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Author Topic: Firewood Splitters  (Read 22586 times)

dieseldave

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #15 on: December 31, 2008, 05:31:35 AM »

   That screw type that fits on the back axle would be tough on the differential gears after a while.

   Why not take a Listeroid 6/1,mount an axe blade on the Flywheel,counterbalance the other side,and PRESTO! A Log Splitter!   You'd have to be quick though!

   With 2 flywheels,you could split double the amount!

mkdutchman

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #16 on: December 31, 2008, 11:44:51 AM »

   That screw type that fits on the back axle would be tough on the differential gears after a while.

   Why not take a Listeroid 6/1,mount an axe blade on the Flywheel,counterbalance the other side,and PRESTO! A Log Splitter!   You'd have to be quick though!

   With 2 flywheels,you could split double the amount!

Dave,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40sCGb678sQ

dieseldave

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #17 on: December 31, 2008, 01:53:59 PM »

    Mine would be faster!

rcavictim

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #18 on: December 31, 2008, 01:56:07 PM »
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Stan

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #19 on: December 31, 2008, 03:15:45 PM »
You'd better make darned sure none of the logs have any bends, or branch stubs left on them or they'll get caught and someone will have to crawl up in there an get them loose.  I suppose if you harvest the timber with a commercial timber harvester that would be all taken care of but man, what an investment.  Maybe when firewood gets up to $500 a cord it might pay for itself.
Stan

mkdutchman

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #20 on: December 31, 2008, 04:41:08 PM »
Nice looking machine, was hoping that the rotating cage would be some sort of mechanical stacker  ;D

mike90045

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #21 on: December 31, 2008, 04:53:09 PM »
So - any body think that the screw types would size up on a log, and start twirling it at 300 rpm ?  I never saw it on several videos, but it just looks like getting a chunk stuck on the screw is inevitable.  And the flywheel with an ax head welded on it is a nifty idea, just ask 6 finger Chuck about his.

SHIPCHIEF

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #22 on: December 31, 2008, 05:00:38 PM »
Steve, All;
Jeeze, and I get nervous with a hydraulic splitter when someone else has the lever and I'm handling the wood!
Normally I would not pick up cottonwood, but I got a couple of truck loads of cut up rounds for free, and it's so easy to split.
It turns out that in my Quadrafire, it really puts out the heat and it burns totally clean. It won't last as long as madrona, which I save for night time, but it will rekindle quickly when thown in on last night's stirred up embers.
The new emmisions certified fireplaces are more efficient, put out more heat, burn less wood, and have much cleaner stack emmission. The secondary air (or top air) and baffle inside the fire box must be a big part of that. My air control has a spring/timer thing at the 'full air' side for starting the fire, then it sets back to less air to finish burning the wood when it is mostly glowing carbon. It can be adjusted much lower to make the wood last all night, but if I set it that low the windows will soot up.
I've got Fir, Deodora cedar (smells fantastic!), cottonwood (doesn't smell so good), madrona, elm, hemlock, cherry, black locust, and mysterywood (I don't know what it is). They all burn a bit different, and I try to use that to advantage.
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mkdutchman

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #23 on: December 31, 2008, 06:12:30 PM »

    Mine would be faster!

So would I, makes for less pain when the finger gets bit....   :P

SteveU.

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #24 on: December 31, 2008, 10:49:28 PM »
Stan you are absolutely right.  Burn dry. Burn small. And burn hot and it will always burn clean. It took a combination of a wife, "There will be no big ugly black boxes in my new living room!"  State government regulations, "Only EPA Tier I certified wood burning devises are legal for sale and distribution in the State of Washington as of 1994." And a next door father-in-law, "We only burn dry wood out of the woodshed around here. So, always stock us a two year supply and burn last years wood first. No blue tarps!"  Took all of these to drag me kicking and screaming out of the 19th/20th century habit of burning big tarp covered chunks, in a big stove, choked down "to last longer" and into the 21st century of clean burning.
I now use only 6-8 cords where it used to take 10-12 cords a year per house. And yes, interesting to look from the hill over my house at  the next four seeing the different chimney smokes. . . big difference! Mine only shows heat waves.
This relates to wood splitters because it requires about 2-3 times as much splitting to burn small and hot. You need the extra edges to build up the needed heat.
Splitter has to split fast and safe.

SHIPCHIEF the cottonwood I burnt was already cut and free for the cleanup too. Otherwise I wouldn't waste the time to put a saw to it. Yeah, smells funny burning. . . like cat urine?
As you and I know, many of the woods you are spitting would NOT pop apart with a simple end grain impact: the Hemlock, the Cherry, most of the soft wood knots  and ALL of the hardwood crotch pieces. Takes a  shearing wedge pushed all of the way from end to end to cut and break apart the fibers.
Advantage: Hydraulics.  And as we've learned it takes at least 30tons force to brute through the difficult stuff.
I think part of the reason the Quadrafires burn so much better is the light weight brick lining keeps the heat in at the fire. My cast iron lined Jotuls seemed to suck the heat out requiring a bigger fire to cook ( pyrolysis) the wood. And the bricks are certainly cheaper ($3 each) and easier to replace than burnt out warped sacrificial heat plates.

Hey,  my new systems working great! I can even use the spell check now.

Regards All
SteveU.


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Dail R H

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #25 on: January 01, 2009, 02:13:55 AM »
   Mike,
   I used one of the screw type splitters for three wnters,about 85 - 100 cd/year. Only had one block to spin. Thet have a bar to keep the piece from turning,and it broke off. Ran it off the pto on a Ford NAAI split some "HUGE" blocks,just backed the tractor into'em
   Scare,but effective

dieseldave

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #26 on: January 01, 2009, 02:17:04 AM »

   If you look at a lot of industrial machinery in factories,eg. stamping presses,shears,etc  They will have 2(two) start buttons. Both have to be pressed at the same time. This insures that your hands are out of the way!

Stan

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #27 on: January 01, 2009, 04:09:06 AM »
I once saw a stamping machine in an autoparts producing company in Brampton Ontario making stamped metal auto parts.  It was a huge machine and it necessitated placing a precut metal piece in a form and then the operator had to press 2 large buttons a bout 2 feet over his head, one on each side of the machine (maybe 3+ feet apart)  before it would come down with many tons of force and form the part.  I think it was seat rails for a jeep.
Stan

rleonard

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #28 on: January 04, 2009, 01:47:09 PM »
My splitter has gone thru several reincarnations.  It has worked amazing well over the years for neighbors and I.











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cold comfort farm

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Re: Firewood Splitters
« Reply #29 on: January 04, 2009, 04:43:35 PM »
rleonard,
I am ging to build a new splitter later this summer similar to yours only not as grand(lights eh) thats neat.
Does your slider ever get stuck.  If you dont mind me copying your design a little could you post a few close up pick of your splitter head and slide part. I have a MF 135 with a double acting ram on the front of my loader. Its ideal for log splitting.

Very Kind Regards.
Stephen