Manual chopping of firewood is a difficult and tedious task, which can be made easier by using various types of special equipment, including modern or homemade wood splitters. A do-it-yourself wood splitter is a necessary and affordable device that greatly facilitates the independent preparation of firewood.
What is a wood splitter, the history of the device and its purpose
A log splitter is a machine designed for splitting firewood. This type of tool is often called a wood splitter, cleaver or firewood splitter. At the same time, wood splitting machines also trim firewood and split it into individual logs.
The first mechanisms for chopping wood appeared in Europe in the 16th century. They were purchased by the owners of large industrial enterprises in order to create thermal energy. Replacing traditional manual labor helped to process firewood faster. Since then, engineers have created several types of wood splitting machines, differing primarily in their operating principle.
Small volumes of firewood were handled with conventional mechanical wood splitters, which were distinguished by their simplicity of design, as well as a minimal number of complex components. The simplest mechanical wood splitters resembled an ordinary well crane, but instead of a bucket, a cutter with handles was attached to this design. The post joint and crossbars were hinged using a good lubricant. The operating principle of this design is intuitive and involves installing a block of wood on a stand with a sharp pull of the lever down. The inertia of the cutter gained significant strength, due to which the log was split, and the whole process was repeated until a log of the required thickness was obtained.
Modern log splitters are most often hydraulic devices and are widely used for cutting logs quickly and easily. The main advantage of using any modern wood splitter is the highest possible safety, therefore petrol or electric type splitting axes are many times superior to the now traditional ax in most respects.
General classification
All types of wood splitters differ in the method of stacking logs, the volume of processed wood, mobility and type of drive.
Horizontal
In horizontal models, the log is laid inside a horizontal groove, after which the laid element is pushed towards the knife. In some tools, the log may lie motionless inside the groove, and the knife itself moves towards it. Horizontal models can have short legs (desktop) and long legs (for full-length work).
The machine is a strong horizontal frame on which a splitting chute with a dividing knife is installed
Vertical
In vertical models, the log is installed vertically, and the knife is pushed from above by means of a hydraulic cylinder. The efficiency of this machine is higher than that of horizontal models, which is due to the lack of movement of the log during the splitting process without creating additional friction. However, working with crookedly sawn elements requires holding them manually, which goes against the safety precautions for operating this equipment.
The machine has a robust vertical structure
Industrial
Industrial log splitters, most often equipped with an electric motor, are used with a 220 or 380 V motor with a power of 3 kW or more.
Industrial wood splitters are very powerful and can cope with huge volumes of firewood.
Household wood splitters
Household models are distinguished by maximum structural simplicity, extreme ease of operation and absolute unpretentiousness in terms of maintenance.
The design of the simplest mechanical wood splitter resembles a well crane
Types by drive type
With an electric, gasoline engine, with a power take-off shaft or with a hydraulic system and a combined type of drive (according to the type of drive).
Gasoline log splitters are suitable for medium-sized businesses
A small electric wood splitter is perfect for home use.
Stationary and mobile
The first version of such mechanisms is usually represented by massive industrial models or entire multifunctional machines. Operating a stationary wood splitter in domestic conditions is most often not at all advisable. Mobile or mobile models are equipped with transport wheels, which greatly facilitate the movement of the device to almost any place of work and are optimally suited for domestic use.
Classification of homemade wood splitters
Self-made wood splitters can be mechanical or equipped with a conventional electric drive of hydraulic, rack and screw type. Cone and screw wood splitters are represented by a cone “screw”, which, when “drilled” into a wooden workpiece from the bark side, splits it into pieces or so-called logs.
External characteristics of the rack and hydraulic drive of the wood splitter
Rack-type wood splitters split logs by striking a rack with a tip at the end of the log. Hydraulic wood splitters function similarly to rack and pinion models, but the drive operation depends on a hydraulic pump, and is designed for processing large, knotty logs. It is important to remember that hydraulic models have significant power indicators, and accordingly, it is more difficult to manufacture them yourself than simpler cone designs.
Mechanical
This version of the device is quite simple to make with your own hands and subsequent operation. The most successful options are represented by units built on the principle of a lever, including models supplemented with a spring, and inertial devices based on a pair of pipes with different diameters. The device operates using a return mechanism, and thanks to the presence of powerful return springs in the design, very high productivity of the wood splitter is ensured with a quick return of the mechanism to its original position.
Electrically driven
Wood splitters equipped with an electric drive can have rack, hydraulic and screw versions.
Hydraulic version of the wood splitter with a vertical type of layout
The device of a rack wood splitter
The rack version is represented by the following elements:
- 1 - rotary mechanism for adjusting the height of the knife;
- 2 - hydraulic tank;
- 3 - hydraulic cleaver knife;
- 4 - stationary tray;
- 5 - splitting workpiece;
- 6 - fixation brace in the upper part of the knife;
- 7 - movable thrust heel;
- 8 - front support of the hydraulic cylinder;
- 9 - hydraulic distributor;
- 10 - hydraulic cylinder;
- 11 - rear support for the hydraulic cylinder;
- 12 - electric motor;
- 13 - input device for the electrical network;
- 14 - filler pipe of the hydraulic tank;
- 15 - bracket for hydraulic pump;
- 16 - frame.
Screw wood splitter device
In the screw version of the wood splitter, the dimensions of the drill, as well as the optimal angle of inclination of the cone, which determine the maximum dimensions of the log to be split, are selected individually or in accordance with table values.
Table: parameters of screw type wood splitters
Step-by-step instructions for making your own tool
Of course, the easiest and fastest to make yourself is a mechanical type of tool, which does not require the use of special components or any professional equipment. However, an electric wood splitter has a wider application; it is practical and very easy to use.
Mechanical option
The most popular and easiest to manufacture independently is the standard rack design.
The rack wood splitter is the easiest to manufacture
Electric wood splitter
To independently manufacture a unit for chopping wood with an electric drive, you should prepare the materials presented:
- steel frame for fixing all elements of the installation;
- an engine whose power is selected according to individual needs;
- shaft mechanism;
- reduction gearbox;
- conical nozzle with thread.
Three types of motors can be used: commutator, electronically controlled or asynchronous, but the latter option is the most popular and widespread.
A simple but functional mechanism under the simple name “Carrot” is easily made independently and does not require the use of high-tech or too expensive parts. Self-production involves preparing a drive, a simple gearbox with a belt drive, a pair of bearings and a shaft, as well as a threaded cone and a frame table.
Before making a wood splitter, familiarize yourself with the diagram of its structure
A drive with a power rating of about 2 kW or more can be removed from any old washing machine, and the most complex part of such a system is represented by a cone, which is purchased ready-made or made to order. Quick and easy splitting of wooden blocks occurs due to the process of screwing the cone into the wood fibers.
The rack and pinion design is less popular, due to the increased level of danger when operating this device. In this case, the rack and pusher plate must be placed on a carriage moved along the frame. Maximum attention will need to be paid to the stability of the frame, as well as the quality characteristics of the installed rail.
