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OT: woodsplitters
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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

6/13/18 9:41 AM

OT: woodsplitters

For something really different.

I have an old wood cookstove with a small firebox so it needs pretty small pieces of wood. I have always bought wood split, then split it again to get it to size. The sellers don't seem to want to split really fine.

I don't mind doing this, and in fact enjoy it, but with my aortic aneurysm woodsplitting is verboten (the surgeon has seen it trigger a couple incidents, and that anecdotal evidence is good enough for me). So I'm wondering if I can buy a splitter that will split wood finer than as usually delivered. Anyone know anything on how fine the relatively inexpensive units will split? If that doesn't work I can probably pay a kid to split it, but I'd prefer to be self sufficient. TIA.

On the aneurysm itself I just had a scan and met with the surgeon, and it all looks stable and I just get checked again in a year. No limitations on riding, only limits are no no heavy lifting and the woodsplitting. So that s a relief.

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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven

6/13/18 10:57 AM

Dumb question, but do they need to be stck shaped? In the past I have used a mitre saw to cut wood into "smallish chunks". They would easily fit the firebox and its pretty easy to do.

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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven

6/13/18 11:41 AM

Yeah, on a similiar thought, what about using a table saw?

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

6/13/18 11:48 AM

well thanks but

I'm not into power saws - I'm not handy and I've had enough surgery the last year...:) I'll use a chainsaw but that's it.

Not sure how easy it would be to start chunks or how well they'd burn, but I'm not going to find out!

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

6/13/18 12:40 PM

Band saw. [not scroll saw]

Look on Craigslist. A 9" will suite perfectly for re-sawing, and a very soft market used. Everyone wants a 12" minimum. I have a 17".

If you decide to go this route I'll be happy to tell you what to avoid.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

6/13/18 2:54 PM

Splitting is definitely the way to go if you're looking for easy fire starting. Chunks aren't going to be any easier to start than larger logs unless you cut them really thin. You don't need a big expensive splitter for what you want to do; a hand-pumped hydraulic should do the job and give you some upper body exercise in the process. I'm a bit surprised the the doc won't let you split wood. If you set up properly and let the maul do the work, it doesn't have to be strenuous. It's definitely easier than some of the hills you're doing on the bike!

The key to making it easier is to elevate the wood to be split in a fixture that will hold it in place. The best and cheapest solution I found online was to screw a worn-out car tire to a stump or stand ~12" high or so. You select the height based on your height and the typical length of the wood you're splitting. You want the top of the wood to be at the point where the maul handle is parallel to the ground as it comes down. You put as much wood in the center of the tire as it takes to hold everything in place, then go to work with the maul. When everything is split, you empty it out and reload it.

I have yet to see a 9" bandsaw that wasn't a piece of junk (Delta's saws are horrible that way), but perhaps there are some now. I have 10", 14" and 17" band saws. The Rikon/Craftsman 10" saws are good (I have one), but have limited height (4/5/8"), which makes them less than ideal for cutting firewood. Also, the uneven nature and stringiness of firewood can make it dangerous to cut on a band saw. I've used my 17" beast for turning split quarters from a 4' x 18" green oak log into lumber for making kayak parts, but I hated every minute of the process. I couldn't wait to move onto something "safe", like the jointer and table saw. ;-)

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

6/13/18 3:16 PM

"I have yet to see a 9" bandsaw that wasn't a piece of junk"


Have you seen any fitted with Carter bearing retro fits?

"The best and cheapest solution I found online was to screw a worn-out car tire to a stump or stand"

Trying to visualize this.

EDIT: OK googled that. Just a guess the Dr, wants the swinging the maul outta the equation for the patient.

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

6/13/18 4:14 PM

Splitting

Like I said, the Doc has seen a couple dissections/ruptures triggered by splitting. That's good enough for me, as you may not live through one.

Cycling is more strenuous in a sense, but it is a different type of effort. You want to avoid spikes in blood pressure, and I can see how splitting could lead to that. If you grunt, that can triple your bp. Easy to say the maul does the work, but what about when you hit a knot and the blade gets jammed in the wood, etc. Maybe you're good enough to avoid that, but I'm not. Anyway, it's not worth the risk. I have been checking bp after rides, and reading, and I don't think cycling causes spikes as long as you warm up reasonably.

Anyway, living with this thing is definitely a process. It may have been exactly the same since I was 30, who knows. I'm not particularly worried about it, but you don't want to be stupid.

In general, this Doc is pretty liberal about allowing activities. The primary care doc said limit your hr on the bike to 120 and don't go to Antarctica, the cardiothoracic surgeon says live your life, ride as you wish and go where you want. But don't split wood or move refrigerators :)

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

6/13/18 4:15 PM

Maybe rent a splitter?

Portland ME:
https://www.handymanrental.com/equipment-for-rent/class/woodsplitter-26-inch-gas

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dfcas
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 2815
Location: hillbilly heaven

6/13/18 4:37 PM

I would probably research electric splitters, just to avoid the noise and hassle of a gas one. I assume the electrics are not as powerful as a gas, but since you are resplitting it should be fine. I don't know how much wood you use, but at lower volumes the reduced speed of an electric is probably fine.

in other words I have no idea.

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

6/13/18 4:40 PM

Rent?

