Cleavers are qualitatively different from an ax - a traditional device for chopping wood. An ax is considered a more universal tool, while a cleaver is capable of performing only one task - chopping wooden blanks into small pieces. Axes are also actively used in jewelry work.
Types of cleavers
Screw electromechanical wood splitter
Modern wood processing technologies have gone far in development, as a result of which various “helpers” for woodcutters have appeared:
- A mechanical cleaver is used for industrial purposes where high speed wood processing is required. The mechanism is driven by a special machine and additional weighting (from 100 kg to 1 ton, depending on the model). Mechanical apparatus is often found in the household. And some of them are made by local craftsmen with their own hands. The mechanism is driven by a spring, which is attached to the operating handle. After the final movement, the spring creates resistance, due to which the counterweight returns to its original position. The device for chopping wood is driven by the mechanical force of the hand.
- Mechanical cleaver with drive. In common people, this type of cleaver is better known as an electric cleaver. The principle of operation is no different from that described above. The only thing that indicates their difference is the electric motor that powers all the equipment. Mechanical devices for splitting firewood are often made by hand in rural areas or at dachas.
- Hydraulic wood splitter. This type of mechanism uses the energy of compressed fluid. The mechanism is based on the principle hydraulic press. Most models are equipped with additional blades, due to which the workpiece is split into several parts at once.
- Wood splitter on a screw drive. This type of device operates on a screw drive, that is, its operation is based on the conversion rotational movement a cleaver with an external screw in the forward movement of the nut. This firewood cleaver does its job well. This model is different high performance and accuracy of work. Making such equipment with your own hands is almost impossible and even dangerous.
Self-production
Not everyone has the opportunity to purchase an expensive model, so most summer residents and rural residents prefer a homemade firewood splitter. Practice has shown that you can do a lot of things with your own hands. So let's get started.
For manufacturing you will need: drawings of the device, a thick sheet of steel (about 10 mm), welding, a hammer and pliers. A thick sheet of steel is sharpened on both sides at an acute angle on a sharpening machine. The end result should be a blade with a double-sided sharpening. It is worth noting that working with a sharpening machine takes too much time, so to speed up the work you can use a grinder - cut off unnecessary pieces of steel at an angle. The scrap is ground on a sharpening machine to the required parameters.
On a homemade cleaver, you need to weld two metal pipes on both sides of a small diameter (30 mm is enough). This is done so that the device, made with your own hands, does not get stuck in the chocks. Remember, the more securely the workpieces are secured, the easier it is to remove the firewood splitter from the bars.
The side plates, which are also welded onto the steel plate, are made from a stainless steel sheet 5 mm thick. Both edges are sharpened at an angle of 45 degrees. This is done so that at the moment of impact there is no strong resistance from the homemade device. To weld metal plates, you will need an assistant to hold the workpiece with your hands while you work on the weld.
Homemade firewood cleaver
To add additional rigidity to the structure, the plates can be secured with an M8 pin. Do-it-yourself plates are placed on the canvas at an angle of 45 degrees, this is the main requirement. A stiff spring must be put on the inserted pin, which will act as a shock absorber during impact. The spring is secured with nuts of the same size as the stud.
Wood splitter
The firewood splitter is almost ready, all that remains is to weld the eye into which the ax handle will be inserted. Can be used as a blank for the eyelet water pipe with a diameter of 40 mm and a length of 80-100 mm. To cut such a thick pipe, you will need the help of a partner - he holds the pipe with his hands while you cut.
The round pipe must be flattened using a hammer. Beat on metal pipe necessary until it begins to take on an oval shape. After struggling a little and getting an oval-shaped hole for the ax handle, we weld it to the workpiece.
As for the handle, you can also make it yourself. There are no special requirements for the ax handle, the main thing is that you feel comfortable working with it. A long handle reduces accuracy but increases striking power.
The principle of operation of such a cleaver is quite simple: when the end part hits a wooden surface, the sharpening point penetrates inwards. As soon as the blade goes deeper than 20 mm, sharpened side plates are additionally dug into the wood. The deeper the cleaver goes into the wood, the more the side plates move apart, tearing the wood into two pieces. This model is good because it does not require its owner to adapt to the device for a long time. After just a few blows, you will learn to cut a log in one stroke.
Thus, making a cleaver is not a complicated process and does not require a person to have special knowledge or skills in using tools. All that is necessary is to strictly adhere to the drawing and carefully re-read the instructions before doing anything.
