Log splitter with 4 way wedge? 6 way wedge?

wyndsurfr · Aug 23, 2013

I've never used a log splitter before this week, was helping an older fella who insisted I use one while helping him do it, nice guy he didn't want to see me work that hard for free I guess, but honestly the noise and time was really nerve racking... That said, I want one, but I want a bada$$ one... I'm a great appalachian engineer and can build just about anything, but figured I would first ask around to find any pitfalls/perils that you folks have already encountered...

What I want out of a splitter I build... 1. makes more than one split per pass. 2. will split BIG GNARLY stuff evenly, I saw some vids of some nice looking home-made wedges, BUT, I didn't like how they wouldn't split it 4 ways down the center... 3. More than a 4 way split?

I want something like those real Firewood Processors I have seen in videos from europe, where it's kinda like a circle with pie wedges cut out of it. Is this possible? What kind of power am I looking at here? Has anyone built one of these themselves and how did it work out for them?

I really like the idea of a log splitter, but not the noise and time it takes. a 4 way would be plenty enough for me, and I see that alot of companies sell them to go on their splitters, how do those handle the big ugly stuff?

any advice or experiences would be welcomed... Thanks yall!

wyndsurfr · Aug 23, 2013

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum, I didn't know where to put it....

CentaurG2 · Aug 23, 2013

A box wedge makes short work of splitting but they have some problems. You need a lot of power or a long cycle time to split the wood, you get a large amount of slivers and if you get something stuck, getting it unstuck is time consuming and dangerous. Disappearing wedge (4way up/ 1 down) works well. I also like the old lafont ss wedge with the big cone spike in the center. Best design splitter goes to powersplit PSI double vertical. Lots of splitter info up in the firewood section.

wyndsurfr · Aug 23, 2013

thank you, I wish I could move this, maybe a moderator will.

computeruser · Aug 23, 2013

In my experience, 4-way is minimum for any kind of productivity, or if your patience is limited. Aim for an 8-sec or shorter cycle time, and a beam that is set at the right height for the operator.

You do not necessarily need a huge amount of tonnage to run a 4- or 6-way wedge, if you're splitting straight, clean wood. I am planning to have a 6- or 8-way wedge made up to use on my little splitter (4" cylinder), since so much of what I have access to is straight, knot-free ash; it doesn't even break a sweat doing this stuff with the 4-way I have now. If you're splitting knots, crotches, etc., then you' re not splitting so much as you are shearing, and that takes a lot of tonnage. If you are willing to pass on the knotty stuff, that's one thing. If you take/keep/use whatever you find, well, build/buy your splitter accordingly.