wood splitter

[sotc]

well im building a wood splitter for my dingo. just getting started but thought id throw some pics up for comment/critisizim. here goes. first is my main parts, next two is my blade built and attached to the i-beam and the i-beam attached to the dingo plate

[MasterBlaster]

Looks good to me! Keep us posted! :beer:

[okietreedude]

Why go side to side? why not go straight forward from the machine? Or verticle in front.

Ive thought of this too, just dont want that many hrs on the unit.

[sotc]

i can stand on the plat form and see the wood and knife by doing it from the side. ill only need to stand wood up on edge then drive the machine up to it, and split it in place

[okietreedude]

I see. The way i was thinking of doing one was mainly using the motor and hydraulics of the unit and having a separate lever for the ram. much like a store bought splitter would have.

[squisher]

ill only need to stand wood up on edge then drive the machine up to it,

On edge? Or laying flat? Now I'm confused, boy that was easy.:|:

[sotc]

rounds on edge, bark to ground. look at the last pic, that will be in position for most of my splitting

[brendonv]

You should make a 4 way or 6 way wedge on that. That way each log will deliver all the pieces at once, instead of picking up and re splitting each half, which would be WAY time consuming. If not you will have to reposition everytime because the wood is being banged out to the right, so your gonna have to scoot over for Every peice.

I used a 4 way on a entry level timber wolf, man it was a beautiful thing!

Just my .02.


And DAMN, I need a welder!!

[sotc]

yeah when i was at the scrap yard i couldnt find "wing" pieces. i need to go back for some "eyes" to attach the cylinder ill keep looking.

[lumberjack]

A 4 way adds alot of stress.

I'd put a valve on the beam so you don't have to walk around the machine every time.

Why do you have to stand the peices up? Roll forward and pinch them lengthwise.

[sotc]

i wont have to walk around the machine at all, and lengthwise is how it will work

[brendonv]

If you cant find wings, im sure you can give timberwolf a call and they can send you the slide on unit. Might save time and $.

[squisher]

Cool I understand now, just musta been your accent is all.:D

[Frans]

Dave Norgaard has made another splitter. He says he figured out a better design but I dont know what it is.

I agree that a 4 way will add alot of stress. Also your 'knife' seems a bit big for the size of the 'I' beam. Should you grab a hunk of wood at the end of the knife, it could tweak your welds and maybe even bend the I beam.

[Al Smith]

On the hydraulics of a skidloader you have to remember they use a single stage pump.A knife edge cutter would indeed be better that a 4 way .

A big old 4 way or high angle wedge I don't think is the answer in this application .

[sotc]

thanks for the advice! think ill try it like it is before adding on a 4 way. i am a little concerned that the dingo doesnt enough snort but ill soon find out! it is a long knife but ill try it first and see if theres any flexing.

[lumberjack]

I wouldn't think the length of the blade matters that much, perhaps the height (is that what ya'll are talking about?)?

My mini will put out 12gpm @3kpsi with power to spare.

[squisher]

My mini will put out 12gpm @3kpsi with power to spare.

Same here :D

[stehansen]

I wouldn't think the length of the blade matters that much, perhaps the height (is that what ya'll are talking about?)?

My mini will put out 12gpm @3kpsi with power to spare.

I think that is more than enough hydraulic capacity for most wood splitters. Have you used a splitter like this before Willie?

[sotc]

no i havent, mines 7 gpm and i dont know how much psi. it moves quickly though, i got the hydraulics hooked up today

[squisher]

Pics? Mine you can choose 6 or 12 and I think 6 is fine for most attachments. I can tell ya the bit of messing around I did with the BMG six was the way to go for me.

[sotc]

yeah, dont need much for the grapples!
heres some pics from today. i got the "slide" mostly built and the hyd. fittings i needed. got lucky and had hoses just the right length8)

[JonnyHart]

Ahh I see. Looks good to me!
What's the pointy stud on the blade do?

[sotc]

just a concentrated point to start the split, specially usefull for a 4 way blade

[Al Smith]

Not to be a smart alec but that is a puny little cylinder .What size is that thing???

[MasterBlaster]

It IS a tiny actuator.

[sotc]

2"

[Al Smith]

2" is not nearly large enough.Given the same amount of hydraulic pressure that small of cylinder will only produce 1/4 the amount of a 4" .

