Post spring manual kinetic splitter

[j7art2]

I stopped burning wood about 3 years ago and sold my gas 30 ton DHT when I did. Since I'm getting back into wood burning now, I'm looking at making one of these to avoid having to buy a new splitter. I've seen countless designs and videos and they seem pretty handy. I could build one for probably under $50 since I have most of the stuff laying around.

Anyone have any experience with these types of splitters?

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[SpaceBus]

What kind of wood do you anticipate splitting? Looks like it would be great for straight grain hardwood. I would not want to use that for splitting conifers.

 

[j7art2]

I generally burn anything I can get my hands on. Michigan has lots of hardwoods (Oak, Ash, Maple, occasional hickory), but I've heated the house solely off pine and tulip poplar because they're unwanted and often times free here.

Before I decided to go this route, I made myself a slide hammer splitter similar to the Splitz-All (attached) from an old homemade post setter that weighs about 60lbs. It works good, but the entire contraption weighs over 80lbs with the head, and while it splits easier than a maul, it's still far too much effort than I want to put into splitting.

My homemade slide hammer splitter ripped through super grainy willow without much difficulty, but i agree, if I'm doing something like Box Elder, it may not work nearly as well. Box Elder was the only thing that gave my 30T any pause. I'm hoping a narrow axe head with a flare on the end rather than a maul style wedge will help with this. I intended to weld the entire 80lb head on. The original design would allow me to thread various styles of head on though as the center post rides through two 1" diameter nuts. Weld the axe head onto a 1" diameter bolt head, thread into the end and I'm swinging.

 

[j7art2]

Well I decided to make one.

It works pretty awesome. Faster than a hydraulic for straight grained stuff because I don't have to wait for the ram to return. Probably not gonna be great for elm or box elder though.

Split black ash and red oak no problem. Video is too large to post so here's a pic.

 

[j7art2]

Video in action.

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[Ashful]

...the entire contraption weighs over 80lbs with the head, and while it splits easier than a maul...

I really have trouble believing that thing is truly easier than a well-practiced swing with a maul, unless you're suffering from some specific mobility problems that preclude its use. Watch the second half of this video posted by former member @AlbergSteve, and tell me there's an easier way to split wood, without the use of gasoline or electric.

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[EbS-P]

I really have trouble believing that thing is truly easier than a well-practiced swing with a maul, unless you're suffering from some specific mobility problems that preclude its use. Watch the second half of this video posted by former member @AlbergSteve, and tell me there's an easier way to split wood, without the use of gasoline or electric.

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He’s swinging and 8# maul like it’s a 3# cruiser. Sure does make it look easy. Spring splitter won’t tackle big rounds like that. But if one has the need to take big quarters or 12” or less pieces down regularly I see the advantage. Especially if you need short firewood (for whatever reason).

Spring splitter looks easier on the back and forearms (reducing tendinitis in Elbows and wrists) shoulders and elbows. Harder on the abs.

 

[j7art2]

I really have trouble believing that thing is truly easier than a well-practiced swing with a maul, unless you're suffering from some specific mobility problems that preclude its use.

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I can tell you with 100% certainty that this is less effort than any axe on the planet. I have been splitting wood with an axe since the age of 8 (30 years), and I will never once touch an axe again after making this.

Is it a replacement for a 30 ton gasoline log splitter? No. Is it better than any axe I've ever tried? Absolutely hell yes, with ZERO comparison. I've spent hundreds in axes of all designs. I've got an 8lb maul, Collins axe, 15lb maul with steel shaft, a "Chopper 1" spring loaded splitting axe head, a Fiskars X27 Super Splitter and a homemade axe. This takes less than half the effort than all of them. I'll never touch an axe again as long as I have this. Apples to oranges. You're just pivoting and throwing down the the head, gravity and physics does the rest. It's not particularly heavy on the pivot since the weight is spaced. My daughter is is able to pivot the head and swing it; just not with much force. The effort it takes is quite minimal.

Large rounds can be done if you nip the corners and work your way in. You're not gonna sink it in the center and hope for the best.

