air operated bottle jack log spliter

[madkayaker]

Madkayaker

I would think an air power log splitter would be very low power unless you can get very high air pressure or a ram with a large piston area as the power to split depends on the psi on the ram piston, hydraulic is easier and safer to get the pressures required!

there 20T bottle jacks with air pumping

 

[the snooper]

air over hydraulic is the term you are looking for

 

[madkayaker]

thanks will add that to the knowlage bank!

 

[StevieD]

I use one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sledge-Ha...denEquipment_HandTools_SM&hash=item588f694b4d when I haven't access to the tractor & hydraulic splitter, its at the farm 150 miles away from where I live.

Good for the stubborn stuff that a normal maul or big felling axe doesn't work with, otherwise I just use the chain saw.

A big 6" cylinder, with a decent compressor might work, no experience with the jacks, other than the guy that changes my tyres uses one.

Steve

 

[Jammy James]

I use one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sledge-Ha...denEquipment_HandTools_SM&hash=item588f694b4d

i split all my wood with that or if its easy i use felling axe but then im a 16 yr old lad that always wants to impress the local girls

 

[roofman]

Here's a bit of info - simple valves guide

reminds me of the joys of working out cascading valves on C&G 230

good reading..cheers

 

[Mikey D]

where i work (transport co) ,they use an air operated jack , takes about 20 seconds i guess to jack up a wheel enough to change it ,plenty of power but so pretty slow . would be painfully slow splitting logs with it .

cheers mike

 

[madkayaker]

thanks mike. thats the kind of info i was after. looked like a good idea but is probily not!

 

[awemawson]

The trouble with direct air operation is that it is 'springy' ie can be compressed, whereas hydraulic oil cannot. This means that your piston will not keep a definate position in use, and inching it onto the wood to split will be neigh on impossible. The various air operated jacks (apart from lift bags) use the air to force oil in and out of the cylinder, the working medium is still oil but the motive power is air.

I have a tilting induction furnace that was originally directly air operated tilt, and it was impossible to tip 'just a bit', it was all or nothing. I converted it to air over oil for just this reason.

 

[brightspark]

The trouble with direct air operation is that it is 'springy' ie can be compressed, whereas hydraulic oil cannot. This means that your piston will not keep a definate position in use, and inching it onto the wood to split will be neigh on impossible. The various air operated jacks (apart from lift bags) use the air to force oil in and out of the cylinder, the working medium is still oil but the motive power is air.

I have a tilting induction furnace that was originally directly air operated tilt, and it was impossible to tip 'just a bit', it was all or nothing. I converted it to air over oil for just this reason.

how would a direct air ram work ?there wouldnt be any power behind it and if one was used the piston would have to be massive

 

[dannyp]

experimented with this a while ago, to use pressure to split the wood you need a massive piston and it uses a massive amount of air filling the cylinder, the other way is to use inertia and that works better.

you need a long cylinder, discaharge air into this to move the piston with a big ball valve 1"+ style. connect the piston to a heavy thing via a rod so it rams into the bolock of wood you wish to split. then dump the air to the other side of the piston in the cylinder to return it, ready for another go.

or just aquire a hydralic ram and a power steering pump of an old car and drive it with a small petrol engine or 2-3 hp leccy motor works much better

 

[Rick]

I have an air/hydraulic bottle jack on my press. Works very well on the press, but is slow, probably moves 5mm a second max, no good for a log splitter but perfect for a press.

 

[madkayaker]

Thanks Rick