Using the formula pi times radius squared the 2" only produces 3.1416 square inchs in area while the 4" is 12.5664.

Even if the hydraulic system would put out 3,000 psi the small cylinder will at best only put out about 9400 pounds of force.

I don't want to be discouraging but you won't be satisfied with that small of cylinder.A 3" would be a factor of 7.06 and a 3.5 would be 9.62

[sotc]

well i like to be satisfied:) ill try it since i have it, but i guess i can up it to 3 inch pretty easy. thanks al

[squisher]

Any news?

[sotc]

no my buddy stole my welder over the weekend and ive been to sick anyway. later this week ill finish up i think

[sotc]

well here goes, i tried it on a chunk of my moking wood and it was hardly a chalenge:)

[sotc]

phase 2 was to go to the neighbors and split some pin oak from a removal last month. no soap:( al was right, not enough power so i need to go get a 3 inch ram. frans was also right, the beam is to light so ill need to brace it also as it was flexing

[Frans]

well, congrats for getting this far!!!! Keep us informed.

[squisher]

Cool Willie!

[stehansen]

Is pin oak pretty tough to split?

[sotc]

not when its green, especially with as few knots as there were

[Al Smith]

Is pin oak pretty tough to split? It isn't at that size.I however have some in my pile that are over 30 inch,those are a challange.
Nothing however that the 27 ton ton splitter can't handle but a little rough with the 5 pound axe.

Now If it were I and I had to beef up that homemade splitter I would jump right to a 4 inch cylinder and an 8 inch beam .No sense doing it over a third time.;)

[fallguy1960]

Once you get the hydralic and beam issues solved it will be one slick unit. You may want to get a patent or at least real good deal on a new dingo for that idea. It sure is going to be nice not having to lift the wood up on the beam all day. Good job

[sotc]

your prolly right again al but it couldnt hurt to tear up the one i got first right?:)

[Al Smith]

your prolly right again al but it couldnt hurt to tear up the one i got first right?:) Well,it's your's do as you wish.How-some -ever at this point you could use the beam and cylinder for some thing else.Kinda hard to do anything with it if it's shaped like a pretzel.:)

[sotc]

wouldnt ruin the cylinder for anything!

[Al Smith]

wouldnt ruin the cylinder for anything! Well of course not on purpose but if you get it extended it puts a lot of strain on the rod.I imagine that small of a cylinder only uses a 1 inch rod and they would bend fairly easy at full extension .

Not trying to act like a smart azz but if that thing is say 24" long and anchored at the tail end of the cylinder you would have about 50 or more inchs of force acting on the rod.Just the law psysics in action .

A 4 inch cylinder would use usually at least a 2 inch rod.4 times the power and at least 4 times the strength of the rod.Although using a knife edge cutter it would be less strain that a wide wedge type device.

[stehansen]

My Uncle and cousin made a splitter 20 years ago and I don't remember the size of the ram but they bent the shaft on the very first log.

[Al Smith]

Now let's face it,a woodsplitter has to be built battleship tough. Anything less than that is an exercise in futility.

If it doesn't have some tough to it it is like splitting wood with a hatchet. Possible but not the best of design .

[bergsteiger]

Willie how do you like that Dingo with the gas engine? I've seen a few around here for pretty cheap.

[stehansen]

Now let's face it,a woodsplitter has to be built battleship tough. Anything less than that is an exercise in futility.

If it doesn't have some tough to it it is like splitting wood with a hatchet. Possible but not the best of design .

What would your dream woodsplitter be Al?

[sotc]

Willie how do you like that Dingo with the gas engine? I've seen a few around here for pretty cheap.

ive used bigger ones and they are better but im thrilled to have this as a starting point. if you dont have one any is better than none!

[Al Smith]

What would your dream woodsplitter be Al? Oh actually about any tiltable one with at least a 4 inch cylinder.

I have Tom the tree guys 27 ton splitter to use because those thieven pot lickers in his neighborhood would steal the parts off it had he kept it where he lives.It does just fine .

In my pile of junk I've had the parts to make one for twenty years and never found the time.12 HP electric start Briggs,double Parker gear pump, 5 by 22 cylinder with a 2 1/2" rod 5000 psi surge rating [steel rings ],10 inch wide flange beam 5/8" web .

Weather it would be the ultimate is debatable but it would split about anything you put in it but so does the 27 ton so it's a toss up .