The biggest workout on the spring splitter is the deltoids. Ask me how I know -- I did 2 face cord of ash and oak last weekend. I would have done more, but i ran out of wood. I would have ran out of energy long before doing that by hand with an axe.

 

[j7art2]

The arm itself weighs about 40lbs and is 6 feet long, the head of my splitter is around 80lbs. I could add more weight to it, and may do so in the future, but will likely have to figure out how to adjust resting height once I do. It's a matter of simply pivoting the head and "throwing" it down with both hands with as much force as you can muster while weight, gravity and physics does the rest. the spring returns it back to base. I'm not sure how to describe how or why it's less effort than an axe, but I can say that it is without question. It uses so much force in fact that I've broken 2 splitter bases and have "dented" the ground where the splitter bases are. As you can see in the picture, I tried various concrete slabs including cinderblocks, and the force has shattered them too. I'm a healthy homesteader and avid outdoorsman with no health problems.

This can still be tiring, and during a 90 degree day, I still have to take breaks, but I'm taking half the amount of breaks that I normally would be using my Super Splitter.

I'm considering welding a sledge hammer head to the "front" of the cylinder that's about 4" out, so that in the event of the axe head sticking into the wood, I'm not having to lift the mechanism and round together and keep slamming it into the ground repeatedly until it's through. That's where things do get tiring and takes more effort than an axe. I try and nip corners to prevent sticking if I can. I can occasionally swing a sledge to drive it through like an 80lb wedge. I was splitting fresh cut white ash last night with it and had a bit of a sticking problem. A friend offered the sledge "plate" solution and I think it's a great one.

 

[j7art2]

He’s swinging and 8# maul like it’s a 3# cruiser. Sure does make it look easy. Spring splitter won’t tackle big rounds like that. But if one has the need to take big quarters or 12” or less pieces down regularly I see the advantage. Especially if you need short firewood (for whatever reason).

Spring splitter looks easier on the back and forearms (reducing tendinitis in Elbows and wrists) shoulders and elbows. Harder on the abs.

Douglas Fir also isn't that difficult to split compared, to say elm or box elder. Nice straight grain stuff makes everything look easy. That's what my splitter base is made from.

 

[Ashful]

Spring splitter looks easier on the back and forearms (reducing tendinitis in Elbows and wrists) shoulders and elbows. Harder on the abs.

Do note that I was responding to the OP's statements about the slide hammer, not the spring arm splitter. I agree the spring arm splitter is easier to throw.

But even so, I'd not want to heft most of the rounds I see on a regular basis up onto that table, an axe still looks easier than lifting any rounds over 100 lb. onto a table. The OP mentions popular and pine, which I would never even bother splitting, but they also mention oak. At 63 lb../cu.ft. green, it doesn't take a very large diameter tree to make some 500+ lb. rounds of oak.

Perhaps with the two machines, the slide hammer and the spring arm, you have a workable system. Hoist the small stuff onto the table of the spring arm, and pull out the slide hammer for stuff you don't want to lift onto a table.

And AlbergSteve isn't unique, anyone who spends enough hours with an axe can split like him. Like most things, it's more about physics and efficiency than brute strength, although both come with time at the handle.

 

[j7art2]

Do note that I was responding to the OP's statements about the slide hammer, not the spring arm splitter. I agree the spring arm splitter is easier to throw.

But even so, I'd not want to heft most of the rounds I see on a regular basis up onto that table, an axe still looks easier than lifting any rounds over 100 lb. onto a table. The OP mentions popular and pine, which I would never even bother splitting, but they also mention oak. At 63 lb../cu.ft. green, it doesn't take a very large diameter tree to make some 500+ lb. rounds of oak.

Perhaps with the two machines, the slide hammer and the spring arm, you have a workable system.

