Splitter Question

[dustytools]

Ive been scrounging parts for a week or two to build a splitter. Im gonna go look at a freebie cylinder tomorrow and if it works out Ill be ready for assembly. My question is does the cylinder size determine the lenght of firewood that you cut? For example will a 18" cylinder split 24" wood? How far should the push plate be from the wedge when the cylinder is fully retracted? Thanks.

 

[beerman6]

My wedge stops about 1" from the plate.

 

[Rookie1]

You need the wedge to come close to the plate 1" sounds good. Just think of splitting some nasty stringy elm that the wedge only goes halfway through the log. Your 18" cyl. would only split an 18" log. Im not sure if I explained it right or not.

 

[SWI Don]

An 18" cylinder will mean 18-20" wood. My splitter comes within 4" of the wedge and I am in process of building an extension for the elm I happen into a lot. The extension will come to a -3/8" of the wedge with a 3/4" deep x 1" wide notch.

I had a 28" open length that matched my stove length but I have been getting a lot of american and red elm lately and the ability to cut them off is great.

Don

 

[Rookie1]

Im not good with estimating inches but my BIL has splitter that wedge and plate were 3 or4" inches apart and had problems with elm. We brainstormed and figured we would cut off wedge from I beam and weld it back on less than an inch apart. Now everything pretty much comes apart when ram deadheads.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Not all of his wood is going to be stringy Elm, or mine isnt anyway.

Some wood will pop apart about 1/2 way through it or less. If I was building a splitter around an 18 inch cyl. I would still set it up to handle 24+ inch wood. If I ran into wood that just wasn't going to split with the wedge 12 inches deep into it I would build and add a 6" extender block to the plate to finish it off or for tuff stuff.

If you are planning on the wedge being fixed to the beam and the ram pushing the wood, I would load the log to be split, fully extend the ram splitting as much of it as possible. Fully retract the ram and drop in the next log to be split. This would allow you to split 24 inch pieces without a 24 inch cyl and 14-18 inch logs aswell.

Big knots , forks and crotch wood will still be a problem and might be best split with a saw.

YMMV

 

[turnkey4099]

Leave the ram back aways from the wedge. 4" is a good space. You don't need fancy extensions or blocks to finish splitting problem pieces. If it isn't split at full extension, back the ram off and chuck in an already split piece crossways behind the piece to be split.

I run an 18" and have a 3" gap (aimed for 5" but somehow screwed up the plans.)

To determine spacing: Measure cylinder closed and then fully extended - that is the stroke (don't assume that an 18" cylinder has an 18" stroke). Use that for determining dimensions. Don't forget to allow for thickness of push plate, pin hole locations (where is the c/l of the pin hole in relation to the face of the push plate, etc.

Harry K

 

[Mike Van]

The diameter of the ram is just as important - Really needs to be 4" minimum. if the 'freebe' is less than that, I'd take it anyway for some future? project. My 2 cents would be to buy the right ram, 4"x 24", new at Northern Tool. An old one, if it leaks, etc, by the time you get it rebuilt...... Think too about what you might do with it someday? Re-sell it & build another? Is there any market for a splitter with an 18" ram? I wouldn't want it, I know that. Forgot to add - The diameter of the rod's important too - 2" is great, a smaller one is more apt to bend. Also be sure the 'freebe' is double acting!

 

[dolmen]

I'm new here and loving all the pics of split timber and splitters, I'm also in the process of making a splitter, I found this video, of a very good machine IMHO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfTIH-u6IiU

I'd like it a little faster, and a bench would be a nice addition but its doing a great job.

Cheers

 

[dustytools]

Thanks for the replies. I dont actually know how long the cylinder is yet but hope to hook up with the guy today, he said that it came off of a backhoe outrigger. I an hoping that the cylinder is a 24" due to the fact that my BIL cuts a lot of wood at 20-24" where as Im limited to around 18". If I were to leave a 4" space between the plate and wedge I have plenty of hardwood to make filler pieces with.Thanks again for all of the replies.

 

[Chuck Diesel]

If that did come of a outrigger, than it should be a 2.5" rod. In which you would have nice return speed on your splitter.

 

[dustytools]

I recieved two cylinders today with instructions to return the one that I dont use. The first one is a 3" cylinder 44" overall lenght with a 28" stroke, the second one is a 4" cylinder at 29" overall lenght with a 15 1/2" stroke. I wont ever need that much stroke but im gonna go with the first cylinder with an 8HP Briggs engine and 16 GPM pump. I have an old welder trailer that ill be using for the main frame and axle, a 7"X7"X3/8 beam to mount the cylinder and wedge to. How big (volume) of a tank will I need for the fluid? Thanks!

 

[dustytools]

Just read my post and wanted to edit a bit. Overall lenghts posted are from end to end with cylinders sucked all the way in.

 

[ericjeeper]

Terry I would go with a 5 gallon tank

Maybe an old freon tank or an LP tank if you are trying to keep it low budget.

 

[turnkey4099]

I recieved two cylinders today with instructions to return the one that I dont use. The first one is a 3" cylinder 44" overall lenght with a 28" stroke, the second one is a 4" cylinder at 29" overall lenght with a 15 1/2" stroke. I wont ever need that much stroke but im gonna go with the first cylinder with an 8HP Briggs engine and 16 GPM pump. I have an old welder trailer that ill be using for the main frame and axle, a 7"X7"X3/8 beam to mount the cylinder and wedge to. How big (volume) of a tank will I need for the fluid? Thanks!

3" cylinder and 16 gpm pump means a fast cycle time. It also will not be a really powerful splitter. 3" is a bit small for a splitter.

Harry K

 

[dolmen]

I'm almost at the building stage, but I'm also undecided as to the ram size. I'm going with 11 HP engine, 16 GPM pump and ram will be? a 4'' x 24'' or 5'' x 24'' I'm afraid that the 5'' will be a bit on the slow side? and concerned that using the 4'' could leave my splitter a little to quick...

Cheers

 

[Lloyd H]

splitter too quick

Just set the governor on the enggine a little slower, it'll be a little quieter as well

 

[SWI Don]

dolmen

With a 16 gpm I would go with 4" cylinder. I have a 5" on a 28 gpm pump and 5.5 in/sec the speed is about right. You would have 4.9 in/sec or about a 4.9 sec extension time.

With the 5" cylinder you would have a 3.1 in/sec extension speed or 7.74 second full stroke. I have not quoted retraction times as I do not know what your rod dia would be.

Here is the calculator I used.

http://www.surpluscenter.com/techhelp.asp?UID=2008072320104551&catname=

Good Luck

Don

 

[wkpoor]

4" is fine for 99% of the wood. 16GPM is just right. If its too fast just pull back on the throttle.

 

[dolmen]

Big Thank You

Thank you both, that is a very usuful link My mind is now at peace, I can order up the ram Thanks again for being so helpful

Regards,

:greenchainsaw: