At the moment, something is constantly being improved in the world of modern technologies, and electricity and power sources allow a person to further ease his work. Part of men's work was also facilitated, now you can use a wood splitter instead of a traditional ax.
Background
Everyone knows about such simple tools of shock type, which serve to split logs for a long time and quite effectively: cleavers, axes, wedges, sledgehammers. But such work is very difficult for a woman or an elderly person, and it may also be unsafe. The ax sometimes breaks down from the ax, causing an unskillful lumberjack a very serious injury. Flying chips or pieces of metal that may break off the back of the blade can cause injury to the face or hands of the worker. In addition, most people who make a large number of shock movements often suffer from diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
In this regard, we can call a more effective shock-free method of splitting chocks by pressing it on a conical wedge. In this case, chocks are simply mounted on a wedge. And the device itself - a makeshift wood splitter - works like this: by means of a winch or conveyor, if there are any on the farm, the chock is fed into the wood splitter, after which it is installed on the lifting cylinder of the hydraulic jack, which serves as the main element of the device. In this case, the pivoting cross member is retracted to the required angle for the convenience of installing chocks, and then the cross-member must be fixed in the same place.
Subtleties settings
If the distance from the upper end of the chock to the root of the blade is too large, then by means of the handwheel, the wedge should be lowered until it is pressed against the chock. It is desirable that the pointed end of the blade was located in the center of the log or opposite to the crack present in its end. After that, the pump handle allows the jack lifting cylinder to move, for this the handle should be raised up until the conical wedge breaks the chock into several parts. The chopped logs will be dumped on the receiving platform.
When the shutter button is pressed, this brings the jack lifting cylinder to its original state. For the failure-free operation of the device, you need to choose a suitable jack. For example, a hydraulic jack is characterized by a diameter of a lifting cylinder of 170 millimeters and a handle force of 15 kilograms, with a lifting force of 10 tons, which will be enough for chopping wood. Such a homemade hydraulic wood splitter can serve very well.
Features
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the conical wedge of the device consists of a pair of cones: the lower one, which is designed to be inserted into the end part of the chock with a sharpening angle of 20 degrees, and the upper one, designed to split the chock with a sharpening angle of 40 degrees. The height ratio for these cones is one in three.
How to make a homemade splitter
It is clear that it is not always possible and willing to spend money on expensive units. That is why a homemade splitter can be a great alternative. You can make a screw and mechanical unit. First, consider the first option.
To master the theory of how to make a homemade splitter, you need to arm yourself with certain materials:
- electric motor;
- a metal cone at 30 degrees with a left-hand thread in increments of 6-8 millimeters and a length of 140-150 millimeters, and an external radius of 80-85 mm;
- a pair of pulleys and a belt of the appropriate size.
Process of creation
The cone with the reverse side is fixed to the shaft strictly in the center. It is best to weld or press it into a metal rod. It is not recommended to screw the cone, as it can unscrew during operation. The second end of the shaft serves to secure the pulley. The belt is put on a pulley ditch. It serves to transfer mechanical energy from the engine to a makeshift screw cleaver. This is not the whole homemade splitter, but its most part.
Using a cotter pin, the second pulley is fixed directly to the motor shaft. Some motor models already have pulleys initially. If you possess just such, then no unnecessary manipulations will be required. In this case, it remains only to assemble a homemade splitter. To do this, the belt, previously worn on one pulley, should be pulled on the second.
Homemade screw splitter: features
The original idea of using a threaded cone for chopping wood is often proposed. Such a homemade splitter has a fairly simple design. The cone is best made on a lathe, however, if this is not possible, you can use the grinder, with which most of the metal is removed from the workpiece. The blank must first be planted in the intended place of the cone so that it rotates freely, which will allow you to control the uniformity of metal removal.
A makeshift wood splitter, a drawing of which can be made independently without much difficulty, consists of several elements. It can be equipped with both a gasoline and an electric engine, preferably the second option. Engine power should be at least three kilowatts. Since maximum engine power is achieved at three thousand revolutions per minute, it is dangerous to install a conical nozzle with a thread directly on the shaft. It is best if the speed of rotation of the cone is in the range of 400-600 rpm. The transmission of rotation from the gearbox to the cone is carried out in a chain way.
Such a homemade hydraulic splitter works according to a very simple principle. A threaded cone during rotation is screwed into a log, thereby splitting it. A device for harvesting logs should be installed next to the woodpile. This will allow you to lay firewood immediately under the canopy, so you do not need to bow down many times for logs, as is usually the case when working with an ax.
Homemade rack log splitters are also very interesting and useful devices. They work on a principle different from screw. Here, the supply of chocks is made along the gutter, while the cutting element moves towards them.