Video: Mechanical ax - cleaver on a spring
The day after chopping wood, even if your health allows you to load yourself with such physical activity, you feel, to put it mildly, not very well. Anyone who has ever split wood remembers this feeling – your arms can’t lift, your back is splitting. What can we say when you have to prepare for winter! Before the start of the season, you need to chop at least 5-6 cubes of logs. Not everyone has assistants who are ready to help out and do it for you hard work. For such cases, a separate tool for chopping wood with a foot pedal has long been invented. It significantly reduces the load on the back and arms, while increasing labor productivity. Is it possible to make such a tool with your own hands, what you need to know about the design of the cleaver and the nuances of its use, we will tell you in this review of the editorial site.
The basis of wood splitters of any type: mechanical, electric, gasoline - is based on the same principle. All of them consist of a cleaver, with a sharp blade sharpened to approximately 30˚, and a mechanism that sets it in motion. Moreover, the ways of creating this force can be different: piston thrust, or maybe physical effort created by a person. By the way, mechanical cleavers with manual pull also exist.
This cleaver is one of the simplest devices designed for mechanical splitting of firewood. Let's consider all the variations of devices in more detail.
For your information! The weight of the “head” of a traditional hand cleaver usually starts at three kg.
Mechanical devices for splitting firewood: from the simplest attachments to lever models
Most often, home workshops use two types of mechanical wood splitters: spring and gear. Let's look at the designs of the main ones to decide which device will be easier to make at home.
Advice! For some types of work, you can get by with a regular wood chipper. Crushers usually consist of a protective casing, a demarcation strip, a sieve, a housing, and are most often equipped with an electric drive.
So, let's look at the types of mechanical wood splitters:
- Spring-loaded. The operating principle is based on the reverse energy of a compressed spring. There is usually a pedal or lever present. Working with such a mechanism requires physical human effort.
The version of the cleaver in the photo consists of a metal frame. The structure must be provided with supports. The boom acts as a lever, the system is mounted on a hinge. It, as can be seen in the photo, rests on a spring, which is sandwiched between two cups. On the other side of the lever there is a cleaver and a handle.
Important! The frame design must be such as to prevent possible overturning of the cleaver.
This design has a number of advantages:
- does not require connection to electricity;
- simplicity of design;
- available materials;
- allows you to chop logs of different sizes.
Among the disadvantages is mandatory monitoring of the condition of the cleaver fastener, exact calculation length of the lever mechanism. Otherwise, you may get injured.
Let's get back to discussing the types of mechanical wood splitters. So, the second type remains.
- Geared. In this case, the cleaver is driven by a gear and a toothed wheel. Sometimes this type of wood splitter is called rack and pinion, since its mechanism consists of a long rack equipped with a gear or worm gear.
For your information! The log splitter can have two different types of blades: flat. It chops the log into 2 parts and cross-shaped. In this case, the log is divided into 4 parts.
Mechanical wood splitters are distinguished by their compactness. Typically, home craftsmen prefer foot-powered devices. They are safer.
Electric firewood splitter
Electric wood splitters are more advanced units. They can be either vertical or horizontal. Most often they work with a conical nozzle, which is simply drilled into the log. It makes sense to use such units for large volumes of wood harvesting.
Vertical wood splitters are considered the safest. However, despite all the convenience, there is one caveat: the machines operate on a voltage of 320 Volts. In addition, any unit requires a certain operating skill. It is important to ensure the free movement of all mechanisms and carry out regular maintenance to prevent jamming and damage to the device.
Gasoline units for chopping wood: features of use
Gasoline-powered devices are considered even more professional. Such equipment is installed at logging enterprises. The operator is only required to monitor the progress of the work. Such devices are not suitable for installation in. They are quite large and noisy.
Why are foot-powered wood splitters attractive?
Mechanisms for splitting firewood with a foot drive are optimally suited for home, seasonal wood harvesting. They can easily split medium-diameter logs and relieve your back from excessive stress.
If we talk about mechanical models wood splitters, it is almost impossible to cause injury with them. This tool is intuitively easy to use and suitable even for older people; in fact, even a teenager can handle it.
Important! The smaller the diameter of the cleaver, the easier it will be to work with the mechanism. However, remember that logs should be selected exclusively for the working diameter of the unit.
Foot spring splitters can easily cope with logs with a diameter of 20 - 25 cm The device folds easily, does not take up much space, and is suitable for use on or. If necessary, you can simply put it in the shed.