I don't mind buying one if it will do the fine splitting I need, which was my question. I can go to Home Depot or somewhere and ask them, but I didn't know if anyone might have experience.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

6/13/18 5:15 PM

By renting you can get some experience to inform your purchase.

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Matthew Currie
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 800
Location: Vermont

6/13/18 5:59 PM

I have an older splitter that is a marvel of low-tech engineering, but it wasn't cheap even long ago. It's an unusual gadget using a rack and pinion powered by big flywheels. The one I have runs off a 3/4 horse electric motor, splits ordinary wood at shocking speed, and can slice a maple log crossways in a half dozen strokes. Ufortunately not very common ever, and not cheap, but if you come across a used older one, grab it. Mine was bought some time in the 1970's, but the design has not changed since then, except for bigger motors.

http://www.supersplit.com/home/index.html

I note that DR also makes flywheel splitters. Not sure how they compare with the original Super Split, but they make various sizes.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

6/13/18 7:39 PM

Supersplit, 9HP Honda model looks just right. If you're Tim Allen that is....

What about a foot operated lite splitter? Or 'wood' a foot press also raise you BP too much? Not much different that climbing out of the saddle up a steep?

Google: Sealey LS450H Foot Operated Log Splitter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8bORB79Clo

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

6/14/18 7:57 AM

Suprsplit is cool

Kind of wish I could justify it, but it would be way overkill.

Wonder if there’s a pedal powered model.

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Matthew Currie
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 800
Location: Vermont

6/14/18 10:30 AM

A pedal powered supersplit should be possible, but it would require two people to operate. As it is, the original supersplit carries a big warning in the instructions that splitting is purely a one-person operation. The cycle time for a normal log is about two seconds, and the wedge is knife sharp, so it's imperative that nobody's hands are unaccounted for.

For cooperative use, though, a pedal powered one ought to work nicely. Plenty of stored energy in those flywheels.

You might look at the lightest-duty DR flywheel splitter, though.

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Pat Clancy
Joined: 13 Jan 2004
Posts: 1353
Location: Manchester, CT

6/14/18 1:52 PM

Electric/hydraulic splitters

There's any number of relatively inexpensive ($200 - $500) electric/hydraulic splitters out there.
For example: https://www.grizzly.com/products/Hydraulic-Electric-Log-Splitter/H8171

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

6/14/18 3:25 PM

Grizzly Power tool fan for years. Cabinet Saw and the aforementioned 17" band saw.

Harbor Freight also has an electric 5Ton splitter. 299.00

https://www.harborfreight.com/5-ton-log-splitter-63366.html


And Home Depot a 6.5-Ton Electric Log Splitter with Stand for under $300.00.

Home Depot with a few year service contract ought to be a viable choice. Pretty sure they will be there to replace it later if it craps out. ;)

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

6/14/18 4:39 PM

Yeah

There are plenty of inexpensive ones. I'm just not sure if they can do the fine splitting I need (splitting sticks which are about 5" in diameter to begin with). Maybe so, should be easy enough to find out. Thanks for the responses.

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Craig
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 591

6/14/18 8:05 PM

I don't know anything about wood splitters. But your question had me watching 16 minutes of youtube videos of people splitting wood. So there's that.

And this, https://youtu.be/nuuztu-3MPw?t=11m52s I think I've linked to the relevant part, it should start at 11'-52". Nifty little wood splitter that probably isn't expensive and is splitting wood down to pretty small with ease. You could probably build your own with the right electric motor.

Nice and quiet too. He takes some big pieces of wood down to tiny...

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

6/14/18 8:24 PM

YouTube is cheaper than renting. I was looking for a "splitter" I saw a few years ago (#2 link)

This guy is a Russian who moved to North Carolina and now he experiments with stuff to make YouTube content, practical, scientific approach and a good sense of humor. This tool relies on quads and glutes and seems to split to your spec:
"Foot Log Woodsplitter"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiKRMsaIzeU

This gem is vying for the world's most dangerous tool, but hey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIkplzNSPD0

It's more like a wood destroyer but he gets chutzpah points.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

6/15/18 1:17 PM

I can empathize with the trouble he had splitting black locust. That's what the majority of the woods I've cut and split for Linda has been, as her house is in the middle of a locust grove. Once in a while, you get a piece with nice, straight grain, but normally it twists and swirls all over the place. Between that and the fact that it's the densest, heaviest wood native to North America, it can be a nightmare to split, especially at crotches.

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Matthew Currie
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 800
Location: Vermont

6/17/18 7:01 PM

The conical screw shown in one of the links above does work pretty well, if you can get enough torque on it. Long ago I had one of these powered by a roller, on which one was meant to put the drive wheel of a car. It worked well (assuming an open, not limited slip differential), but the if you did not block everything well enough, then when a big log resisted, the car would drive off the treadmill and head down the road. There was a kill switch provided. It worked but the splits were very splintery.

I gave mine up because of my two cars at the time one was a Scout with limited slip and the other a diesel on which no kill switch would work. I did not fancy the idea of having my then-recent car vault its chocks and trundle toward the hedgerows in third gear. I tried it briefly but the first panicked chase to shut it down was the last.

A directly drive motor might work but I don't think the power would be great, and you'd need a reverse for jams.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

6/17/18 9:12 PM

"Between that and the fact that it's the densest, heaviest wood native to North America"


Hickory?

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

6/18/18 4:51 AM

Nope.

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