Now I'm not saying one needs to be that sturdy but a 2 inch cylinder and a small beam just aint gonna cut the mustard.Not trying to be negative or a smart azz but facts are facts.

To interject a thought ,I'm a junk yard dog and dumpster diver and I realize that not everybody is ,shall we say,as creative as myself .How-some-ever by being somewhat unorthadox you can find stuff that will work for pennys on the dollar as opposed to buying new.Then too it all depends on where you live and ones imagination of design about this kind of stuff with what's readily available in the area .

[sotc]

no offence taken al, im just trying to stay some what light weight. obviously im going to have to go heavier

[sotc]

ok i got a 4" cylinder last night and a 6 inch i beam today. i get my steel at a recycler so i cant get to picky:)

[sotc]

ok heres a quick slap together of some of the new parts. i have enough room to beef up the 6 inch if ii need to

[stehansen]

Looks good. My Uncle always made his "pusher" really high and that put a bunch of strain on things. You have it real low should eliminate all that. I've seen him tear the ears right off of his sliding mechanism. This is before he bent the beam. All to try and use some chunk of wood worth probably fifty cents.

[squisher]

I split all my firewood by hand, I just use a splitting maul and blast right through. I have no problems because I only keep/use prime firewood.

But I am interested in watching this set-up progress.

[stehansen]

I grew up using either almond or walnut for firewood. Neither splits very easily.

[Al Smith]

That combination should work just fine.

[sotc]

ok, i got my splitter working on the bench last night! i just have to glue it to the universal plate and were active. i busted a couple peices of wood and didnt even slow down the big cylinder. i think im going to have to shorten the spike back even with knife as it seems to torque the beam. ill try it a bit first. pics later

[sawinredneck]

I'd tell you it looks nice and I think you did a god job, but I got educated last night. I guess I am a moron and should quite thinking, sell my welder to someone that can actually use it, and give up while I am still ahead!
So I won't.

God I love AS:)

[MasterBlaster]

You being bad-mouthed, Andy?

[sawinredneck]

You being bad-mouthed, Andy?

It's all in the first page:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=64801


I guess my log splitter is a total POS?

[sotc]

jeeze andy, why didnt you tell me id screw it up in the first place:P thats why i hang here.

[sawinredneck]

jeeze andy, why didnt you tell me id screw it up in the first place:P thats why i hang here.

I enjoy other peoples failure, it gets me off:lol:

[sotc]

ok here it is in working order. works good but i have more ideas to make it better, but that will be awhile. ill use it like this for now. thanks for the helpfull comments

[sawinredneck]

YUP:lol:

[MasterBlaster]

I've never seen one oriented like that.

[sawinredneck]

They are starting to do that a lot on machinery mounted splitters Butch. You can grab a log from the pile, move it to the split pile and chop it up. Never have to get off the machine! It's really a pretty efficient design.

[MasterBlaster]

Never thought of it like that, sounds interesting!

[sawinredneck]

The neat ones are on backhoes, wood on one side, split wood on the other, never have to move the machine, and drink a beer/smoke a cig while you do it. Multitask baby:lol:

[squisher]

Looks good, what are you planning on changing on it?

[RaisedByWolves]

It's all in the first page:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=64801


I guess my log splitter is a total POS?




Why do all the a$$holes share my first name?

Am I an a-hole too?




STOC, I hate to say this, maybe this will put me in the "Hole" category, but that beam is going to die a terrable death. That is made for guardrails, you need something made for structural purposes with at least 3/8" web and preferably 1/2".


It may just spring enough to pop the end off of the cylinder, that would suck a great deal.....



I liked the pin idea the moment I saw it, but After review, I think two wedge shaped pins would be a better idea. One pin may let some wood split wherever and leave funky chunks when the uneven split portion hits the blade. Two would ease the forces but still split it in line with the blade, unless your splitting twisty Beech or.........That tough to split wood with the funky green/light green/tan bark.


Help me here people.


Starts with an S....



Sycamore!!!! Hate that crap.





.

[sotc]

thats one of the changes, heavier beam, i guess id have to buy new steel cause they never have it in the scrap yard. another thing is id make the push plate higher and move the cylinder a little further from the beam

[Al Smith]

By golly it is a guard rail beam,just noticed that myself.

Not to be the bearer of bad tiddings but it could warp and never pop back if you chomp into a chunk that has about a turn and half of twist in the grain.