For your information! On average, the weight of a mechanical foot splitter is from 8 to 10 kg. It is made mainly of durable steel.
Review of the most popular models for chopping wood
You can buy tools for chopping wood in specialized stores of special equipment or household goods. They are usually not brought to large quantities, so it’s better to talk to a store representative in advance to find out if the device is in stock.
Most often, Russian consumers praise Logmaster brand special tools.
Logmaster mechanical drive log splitter
The wood splitters in this series are distinguished by high build quality and amazing performance.
Briefly about the characteristics:
- weight – 9.5 kg;
- drive type – foot;
- working force – 1200 kg;
- price – from 4,000 rubles.
Logmaster mechanical drive log splitter
Mechanical log splitter ZIGZAG from Yardworks
The ZIGZAG mechanical wood splitter is one of the lightest mechanisms for splitting firewood. Provides simple and quick splitting of logs without. By pressing the foot pedal on the steel wedge, a pressure of 1200 kg is created. Dimensions of the processed log: diameter up to 25 mm, length 45 mm. The cost of this model is 4900 rubles.
Mechanical log splitter ZIGZAG from Yardworks
Hecht 6 splitting splitter with foot drive from the popular manufacturer of municipal equipment and special tools Hecht
A convenient tool for those cases when you urgently need to prepare firewood. All elements are made of hardened steel.
According to consumer reviews, the device is practically trouble-free in operation and copes even with damp firewood. However, remember, it can lead to rotting of the wood, in addition, such canvases lose a lot in volume as they dry.
Hecht 6 wood splitter with foot drive
How to make a homemade hydraulic wood splitter: drawing and step-by-step guide
Simple diagrams for making a wood splitter with your own hands can be found on the Internet. The easiest way is to create a spring mechanism. Here are some diagrams (both of the entire unit and of the cleaver) that may come into play.
However, many craftsmen set themselves an even more difficult task - to create a hydraulic wood splitter. We will help with this too. We offer you an overview photo-instructions for making such a unit.
Advice! The feed rate of logs onto the hydraulic splitting blade is up to 5 cm/s.
After you have decided on the drawing and studied the photo of the hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands, you will need a small overview photo instruction:
| Illustration | Description of action |
 | The first stage is the manufacture of the frame. In our case, the rear suspension from a Volkswagen Golf car was taken as a basis. The device turned out to be mobile. |
 | 2 U-shaped channels are welded on top to the base as guides. In some cases, metal corners can be used to strengthen the frame. |
 | A platform is welded to the rear of the hanger, on which the engine and other working elements are located. The oil pump will ensure uninterrupted operation of the machine. |
 | The knife has a very interesting design. It is capable of cutting logs into 4 even pieces. The nozzle can be removable. |
 | The device has a universal device and allows you to quickly cope with a large amount of firewood. In addition, it can be transferred from place to place. |
And if you want to learn more details about the hydraulic cutting device for firewood, watch this video.
Preparing firewood for the winter is a labor-intensive and troublesome task. In addition to sawing, the firewood must be split and stored in a dryer or shed. The most difficult part of the work is the splitting. To make your life easier and save time, it makes sense to automate the process as much as possible.
How to make a wood splitter with your own hands, with photos and examples, their various varieties - mechanical, including spring and inertial, as well as conical electric - is the topic of this article.
Mechanical wood splitters
In cases where firewood procurement is not massive and regular, the task is quite feasible with the help of mechanical wood splitters. They are distinguished by their simplicity and low cost of design; they are made, in fact, from scrap metal.
The simplest mechanical wood splitter
The unit is very similar, both in appearance and in principle of operation, to a well crane. The difference is that instead of a bucket there is a cleaver with handles attached. The racks and crossbar are connected using hinges, the disadvantage is that the connection will have to be lubricated often.
The principle of operation of the wood splitter is simple - the log is placed on a stand, the lever is jerked down, the splitter, under the influence of force and gravity, picks up speed and splits the log. The process is repeated, obtaining ever thinner logs.
The device is assembled from scrap materials - pipes and angles, and an old ax without an ax will serve as a cleaver. It is better to provide for the possibility of disassembling the wood splitter to make it more convenient to transport it from place to place.
The design has some disadvantages. Firstly, to stop the cleaver after it has split the log, you have to make an effort. Secondly, the device is quite bulky - a long lever is required to reduce the applied force.
Despite its shortcomings, this device greatly simplifies the process of chopping wood. In order for it to work as it should, you need to weigh down the stake with a blank welded to it or a pipe filled with concrete.
