Wedge on beam or on the Ram?

[cityevader]

Kevin J...you've wonderfully decribed advantages/disadvantages of actual operation of each...thank you. You also hit on efficiency of movement pulling wood off the trailer or pickup be directly onto the splitter. I've been striving to do this, splitting and unloading at the same time to to keep from repeating work uneccessarily. With splitter sideways and in horizontal position, simply roll a piece right onto the beam and split with sliding wedge...keeps body movement to a minimum, and there's no "catch table" on the end in the way so you can get up into the truck or trailer unhindered.

Also I put the splitter up on metal ramps you drive cars up onto to change oil or whatever, that way, it's at a vastly better working height...my back no longer hurts after 20 minutes!!!

Biggenius 29... I never took into account final wood size needs. My stove is tiny and in order to pack it well for longer burns (5 hours and it's out) the wood needs to be no bigger than 4 inches thick, so much more handling while splitting is needed, thus my particular need for sliding wedge.


I guess it really boils down to realizing what one's particular needs are before building/buying a splitter. Rent/borrow as many different styles as you can and you will quickly see what your particular needs and preferences are.

 

[Zodiac45]

If you are going to use a 4 way, it's better too have it fixed or slip on over a fixed wedge welded too the beam. I have a sliding wedge and am used too it as I split hor/vert.

 

[kevin j]

guess it really boils down to realizing what one's particular needs are before building/buying a splitter. Rent/borrow as many different styles as you can and you will quickly see what your particular needs and preferences are.



tks, that's exactly what I was trying to say. There is no 'best' design, it is best design for each individual application. so knowing some of the factors involved helps each to decide which factors apply in their case. For instance, because of the wood I get, speed is most important, and force is not. For someone in a woodlot with 30 inch wood, force is necessary, etc.

k

 

[turnkey4099]

Re: stuck pieces on wedge and sledge hammering.

I used to do that also, still do occasionally. Haven't seen any damage to it yet but it does sound bad.

Last year I hung my "wonderbar" (crowbar with the "T" end) on the splitter. Works fine, slip on of the "T" ends between the block and the splitter, push down, may need to repeat, no hammering.

Harry K

 

[jrclen]

My last splitter had the wedge welded to the beam. When I did tough or frozen wood the pieces would often suddenly spit and then shoot past the wedge going 200 MPH. Never again will I own a splitter like that. Also I had to constantly pick up the halves which needed to be split again. The moving wedge allows me to stand in one place and be in control of where the wood goes. Just my opinion and experience.

 

[eric_271]

My last splitter had the wedge welded to the beam. When I did tough or frozen wood the pieces would often suddenly spit and then shoot past the wedge going 200 MPH. Never again will I own a splitter like that. Also I had to constantly pick up the halves which needed to be split again. The moving wedge allows me to stand in one place and be in control of where the wood goes. Just my opinion and experience.

+ 1 and if you have a table on both sides you can just grab the split wood and throw it in the truck. No bending over a second time to pick up your split wood. I can see a big advantage using a conveyor with a fixed wedge splitter but with out the conveyor just a lot more work.

 

[turnkey4099]

My last splitter had the wedge welded to the beam. When I did tough or frozen wood the pieces would often suddenly spit and then shoot past the wedge going 200 MPH. Never again will I own a splitter like that. Also I had to constantly pick up the halves which needed to be split again. The moving wedge allows me to stand in one place and be in control of where the wood goes. Just my opinion and experience.

Odd, why would you want those flying right at you which they will do with wedge on ram?

As for having to pick up the pieces, unless you have in/out tables on it, you are still picking them up. For wedge on beam, put in/out feed tables on (I did) that extend a bit past the wedge. All stuff stays on there until you are done with it and I don't have to move my feet at all to bring them back to split position.

People have there preferences and there is really no clear advantage to either choice. I do find that the proponents of wedge on ram go out of their way to exagerate the amount of movement, (feet, pick up, etc) of wedge on beam.

Harry K

 

[eric_271]

People have there preferences and there is really no clear advantage to either choice. I do find that the proponents of wedge on ram go out of their way to exagerate the amount of movement, (feet, pick up, etc) of wedge on beam.

Harry K

There is a clear advantage to wedge on beam when a conveyor is used. I might add that the 2 different wedge on beam splitters I used worked the snot out of me compared too the wedge on ram I have now. Granted they had no conveyor or catch table. If they had a catch table I still don't see how I could stand at the split position and retrieve some of the larger wood I split.