The operation of such a homemade design requires a very careful calculation of the rotation speed of the gear, which transmits force to the rack. Most often, splitting logs using such a wood splitter is done easily and quickly. The operator sets the device in motion by pressing the rack against the gear. As a result of releasing the handle, the contact with the operating gear decreases, which is due to the presence of a spring and the operation of the return mechanism.
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Precautionary measures
Working on electric wood splitter models requires special attention and increased caution:
- The wood splitter may only be used for its intended purpose;
- Before use, you must carefully read the instructions;
- Do not operate the wood splitter if there are third parties, especially children or animals, in the operating area;
- When working, special gloves and personal hearing and vision protection are used;
- Do not leave a running machine unattended;
- hands must be kept at a sufficient distance from the cutting mechanism;
- before work, you need to make sure that all components are securely fixed;
- The wood splitter must be serviced, repaired or transported when it is turned off.
It is forbidden to split logs or logs that are too large or contain nails or other foreign objects that could cause damage to the device. Before operation, you need to check the hydraulic system and make sure there are no oil leaks.
Advantages and disadvantages of homemade and purchased models of wood splitters
Homemade wood splitters, as a rule, are noticeably inferior to factory installations, not only in terms of power, but also in terms of external data.
However, if you need to process a small amount of wood in home production conditions, do-it-yourself devices are very suitable and have a number of advantages, presented:
- low cost compared to professional machines;
- easy self-assembly using the simplest materials;
- gaining experience in the manufacture of household devices.
However, during the self-assembly process, all design features of the mechanism must be taken into account, therefore, along with factory settings, all self-made wood splitters meet a set of basic minimum requirements:
- standard minimum motor power is about 2 kW;
- manufacturing of all stationary and moving elements based on hard steel or sufficiently strong alloys;
- the minimum distance from the cone of the device to the floor is 80–90 cm;
- the number of revolutions for installation in domestic use is 400–500 per minute.
Wood splitters can not only be made independently, but also purchased ready-made, assembled. The fundamental difference is represented by the price, since the cost of fairly powerful models is several tens of thousands of rubles. The main advantage of such a factory assembly is that there is no need to waste time and effort on manufacturing, and the finished unit is safer to operate. The dimensions of the installation are selected strictly individually, but the standard version of the wood splitter requires compliance with the dimensions L/W/H at the level of 85/40/65 cm.
Simple mechanical, saber and foot lever splitter
Table: comparison of factory-assembled wood splitters
| Model | Type | Safety and reliability | Power | Cost, rub) |
| Champion LSH5000 | electric (230 V) horizontal |
High | 2.2 kW | from 17 thousand |
| AL-KO KHS 5204 | electric (230 V) horizontal |
High | 2.2 kW | from 19 thousand |
| Texas 520H | electric (220 V) horizontal |
High | 1.5 kW | from 20 thousand |
| Raptor t700 | electric (230 V) horizontal |
High | 2.2 kW | from 25 thousand |
| AL-KO KHS 3704 | electric (230 V) horizontal |
High | 1.5 kW | from 19 thousand |
| PROFI PLS 700E | electric (230 V) horizontal |
High | 2.3 kW | from 19.5 thousand |
| Texas 600VG | Petrol vertical |
High | 3.7 kW | from 55 thousand |
| CHAMPION LSV6000 | electric (230 V) vertical |
High | 2.7 kW | from 38 thousand |
| MTD LS 550 | Petrol vertical/ horizontal |
High | 5.5 kW | from 220 thousand |
As operating practice shows, a homemade wood splitter can be configured for convenient operation and practical use; such a do-it-yourself design is an order of magnitude cheaper than ready-made and modern factory products.
If you have the necessary materials, it is quite possible to make one of the options for a simple mechanical wood splitter with your own hands or equip such a device with an electric drive, which is the best option for working with a small amount of firewood.
For the owner of a country or private house, an indispensable device is a cleaver. It can be mechanical or manual. You can purchase a similar device in a store, but mechanical devices are expensive, so not everyone can afford it, although they can significantly facilitate the process of collecting firewood.
Before making such an expensive purchase, you need to think about the fact that such designs are not complicated, so you can make them yourself. But first, decide whether the cleaver will be mechanical, or whether it is better to supplement it with a motor. In the latter case, you will have to look for spare parts somewhere, and also use the services of a turner. It’s good if you have such skills yourself.
Types of devices for chopping wood: an ax with an offset center
On sale today you can find a splitting ax with an offset center. For the Vipukirves Leveraxe model you will have to pay 16,000 rubles. Using the tool, you can chop a large amount of firewood in a short time. This possibility is ensured thanks to the curved foot located in the upper part of the blade. It clings to the remaining elements of the log and forms a lever. As a result, the tool does not slip after an impact, and your feet remain safe. The design assumes a free grip of the ax.
The ax handle is made of Finnish birch, which is capable of absorbing shock impulses. In winter, the handle will not freeze, it will not slip in your hands even in rainy weather. Due to the unique design of such an ax, the blade does not get stuck in the wood, because the shifted center of gravity instantly moves the ax to the side, so a section of the log breaks off with one blow. The thickness of the blade is 8 cm and the weight is 3 kg. The material used is steel, and when folded, the dimensions of the tool are 91 x 23 x 9 cm.
What to consider before production
Before performing the cleaver, it is important to think about the fact that you will have to swing it not just a few, but a lot of times. It follows from this that the weight of the instrument must be appropriate to the physical form of the person. For example, you can find cleavers on sale whose weight varies from 2 to 5 kg. However, using a light tool, it will be possible to split only small logs, so you also need to take into account the size of the firewood.
The handle of the tool, which is called an axe, must be made of wood such as elm or maple, in extreme cases it can be birch. After all, inaccurate and strong blows will render the instrument unusable. It is also important to take into account the length of the ax - it should not be too short. If you decide to make a cleaver with your own hands, then it will be more convenient to have two tools. One of them should be a powerful ax with a long handle, while the other should be a wedge-shaped classic cleaver. The latter is suitable for freshly chopped wood with high humidity, while the other will cope with dry logs. Different types of wood will behave differently. And if you have two cleavers on hand, you will be able to find an approach to them.
Before making a splitting ax with your own hands, you should choose a suitable design. Homemade tools can be hydraulic or screw, the latter are also called conical. The most common are homemade screw or factory-made options. The main part is a cone with a large thread, which is driven by an electric motor. The master will only need to move the deck towards the cone, as the latter will begin to screw into it.
The cone splitter has the appropriate shape, from which the wood splits into 2 parts. If we are talking about hydraulic splitting axes, then they will have higher productivity compared to those described above, but they are more difficult to manufacture. The principle of operation will remain the same as that of Wood will be pressed through a special form, which splits the element into logs of the required size. The machine mechanisms are a hydraulic drive that operates from a gasoline or electric engine. A cone splitter will be more convenient compared to a conventional axe. It is easy to make such tools, but ready-made kits for assembling such devices can be found on sale.
Making a screw cleaver
If you are thinking about how to do it, then first you should prepare the following materials and details:
- electric motor;
- pulleys;
- drive belt;
- sheet metal:
- engine mounting plate;
- shaft with bearings;
- working cone;
- profile pipes;
- metal corners.
When choosing an electric motor, you need to pay attention to one that has a power of 2 kW. Sheet metal must have a thickness of 3 mm.
It will be possible to make a homemade one much easier if you can find a low-speed, powerful electric motor that will be capable of delivering 500 rpm. In this case, it will not be required, and the cone can be put on its shaft.
The engine speed, in principle, can be any, but the belt drive pulleys must be calculated in such a way that the speed is equal to 500 rpm. On the market you can buy a ready-made shaft with bearings for an electric cleaver, but pulleys and a threaded cone can be made by turning to a turner.
Work methodology
If you decide to make a cleaver with your own hands, then the material for the cone will be carbon steel; it is better to use the St45 grade. When preparing the thread, it is necessary to take into account that it must consist of two starts. The pitch is 7 mm, while the height of the turns is 2 mm.
Pulleys can be machined from ordinary St3 steel, and the dimensions of the grooves will depend on the selected belt. Instead of a belt drive, specialists use a chain drive. This is more reliable, but more difficult to manufacture. It is important to choose the size of the stars, which is not very convenient. In order to assemble a cleaver with your own hands, you need to weld the frame by installing a plate for mounting the motor under the tabletop. There should be a shaft with bearings on it. A pulley and a cone are fixed to it. Next, the master will have to put on and tighten the belt. Connecting the motor to the network is carried out at the next stage, then you can proceed to testing.
Making a hydraulic splitter
The hydraulic splitter has a design that differs from the previous one. The special features are the drive and the working part, which is used to split the material. The frame has a different shape, although it is welded from corners, pipes and sheet metal. The pressing cleaver works due to the pressure in it provided by an oil pump. This element must be installed on the same shaft with an electric motor, while the unit can be located separately from the frame, but it must be connected to the cylinder using hoses.
Nuances of the work
If you decide to make a hydraulic splitter, then first you should find all the parts and take care of making the mold. It is made of metal, and the base is a cruciform shape. Its sizes can be selected individually, because there are no clear restrictions. The main condition for this is that the power of the cylinder is sufficient to split firewood when its size is too large.
The form must be fixed on the frame, its transverse axis must coincide with the shaft of the hydraulic cylinder. It is installed along the frame and connected to the pump, using the pipes. Such a mechanical cleaver can be mobile; for this, wheels should be attached to the frame.
The process of collecting firewood has always been a labor-intensive task. For large volumes of work, using a traditional cleaver is irrational - manual labor has always been ineffective. The first attempts to mechanize this process were made in the mid-19th century in the USA. The development of railway communications and a large number of steam locomotives required huge reserves of ready-made firewood. Steam models of wood splitters replaced the labor of hundreds of workers. The performance of modern wood splitters depends on the type of design and operating principle.
How to choose a wood splitter
Sooner or later, every owner of a wood-burning stove or fireplace is faced with the question of whether to make a hydraulic wood splitter with their own hands or purchase a factory model. The latter are distinguished by high performance and reliability. However, the high cost becomes a significant obstacle to making a purchase. Therefore, in some cases they prefer to make a homemade household wood splitter.
At the first stage, it is necessary to consider the basic parameters of the device. Productivity and performance depend on them.
- Location
In horizontal models, the logs are placed on a special bed. There are two types of such machines. One of them is with a moving knife and a block of wood. According to another scheme, the log is directed to the cutting tool using a feeding mechanism.
Vertical types are made with a fixed position of the workpiece. The knife acts on the surface of the log from above. Despite the high productivity, during work you often have to hold the workpiece with your hands. This is especially true for homemade models.
- type of drive
Selected depending on operating conditions. For fully autonomous models, it is recommended to use gasoline or diesel power units. Electric motors are used for stationary types. For small volumes of workpieces, a mechanical wood splitter is used. Household models of such devices are characterized by reliability and simplicity of design.
If tractor equipment is available, wood splitters driven by a power take-off shaft are used. Thanks to this, you can split firewood with a large diameter - up to 100cm.
- Cleaver shape
You can use a traditional cone or a modified cross. The latter splits the log into 4 parts in one operation, which is very convenient. However, this requires a lot of effort. These types of splitting axes are used for hydraulic and mechanical types of wood splitters.
When using an electric drive or internal combustion engine, it is optimal to use a screw or conical cleaver. In addition to pressure, deformation of the barrel along the longitudinal axis occurs due to the rotational movement of the tip.
How to make a wood splitter so that the price is reasonable and the performance is optimal? To do this, it is necessary to consider various types of equipment and evaluate the possibility of self-production.
Conical
This is one of the simplest types of equipment. In order to make a screw wood splitter, you need to buy: a threaded cone, the main part, a screw wood splitter. You can order production for your shaft and purchase a threaded cone splitter for a screw wood splitter: >>> >>>on the ODROVA.RU website with delivery throughout Russia, click to order<<<
- Bed. The table is made of sheet iron with a thickness of 2 mm. It is best to use a steel profile as support legs. At the rear of the structure there is a mounting area for mounting the gearbox.
- Power unit. It can be an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. Its power should be from 1.5 kW, rated voltage - 380 V. For normal operation, the number of revolutions varies from 400 to 600 rpm. It is located under the frame, providing additional stability to the structure.
- Gearbox with pin for installing the working cone. Necessary for regulating the speed of the power unit. To improve performance, a screw wood splitter is most often used, the design of which differs only in the design of the cone nozzle. There is a spiral-shaped notch on its surface, which greatly simplifies the destruction of the wood core.
The advantage of such a machine is the affordable cost of individual components. Well suited for a private home or small wood-burning boiler room. However, it has disadvantages - low productivity and manual supply of logs. Therefore, for large volumes of processing, a different design is used.
Hydraulic
To process large volumes of wood, it is recommended to use hydraulic models of wood splitters. In these devices, the main power element is a cylinder, the rod of which extends under the influence of fluid pressure inside. For this purpose, a pump and motor are provided. There are two ways to position the cleaver - on the rod or in the stop structure. During manufacturing, it is rational to use a drawing with the second diagram, since the hydraulic cleaver remains static, which increases the reliability of the entire device.
When choosing a specific model, you should pay attention to such parameters.
- Cleaving force. Depends on engine power and cylinder size. Varies from 4 to 11 tone.
- The maximum workpiece size is from 50 to 200 cm.
- Engine power. Depends on its type: for electric it can be 1.2-2 kW.
- The location of the log is horizontal or vertical.
This type of wood splitter has high productivity, so it can be used for both commercial and domestic purposes. It is important to consider the processing speed of workpieces and their maximum diameter.
Rack and pinion
These models use a gear train to drive the cutting rack. A cleaver is attached to it, which splits the log. A standard rack and pinion splitter consists of a motor, a belt reducer, a gear drive and a splitter located on the cutting rack.
The log is located between the protective stop on the gearbox housing and the cleaver. When the handle is pressed, the gears engage, causing the rack to move toward the casing, splitting the block. After removing the logs, by moving the handle back, the cleaver returns to its original position.