This year I'm heating with a combination of pine, red oak, white and black ash, and birch. I'm shooting for a 50/50 mixture of hard and softwood. I don't waste my hardwood during shoulder season; absolutely not necessary. Back to the splitter though, I'm actually starting to wonder if I need a table at all at this point. The more videos I watch as I tweak mine, I'm seeing that not everyone uses one. Mine is not fine tuned yet, but it still works great overall. Maybe with a broader stroke without a block, I can get more force behind it to have less sticking.

As far as wood goes, I heat with whatever wood I can get my hands on. I took a gamble on 30 pickup truck loads of free pine a few years ago and heated my house on nothing pine but for 2 years straight (even in the dead of winter in -30 degree nights) after extensive research right here on hearth and learning that the old wives tales about it were completely bunk. I'll never ever consider it a gopher or junk wood again. It simply isn't. Ironically maximum BTU numbers in wood stoves are often measured using Douglas fir. If they were smart, they'd be resin/pitch soaked too to bump those numbers, which isn't factored into the BTU measuring of the actual wood as far as I know.

I did a multi year write up comparison somewhere here on hearth years ago comparing creosote from pine years to hardwood years and got less creosote from pine than I did hardwood. MC on pine was 14% after 6 months cut from fresh, hardwood, about 20% after 2 years. I used approximately 20-25% more firewood using pine as sole fuel source than I did with oak/ash, but it's also significantly easier to split and no one wants it so you often get it for free. I got overnight burns and coals even with old inefficient pre-EPA stove using it. I regularly used to burn 22-25 face of hardwood, or 30 face of pine. Now that I have an EPA stove, it's only gonna get better I'm sure.

While I'm not here to defend pine, it's certainly not a junk wood, and has more legends about it than bigfoot. I'll purposely choose it during the shoulder season months -- yesterday it was 45 in the morning and 92 in the afternoon. Perfect for a short hot fire to take the chill out of the air and open the windows by the time the fire is starting to die out.

 

[Ashful]

I'm actually starting to wonder if I need a table at all at this point.... While I'm not here to defend pine, it's certainly not a junk wood...

It would be interesting to put a steel plate acting as a table directly on the ground, or elevated just an inch or two on square steel tube, design a splitting head that's maybe 4 feet of 3" steel tube, and place the pull handle at a comfortable shoulder to waist height throw range. Best of both worlds, that mechanism without any lifting rounds to a table.

As for pine, it's a matter of time and availability. I have more oak and ash than I could ever hope to process or need, so from my perspective, anything less than the BTU per volume than these hardwoods is junk. That includes pine, as much as someone with only that vs. poplar may prefer the stuff.

 

[j7art2]

It would be interesting to put a steel plate acting as a table directly on the ground, or elevated just an inch or two on square steel tube, design a splitting head that's maybe 4 feet of 3" steel tube, and place the pull handle at a comfortable shoulder to waist height throw range. Best of both worlds, that mechanism without any lifting rounds to a table.

As for pine, it's a matter of time and availability. I have more oak and ash than I could ever hope to process or need, so from my perspective, anything less than the BTU per volume than these hardwoods is junk. That includes pine, as much as someone with only that vs. poplar may prefer the stuff.

If you've got tons of oak, then heck yeah. I'm surrounded by state land, so I generally just get a firewood permit and I'm allowed to take 12 full cords of whatever is dead and down provided I don't sell it.

I wish this guy were a little more adjustable in hindsight, and I may be able to adjust it somewhat, but I'm not sure exactly what the best adjustments would be for it. I've considered trying to raise the arm higher for a longer and thus more forceful throw which would also be needed if I added weight to it (it would otherwise sag too low), considered shortening the arm some (which may open up another host of issues since this is all welded from scrap and I'd have to do some grinding of welds) etc. I've got some steel plate, but I'm still playing with it at this point.

Part of me does miss my gas splitter at times, but I'm not to the point yet where I'm ready to drop another $1500 for one. Maybe once I get my 26% rebate on the wood stove next year. Lol. My buddy is considering trading for a 3 ton WEN electric splitter that he watched tear through 18" long 18" diameter white oak without much difficulty, and claims it tore through water maple too. I never even considered an electric, but they're sure as heck cheaper.

