This is an update for some of you and for some it will be new. Attached are URLs for pictures of the Kellog Impact Splitter both with and without the protective cover.
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http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/kelsmi/IMG_1202.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/kelsmi/IMG_1206.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/kelsmi/IMG_1208.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/kelsmi/IMG_1209.jpg
Improvements made since you last saw the design are:
- flywheels are now mounted symmetrically to the I-beam and the motor is mounted off center.
- forward drive belt is now using a ball bearing belt tensioner instead of being attached to the main shaft pulley (this improves the life of the belt)
- new metal cover was made improving the safety, noise level and appearance of the unit
For those new to this concept below is a description of the advantages, disadvantages, principle (how it works), and safety features. I would appreciate any comments, pro or con, to help improve this machine.
Why an Impact Splitter?
If you want to break something effectively, you HIT it. You break a window with a hammer, you knock down a building with a wrecking ball, you break up concrete with a jackhammer, and so on. Splitting wood is breaking wood. Splitting by hand you would either use a maul or a sledge & wedges which both rely on impact.
Think of putting a nail into a piece of wood. You either hammer it in or you use a nail gun which uses impact. You would never even think to PUSH the nail into a piece of wood. Why push a wedge into wood to split it?
If someone were to set up the rounds, most healthy men could split a cord an hour with a maul. A man cannot develop more than half a horsepower. Why does a splitter need much more power? The answer is, it doesn’t.
Advantages of the Impact Splitter.
- Almost no maintenance (clean & grease and very occasional belt and chain tightening)
- No fluids of any kind needed (zero leaks, no engine oil, no hydraulic fluid)
- Starts first time, every time in any weather (must have a 110 volt 15 amp circuit)
- You don’t have to stop to gas up (saves time and $$$)
- You can split in the garage or barn (no cold wind, rain or snow in there)
- Large forces do not build up in the machine (avoids kick outs & violent breaks and the structure of the machine can be lighter)
- Very quiet except when actually splitting (a few seconds per log)
- Speed can be changed to suit the user (change one sprocket and the length of a roller chain)
- Maintenance and Repairs are very intuitive for the “backyard mechanic” (most people cannot effectively troubleshoot hydraulics)
- Safe (as safe as any splitter can be)
Disadvantages of the Impact Splitter.
- Splitting in the woods or away from electrical power requires a gasoline engine which negates a few of the advantages of the electric version of the splitter
- Splitting a very, very knotty piece of wood may require more energy than the flywheels and electric motor can supply at one time meaning that more than one shot at the log will be needed (a 1 to 4 second pause to bring the flywheels back up to speed is needed on a low percentage of rounds)
- When actually splitting, the noise level is relatively high. There is almost no noise when not actually splitting. The sudden change in noise level disturbs some people. (Hearing protection such as chain saw ear muffs should be used to mitigate this problem)
How does it work?
The principle is very much like a jackhammer however the machine is much simpler without the need for a large energy-hogging compressor.
A shaft supported on two bearings with a flywheel at each end is rotated by a small gasoline or electric motor at 600+ RPM. Eccentrically mounted on the shaft in the middle is a needle roller type cam follower. As the shaft rotates, the cam follower strikes the wedge giving a very powerful, short stroke, pulse to the wedge. This happens every revolution of the shaft, 600+ times a minute or 10+ times a second. The shaft and its housing along with the wedge move together down the I-beam and the wedge is pounded through the log.
The “impact” is what breaks the log. Because of the stored energy in the flywheels and the use of the very efficient impact principle, a very small motor can power this machine and get the same effectiveness as a much larger horsepower hydraulic unit. The low power requirement creates more flexibility in powering the unit. A 110 volt fractional horsepower electric motor becomes a very practical power source. The pictured splitter uses a 3/4 horsepower electric motor. Prototypes have effectively split with as little as 1/3 horsepower. A small gasoline engine could also be used.
To the operator, the impact splitter works just like a hydraulic splitter. Place the log on it, pull the handle forward, the large screw turns and moves the whole mechanism along the I-beam. The wedge gets successively hammered through the log. Let go of the handle and it stops moving. Push back on the handle and the screw turns in the other direction moving the whole mechanism back along the I-beam. The large screw needs very little torque driving it as it is only moving the mechanism which is on rollers. You can turn the screw easily by hand to split wood.
The speed of the movement can be varied by changing one sprocket and its roller chain length. Since the splitting mechanism runs at 10+ “hits” per second, the unit can run quite fast. Running any splitter very fast can, however, be dangerous as you have no room for error.
Safety.
This machine has a full cover over all the rotating/moving parts except the wedge (for obvious reasons the wedge must be exposed). There is little chance of getting into the rotating parts of the equipment and being injured.
Log splitters create a large number of pinching accidents each year where a poorly placed finger or hand is pinched between the log and the wedge or the log and the pusher/stop.
A unique safety feature is built into this machine. The wedge is spring loaded away from the main housing and the cam follower such that it has to move some distance before the cam follower contacts the wedge. If you have a poorly placed finger or hand, it will get pinched by the spring force which gives 20 to 40 lbs of force. This hurts and you pull the offending appendage out of harms way “automatically” prior to the full impact (many tons).
A patent could have been applied for on this spring loaded wedge safety device but it was not. I believe any safety device should not be patented but rather left in the public domain for all to use. I hope log splitter manufacturers incorporate this safety device into their machinery to protect all of us.
