WP36 6 way splitter

[bilke_user]

Just bought a WP36 processor that has a 4 way blade on it. Great for processing stuff up to 10" but a lot of larger stuff needs re splitting which takes up time.

 

Wonder if anyone uses a 6 way blade and finds them to be much better. Reluctant to pay £500 for something that will be chucked in the back of the shed to gather cobwebs.

Thanks in advance

John

[Woodworks]

I reguly us mine but it's quite a small diameter range that it's perfect for. You will undoubtedly still find yourself re splitting pieces if you're fussy about log size. Have you got the attachment so the splitter can be used from the splitting side? If finances are tight this might be the more useful option.

[bilke_user]

Thanks for that. I find that it's just the 12-14" stuff that really needs re-splitting especially if the customer wants short length logs......there's some that look like slices of cake.

I made a lever for splitting from the knife side, it's handy and reasonably quick for re-spitting. My biggest concern is that if I need to change the knife regularly for differing sizes I'd be as well just re-splitting and accepting a little time loss in a day

I can imaging there would be a lot more debris with the 6 way splitter, but I might be wrong.

[biggarlogs]

Best thing to do is to grade your timber before processing so you can do short small logs with 4 way wedge and thicker longer logs with 6 way.an hour with the crane saves plenty of time later on when you can do a few hours processing without stopping to change wedge,or having to resplit logs

[Woodworks]

Thanks for that. I find that it's just the 12-14" stuff that really needs re-splitting especially if the customer wants short length logs......there's some that look like slices of cake.

I made a lever for splitting from the knife side, it's handy and reasonably quick for re-spitting. My biggest concern is that if I need to change the knife regularly for differing sizes I'd be as well just re-splitting and accepting a little time loss in a day

I can imaging there would be a lot more debris with the 6 way splitter, but I might be wrong.

 

 

You will find with a bit of practice changing the blade takes seconds. Don't think there is more debris with the six way. The logs seem to run true to the grain direction better with the six way than the four way.

[bushtuckaman]

I'm in the same boat as you John and have also toyed with getting a 6 way, only had the machine 6 months though. I was thinking maybe I could get a 6way made for me by an engineeering firm at half the cost of the off the shelf one!?

[Woodworks]

I'm in the same boat as you John and have also toyed with getting a 6 way, only had the machine 6 months though. I was thinking maybe I could get a 6way made for me by an engineeering firm at half the cost of the off the shelf one!?

 

Wouldn't count on it. I made a single way/no way blade so just a single piece of hardened steel cost me £80 then £50 to have it shaped to the clamping mechanism. It's still not as good as steel as the Farmi one. Blunts more easily and seems less springy. You can put one helava twisting load on the blade when a logs goes squiffy and it will take some serious steel to withstand this.

[Bogieman]

If you do decide to get a six-way made rather than buying the Farmi one I'd strongly recommend having the cross knives made double sided, the same as the vertical one.

I find that on the Farmi one, which has the side blades sharpened on the top only, they tend to curl over and need resharpening frequently when splitting knotty hardwood. This doesn't happen with the vertical knife. It doesn't only apply to the six way either, we get the same problem with the four way, which has the same one-sided sharpen on the cross blades.

[Billy68]

I use mine all the time as woodworks said its better and faster with the side splitting attachment