In critique the higher up the wood makes contact with the wedge the more strain it puts on the beam.The initial point of contact on that thing is at that spike gizmo .

It will work as it is as long as you don't get some nasty knots etc but keep an eye on it and back off if it starts to do the twisty thing. As long as you are doing that white oak or whatever that stuff is you will be fine.In the mean time keep on the lookout for a real healthy chunk of I beam .

Well,look at it like this before you get done you will have learned a lot about steel stresses and fabrication .What's been done is meerly an education .;),before you are done with this thing I have no doubt it will be bullit proof .

[sotc]

.In the mean time keep on the lookout for a real healthy chunk of I beam .



thats the plan

[stehansen]

Maybe you could strgenthen the beam by gussetting from the bottom flange to the beam as high as you could go without interfering with the slide.

[fallguy]

If you were to cut back the ears on your slide some so you could get 1 1/2" from the center webon each side. You could have 2 pieces of 1/4" flat stock seared to the exact demension you need to set them 1 inch from the center web. Then stitch weld them 1 1/2" of weld then a 2" gap. This will give you 3 webs in stead of one. It will make a dramatic differance in the lateral stababity. P.S. Iused to be Fallguy1960

[sotc]

that was my first thought steve.
fall guy, not sure i follow you?

[fallguy]

I am not the most computor savy guy so I can not do picutres. I will try to clairify. If you weld in a flat plate 1" either side of the center web piece of your I beam that will greatly improve the ridgidty of the beam. You will probality have to cut back the ears on your pusher plate to allow the clearance you need. When you done you would have 3 web peices instead of one.

[MasterBlaster]

Can't "do" pictures? Just scroll down to Additional Options and click the "manage attachments" and a box will open for you to click "browse." It's self explanatory, for the most part.

[Reddog]

SOTC,

#1 is what I think what fallguy is trying to relay.
It would stiffen the beam a lot from twisting.
I would use the # 2 side myself.

[fallguy]

Thank you Reddog you nailed it. I like you number 2 option. I would have the plate 1/2" in from the edge of the lip of the beam so the weld does not have to hold the stress. On the top side just put 4-5 spacer block pieces the but the plate up to.

[Al Smith]

Not to be pessimistic but boxing the beam will cost more than just getting a heavier beam to start with .

As far as structural strength is goes by the poundage per foot.For example a 10" wide flange I beam is 21 pounds per foot.Generally speaking if that same weight were in a 8 inch beam the strength for all intents is the same.

The strength is in the main web, the flanges keep the main in alignment.If the main is like 10 to 15 degrees out of alignment you loose something like 40-50 percent of the strutural integrity.

US steel put out a nice little booklet on figuring the "KIPS" loading on steel .It contains a lot of facts and figures .You have to take a lot of things into consideration.Points of max deflection,uniform loading and it goes on and on .

As an example my building has a shed type roof thing the last 30 feet of it.I used 2 1/2" rigid conduit for uprights.At 12 feet max point of oscillation that chunk of pipe will hold up 15,000 pounds.Combined with 24" bar joists at 5 feet apart that roof will sustain something like 150 to 200 tons uniform loading .

Well,that was just long winded conversation about using heavier steel .It's much easier to just put a heavy beam in the first place than do all the math and come up with the same results.

[sotc]

both good ideas and uncle als simple truth:D

[Reddog]

boxing the beam will cost more than just getting a heavier beam to start with .



Not if he is buying from the scrap yard like the rest of the steel in this project.

Why use a heavier beam when some designing could make something just as strong and lighter in weight.

My .02

Keep working on it Willie. You can learn a lot making things like this and testing them.:)

[sotc]

its been fun

[Al Smith]

Not if he is buying from the scrap yard like the rest of the steel in this project.

Why use a heavier beam when some designing could make something just as strong and lighter in weight.

My .02

Keep working on it Willie. You can learn a lot making things like this and testing them.:) Well ,do the math.You would have to either find some flat stock that would fit or torch out some that would fit to box the beam.Then you spend half a day welding it together. Welding rod,electricity,oxegon,actelene,time. You're spending a dollar to save a dime.

If it wasn't a couple of thousand miles I would send him a beam but that would be counter productive.A 40 dollar beam and 200 bucks to ship it.:O

[sotc]

haha, just lick a stamp:D