I got wood

[Aprisa]

S6PNJ said:

Looks great - will you do a build thread on it? What do you power it from? Portable hydraulic power pack, small digger/tractor or something else? Do you know roughly what ton rating it is?

I'm really bad at taking pictures while I'm building stuff but will try with the next one!
We had a splitter that ran from full size tractors or Manitou etc but it was heavy and back breaking as it was on the floor with the lever at the wrong end so always need two people to operate. I got interested in Hydraulic stuff after building myseld a three ton tipper trailer so was looking for another build but it had to be useful to appease the wife.

Wanted it to be upright, easy to move (hence wheels) useable horizontal if needed and to fit on said trailer should I want to go on site.

It's powered by a home built power plant (I'll take a picture later) with a new electric start 9HP petrol engine, two stage pump, 45 litre tank all mounted in a wheeled cage with quick fit connectors. The ram is rated to twenty tonnes and bought new with the other bits but I have a couple of second-hand rams that are considerably more powerful if needed but obviously will be slower, and it seems to split everything ok at the moment apart from awkeard knotty wood that shoots off the table or stalls the ram!

The build was not too dificult but as I was new to Hydraulic kit I had a bit of a learning curve with flow rates, pipe sizes etc so now have a few "spares".

HTH

[Evoluzione]

I got lucky and answered a FB ad by a local Arborist giving wood away. I picked it up then they text' me a few more times over the last few months to pick more up.
As I'm self employed with van & trailer I can pick up at short notice, It seems to suit them to just fell the trees and leave it for someone else to pick up. I've now got tons of the stuff and the texts have dried up, maybe they it was just a furlough job for them.

So it's all chopped to length, now I will buy an electric/hydraulic log splitter. I'm going to go for a Forestmaster 8 ton:
https://forest-master.com/product-category/log-spl...
Typically it's one of a minority which isn't discounted and the trolley mounted one on back order, but this says to me they are the most popular and that will be for a good reason.
Both the stop and ram are V splitters so if one stops the other carries on going.

I notice the question has not been asked as to whether you split green or dry.
Splitting green is difficult by hand, presumably a machine will overcome that. Splitting dry is easier, but then the split green wood is going to dry quicker and probably more completely too.
Any expert thoughts on that?

[Bacon Is Proof]

Evoluzione said:

I notice the question has not been asked as to whether you split green or dry.
Splitting green is difficult by hand, presumably a machine will overcome that. Splitting dry is easier, but then the split green wood is going to dry quicker and probably more completely too.
Any expert thoughts on that?

Depends on the wood.
Whilst the local FB group were moaning about some fly tipping last week I went and cleared it up, purely out of civic duty and nothing to do with the fact it was predominantly a big pile of freshly felled ash.
Piece of piss to split green, even using a battered old plastic handled axe that probably came from Poundland.
I'm heating a very small space (narrowboat) so probably managed to forage a good couple of month's worth, all for the cost of some sweat.
Other wood is easier dry apparantly, but I'll always split wood as soon as I get it due to my storage, plus I love a bloody Mary and some axe swinging in the morning.

[S6PNJ]

new wood tends to be softer but splits more easily, seasoned wood tends to be harder but more brittle. Soft wood doesn't take much for the knife edge to get into, but probably needs a full length split. Seasoned wood is much harder for the knife edge to get into but one crack and it will go along the full length.

Using a powered splitter on seasoned, dry wood, this manifests itself as an 'explosion' and seasoned wood can fly off the splitter (dangerously) whereas unseasoned wood tends to just split more slowly but requires the full length (or a greater length) of travel of the ram. personally, I;d much rather split green than seasoned, plus splitting it this way seasons it quicker as there is more surface area for the moisture to evaporate from.

[rxe]

Unless you have a really big one, I've never seen the point of a powered splitter. The big ones can turn a round into 8 logs at a time, which is cool, but the small ones just split stuff into two. You've still got to do all the hard stuff like lifting it, so other than the axe swinging it isn't any easier. The cycle time of the average hydraulic ram is about 3x as long as my cycle time with the axe.