Spring log splitter
If you modify the mechanical wood splitter described above, you can make a smaller device that requires less physical effort when working with it. For this purpose, a spring is attached to the frame, one of which rests against the crossbar, which also serves as a fastening for the cleaver.
The principle of operation is similar to the previous device, except that the load is absorbed by a spring after the log is split. The main task is to select the stop and spring so that the greatest result is obtained with the least effort. For ease of force adjustment, the emphasis is made movable.
But if it is planned that the same person will work as a wood splitter all the time, a stationary stop is made, its height, as well as the stiffness of the spring, is selected experimentally. The connection between the frame and the lever is made movable, on good quality bearings.
The height of such a wood splitter should be at least 80 cm. However, at this height it must be installed on a platform or operated in a bent position.
It is more reasonable to calculate the height of the wood splitter according to your build; to do this, calculate the height of the bed as follows - a convenient height for the location of the log plus the highest possible height of the logs being split. In this case, bending over will only be necessary to install the logs on the stand.
Inertia wood splitter
To make it, in addition to the cleaver, you will need a meter-long round pin, a piece of pipe of a slightly larger diameter, and a massive platform to which the lower part of the pin is welded. The cleaver is welded to a piece of pipe and placed on a pin.
The principle of operation is to manually lift the cleaver, place a log on the platform, then forcefully lower the cleaver. If the log is very strong, the cleaver is hit from above with a hammer.
Electric cone splitter
The principle of operation of the mechanism is that a steel cone with a thread of 3 depth and a pitch of 7 mm (most likely, you will have to order from a turner) is placed on the electric motor gearbox. Rotating, the cone works like a drill and tears apart the logs. Thicker logs begin to be torn at the edges, and then torn in the middle.
An electric motor is needed with a speed of 250-600 rpm and a power of at least 2 kW. At low speeds, less than 200, the performance will be too low, and above 500 it becomes dangerous to work.
If an engine with the required parameters is found, the cone is placed on it without a gearbox. If not, they calculate how much the speed needs to be reduced and apply a cone attachment through the gearbox.
The main problem when assembling the structure is to find a suitable cone; with an electric motor and gearbox the situation is somewhat simpler. It makes sense to make such a device when it is necessary to prepare large volumes of firewood.
Photos of do-it-yourself wood splitters
For those who have a fireplace or sauna at home, the issue of preparing firewood is relevant, since most often they have to chop it themselves, using their own physical strength. But a mechanical firewood splitter can become a reliable assistant in your farmstead and you can make it yourself.
To do this, you will need a structure similar to a tripod. To make it, you need to take a metal channel or corner, and then weld spacers to it for stability. Next, determine the height at which you will need to attach the moving beam or monorail, and attach a cleaver weighing about 35 kilograms to its end. Install a spring under the beam with the cleaver so that it acts as a counterweight to the cleaver. The beam itself will have to move up and down.
The entire mechanism can be placed on wheels so that you can easily move the device as needed.
This self-made spring splitting cleaver will chop wood very quickly without much effort on your part, since you won’t need to swing and lift it.
Drawing of a mechanical cleaver for firewood
Firewood splitter - operating principle
You can use our instructions and make a spring cleaver with your own hands, and if necessary, improve some details and adapt the design to your own needs and tasks.
Video of a mechanical cleaver with your own hands
The video shows a large mechanical cleaver and its design in detail. But the point of this video is not to make an exact copy (you can do that if you wish), but to understand the principle of operation, improve it, alter the dimensions and design to suit yourself, and make it yourself from what is lying as unnecessary ballast in the garage.
There is a debate about which is better: this design of a mechanical cleaver or. Maybe the design of a screw wood splitter is simpler - grind a screw, put it on an electric motor and that’s it. But will everything go away? is a big question.
I would like to see your reviews and opinions about these designs of firewood cleavers.
Reading time ≈ 11 minutes
Many families, even in the 21st century, have to heat their homes with wood in solid fuel boilers or cooking stoves, and their preparation is a rather labor-intensive process. But to make your life easier, you can buy or make a homemade mechanical wood splitter with your own hands. Considering the fact that the first option will require considerable financial costs, we will focus on the second and consider several options.
Working with a mechanical wood splitter
What type of wood splitter can you make yourself?
Mechanical wood splitter
All wood splitters can be divided into at least two main types, but they also have subspecies. This entire classification of mechanisms is related to the type of drive.
The wood splitter can be mechanical, divided into:
- device with simple mechanics;
- with spring drive;
- inertial vertical mechanism.
