Firewood processor:work in progress

[Stomper]

Just thought I would share some of my DIY projects I built to make my yearly firewood gathering a bit easier. Last year I built a hydraulic capstan winch that mounts the the 3 point in my tractor (L2501) and runs off the rear remotes. It works pretty well. At least for what I need and the trees I have around here.
I just got my firewood processor running today. It is still a work in progress and I have a few things to do on it yet but it’s working for now. To cut down cost I am using my chainsaw for cutting the wood. I am using a 5.5hp Honda engine that I already had and an 11 gpm pump. It has a auto cycle splitter valve and will eventually have a 4 way splitter wedge but I still have to build that. The log feed, which I still have to build also, will be an atv winch and is going to be a bolt on option. The small pump works better than I thought it would and gives me a 12 second cycle time. I also have an old bale conveyor that needs a rebuild so the will be my wood mover as things get pushed off the splitter.

 

[Citydude]

Very nice work!

 

[Aquamoose]

That’s incredible! Your fabrication of the saw mount is brilliant. I’ve always wondered how a pivot can be built yet allow it to be taken off efficiently to refuel & reoil and you gave me inspiration to do it! Thank you & very nice splitter!

 

[Stomper]

That’s incredible! Your fabrication of the saw mount is brilliant. I’ve always wondered how a pivot can be built yet allow it to be taken off efficiently to refuel & reoil and you gave me inspiration to do it! Thank you & very nice splitter!

Thanks. I did tons of research to find a saw mount idea and couldn’t find anything that I liked. I wanted one where the saw pivoted but didn’t move forward, if that makes sense. I had seen lots of guy using a large hinge bolted to bottom of the saw and dropped into a sleeve on the processor but didn’t want to start drilling a bunch of holes in my saw and bolt a hideous hinge onto it. One day this idea just popped into my head and it works great. I can even use the saw without it in the processor without removing the mount. With a hinge setup you would have to worry about the hinge flipping up and contacting the chain.
I have a good simple idea for the log feed using an atv winch but I am still trying to figure out something that will add some pressure to the smaller logs to hold it down near the saw so they won’t move or want to roll up the table when cutting. That is if I even need anything at all.

 

[Smokeydog]

Lot of nice fabrication work and innovative ideas. The feed trough looks like some serious weight. Length stop?

Wood fines, oils, gasoline, heat, exhausts and high current wiring (winch), combined has a high fire potential. Engineering controls, Operator awareness and having a fire extinguisher handy helps mitigate the hazards.
Creating, building is difficult fun and highly rewarding.

 

[rjpotts]

That looks like a fun project and your planning/execution is impressive! A couple questions if you don't mind.

What is the vertically mounted cylinder behind the wedge for.

Also, you mentioned plans for a 4 way wedge. How will you deal with various diameter logs? I split with a "traditional" unit (which I built) and my logs vary in diameter, some I just split into 2 pieces while others require multiple passes creating up to 8 pieces. Maybe your logs will be more consistent in diameter than mine, or maybe your able to burn wood that's split into a greater range of sizes?

 

[Gordon Gould]

Very nice indeed. Your progression will be interesting. I also like the way you did saw pivot. I would think a hold down clamp would be necessary. If you dare you could try using one hand as a clamp and the other to rotate the saw, but........

gg

 

[Stomper]

That looks like a fun project and your planning/execution is impressive! A couple questions if you don't mind.

What is the vertically mounted cylinder behind the wedge for.

Also, you mentioned plans for a 4 way wedge. How will you deal with various diameter logs? I split with a "traditional" unit (which I built) and my logs vary in diameter, some I just split into 2 pieces while others require multiple passes creating up to 8 pieces. Maybe your logs will be more consistent in diameter than mine, or maybe your able to burn wood that's split into a greater range of sizes?

The small cylinder if for the 4 way splitting wedge that I have to build yet. It is going to be the same design as the below pictures. If the logs need splitting into more than 4 pieces I will just flip them back into splitter by hand and split them again.

 

[Stomper]

Very nice indeed. Your progression will be interesting. I also like the way you did saw pivot. I would think a hold down clamp would be necessary. If you dare you could try using one hand as a clamp and the other to rotate the saw, but........

gg

I have also thought about just holding it myself but with the positioning of the saw where it is I think it would be to awkward and unsafe. I could easily build a manual one with a handle which would work just fine but I’m trying to brainstorm one that is somewhat automatic. I really like the simplicity of the one in the video below. It works great as a hold down and a log feed but I don’t have rollers on my log table.

 

[Stomper]

Lot of nice fabrication work and innovative ideas. The feed trough looks like some serious weight. Length stop?

Wood fines, oils, gasoline, heat, exhausts and high current wiring (winch), combined has a high fire potential. Engineering controls, Operator awareness and having a fire extinguisher handy helps mitigate the hazards.
Creating, building is difficult fun and highly rewarding.really it that

Lot of nice fabrication work and innovative ideas. The feed trough looks like some serious weight. Length stop?

Wood fines, oils, gasoline, heat, exhausts and high current wiring (winch), combined has a high fire potential. Engineering controls, Operator awareness and having a fire extinguisher handy helps mitigate the hazards.
Creating, building is difficult fun and highly rewarding.

Lot of nice fabrication work and innovative ideas. The feed trough looks like some serious weight. Length stop?

Wood fines, oils, gasoline, heat, exhausts and high current wiring (winch), combined has a high fire potential. Engineering controls, Operator awareness and having a fire extinguisher handy helps mitigate the hazards.
Creating, building is difficult fun and highly rewarding.

Thanks. The table is probably heavier than it needs to be for just sliding logs on but it’s not that heavy. Can’t remember exactly the thickness but it’s somewhere between 1/16” and 1/8”.