This is one of the most effective devices for home use. To reduce the cost of a homemade design, you can purchase a factory-made gear drive. Its cost is about 8.5 thousand rubles, then it is enough to make a table, install a gearbox with a gear on it, connecting it to an electric motor.
If you need to choose a factory model of a rack-and-pinion log splitter, you need to analyze its technical parameters:
- Cleaving force.
- Maximum workpiece length. In most cases it is 60 cm.
- Cleaver shape. Some models have the ability to split a block of wood into 6 pieces in one pass of the rack.
Currently, there are many rack-and-pinion wood splitters on the market, differing in parameters, power of the power unit and dimensions of the processed logs. In addition, they have different prices, which can significantly affect the choice.
Prices
The cost of wood splitters depends on the type of design, power and productivity. Using the data from the summary table, you can form an objective opinion about the price category of a particular model.
| Model name | Type of wood splitter | Rated power, kW | Cleavage force, i.e. | Log dimensions, cm | Cost, thousand rubles | |
| Length | Diameter | |||||
| Engy Els-5030 | Hydraulic | 1,5 | 5,00 | 37 | 25 | 14500 |
| Texas PowerSplit | Hydraulic | 4,0 | 10,00 | 130 | 55 | 50600 |
| Sprint | Rack and pinion | 1,5 | 12,00 | 60 | 60 | 87000 |
Cone and screw splitters are not manufactured assembled. Most often, cones made of hardened steel grade ST45 are purchased at a price of 1,800 rubles. The remaining components are selected from scrap materials.
How advisable is it to make a wood splitter yourself? If you have the necessary components (electric motor, table, gearbox) and minimal metal processing skills, then it’s worth making a structure for private use with your own hands. For constant loads, it is recommended to purchase factory-made models, as they have greater productivity and differ from home-made ones in reliability and durability.
Procuring fuel for heating a house in winter is an important and responsible undertaking. It takes a lot of effort to manually chop wood. To speed up and facilitate the process, owners often mechanize operations as much as possible. In particular, you can make a wood splitter for home use with your own hands. Purchasing such a device will require significant financial costs, but a homemade wood splitter will cost less and will be optimized for specific conditions of use.
High-quality combustion of logs in a solid fuel stove depends not only on the type of wood, but also on the physical parameters of the logs, which include:
- workpiece length;
- log diameter;
- form.
Excessively thick pieces will take a long time to burn and may not even burn out completely. Firewood that is too small and thin will quickly burn out without giving enough heat to the room. In such a situation, a self-assembled wood splitter, drawings, photos, instructions for which are prepared in advance, will help out.
Equipment classification
Before you make a hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands or assemble a mechanical wood splitter with your own hands in a garage, you should decide on the type of final device. Each design has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, such a device for chopping wood will be more financially profitable than one purchased at a hardware store.
Based on the type of workpiece installation, the equipment is divided into two groups:
- Horizontal type. The log is laid horizontally on the frame and moves along its axis towards the working tool. A ready-made homemade device can be designed with a reverse action, when the cutting part itself is inserted into a stationary, fixed log.
- Vertical type. The cutting part enters the workpiece vertically. This positioning requires fixation of the log. In some cases, this is done by hand or with special devices.
- Combined type. It is quite rare in homemade circuits. In demand in industrial conditions at woodworking enterprises.
- When choosing a way to make a wood splitter with your own hands, you need to select the type of drive for the equipment:
- Due to the operation of gasoline or diesel vehicles. Such options are the most common of all autonomous homemade products. They are highly efficient and, thanks to their mobility, can be used as close as possible to the source of raw materials.
- A mechanical wood splitter is a fairly reliable piece of equipment and is used when performing a relatively small amount of work. A homemade mechanical unit requires a small amount of materials, which is its advantage over other types of structures.
- A manual do-it-yourself electric wood splitter is stationary. However, with such a design, the user will receive a less productive device.
The key element in the design of any unit, including a self-made hydraulic wood splitter, is the shape of the splitting ax - the working part of the machine. The cleaver comes in the following forms:
- Wedge shape. The wedge cuts at high speed between the wood fibers and splits the workpiece into two parts.
- Cross shape. The machine requires a lot of force to enter between the fibers and divide the workpiece into four or more parts.
- Screw (cone) shape. The working part with a cut screw profile on a cone is screwed between the fibers and thus splits the workpiece.
Types of devices
Before you begin, it is advisable to decide on the type of equipment, which is classified according to several criteria:
- the presence of an engine - these can be spring cleavers independent of electricity, hydraulics, a gasoline or electric unit;
- the actual design - vertical, horizontal, mixed type, rack or cone;
- method of splitting firewood - using a screw pair, according to the principle of a screw, using pneumatics or hydraulics.
The simplest wood splitter consists of a stationary table, console and stand.
To operate the cone unit, you will need an engine with the appropriate equipment, a drive shaft and a working element connected to the mechanism by a chain or transmission belt.
For normal operation of a rack and pinion log splitter, you need an engine, a drive shaft, a chain or belt drive, a gear and racks. In terms of self-assembly, this is a complex structure, the operating principle of which boils down to converting a rotating shaft into sequential movement of the working part.
If we are talking about a small volume of wood fuel, then a simple design - a mechanical or hydraulic wood splitter - can handle it. In addition to the fact that the assembly itself does not require exceptional knowledge, they are easily disassembled and work without an engine or complex equipment. This volume is enough for a fireplace, a bathhouse that is used occasionally, and friendly gatherings around the fire. If it is tedious to prepare firewood for heating a house in winter or for the normal operation of a greenhouse using stove heating, mechanics will not be enough. For these purposes, as a rule, gasoline or electric wood splitters are purchased.
Mechanical spring device
The least expensive to manufacture is the mechanical circuit. The force in it is generated by a spring. The frame made of metal square profiles is based at this time on a horizontal plane. The end of the workpiece rests on the cleaver located below.
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The device consists of several elements:
- console;
- support table;
- rack.
VIDEO: A very simple but effective mechanical cleaver
Screw splitters
Recently, units with a conical screw working part have become very popular. This is due to the relative simplicity of their manufacture and convenient maintenance. Such a design requires the preliminary drawing up of a detailed diagram, drawing or measured sketch.
The components of a manual wood splitter of this type are:
- frame welded from construction metal profile and sheet iron;
- power plant in the form of an electric or liquid fuel motor;
- chain drive with sprockets and chain or belt drive with pulleys and belt;
- a shaft with a screw cone mounted in rolling bearings;
- workpiece stop.
The cone is made of steel grades St45 or 40X. It is advisable to harden the finished product to give it the necessary hardness.
During the manufacturing and assembly process, you must follow some safety rules:
- According to safety rules, it is strictly forbidden to use the nozzle directly with a motor without a reduction gear, which is usually a chain drive or an installed gearbox with gears;
- installation of the electrical unit must be carried out in accordance with basic safety standards;
- a belt or chain drive requires a protective cover to prevent the drive from catching sleeve cuffs, etc.;
- the optimal rotation speed of the working part is about 250 rpm;
- It is preferable to fasten the shaft supports not by welding, but by screws.
