am continually amazed that his viz bushcrafters put off making a useful maul for their bug out camps...or a sawhorse. I notice they are all younger than I am and probably that are a lot more bendable than I am. I like that 'bump' grip for functionality but it also 'classes up' the design. A solid head seems to be a key point.
Always good to watch!
Great vid. Thanks for the full explanation on the saw work, I would loved to have seen it in action...but its probably a gift.
I see the windmills in the background. I live in Pennsylvania and I have those right in my backyard too. I can only think of a couple places that have them ,so I bet we're pretty close.
Awsome videos sir! Thanks for all the great information!
That saw cuts nicely! Cool project. Too cold to do that here now, without a good sized fire! Take care.
I like the choke bump idea
Thanks for posting that! A very handy tool to have around and your instructions were perfect.
This is so cool thank you coalcracker
Great vid! I'm 62 and none of my friends like to camp or bushcraft. I'm in hell!
I’d agree!! Come to a class you will love it
I am 58 and just returned from one of Dan's classes. It was great! Consider taking a class, which will give you a great time in the woods with people interested in bushcraft.
I am 62 also, just now getting back into after raising a family that wasn’t into it. Man this didn’t exist... well actually, thanks to the internet the decades of experience the internet allows people to share with us is fantastic.
Dan, I’m in central Ohio. The Pathfinder school is very close. No one doubts Dave Canterbury. That said, I’m less into bug out and more into bushcraft. What you teach is bushcraft. Bushcraft is the key to survival. A person can have all the bug out gear they want but if they don’t know bushcraft they’ll survive until their rations run out and a few more days after that. Well, longer actually. I’ve gone 21 days without food. You get used to it.
Time for a coalcracker class.
Historical Icons no but it’s always nice to have a friend you don’t need to have a friend to want a friend it’s a valuable lesson
lolllllllllllll
Dan I made one during my recent camp after watching your video. It’s awesome and was crazy easy.
Following your lead with this and another video I batoned my hatchet. A lot of people say batoning a hatchet weakens it at the eye. I have a Husqvarna 13” and love it but until this trip haven’t batoned it. Your thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.
That won’t hurt the hatchet. I do it all the time. Dm me some
Pictures of your maul if you follow me
On Instagram I’d love to see it.
Coalcracker Bushcraft Dan I’m sorry, I didn’t see your reply until this morning! Thanks for letting me know about batoning my hatchet.
I’m still figuring out the ins and outs of youtube but have been intrigued by Instagram so I’ll check it out today and follow you and send you a pic.
My maul looks a lot like yours including the color of the bark. I beveled the edges as you suggested. I had sanded the handle smooth even tho I usually wear gloves when working. Ultimately I wanted to make the handle a bit narrower so I used the Surform Shaver to do it. That was a win-win because not only did it give me a smooth end product but also a small baggies of wood shavings for the next fire.
Nowakezone I baton my cheap harbor freight hatchet and have for years and it’s still a stout useful tool. Now I did it a lot with steel hammer or back of my 6lb maul and make the back ugly but the eye is still fine and that’s gotta be the cheapest on the market.
Awesome instructions! Love the channel!
Great video! Am I the only one seeing a cool paradox of the old (maul) and the new(wind generator)? Of course you might argue that wind mills are retro tech.
Does anyone know I kind of saw that is, really beautiful. Great lesson, learn so much man, thank you.
I love it. I’m making one in the spring.
Best Advice Ever😉 Greetings from Poland:)
Very nice!
Exactly what I said 😊
Ok, given the different types of mauls, how do you determine which type of maul you need for the tool or project you're making or tool you need it on, and how to build it?
my shoulder still has some misery in it from bass fishing to much this summer ( yea i know)but i am 63 i think i'll make one on my lathe looks kinda cool
Love your videos man
Very helpful. Thank You.
I see the big wind turbines in the background. Those things are massive and all over that area. They start right around Centralia. Oh and another great video! You're really cranking them out! It's a great time of year to be out in the woods though. I'd imagine you wind be making any the next two weeks though with deer season here. Good luck Monday!
I got my buck early in archery so I'll be pumping out videos
Coalcracker Bushcraft oh well that's good!
I have a piece of cherry wondered what to do with it thank you for the instruction I think I'll make a maul 🦆🚶
Nice and simple👍
Nice informative and to the point,Dan what make is your Bush Craft Knife
If possible, it would be good to have a radius in the area where the handle comes into the head. This will help transfer the impact energy from the head into the handle and will keep the mall from breaking off there. With a square intersection at this point, all the energy is gathered there and causes stress that will weaken it. It would be best to use only the axe to make the handle and reduce the diameter more gradually. The handle bulge should still be made as it greatly increases the range of use. One caution: don`t make the head too big and heavy as using this sort of tool infrequently can lead tomuscle strain and even "golfer`s elbow". Yes, that is a real thing. I have personal experience with this.
Great video and awesome instruction
Can't wait to make one ..thanks brother
Very cool…and easy!
Sick beard Dan!
Now that we have all just gone through a year of lock down...we are all great bushmasters by now, right?
Awesome video thanks
I doubt you'll see this as the video is a couple years old now, but just thought I'd try: Is it better if the wood is green or is seasoned firewood ok for the workpiece i.e. if I'm having difficulty maybe it's my tool and/or low skills or is it because I need to be trying to work on greenwood? I'm trying to source green material but not there yet
Found my next project. Thanks!
Sorry, you made it look easy!
Good video.......👍👍👍👍👍
Great video
I have black walnut and black cherry but they seem to crack on me. What am i doing wrong?
Nice work Dan, thanks for sharing…..Ed
I like your wind turbine! how many KW per hour|?
Did you upgrade that campsite to include that fan in the background?
Love it!!!!
Ok... No laughing... Seriously, you can laugh...🤪
I tried the maul! Did it with a kitchen knife, and burned it with a blowtorch. My maul attempt is funnier than YOU tackling the (deer) target!! Just funny!
Thanks for your videos. I try to mimick them, because you make them LOOK easy...then I try a few more times... Home the skills!
Never know when we might be called upon to do this to save lives...
Which saw and saw teeth would you prefer for long term (3 months or more)?
very good video
What brand is ur saw? Good video, Thanks
really cool!!
Is the wind mill (turbine) on your property or the neighbors?
Great tool.... I'm making some...thx
Great video!
What kind of axe is that? And do you sell them on your site?
Cool! Love ur vids!
Nice job man!
Sweet, wonder if that would work with Bow-dark. Lol That would be like a rock.
Shared
Thanks for sharing!
hey Dan, as you are selecting the wood for the maul, are you usually using green wood, or something that has been downed for a while and may have seasoned some?
Thanks! Enjoyed this one.
Awesome
I made a beautiful one out of black cherry and cracked.
Love the video, do you need to oil the tool to prevent cracking with time?
Like the video Dan, thanks!
Outstanding!
If you had to make an axe that could cut down a thick tree with nothing but what you could find, how would you do it?
I'd try to find one in the barn. Lol just kidding. I probably wouldn't cut a large tree down if I had no tools. If I had access to flint that might work. Would take a long time. In this area there is anything that would allow me to accomplish that task
Brilliant!
I really like your axe. Do you sell that particular axe on your website?? -Stephen, Ohio
Unfortunately no. That came from
Russia and was extremely hard to locate