To make work easier, you can install an electric drive on it and at the same time it will:
- cone or screw wood splitter;
- with one electric motor or complete with gearbox;
- There are also hydraulic wood splitters, and although they are the most complex in design, they still have a place when harvesting firewood.
Mechanical devices
The easiest way is to make a homemade mechanical wood splitter with your own hands, since the design of all its subtypes is as simple as possible and does not require large expenses, even if there are no suitable parts on the farm. But such a device has the greatest efficiency only for small needs for firewood, for example, for heating country house or dachas.
A device with simple mechanics
The simplest mechanical device
A simple mechanism like the one in the photo above is the easiest to assemble, and all the component materials will most likely be found in the household. It can be a round or profile pipe, metal corner Moreover, if there is a lack of length, you can weld different profiles into one. An ax or a cleaver is excellent as a cutter - they can always be found in any home with stove heating. The device can be collapsible and can be easily moved from place to place.
The assembly method here is extremely simple: the rod with the cutter is installed on a vertical rail with a base in the form of a frame made of any metal profile, but so that it moves freely. For this, bearings are not even necessary - the moving unit can consist of two welded ears (with holes) on a stand and a metal finger, which will simultaneously serve as a shaft for rotating the arm with a cleaver and fastening.
The problem here is that such a wood splitter has a lot of negative qualities. Firstly, the handle on which the cutter (cleaver or ax) is fixed should be as long as possible, so that less effort is spent when chopping wood; therefore, the device will require a lot of space. Secondly, even with a long handle you will have to put in a lot of effort. But, be that as it may, even such primitive mechanics will significantly reduce the labor intensity of the procurement process.
Note. To make the handle shorter, you can weld the cutter to a thick round or profile pipe, and then fill it with concrete. But the problem is that such a design will be heavy (the handle itself) and this will not make your work much easier.
Mechanical spring device
Spring log splitter
With a little modification of the mechanics, it is possible to make a spring-loaded wood splitter, which will require significantly less human muscular load. In fact, the assembly principle will not change here and the same mechanics will remain, except that you will have to weld a shelf on the rack to support the spring. The spring must be made of tool steel so that it does not deform when compressed.
If you take into account that the shoulder becomes heavy, then it is not difficult to strike a block of wood - much more effort has to be applied after splitting the block, since there will be recoil from the spring. Therefore, the choice of spring here must be given special attention– to make it easier to lower the lever down and easier to hold during recoil. In addition, you need to take into account the physical strength of the person who will chop the wood, as well as the length and knotiness of the log.
Note. To articulate the lever with the stand, it is best to use bearings - this will greatly facilitate the work.
Schematic diagram of a spring device
In the diagram above, you see the principle of operation of a spring mechanical wood splitter. Now let's talk about the most optimal sizes such a device. The minimum height of such a device should be at least 80 cm, but if the person who will use it is tall, then 80 cm will not be enough. The distance from the stand to the cleaver should be about 100-150 cm, and this is not counting the width of the cutter itself and the handle, that is, this is the length of the shoulder. To facilitate work on the cleaver, a metal blank or pipe with concrete poured into it is welded, so that the result is 10-20 kg. An addition to the mass of the blank can be a cleaver if you make it yourself from a large sledgehammer.
Advice. To make it easier to move a spring wood splitter from place to place, an axle with wheels can be welded on one side of the support frame, and racks can be welded on the other to support and level the frame.
Video: using a spring log splitter
Inertial vertical mechanism
Inertial vertical wood splitter
Very simple option can also be called an inertial vertical wood splitter, which is quite easy to make with your own hands. To make such a device, you will need two pipes, where the outer diameter of one is about a millimeter smaller than the inner diameter (DN) of the other. As a base, you can use a thick sheet of steel (10-12 mm) or weld a frame from a metal profile (can be tubular). And the most basic element, of course, is a cutter made from an axe, a cleaver, or machined from tool steel.
Simplified sketch of an inertial cleaver
Now let's figure out how to make such a device and how it works. First of all, a rack and pinion guide is welded to the bed or frame in a vertical position about a meter high. To do this, you can use a round or profile pipe, the main thing is to fix it well from below and for this it is best to use stiffening ribs on four sides. Then the cleaver is welded to a tubular profile of a slightly larger cross-section so that the cutter can be freely put on the riser, as shown in the drawing.
