What ya think of my air powered log splitter?
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thinkxingu
Minister of Fire
It's 5:30 AM, and I'm cracking up laughing
That thing'd be great, if only it wouldn't shoot your wood to the other side of the driveway!
S
That thing'd be great, if only it wouldn't shoot your wood to the other side of the driveway!S
Freeheat
Minister of Fire
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Looks okay for the short stuff you have and also easy splitting stuff but maybe not so good for longer or harder splitting wood. Looks like you had some fun.
Badfish740
Minister of Fire
- Oct 3, 2007
- 1,539
It makes for an interesting Youtube video but with your obvious welding and fabrication skills you ought to build yourself a hydraulic unit that will be much more useful in the long run.
sir splitsalot
New Member
Why don't you add some flow controls to regulate the piston speed, and a dump reg for the return, I think it would improve the ergonimics of your design dramaticaly.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Hehheh . . . I liked how you could hear the metal on metal contact and it sounded as though a bell was rung. . . almost like winning a carnival game. I would be curious to see how it does on regular sized wood . . . the wood in the video looks like my chunks == a bit on the short side. Wicked cool to see though.
midwestcoast
Minister of Fire
Pretty cool I'll say, and welcome. Needs a target, like a big woodbin set about 40 feet away and some sights. Angle it up ~40 degrees & you'll get way more distance!
Seriously though, I love the out-of-the-box thinking & nicely put together. Real quiet too. Needs more power for longer rounds I'd say & maybe sturdier legs. Since you're using momentum to split maybe you could get more power with just a weight on the ram and/or a longer stroke for more acceleration. I'm talking out my a$$ again of course.
Don't shoot your eye out.
Seriously though, I love the out-of-the-box thinking & nicely put together. Real quiet too. Needs more power for longer rounds I'd say & maybe sturdier legs. Since you're using momentum to split maybe you could get more power with just a weight on the ram and/or a longer stroke for more acceleration. I'm talking out my a$$ again of course.
Don't shoot your eye out.
midwestcoast
Minister of Fire
Gen 2 will be a wood canon firing rounds at a 4 way wedge! Now that'd be fun splitting :cheese:
Wedge on the ram any better??
Wedge on the ram any better??
I love it!
Couldn't convince myself to build one despite the obvious advantages of momentum over hydraulic force. What you need is a better firing valve, maybe a large engine valve in a custom valve body, you fire it by hitting the valve stem with a hammer, and the air rushes through a 2"diameter pipe to your cylinder, then EVERYTHING flies apart.
Seriously, that's why the crazy youtube splitters with wheels or square balers are so popular, because they conserve momentum in the rotation so they don't destroy themselves.
Couldn't convince myself to build one despite the obvious advantages of momentum over hydraulic force. What you need is a better firing valve, maybe a large engine valve in a custom valve body, you fire it by hitting the valve stem with a hammer, and the air rushes through a 2"diameter pipe to your cylinder, then EVERYTHING flies apart.
Seriously, that's why the crazy youtube splitters with wheels or square balers are so popular, because they conserve momentum in the rotation so they don't destroy themselves.
Sory about taking so long to get back but im working in Hawaii right now so theres a bit of a time difference.
estang, yes it would thats why i keep both hands on the valves.
CTYank, yes thats the ram bottoming out in the cylinder, im going to make my self a rubber buffer for it to stop on in side the ram.
Backwoods Savage, most of the stuff i have is a soft wood (birch) and the stove i have in my shop is small, i also burn coal.
Retired Guy, i have use some pallets for a backstop but the wood just seems to go through it!
Badfish740, I was going to originally make a hydraulic unit but i found the air cylinder at a yard sale and decided to give it a try.
sir splitsalot, This splitter acts like a hammer, so it needs as much volume of air flow as it can get so it can move as fast as it can, thats why it has an accumulator tank under neath of the ram, the return is a smaller valve to help slow it down some.
firefighterjake, Yea its loud i have to have hearing protection and it gets the attention of the neighbors
Jags, now if i could only get it to stack!
midwestcoast, thats a good idea about the legs, i did think about putting a heaver plate on the end of the ram (the one that is on there is 1/2in plate) but i was afraid of damaging the air cylinder when it tries to stop the momentum, wedge on the ram? the only thing i would worry about is it deflecting and bending the ram,
benjamin, Yea them crazy wheel splitters seem a little to dangerous for me i dont like my hands near things moving like that. i do think the momentum splitters are a lot faster then the hydraulic splitters.
Thanks for the replies and good ideas!
estang, yes it would thats why i keep both hands on the valves.
CTYank, yes thats the ram bottoming out in the cylinder, im going to make my self a rubber buffer for it to stop on in side the ram.
Backwoods Savage, most of the stuff i have is a soft wood (birch) and the stove i have in my shop is small, i also burn coal.
Retired Guy, i have use some pallets for a backstop but the wood just seems to go through it!
Badfish740, I was going to originally make a hydraulic unit but i found the air cylinder at a yard sale and decided to give it a try.
sir splitsalot, This splitter acts like a hammer, so it needs as much volume of air flow as it can get so it can move as fast as it can, thats why it has an accumulator tank under neath of the ram, the return is a smaller valve to help slow it down some.
firefighterjake, Yea its loud i have to have hearing protection and it gets the attention of the neighbors
Jags, now if i could only get it to stack!
midwestcoast, thats a good idea about the legs, i did think about putting a heaver plate on the end of the ram (the one that is on there is 1/2in plate) but i was afraid of damaging the air cylinder when it tries to stop the momentum, wedge on the ram? the only thing i would worry about is it deflecting and bending the ram,
benjamin, Yea them crazy wheel splitters seem a little to dangerous for me i dont like my hands near things moving like that. i do think the momentum splitters are a lot faster then the hydraulic splitters.
Thanks for the replies and good ideas!
velvetfoot
Minister of Fire
Dune
Minister of Fire
You have to stop the ram from bottoming out in the cylinder. The piston will break apart like one of those logs.
Dune said:
Nail guns have a cushion that absorbs the extra energy, maybe this cylinder has something built in for that purpose. I didn't listen to the sound of this splitter though, so maybe not.
By the "ping" sound of the push plate hitting the splitting wedge, I would bet that the cylinder is stopped before it is bottoming out. Just a guess.
Dune
Minister of Fire
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