The pile in my pic upthread is now about twice as long as in the picture, the whole lot has been done by a 17 year old with an axe.

[S6PNJ]

From my point of view as a forty something year old, I'll work smarted not harder. I'd fully expect a 17 year old to have more energy than a semi knackers 40 something year old. Using a splitter also allows me to get a more consistent log size which works better for my stacking and for my boiler.

Edited to add pics of my wood shed as it looks today (about 3m deep, 2m high and about 12-14m long)

Edited by S6PNJ on Monday 24th August 22:12

[Evoluzione]

I swung a traditional style long handled axe into a green chunk and it did nothing, I picked up the whole lot as it was now attached and slammed it down. Nothing! I did some further reading and you're not wrong though, dry is even harder and can spring apart, green is a bit 'chewey'.
I'm a long way from 17 and know what vibration and shock does to your fingers so a machine will do the job.

Bacon Is Proof said:

Depends on the wood.
Whilst the local FB group were moaning about some fly tipping last week I went and cleared it up, purely out of civic duty and nothing to do with the fact it was predominantly a big pile of freshly felled ash.
Piece of piss to split green, even using a battered old plastic handled axe that probably came from Poundland.
I'm heating a very small space (narrowboat) so probably managed to forage a good couple of month's worth, all for the cost of some sweat.
Other wood is easier dry apparantly, but I'll always split wood as soon as I get it due to my storage, plus I love a bloody Mary and some axe swinging in the morning.

We had a similar thing. A concrete mixer was dumped in the village, instead of phoning the local scrap guy they rang the council!

[anonymous-user]

This chap will nip round and split a few for you

https://twitter.com/TrendSpider/status/12987040344...

[jet_noise]

Lumberjacks finished today.

Before


During

After




Wholly recommend some chaps from Applecross & Broadford if you're in the NW and in the market for tree surgeon-ing.

Then my bit:
Will be better stacked when it stops raining!
Stove-sized-section chainsawing and after a couple of weeks the chopping.
Mix of eucalyptus, ash & beech.
I'm not sure I'm completely looking forward to doing all of it!

[cg360]

I've done splitting both ways and a maul is faster but I find I get too tired to safely swing it after about an hour. I can use my hydraulic splitter for hours.

So for me the 'best' option depends on the size of the pile and how quickly I want to get it cleared away.

[jet_noise]

I've a 16" mains chainsaw and a 5lb axe. Also ordered a slide hammer type splitter as suggested by the lumberjack.

Depending on how I get on with those I may have to invest in something(s) heavier duty. My suspicion is strongly that I'll need more oomph for the eucalyptus especially.

Great to have this thread (and others) for chainsaw, maul & powered splitter recommendations.

On the green or seasoned question my (very) limited experience tends to green. But not immediately. Keep an eye on your wood (snigger) and it's when cracks have appeared that the wood is easiest to break. Happens after not very many days. Likely dependent on weather/size/species.

[Harry Flashman]

On the hydraulic splitter thing, if I had to split all of that wood in one sitting, I would go for it. I enjoy using the axes, and a few hours work gets me a couple of cubic metres of wood each time. However the longest part of the job is transporting and stacking, not splitting. It's fatigue that would get to me. Swinging an 8lb maul on oak is tiring after a while.

As for splitting green wood, never tried it - the stuff I am going at is either seasoned or rotted! Frankly, on the seasoned oak, the pieces with twisted grain take a lot of effort. The maul makes that easier - the small axe is not powerful enough.

But the properly dried, seasoned stuff in the shed, mostly birch, splits really easily. I guess a lot depends on the wood and the grain.

[Harry Flashman]

On the vibration thing, the composite handles on my cheap fiskars axes really are great for damping, if you get your hands to the end of the handle by the time you strike.

All still a learning experience!

