Hello.
I'm new to the forum, been reading thru all the log splitter and wood processor threads. You guys have some great looking hand-built splitters! Nice Job!
I have a Brave 24Ton splitter 8Hp (older, but it works good) and it's ok, meaning it works, but to me it's such a slow process. I heat my home primarily with wood and have been using 4-5 cord a year with our wood stove here in Jersey. I always seem to have access to wood so supplies are abundant.
So... I have a few ideas. I thought if I could make/design a splitter that could split a 20" round in one cycle similar to a wood processor but without the buck saw, I could easily split enough wood for my home and maybe a few extra cords to sell without spending too much time doing it. Thinking that wood prices most likely will only go up in the next few years since energy costs have skyrocketed over the last few years, the cost of building the machine should easily be recouped in a short time. Besides, if you guys are anything like me, the simple satisfaction of building my own machine makes it worth it.
My design so far consists of a 5" cly 42" stroke. Pusher plate on the cyl. similar to a TW splitter. I would like to split a max of 20" round in one shot. So a 6 or 8 way wedge of some sort should do it. I usually buck my rounds 16-20" long. With a 42" stoke I could load 2 rounds in the splitter at once, that should save time.
At this point I am trying to get an idea how much force it will take to split a 20" round thru a 8 way wedge. I want to design my hydraulics for max speed but don't want to make a huge error underestimating the force required to squeeze a log thru a 8 way. Can any of you hydraulics expert help me? The engine I'll be using is a 25Hp Yanmar Diesel. Barnes recommends 16hp for their 28GPM two stage pump. That still leaves me with 9 hp left over! Should I use a larger pump to lower my cycle time and use the full power of the engine? Or should I just use the 28gpm Barnes and maybe turn up the low pressure relief to get the most out of the engine?
I'll post some pics of my build here as I work on it. Probably start building in a few weeks.
I'm new to the forum, been reading thru all the log splitter and wood processor threads. You guys have some great looking hand-built splitters! Nice Job!
I have a Brave 24Ton splitter 8Hp (older, but it works good) and it's ok, meaning it works, but to me it's such a slow process. I heat my home primarily with wood and have been using 4-5 cord a year with our wood stove here in Jersey. I always seem to have access to wood so supplies are abundant.
So... I have a few ideas. I thought if I could make/design a splitter that could split a 20" round in one cycle similar to a wood processor but without the buck saw, I could easily split enough wood for my home and maybe a few extra cords to sell without spending too much time doing it. Thinking that wood prices most likely will only go up in the next few years since energy costs have skyrocketed over the last few years, the cost of building the machine should easily be recouped in a short time. Besides, if you guys are anything like me, the simple satisfaction of building my own machine makes it worth it.
My design so far consists of a 5" cly 42" stroke. Pusher plate on the cyl. similar to a TW splitter. I would like to split a max of 20" round in one shot. So a 6 or 8 way wedge of some sort should do it. I usually buck my rounds 16-20" long. With a 42" stoke I could load 2 rounds in the splitter at once, that should save time.
At this point I am trying to get an idea how much force it will take to split a 20" round thru a 8 way wedge. I want to design my hydraulics for max speed but don't want to make a huge error underestimating the force required to squeeze a log thru a 8 way. Can any of you hydraulics expert help me? The engine I'll be using is a 25Hp Yanmar Diesel. Barnes recommends 16hp for their 28GPM two stage pump. That still leaves me with 9 hp left over! Should I use a larger pump to lower my cycle time and use the full power of the engine? Or should I just use the 28gpm Barnes and maybe turn up the low pressure relief to get the most out of the engine?
I'll post some pics of my build here as I work on it. Probably start building in a few weeks.