 

[Ashful]

The grass is always greener on the other side. I have a hot-rodded gas splitter, and I miss splitting with the maul!

I used to split with a wedge and sledge as a kid, living in my parents house, but then had a 13 year break from heating with wood. When I got back to it in my 30's, I was splitting the majority of 14 cords per year with a wedge, burning nearly 10 cords and stockpiling the remainder to get 3 years ahead. I developed some shoulder problems, purely due to the sheer volume of wood I was processing, so I broke down and bought a gas powered splitter after 3 years. It's noisy, smelly, and obnoxious.

If I were doing less than 6 cords per year, I would likely still be hand splitting everything with a maul, or wedge and sledge for the difficult rounds. I really miss the Zen-like meditative process of whacking rounds with a maul, far more peaceful than a 400cc engine screaming away at 3600 rpm all day.

 

[bigealta]

The grass is always greener on the other side. I have a hot-rodded gas splitter, and I miss splitting with the maul!

I used to split with a wedge and sledge as a kid, living in my parents house, but then had a 13 year break from heating with wood. When I got back to it in my 30's, I was splitting the majority of 14 cords per year with a wedge, burning nearly 10 cords and stockpiling the remainder to get 3 years ahead. I developed some shoulder problems, purely due to the sheer volume of wood I was processing, so I broke down and bought a gas powered splitter after 3 years. It's noisy, smelly, and obnoxious.

If I were doing less than 6 cords per year, I would likely still be hand splitting everything with a maul, or wedge and sledge for the difficult rounds. I really miss the Zen-like meditative process of whacking rounds with a maul, far more peaceful than a 400cc engine screaming away at 3600 rpm all day.

I do 3-5 cords a year, It's All split by hand with my Light Maul. Have not used a wedge since i was a kid 40+ years ago. If the maul wont bust thru than that piece is trash.. or cut to 9" lengths for crib loading in stove. I very rarely end up with these "unsplittables". They almost never come home.

I also find that swinging the light maul helps my back. The opposite is true for any method that requires bending over to move, stand up whole or split pieces. For these reasons There is not a gas, electric or hand crank splitter in my future. With the maul i use my feet to stand up split pieces and also split in a way to keep the round mostly intact so pieces stay standing up.when split 3/4 - 7/8 thru, leaving just enough to not fall over. (Just like in the video above) BUT Without the bungie.

 

[j7art2]

The grass is always greener on the other side. I have a hot-rodded gas splitter, and I miss splitting with the maul!

I used to split with a wedge and sledge as a kid, living in my parents house, but then had a 13 year break from heating with wood. When I got back to it in my 30's, I was splitting the majority of 14 cords per year with a wedge, burning nearly 10 cords and stockpiling the remainder to get 3 years ahead. I developed some shoulder problems, purely due to the sheer volume of wood I was processing, so I broke down and bought a gas powered splitter after 3 years. It's noisy, smelly, and obnoxious.

If I were doing less than 6 cords per year, I would likely still be hand splitting everything with a maul, or wedge and sledge for the difficult rounds. I really miss the Zen-like meditative process of whacking rounds with a maul, far more peaceful than a 400cc engine screaming away at 3600 rpm all day.

I agree that I secretly love the maul too, at least for a while. Crossfit for homesteaders. Unfortunately given that I'm trying to get 3 years ahead, I don't like the maul enough to be out there all summer in the 90 degree heat, so I'm trying to do whatever I can to prevent that at least until I can catch up and process firewood like a normal human again. 😄

 

[bigealta]

Also i usually cut and split at the same time at locations that are not mine. So bringing a saw and just a maul is often the only option anyway.

 

[Bobbob]

I use a gas splitter for all my splitting....bad shoulders. However, my Dad had a really good old axe that he inherited from my Grandpa. When Covid hit and I needed therapy, ( I'm a respiratory therapist) I decided to crack out that old axe. We had a very large silver maple dropped in our yard. Circumference was 8 ft and it produced 6 cords. I chopped that whole thing up with that old axe. Yes it took awhile and I was out there in even freezing temps, but it split pretty easy and was the cheapest therapy I could think of. Nothing like stopping to admire the split pile gaining size. I actually looked forward to working at it.