[rxe]

Evoluzione said:

I swung a traditional style long handled axe into a green chunk and it did nothing, I picked up the whole lot as it was now attached and slammed it down. Nothing! I did some further reading and you're not wrong though, dry is even harder and can spring apart, green is a bit 'chewey'.
I'm a long way from 17 and know what vibration and shock does to your fingers so a machine will do the job.

When you get the axe stuck in a round, lift the whole lot up, and flip it over so that the back of axe hits the “anvil’ first. All the energy in the descending log goes up against the point of the axe. Your bit of wood will either shatter or fly off the axe - either outcome is OK. It looks very badass when you get it right, even impressed the 17 year old.

Splitting is just stamina, and working up to it. At 51, on the first day of a session, I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus. By the end of the week I can do 6 hours of cutting , splitting and stacking without a problem.

Eucalyptus? Split it now. Not next week, definitely not next year. Now. It is very brittle when green, after a year of drying it is like steel.

[Evoluzione]

Facebook had tracked me looking at Forest Masters website so started putting ads up on there, today's told me they have a Bank holiday sale on so bought an 8 ton splitter on a stand. Just a shame it won't arrive till Tuesday, but never mind.
Another toy to play with

[jet_noise]

rxe said:

<snip>

Eucalyptus? Split it now. Not next week, definitely not next year. Now. It is very brittle when green, after a year of drying it is like steel.

Thanks for that. I can already see thin cracks so it is ripe for processing by my inexperienced eye. I did an hour trial. Enough to stew inside a midge suit despite only 12°C up here. Not as difficult as expected. Chainsaw needs some pressure but even almost bar length diameter stuff submits.
Most rounds needed a couple of sledgehammer biffs on the back of the lodged axe for the first split but other splits went straight through. Round thickness is 10" for my stove.

If the other species are as cooperative I may buy a slightly heavier maul but that's it. Can't justify a more powerful chainsaw or powered splitter. Unless either the saw or me expires!

[Harry Flashman]

Do you chaps think a little electric chainsaw could be useful for shortening split logs, including seasoned ones? Something like this (picked as I use the battery system on other tools). I have a little stove that can only take 200cm pieces, as well as the larger one. Most of my timber is about 400mm long.

Don't want to use a noisy petrol saw at my place in town, and also this looks a nit less lethal. Obviously will still use protection etc.

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/ryobi-ocs1830-one-...

[S6PNJ]

It should be ok for light duty. My 'little' petrol Husky has a chain speed of 23m/s, the Ryobi 10m/s, so a lower chain speed means a slower cut, but then with a 12" bar (usable length say 10-11") it shoudl still perform ok on smaller logs / branches. As you already have the batteries, it makes sense to use something compatible. I use this company - https://www.northernarbsupplies.co.uk/ for chains and bar oil. They don't currently have the particular Ryobi model listed but they will do a chain for it as it's just a number of links at a certain pitch and gauge.

[paralla]

Harry Flashman said:

IMG_20200802_182220 by baconrashers, on Flickr

Edited by Harry Flashman on Sunday 2nd August 22:33

Harry

I keep a sheet of £3 Corex folded up underneath the floor of my Golf R Estate for when I have wood. You need some protection!

[jet_noise]

Harry Flashman said:

Do you chaps think a little electric chainsaw could be useful for shortening split logs, including seasoned ones? Something like this (picked as I use the battery system on other tools). I have a little stove that can only take 200cm pieces, as well as the larger one. Most of my timber is about 400mm long.

Don't want to use a noisy petrol saw at my place in town, and also this looks a nit less lethal. Obviously will still use protection etc.

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/ryobi-ocs1830-one-...

Which? don't score it well. Slow cutting and poor battery life. If you value their ratings and it must be cordless the McCulloch Li 58 CS is highly rated although they say 'tis heavy. Other makes also do well but they're much more expensive.
If you have power nearby then a Bosch AKExxx is the one to choose. Cheap as (relative) chips too. Works well for me