What shape/thickness splitter blade.

[wisecobandit]

So what preferences in particular would you choose or find that works best if you had a choice?

 

The obvious is a thinner blade for stringy stuff a reasonable wedge for easy splitting stuff but if you had the choice of making/designing your own what would you go for?

 

Im amassing the "stock" to build my own, road tow petrol splitter which can be used in both vertical and horizontal positons. Most of what I split is usually beech and oak generally.

Im thinking an inch of blade going into a smaller wedge but also wandering whether to slightly angle the blade so the top of the log comes into contact first to help grip it in and a smaller initital area which theoretical should have a higher pressure impact point to aid the split

[CallumA]

What I've used on all my home made splitters is bucket cutting edges. 25,20,16 & 12 mm thick from whites material handling a few grinding discs and you have a splitter blade. The only thing I try to do is stagger the starting point of the blades! (hope that makes sence)

[wisecobandit]

Yeah that makes sense mate.

 

Ive got some digger bucket hard facing welding rods I can use for the blade edge.

 

Just wandering what thickness blade to use and whether to incorporate a slight wedge after its cut into the log an inch or so to help crack the log open. Ideal for easy splitting logs but not so good for stringy stuff. Trying to find the happy medium I guess.

[Logan]

billets or rings? Making billets in beech, thick blade can shatter log instead of splitting. Maybe bolt on side pieces, if they can't be raised clear. 1" better for seasoned fragile wood, as you said.

[wisecobandit]

Pretty much always rings.

Will be using it vertical to split "fresh felled green" big rings of beech and oak out in the woods and then more seasoned smaller stuff at home horizontally.

 

Fed up of busting my backside loading 30"+ rings into a 3 1/2t trailer in the woods...

[CallumA]

Why not make it horizontal all the time then if you mount a pushing plate on the cylinder and a fixed blade you could split directly into a IWT tipper. It also helps if you could change the blade for a 4 way or 6 way depending on what your splitting as it will double or treble production!! You could make a log lifter to lift the larger rings onto splitter

Edited October 12, 2014 by CallumA
cause i'm daft

[predator]

Why not make it horizontal all the time then if you mount a pushing plate on the cylinder and a fixed blade you could split directly into a IWT tipper. It also helps if you could change the blade for a 4 way or 6 way depending on what your splitting as it will double or treble production!! You could make a log lifter to lift the larger rings onto splitter

 

thats how i made mine and also used forklift forks cut up for the cutting/splitting blade and the bits of fork that mount on the carrage i cut down and used them as the push plate because the fork mounts have a claw like mounting thats ideal to use as a guide on the i beam/girder mines horizontal too facing to the rear i can even park a wheel barrow under the splitter too and the exhaust gases have them blowing away in oposit direction i mounted my hyd control valve in the center above the ram so i can use it from anyside etc

[Breezeblock]

thats how i made mine and also used forklift forks cut up for the cutting/splitting blade and the bits of fork that mount on the carrage i cut down and used them as the push plate because the fork mounts have a claw like mounting thats ideal to use as a guide on the i beam/girder mines horizontal too facing to the rear i can even park a wheel barrow under the splitter too and the exhaust gases have them blowing away in oposit direction i mounted my hyd control valve in the center above the ram so i can use it from anyside etc

 

you got a picture of it

[predator]

[predator]

and this when i was building it outside my back door lol