Press / Log Splitter

[8ob]

how much do you need to split a log?

Very little if you get clever with the angle and design of the splitting edge. A good example of this is the 100 ton splitters shoving 36" diameter chogs through a twenty way waffle board.

Bob

 

[Ton-up]

Very little if you get clever with the angle and design of the splitting edge.

Bob

A 2 ton trolley jack will split one with ease I'd have thought?

 

[reb78]

I think my hydraulic one is 14 tonnes but my neighbour mentioned he thinks the tractor will only put out about 10t. Nothings stopped it yet.

 

[Justme]

I’ve a hankering for a press, don’t really need it but want one, I have all the metal and looking at a 12 ton bottle jack to use in the arrangement below

View attachment 486429
Now the interesting bit, I also need a log splitter but I dont need two bits of kit as neither will be used often, but the press will be more handy
I have plenty of rounds from a tree that was felled in my garden, and I need an easier way to split them

If I was to add some sort of axe head at the business end will this work or is it a non starter?
What size of bottle jack is recommended?

I’m not looking for speed as it’s just a few times a year to chop wood for fire pits and bbq etc, I don’t have a log burner

Will be far too slow for logs.

 

[Parm]

Will be far too slow for logs.

It’s not logs, I’ve got plenty of rounds from a tree, wood will be exclusively used for outdoor cooking, I’ve got enough for a few years, but now need to lay down some futures for the next few years

 

[Bullet2012]

Time for another party , this time get everyone to bring their own version of a log splitter and some alcohol. what could go wrong ?

 

[More Amps]

Get everyone to bring some logs and you won't need to split your own.

 

[sako243]

It’s not logs, I’ve got plenty of rounds from a tree, wood will be exclusively used for outdoor cooking, I’ve got enough for a few years, but now need to lay down some futures for the next few years

In all seriousness if you wanted to pop down, help clear some of the woodland around my parents place (loads of trees down) there's loads of dry (some has been drying for 30 years) firewood they're happy to offer in exchange for labour clearing.

It's not like they don't use it, some years the fire is lit in September and doesn't go out until April.

 

[Parm]

In all seriousness if you wanted to pop down, help clear some of the woodland around my parents place (loads of trees down) there's loads of dry (some has been drying for 30 years) firewood they're happy to offer in exchange for labour clearing.

It's not like they don't use it, some years the fire is lit in September and doesn't go out until April.

I’ve good plenty of wood, just need it chopping

 

[voipio]

A 2 ton trolley jack will split one with ease I'd have thought?

Most log splitters have a considerably higher force rating. 2 tons might cleave smaller logs OK, but would struggle with anything bigger.

 

[DAPPH]

I'm with @reb78.

I'm looking at building a firewood processor (saw and splitter) but was looking at using at least a 5" ram to get 30+ tonnes of force.

@fizzy thought I was mad because it would be too slow and unnecessary, better off with a smaller ram. My reasoning is the smallest hydraulic pump I have is 80lpm so a push stroke on a 6" shear grab ram with about 16" of travel was sub 10s. The reason for such a force was to have a 6, 8 or possibly even more way splitter to process 2ft rounds in one stroke. No double handling and resplitting.

Admittedly I've got strong arms and reasonably young but putting a 2ft ash round in a tyre I can split it with an axe in under a minute comfortably and do that most of the day. So anything needs to be either automated or faster.

I'd be sticking with an axe in your situation @Parm and exercise is good for you

Splitting crowns and branch /trunk forks is quite a different matter they are very tough This week end Fizzy & I are hoping his fork lift ram will have enough power to spilt a stillage full of such chunks of oak ash beech etc. His diddy three ton horizontal splitted barely pushed the wood onto the splitter head

I'm thinking that as such chunks of wood have a very varied grain ^ cross grains we will have to ensure that the splitter head & separating wings will need to reach down to the last 8 inches of the chunks to ensure a full split . Then if still too big I will use the band saw and cut them split side down .
I'm also sure that you will need to curve the wings of the inverted V ( axe head ) curved out a tiny bit towards the free ends to give a better splitting force /effect . & it will need open end closing plates welding to it to stop it closing up .

A true axe head might be too knife like to effectively split a crown or branch fork log , as it won't be thick enough to push the wood asunder as far as needed.

 

[DAPPH]

I will have to bring one of the stubborn ones down to you

Get that chain saw out Fizzy it's cheaper than running your truck.

 

[DAPPH]

Cheers chaps, but swinging an axe is getting tiring now, plus i haven't built anything for a while. This is me getting my Mo Jo back and wanting to play in the workshop

I have a 10 ton hydraulic jacked pipe bender , with very little adaptation the thing could easily be modified to use the jack to push a splitter head up where the pipe formers are pushing the only thing here is as alrecyb mentioned pumping u=it up with a lever and releasing the ram after splitting is laborious & time consuming .

I'm no longer likely to ever use it again as I'm too old & knackered anyone interested in it C/W formers , drop me a PM

 

[Bravheart]

Splitting crowns and branch /trunk forks is quite a different matter they are very tough This week end Fizzy & I are hoping his fork lift ram will have enough power to spilt a stillage full of such chunks of oak ash beech etc. His diddy three ton horizontal splitted barely pushed the wood onto the splitter head

I'm thinking that as such chunks of wood have a very varied grain ^ cross grains we will have to ensure that the splitter head & separating wings will need to reach down to the last 8 inches of the chunks to ensure a full split . Then if still too big I will use the band saw and cut them split side down .
I'm also sure that you will need to curve the wings of the inverted V ( axe head ) curved out a tiny bit towards the free ends to give a better splitting force /effect . & it will need open end closing plates welding to it to stop it closing up .

A true axe head might be too knife like to effectively split a crown or branch fork log , as it won't be thick enough to push the wood asunder as far as needed.

Be a big forklift that has more than a 3tonne lift.

 

[gaz1]

for me who just wants a log splitter like so many a hybrid of this is ample enough

it might be old but its a viable option

now because that wheel isnt spinning really fast you can make a kart wheel out of wood

you can also bring that wheel lower so its within the frame at the base and still use the same slide arms

also note its splitting wedge

 

[fizzy]

Be a big forklift that has more than a 3tonne lift.

Not necessarily. My reach truck has an official 1600kg lift. But it will still lift that at 6.5m high. Triple stage mast. Close in i have lifted 5 tonnes. The ram is 10 tonnes.

 

[Parm]

An axe head will work ok but log splitters tend to have a wider wedge to split the wood over a shorter distance.
Make sure it is fitted parallel with the cross rails NOT at 90 degrees. That way the log can continue to split out past the cross pieces.
12 tons will be ample.

Good advice Vince, I’ve got some leaf spring, thinking I could use this to make a custom splitting wedge type thing ?

 

[gaz1]

@Parm

needs a lomger wheel base to roll on but works

 

[reb78]

@Parm

needs a lomger wheel base to roll on but works

This is so slow and I think he had the video playback on a faster speed! But slow as this is, I think this is as fast as a jack could be...

He should have had a wider axe head as mentioned above.

 

[gaz1]

id agree but compared to a bottle jack thats even slower