To increase the mobility of the invention, it is worth installing the entire structure on wheels. In this case, it is necessary to take care of the presence of the braking system. It is worth considering that with a significant decrease in rotation speed, equipment performance decreases, and an increase affects safety.
How to make a hydraulic wood splitter
Inside a hydraulic cylinder, working fluids are capable of creating significantly greater forces than is possible for screw pairs. In this regard, this equipment is often used as a pusher of the workpiece to the cleaver.
To make a homemade hydraulic wood splitter at home at minimal cost, you can use a hydraulic jack for these purposes.
The operating principle of such a device is to slide a wooden piece onto a permanently installed blade. To do this, the hydraulic pusher moves along the guides from the channels to the knife.
The advantage of this design over the electrical circuit is that in the second case, the electric drive will push the stump even with high resistance, which can lead to combustion of the motor. The hydraulics build up force gradually and, when significant resistance is reached, can remain in place without breaking the structure or causing other damage to the machine.
Most hydraulic devices operate horizontally, however, the concept of both types is the same. The force developed is about 3-5 tons and depends on the cylinder used. For domestic conditions this power is quite enough. This type is considered to be more efficient than the screw design.
VIDEO: How to make a cleaver with your own hands
For a physically developed person, chopping wood is more pleasant than a burden. And, of course, it is useful: this activity harmoniously loads all muscle groups. But what is too much is not healthy. If chopping wood is exhausting and/or leaves no energy for other household chores, then a wood splitter is, of course, needed on the farm. However, in this case it is hardly advisable to select a prototype based on the technical features of well-known industrial products, if only because there are dozens of varieties of their designs and the use of each requires safety measures that are not always feasible at home. Therefore, in order to make a wood splitter with your own hands, you must first determine for what purpose it is needed:
- For regular preparation of large quantities of firewood for heating a large house in a harsh climate;
- The same, but the house is small and/or located in a place with mild winters, i.e. little firewood is required;
- For irregular preparation of firewood as additional fuel (for example, to coal) or for heating utility rooms;
- For occasional preparation of firewood for decorative heating devices (eg fireplace) or for heating a winter weekend cottage.
Hit or push?
Splitting wood chips is considered a dangerous production process: a blank that turns out of the machine can flatten a person, and flying wood chips can pierce him through. It is impossible to completely exclude emergency situations when chopping wild wood - in this regard, it is far from a completely predictable material. As a result, some types of technical classification of devices for splitting raw wood need to be kept in mind in order to make a wood splitter that is safe enough for everyday use. Namely, whether it is a shock action or a pressure action:
- Mechanized impact splitters with intermediate energy storage are highly efficient, economical, and almost completely relieve the operator of muscular effort, but they are structurally complex and the most dangerous in operation. They cope with any kind of fools, incl. with butt ridges of elm and larch.
- The same, manual ones without a mechanical energy accumulator - non-volatile, cheap, and structurally simple. They can be used in pressure mode and thus split twisted and knotted wood up to 25-30 cm in length. They require less muscular effort, and work safety is higher than when manually chopping with a cleaver on a block. Low productivity; suitable for irregular and occasional preparation of firewood.
- Push splitters driven by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor are quite expensive (see below). Also, the muscular efforts of the operator are almost completely eliminated. The productivity is sufficient to regularly supply firewood to a house of up to 200-300 sq. m in winter with frosts down to –40 and below. The highest possible security is achievable for this class of devices. Disadvantages are the complexity of the design and fairly high energy consumption in the form of electricity or liquid fuel.
Note: churak (forestry term) – unprocessed timber without butt and crown or part of it. The use of colloquial synonyms churbak, churban and churka is certainly legitimate if there are no discrepancies in the context.
Why - don't hit
In mechanical impact wood splitters, a relatively weak engine spins the flywheel through a fluid coupling. Thus, the engine operates almost all the time at optimal speed and consumes a minimum of fuel/electricity. Then a crank with a pusher is engaged with the flywheel (hydraulic or frictional), feeding the block to the splitting knife. The impact force is colossal: more energy can be “pumped” into a flywheel with a diameter of 60-80 cm than in a 100 kg aerial bomb. Churak actually does not prick, but is cut with a knife, despite any defects in the wood.
Abroad, where energy resources and high-quality straight-layer wood are expensive, household mechanical impact wood splitters are produced and are in demand, see photo at the beginning. There are no imports of such devices into the Russian Federation, and industrial ones are finalizing their resource and analogues to replace them are not being developed. The reason is that they are extremely dangerous. Modern composite superflywheels do not burst, but it is impossible to stop the push from the flywheel and thereby prevent the development of an emergency situation into a threatening and dangerous one. Therefore, further in the article mechanical impact wood splitters with energy storage are not considered.
It couldn't be simpler
The simplest non-volatile manual wood splitter is nothing more than a splitting axe. If you use it little by little, but regularly, so that you develop skill and eye, then it is even safer than mechanical and mechanized ones and more productive than the former. Provided that the configuration of the cleaver and the ax is optimal and consistent.
The splitting ax has undergone a long evolution and continues to improve. On the right in Fig. a drawing of the Strela cleaver, adapted for manual splitting of knotty and twisted ridges, is given; on the left are axes for it (the cleaver is attached to it with a wedge). With the ax handle as you wish, whether you like to swing the ax or not, but the cleaver itself will still be very useful to us, see below.
But what not to do
For several years now, a Finnish farmer’s discovery has been circulating on the Internet: chopping logs for firewood in a tire, see fig. on right. It is not clear why it is good that the split lump will not fall apart, but will remain sticking out in the shell. But something else is clear. If, when chopping wood normally, you smear a cleaver instead of a block on the block, the ax handle will hurt in your hands. You might not even be able to stand on your feet and hurt yourself. But if you miss the rubber with the same cleaver, you can get hit on the forehead with the butt. So don't. The wood splitter tire is a curiosity, but not at all useful.
When you need a lot of wood
For mass preparation of firewood, push-type wood splitters with a hydraulic or mechanical rack pusher and a stationary working body - a splitting ax - are used. The pusher pushes the block onto the cleaver, which splits it into 2, 4 or 8 segments suitable for loading into the furnace firebox. In both cases, the speed of feeding the block onto the cleaver is determined most of all by the properties of the wood and is 4-5 cm/s. To prevent the engine from “losing speed” during the reverse stroke of the pusher and consuming too much fuel/electricity, the reverse stroke speed is set to 7-7.5 cm/s. In this case, you can prepare up to half a ton or more of firewood in the morning.
Note: Do not prick raw, freshly chopped churaki into segments. For a year they should dry from the ends in a separate section of the woodpile or woodshed. If you chop logs that are still oozing juice onto firewood, the wood will lose up to 15-20% of its calorific value during further drying. And you, respectively. money for fuel.