To split the deck, the cutter is simply raised on the riser, and by the force of its gravity it falls onto the block. But the log does not always split the first time - it depends on the density of the wood, the length of the log, knotiness, and so on. In such cases, the butt of the cleaver is hit with a log or even a small sledgehammer. You can, of course, raise the piece of wood together with the cutter and lower it again, but the first option is easier physically.
Electrically driven devices
The installation of an electric drive on the wood splitter will make the work of collecting firewood even easier. But in this case, making the tool will be more complicated and school knowledge about electricity will not be enough. The fact is that for such devices, it is best to connect the motor through a starter, and also provide it with a control panel so that it can be turned off at any time - this is fully consistent with safety instructions and common sense in particular.
Cone or screw splitter
Homemade cone splitter
Of course, making a homemade mechanical wood splitter with your own hands is much easier, but if you add an electric drive to it... but don’t rush to conclusions. Such devices are an electric motor with a smooth or helical cone on the edge of the shaft - this is their only difference. Here the deck splits not due to the impact, but due to the fact that the cone rotated by the engine digs into it. You can start chopping at the edges (for large logs) or from the center.
Cone and thread
Drawing of a screw cone with dimensions in mm
As you probably already guessed, it is much easier to work with a screw cone, as in the drawing and below, than with a smooth one, since in the latter case much more effort is spent on pressing. If there is a thread on the cone, then the wood twists and splits on it, even when there are a lot of knots, and you hardly have to make any effort. But, nevertheless, the operating principles of any type of cone splitter are exactly the same.
Screw cone nozzles of different diameters
To make a good machine, it is very important to properly turn the cone and cut the thread on it. If you have at home lathe together with experience working on it, then you can make this part yourself, but if you don’t have this, you will have to order it from a turner. The thread may be different, especially if the person cutting it does not have experience in working with such wood splitters. But there are those who have this experience and they claim:
- minimum mounting depth on the gearbox – 70 mm;
- pitch – 7 mm;
- thread depth – 2-3 mm.
Electric motor and gearbox
The motor and gearbox are attached to the workbench
There are special requirements for the electric motor here: its power must be at least 2 kW, but the speed must be low, from 250 to 500 rpm. The thing is that at lower speeds the working process will be very slow, and at higher speeds it will be dangerous. So if you find a motor with these parameters, you can place the screw directly on its shaft.
Sometimes you have to use a gearbox
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to find an electric motor with the required parameters, at least with the required number of revolutions. In such situations, you will have to purchase a reduction gearbox if the speed is higher than normal, or an increase gearbox if there are few of them. But it is most convenient in such situations to use a pulley and a belt drive instead of an overdrive or reduction gearbox. The larger the diameter of the pulley on the gearbox, the lower the speed and vice versa.
To correctly calculate the number of gearbox revolutions, you can resort to simple arithmetic. For example, you purchased an electric motor with a speed of 900 rpm and here you can resort to the 1/2 system. That is, you install a pulley on the gearbox shaft that is twice the diameter of the pulley on the electric motor shaft, and as a result you get a speed of 450 rpm. But the transmission can be not only belt, but chain - in the second situation, gears are installed instead of pulleys.
Perhaps someone will have a question about where the electric motor should be located. In this case, the table must be made with an additional lower tabletop or at least a shelf. The height of the upper tabletop is determined by the height of the person who will work there, but not less than 80 cm. The cone above the working surface should be at a distance of 8-12 cm, although as an exception 20 cm is allowed, but not a centimeter more - this will not allow splitting short logs .
Video: working with a smooth cone
Hydraulic wood splitter
Hydraulic driven device
The hydraulic wood splitter can be called the most powerful among all existing analogues. To assemble such a unit you will need:
- electric motor;
- bed;
- cutting knife;
- powerful hydraulic cylinder:
- oil tank;
- pump.
Note. All these components are very expensive and such an assembly only makes sense if you prepare firewood at a professional level.
Hydraulic mechanism diagram
This type of wood splitter works on the principle of a press and develops very high power. In this regard, the knife must be made of tool steel with a thickness of 6-10 mm (this parameter depends on the power of the drive mechanism). Often the knife is made like an asterisk, which allows you to split a log into 4 or even 8 parts in one go. You can watch one of the ways to make a hydraulic wood splitter at home in the video below.
Video: the knife is designed for chopping into 8 parts
Conclusion
Whether you will assemble a homemade mechanical wood splitter with your own hands or equip it with an electric drive depends primarily on the amount of firewood being harvested. But, be that as it may, any of these mechanisms will make your life easier.