 

[j7art2]

So as a side note, I was today years old before I learned that Fiskars made a splitting maul. I've got the X27 Super Splitter which is a badass splitting axe. Is the maul that much better for those who know and have both? I'm not sure I'm gonna buy one given that I don't know that I need it, but I haven't had a disappointing Fiskars yet.

I have an 8lb True Tough wedge looking axe like the head already on my splitter, and a 15lb triangle looking maul that makes me feel like an ogre and is exhausting to swing more than a few times if it doesn't split.

 

[j7art2]

I use a gas splitter for all my splitting....bad shoulders. However, my Dad had a really good old axe that he inherited from my Grandpa. When Covid hit and I needed therapy, ( I'm a respiratory therapist) I decided to crack out that old axe. We had a very large silver maple dropped in our yard. Circumference was 8 ft and it produced 6 cords. I chopped that whole thing up with that old axe. Yes it took awhile and I was out there in even freezing temps, but it split pretty easy and was the cheapest therapy I could think of. Nothing like stopping to admire the split pile gaining size. I actually looked forward to working at it.

Winter is definitely the best time to split in my opinion. I can remember being in the garage splitting in jeans and no shirt on in the 30 degree temps as a kid! Back then I preferred the fast swinging Collins felling axe.

 

[Ashful]

It’s funny, I got distracted while typing that last post, and somehow ended up saying I was splitting 14 cords with a wedge! No way!

My tool of choice was a light 6 lb no-name maul with a recurve axe handle. I had found it in a shed decades ago, de-rusted it (electrolysis), ground the mushroomed metal off the back hammer face, re-handled it and sharpened it like a Fiskars. I put that stupid thing thru miles of wood, and enjoyed it, but my shoulders were suffering from the sheer volume of wood I was processing.

It took several years for the symptoms of over-use to abate, after a few years at that pace. My shoulders still hurt every morning when I wake up, but they’re generally better after a few minutes.

I only used the wedge when I’d run into something too stubborn for the maul.

 

[SpaceBus]

So as a side note, I was today years old before I learned that Fiskars made a splitting maul. I've got the X27 Super Splitter which is a badass splitting axe. Is the maul that much better for those who know and have both? I'm not sure I'm gonna buy one given that I don't know that I need it, but I haven't had a disappointing Fiskars yet.

I have an 8lb True Tough wedge looking axe like the head already on my splitter, and a 15lb triangle looking maul that makes me feel like an ogre and is exhausting to swing more than a few times if it doesn't split.

I have the Fiskars maul, but not the X27. It's a good maul, but no better than any other maul of the same weight. The handle might be the nicest part and allegedly absorbs vibration.

 

[EbS-P]

So as a side note, I was today years old before I learned that Fiskars made a splitting maul. I've got the X27 Super Splitter which is a badass splitting axe. Is the maul that much better for those who know and have both? I'm not sure I'm gonna buy one given that I don't know that I need it, but I haven't had a disappointing Fiskars yet.

I have an 8lb True Tough wedge looking axe like the head already on my splitter, and a 15lb triangle looking maul that makes me feel like an ogre and is exhausting to swing more than a few times if it doesn't split.

I use the fiskars maul twice as much as the x27. But only because I’m splitting mostly long leaf pine. And mostly yard trees. It’s stringy knotty and generally terrible splitting wood. Same for some poplar I rolled home. It’s a real workout compared to the x27 but if you told me I could only have one splitting ax it would be the maul.

I am wondering what a counter weight on the back of the spring splitter would do? I like your design and it might no be possible. How about bungees that envisage near the top of the stroke? First time I saw yours I was trying to figure out how to put a pneumatic cylinder on it. Never had a good idea.

 

[qwee]

Thor's Hammer - build starts at 4:15. Maybe someday......

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