More about safety
A homemade wood splitter can be made similarly to factory ones with horizontal or vertical supply of wood, see figure:
Vertical type wood splitters are more compact and allow the use of a more durable U-shaped frame. However, the probability of ejection of cross-layered, knotty, twisted, crooked and/or non-parallel cuts or its fragments from a vertical wood splitter is much greater than from a horizontal one; the side paws are here, as they say, for peace of mind. In addition, the operator of a horizontal wood splitter is normally located outside the area of scattering of parts of the log in an emergency situation; he can only be hit by a ricochet. In a vertical wood splitter, the debris scattering zone is almost circular and people around it are directly affected by them with full force. Therefore, it is better to make a horizontal wood splitter with your own hands from random materials at hand, and a vertical one only when there is very little suitable space. A typical case is a stationary wood splitter with an electric drive. It cannot be left outdoors due to safety requirements, but a vertical one can be placed in a woodshed.
Hydraulic
The hydraulic wood splitter in this segment is the most economical and productive. This is determined by the external characteristics of the hydraulic drive, see below, and by the fact that the hydraulic pump drive motor operates in a stable mode. The device diagram, appearance and diagram of a hydraulic drive with one pump are shown in the figure: the drive motor rotates the hydraulic pump, which pumps oil from the tank into the system, and the distributor supplies it to the cavities of the forward and reverse hydraulic cylinder.
A significant drawback is that the owner-operator must be skilled in operating and maintaining hydraulic systems. Less significant is the need to periodically change the oil, which costs money. Another drawback (in this case a small one) is that the motor power is taken away both in forward and reverse, therefore, if the components are available (see below), craftsmen sometimes make hydraulic systems with 2 pumps for forward and, low-power, for reverse, see . video clip:
Video: homemade hydraulic wood splitter
Note: It is quite possible to make a vertical hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands, see the video below:
Video: vertical hydraulic wood splitter
The safety of the hydraulic splitter is average: there is no return spring, and the switching time to reverse is quite long - about 0.5 s for the best branded designs. During this period, the “harmful” block may have time to burst and fly apart, even if the operator is experienced and his reaction is instantaneous.
Make or buy?
The first thing you need to decide if you already like a hydraulic splitter is whether it’s better to buy a ready-made one with a guarantee? A good diesel fuel unit for double splitting straight-layered blocks up to 20 cm in diameter can be found for up to 20 thousand rubles. A device for splitting logs up to 30 cm with separate knots and strands into 4 segments (which is optimal for a stove) with adjustable splitting splitter height and automatic dumping of logs (see figure on the right) will cost up to 25-27 thousand rubles. For a high-performance wood splitter for splitting into 8 segments of knotted and twisted ridges up to 60 cm in diameter, you will have to pay more than 100-120 thousand rubles.
At the same time, a set of scattered units for a homemade hydraulic splitter will cost at least 60 thousand rubles. Even if you have parts of an old hydraulic system lying around in your shed, this is not an option. Firstly, worn-out hydraulic system components are difficult to repair. Secondly, the hydraulic cylinders of special equipment are designed for a higher feed speed than is optimal for chopping wood. Accordingly, the pump will have to be over-efficient, and the motor to drive it is obviously more powerful. As a result, either fuel consumption will be significantly higher, or the thrust will be weaker than that of the factory prototype.
If you do anyway
Let's say you have hydraulic system components from a mini-excavator or other mini-special equipment in your trash or you can buy them cheaply (these will do just fine). In this case, the hydraulic cylinder is selected (or the performance of the wood splitter is determined) based on the splitting force:
- Churak 20 cm in half - 2 tf straight layer; 2.7 tf is a bit knotty/wilted.
- Churak 25 cm – 2.3/2.7 tf, respectively.
- The same, for 4 segments - 3/4 tf.
- Churak 30 cm into 4 segments – 3.5/4.5 tf.
- The same for 8 segments - 4/5.5 tf.
- Churak 40 cm into 8 segments – 5.5 tf / 7 tf.
Next, based on the feed speed of 4 cm/s and the volume of the hydraulic cylinder, the performance of the hydraulic pump is determined and, according to the specification for the hydraulic cylinder, the appropriate pressure is selected. After this, a distributor is selected. Then the efficiency of the hydraulic system is set to 75% and the drive motor is selected for the required power with a margin of 5-10%. Additionally, based on the external characteristics of the drive motor, they look at its most economical speed and check whether they correspond to those of the pump. Hoses, valves and other fittings are selected according to operating pressure with a margin (for amateur design) of at least 50%.
Cleaver
The most important part of a homemade wood splitter is its cleaver. Hobbyists make it from old truck springs. In terms of the quality of the material, it cannot be better, but the spring leaves are slightly curved, which reduces performance and increases the risk of injury to the product. The best option is the top 1.5-2.5 cm of the heads of old rails. Convicts also really value railroad wheel tires and car buffers for their knives (they also went through a long cold hardening process), but they are less suitable for the configuration of a wood splitter.
The relative position of the cleaver knives is also very important. A horizontal knife protruding forward (on the left in the figure) immediately makes the wood splitter dangerous and, most likely, a thin straight-layered pine block will get stuck in it. The chock should be met with a vertical knife sharpened to a straight (symmetrical) wedge, pos. 1 in the center. The horizontal knife is positioned 15-20 mm posteriorly and is sharpened on the upper oblique wedge, pos. 2. It is very useful to equip the vertical knife with a piercing pin at the bottom (item 3 on the left) with a height of approx. 30 mm protruding approx. 20 mm forward. Such a cleaver will be better able to split clumsy logs if they are placed on the support with the flattest side down. The sharpening angles are:
- Vertical knife for soft and/or straight-grained wood (except birch) – 18 degrees (3 knife thicknesses).
- The same for hard fine-grained wood and birch - 15 degrees (3.7 knife thickness).
- Horizontal knives – 15 degrees.
- The needle is 22-25 degrees (2.5-2.7 knife thickness).
Rack and pinion
A rack-and-pinion wood splitter is cheaper than a hydraulic one: a branded one can be bought for 8-17 thousand rubles. Its device is shown in Fig. – the pusher on the rack is fed by a small gear-tribe (or tribe). The gear ratio from the motor to the tribe shaft is calculated using a feed speed of 4 cm/s.
It is also easier to make a wood splitter with a rack drive with your own hands - the parts of a rack jack (you can use old ones) are quite suitable for the base. A rack-and-pinion splitter is also simpler to operate: maintenance of the hydraulic system is completely eliminated. Its safety is greatest: it is enough to release the pressure roller lever (or reflexively throw it out of fear), and the return spring will lift the rack above the bushing and throw it back.
The main disadvantage of the rack-and-pinion splitter is the poor external characteristics in this case (pos. P in the figure below): as the feed speed approaches zero, the stop increases sharply, and then also sharply drops to zero. That is, if there is a defect in the block in which the cleaver gets stuck, the drive will jerk strongly (which can cause its breakdown), and then the force of the tribe will be spent on pushing the rack away from itself, and not pushing it forward. It looks like this: the feed lever (if not released) beats painfully in the hand, the mechanism cracks, trembles, and may break. The initial section of the external characteristic of the hydraulic drive is soft: the greatest emphasis is created at zero feed speed. If a hydraulic splitter comes across a very stubborn chump, he will just as stubbornly push and shove him onto the splitting ax; maybe it will split.
The first consequence of the rigidity of the initial branch of the external characteristics of the rack-and-pinion splitter is that more motor power is needed. Shift the splitting force values for the hydraulic drive in the list above by one position, and throw out the 40 cm block and 2/2.7 tf for the 20 cm one - get the initial data for calculating the rack drive; however, its efficiency can be taken as 0.85. Secondly, the internal defect of the block, which can slow down the cleaver, may also be the bark that has fallen into the split. As a result, the rack and pinion drive is more suitable for low-performance manual mechanical wood splitters (see below) with the adaptive external characteristic of the “motor” - our muscles.
Note: the poor external characteristics of the rack and pinion drive can be improved to some extent by a chain drive from the motor to the drive shaft, see below.
When you need less wood
For splitting logs into firewood in milder climates or for heating a small building, a screw splitter is most suitable. Its productivity is low; using it requires a certain skill and fairly strong hands. But, contrary to popular belief, a screw wood splitter is not very sensitive to block defects, because its working body splits the tree, screwing into it and sawing. As a result, a screw wood splitter is also economical: with a 2.5-3 kW motor it can chop logs up to 40 cm in diameter and 60 cm in height; with a motor from a washing machine - more or less straight-layered with a diameter of up to 20-25 cm.
Note: Many people make screw wood splitters with motors from washing machines, especially since the rotation speed is suitable, see below. But in this case there is no need to place the cleaver directly on the motor shaft - from lateral forces the motor housing, which is not designed for them, will soon move or, if it is silumin, it will crack. The cleaver must be placed on the drive shaft in supports, and it must be connected to the engine shaft with a damping transmission or coupling, for example. from a piece of durite hose.
The device of a screw wood splitter is shown on the left in Fig. The working body is a conical screw with a shaped persistent left-hand thread; rotation speed 150-1500 rpm (optimally 250-400). Why is the thread left-handed? Mainly because most people are right-handed and their right hand is stronger; If you are left-handed, then it will be much more convenient and safer for you to work with a right-handed screw cleaver.
The churak is fed vertically onto the screw cleaver, otherwise the situation shown below on the right in Fig. Churak must be held with his hands (above right), so a screw-type wood splitter is a potentially dangerous device. The right hand, which is stronger and more dexterous (for left-handed people, the left hand) keeps the rest of the block from being pulled under by the cleaver (the wedge stop is also important in this regard, see below), which inevitably causes irreparable damage to the mechanism and almost always injury to the operator. Therefore, you need to chop off the logs from the part of the log that is under your left hand (right for left-handers), and make sure that there is not too little left under your right (left). If a cleaver encounters a viscous place in the mass of wood (a knot, a twist), it can, as it were, wrap a block around itself from above and bend downward; a wedge stop under the cleaver prevents this situation.
Design Features
Safety, productivity and ease of use of a screw wood splitter with the same motor strongly depend on the rational design and its correct execution of such structural components as the wedge stop, the drive mechanism, the drive shaft and its support. The efficiency of a screw log splitter is more influenced by the configuration of the splitter.
Emphasis
The wedge stop is a critical element of the entire structure. Its absence or incorrect implementation not only makes the wood splitter dangerous, but also reduces its performance, reliability and capabilities: a wood splitter with an incorrect stop takes smaller ones, slower, and itself wears out faster and breaks down more often.
Leaving the cleaver hanging high without a lower stop, and even with the drive shaft supported only by bearings (on the left in the figure) is a gross mistake. There are more than enough opportunities to pull a piece of wood under yourself and tear yourself out of the weak supports along with the bent shaft here, but it is difficult to split a block of wood by gnawing into it high above the lower cut. But a simple steel plate instead of a stop (in the center) is no better: with the lateral forces that arise when chopping, it doesn’t matter whether it’s 4 mm steel or cardboard.
The correct wedge stop for a screw wood splitter is a massive all-metal one, securely attached to a strong frame, on the right. The length of the stop is such that the nose of the cleaver is free by 1/3-1/2 of the length of the threaded part. The width of the stop along its entire length is equal to the diameter of the splitting ax in this section minus 3-4 thread heights, see below. The gap between the stop and the shank of the cleaver is no more than 1.2-2 mm; It’s better if you can make a gap of 0.5-0.7 mm; Let the cleaver rub a little against the stop while working, no big deal, but it will last a long time and reliably. Stop height approx. 2/3 of the diameter of the cleaver shank; for 75 mm within 50-60 mm.
The essence of the action of such a stop is that the grabbing and pulling of the block at the beginning of the working stroke is easily countered with your hands. When the cleaver is sufficiently screwed into the tree, you can no longer hold the grabbed block with your hand. But in this case, the bottom of the pulled-up part will hit the side of the stop; Perhaps it will break off and fly off. Grabbing the part of the block under the right hand will weaken and will not turn the cleaver upward, and grabbing the left part will press it against the stop. If the drive and drive shaft holder are made correctly, the mechanism will stop and the situation will not develop into a threatening situation.
Drive unit
The external characteristics of a screw-type log splitter have an unpleasant feature, similar to that of a rack-and-pinion splitter - zero thread travel with zero rotation. Only here it is not the lath that is pushed away by the tribe, but the cleaver that pulls the block under itself. At the same time, if a cleaver encounters a sticky obstacle in a tree, in most cases it is enough for him to break through first, then he will go to saw a branch or strand, although more slowly. In this case, the inertia of the drive can help: for a moment, the wood splitter turns into a mechanical impact one.
Inertia for rotation is provided by a belt drive with a fairly massive driven pulley, on the left in the figure, but without additional safety elements (see below), this solution is questionable: if the “plug” is not torn off, and the flywheel pulley is heavy, then the entire mechanism may break and a dangerous situation will arise. Much better in this regard is the chain drive, on the right in Fig. The chain itself is heavy, and because of the play in the joints of its links, one strong, fairly long jerk is broken into a series of sharp, frequent ones, and the cleaver overcomes the “plug” more easily. Compare: what is the best way to drive a nail into a wall without bending it - hit it once with a backhand or with frequent small blows?
Drive shaft support
The inertia of the chain is still low, and if you have to chop clumsy logs, it is still advisable to equip the wood splitter with a mechanical energy storage device in the form of a massive driven belt pulley. The safety of the device is then ensured by introducing a known weak link into the supporting structure of the shaft.
An example of such a solution is given in Fig. on right. The weak link here is the pair of cotter pins - cotter pins and nuts (items 1 and 2). Additionally - friction clutch of pulley 5 through a thick washer 3. The drive shaft 10 is of a simple configuration, and ordinary ball bearings 4 (preferably self-aligning) are fixed with spacer cups 6 and 8 between the bearing journals and the rear journal and pulley. The covers 7 are pressed into the body 8, and the entire support assembly is attached to the frame in any convenient way.
The cotter pin nut is not completely pinned; 1-2 cotter pins are enough (selected by experience). The nut is normal right. If the jerk of the flywheel does not help the cleaver overcome the blockage, the cotter pin is cut off, the nut is unscrewed and the cleaver stops. The operator expresses himself as best he can, but nothing terrible happened, and the breakdown is easily repairable.