 

[jrclen]

People have there preferences and there is really no clear advantage to either choice. I do find that the proponents of wedge on ram go out of their way to exagerate the amount of movement, (feet, pick up, etc) of wedge on beam.
Harry K

Yeah you got me Harry. Those chunks are not going 200 MPH. Probably less than 60. I didn't give a distance, but one that hit my wife inside the wood shed 12 feet from the wedge, left a big bruise. I agree this is about preferences, and I voiced mine.

 

[turnkey4099]

+ 1 and if you have a table on both sides you can just grab the split wood and throw it in the truck. No bending over a second time to pick up your split wood. I can see a big advantage using a conveyor with a fixed wedge splitter but with out the conveyor just a lot more work.

And if your wedge on beam has the same set-up (tables) you still stand in one spot and don't have to pick up the wood. I just did 2 hours splitting some tough locust and didn't pick up but two pieces that fell off the outtake table. Didn't shift my feet once except to get the next round to split.

Harry K

 

[eric_271]

And if your wedge on beam has the same set-up (tables) you still stand in one spot and don't have to pick up the wood. I just did 2 hours splitting some tough locust and didn't pick up but two pieces that fell off the outtake table. Didn't shift my feet once except to get the next round to split.

Harry K

The thing is Harry my split wood lay's in front of me, yours lays to your left. I suppose you don't have to bend or lean to grab it either do you? If you think locust is tough try some osage orange.

 

[turnkey4099]

The thing is Harry my split wood lay's in front of me, yours lays to your left. I suppose you don't have to bend or lean to grab it either do you? If you think locust is tough try some osage orange.

No, no bending or leaning. Just reach out with my left (or right) hand. The farthesst it is away is 16" to the far end, a matter of inches to the near end. I stand with the point of the wedge just about even with my left (or right) side, unless the wood 'snaps and flies' it only goes as far as the point of the ram (near end).

I don't get where the wedge on ram people think the splits run off to.

As far as tough locust goes, this stuff isn't really that bad but is tougher than prior locust I have done by hand.

Harry K

 

[eric_271]

No, no bending or leaning. Just reach out with my left (or right) hand. The farthesst it is away is 16" to the far end, a matter of inches to the near end. I stand with the point of the wedge just about even with my left (or right) side, unless the wood 'snaps and flies' it only goes as far as the point of the ram (near end).

I don't get where the wedge on ram people think the splits run off to.

As far as tough locust goes, this stuff isn't really that bad but is tougher than prior locust I have done by hand.

Harry K

Like I said, I have used 2 different wedge on beams and neither had a table and number 2 both were too low to the ground. Made a real bad impression on me. To split some of the larger wood I split if I were doing it on a wedge on beam I'm not sure I would like reaching across the far side of the wedge and dragging it back and setting it back on the beam. On mine weather its on the table on my side or far side I just pull or roll it back on the beam, = no lifting. Let your locust dry longer or better yet wait for a hard freeze, that's not to far away, makes a world of difference.

 

[turnkey4099]

Like I said, I have used 2 different wedge on beams and neither had a table and number 2 both were too low to the ground. Made a real bad impression on me.

Sound like you were using mine . I built in 1986 and only last winter got enough pissed at it to both raise it and build the tables (red neck version, just two 2x6 but they get the job done. Changed the whole outlook on using a splitter no matter where the wedge is.

Harry K

 

[jrclen]

Sound like you were using mine . I built in 1986 and only last winter got enough pissed at it to both raise it and build the tables (red neck version, just two 2x6 but they get the job done. Changed the whole outlook on using a splitter no matter where the wedge is.

Harry K

Great statement there. I raised my former splitter too. Much easier on my old back. The Northern is at a good height as it sits. I also now leave the rounds in the hauling trailer, and back up to the splitter, leaving enough room for me in between. I then can move the blocks to the splitter without bending over. To further help this process, I have my step son load the trailer after I block up a load in the woods.

I built two tables out of solid 2x4's with 4x4 legs. One sits on the far side of the splitter to catch anything from falling off that side or to hold a half block while I work the other half. The other table sits just off to my right. I can set a chunk of wood there temporary while I finish the other half. The tables are about 2 1/2 feet square.

I added another 8 foot bay on the end of the wood shed and made it level for the spitter to sit in. Splitting in the shade on a concrete floor is kind of nice.

 

[eric_271]

Sound like you were using mine . I built in 1986 and only last winter got enough pissed at it to both raise it and build the tables (red neck version, just two 2x6 but they get the job done. Changed the whole outlook on using a splitter no matter where the wedge is.

Harry K

Yep they took the smile right off my face, and left a pain in my back. I still remember watching the wood push past the wedge and fall to the ground, stepping around and picking up the halves and putting them back on the beam to split and drop again. I won't argue it was worse than an axe but it was sure close. The good old days.