Carrot screw
This is the name given to the working body of a screw wood splitter due to its external resemblance to a root crop. A carrot wood splitter also cuts wood at work, so chopping wood with a screw produces quite a lot of sawdust, see figure. If the barn or poultry house is heated with a sawdust stove (bubafoney, etc.), this may come in handy. But in general, let Over the course of a season, up to 10-12% of the fuel goes to waste is undesirable. Changing the thread profile of the screw splitting ax can help in this case.
Drawings of 2 variants of a carrot splitter for a screw wood splitter are given on the following. rice; the landing dimensions are the same, for the drive shaft shank in the drawing above.
On the left is a conventional design with a sawtooth profile thread: it produces quite a lot of sawdust and small chips, it does not overcome wood defects well, and it often gets stuck in dense, fine-grained wood. On the right is a screw cleaver with a specially profiled thread, which cuts little wood, but overcomes its defects well. In addition, special thread profiling made it possible to increase the angle at the apex of the cone from 19.85 to 26 degrees. The working body has become shorter; therefore, the same block of wood will split faster. In addition, the special thread clings to the wood more weakly and it is safer to work with such a cleaver. To cut special threads, you will need a shaped cutter, but both screw cleavers can be turned with your own hands on a desktop lathe, see video:
Video: making a “carrot” for a wood splitter in the garage
When you need a little wood
In southern regions and/or for heating utility rooms, little firewood is required. A normal guy could pin them by hand effortlessly, and then let the missus just try not to serve the stopar for dinner. But there is a problem: the correct swing. Without it, swinging a cleaver is exhausting and dangerous, and developing a swing for chopping wood is no easier than skills in using edged weapons; see, for example, how a fighter chops firewood in Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.”
A manual mechanical wood splitter, again contrary to popular belief, saves little or no muscle effort when chopping wood, but allows you to do it quite safely without having to master the woodcutter's swing. Its additional advantage is that it can work both in gravitational-inertial and pressure modes. The latter allows you to little by little, but manage the most stubborn chumps of almost any diameter. The main thing is that their cuts are parallel and approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the log, otherwise the work will be much more dangerous.
The structure of a manual mechanical wood splitter is shown in Fig. The lever arm is taken from 1.5 m; the bigger, the better. Load - depending on its strength, 10-50 kg. If the splitter is fixed motionless, this wood splitter works only as an inertial one: the lever is lifted by the handle and forcefully lowered onto the block. If the splitter can be moved along the lever, then the wood splitter can also be push-type; The lever arm is extended by a pipe placed on the handle.
There are a number of significant nuances in the design of a lever manual wood splitter (shown by arrows on the right in the figure). The first is the cleaver. A simple wedge made from a piece of rail is ineffective and gets stuck in the wood. Such a wood splitter works much better with the Strela cleaver (see above), especially since it can be inexpensively purchased ready-made. The second is the spring; it is the most traumatic element in this design. The spring force is needed such that the free lever with the cleaver in the farthest position is held approximately horizontally. The spring must be secured to the heels so that it does not come off them with the full swing of the lever; It’s better to pass a swinging guide into the spring.
And lastly, if the lever wood splitter is not rigidly attached to the supporting area, then its front legs must be made no less than the maximum length of the lever arm + double the diameter of the largest block. How to make your own lever wood splitter with improved kinematics, see next. video:
Video: firewood cleaver on a spring
Note: You should not make a mechanical wood splitter with a cleaver sliding along a support, see fig. higher right. You have to hit the butt of the cleaver with a sledgehammer, but it still jams every now and then.
When firewood comes in handy
The butt parts of forests and, especially, stumps from uprooting are known to produce a lot of heat when burned. You can buy them for firewood inexpensively, and in some places in Russia you can simply buy them for pick-up: they are of little use for cellulose, fiber for MDF and industrial wood chips for OSB, chipboard and fiberboard. But it’s not so easy to split such a clumsy block of wood, inside and out, into firewood. However, for the preparation at home of a small amount of additional wood fuel to the main one, this problem, which woodworking specialists are still struggling with, is completely solvable.
How? It is necessary to make a cone splitter: it does not split the block by force, but forces it to crack as it is more convenient for him. If the workpiece is no more than 60 cm in diameter, then the resulting logs will fit in the furnace firebox. Their transverse dimensions are not optimal for the most economical combustion, but the fuel is also waste.
The structure of a cone log splitter is shown in Fig. on right. The diameter of the base of the cone is 80-150 mm, depending on the largest size of available blocks. The apex angle is 15 degrees for thin-grained wood and 18 degrees for straight-grained wood. Note at 1/3 of the height of the cone from the base it is replaced by an opening angle of 22 and 25-30 degrees, respectively. It is better to use a rack jack. The fact is that a car jack is an emergency device, not designed for frequent regular use. The rack and pinion jack cannot be simplified any further, but the hydraulic jack in the wood splitter will start leaking pretty soon. For comparison: a hydraulic stamping press that develops the same force is a solid structure weighing more than a ton.
One more nuance: it is better to make the adjusting rod of the conical cleaver also working. To do this, it is made from a rod of steel St45 or stronger with a diameter of 24 mm. The thread is cut trapezoidal (you can use parts from an unusable main gas or water valve). The steering wheel is replaced with a lever gate. Then, together with an assistant, it will be possible to split the thickest, most vile of vile blocks. Frame – channels from 150 mm and pipes from 60x4.
When firewood is sometimes needed
That is, for heating a decorative fireplace or temporary heating with improvised waste fuel; eg in the country. Abroad, logs of low-value soft wood are sold specifically for fuel for fireplaces: poplar, aspen, willow, etc. And they are accompanied by wood splitters like the one in pos. 1 pic. below. The core of marketing promotion is that the ridges on the knife immediately provide a kindling light. But in general the idea is strange: a block of wood that can be split with a light blow of an ax is placed in a clip and hit it hard several times with a sledgehammer. True, chopping wood, on the contrary, is safer. Maybe this is relevant there. There is a saying in America (translated into Russian): “If the average American, rushing to get to work, doesn’t slip and break his neck in the shower, he will cut his own throat while shaving.”
A reciprocating wood splitter (item 2) is much more convenient and not at all more dangerous. He acts according to a well-known saying: a lazy man was asked why he chops wood while sitting? “I tried lying down - it’s uncomfortable.” The reciprocating wood splitter can be attached to both the wall and the floor. Cutting lever arm from 0.8 m for soft straight-grained wood; for birch and pine from 1.2 m.
Split oak, etc. with a reciprocating wood splitter. or wood from fruit trees is already difficult and does not always work out. Therefore, at a dacha visited during the cold season, a foot-operated lever wood splitter (item 3) will not hurt: it copes with the wood of any tree with a diameter of up to 25-30 cm; however, productivity is low. In this log splitter, a sliding stop pulls the shackle (shown by the arrow) when you press the pedal. The swinging cradle is raised until the block fits in it, then released and pressed on the pedal until the wood splits.