My Home-built Log Splitter

[thallman]

brcisna,

Thanks for the compliments. The push-plate problem was solved by making the surface of the push plate which touches the I-beam longer than the part that pushes the wood. I started out with the cylinder a hare from perfectly horizontal (pushing downwards just a smidge) which, in theory, should keep the splitter from binding. Instead of extending the bottom portion I simply flipped mine around now using the pushing part of the plate as the base and the base now, the pusher. I'll post pictures soon so those of you here can compare the before and after.

As far as metal: I posted an add on craigslist for what I was looking for. I fellow about 30-40 mins away had a large H-beam he let me have for $50. It was about twice as long as I needed so I used the other pieces for other projects I have going on. It also had some heavy duty bracing along with a massively thick base plate attached that I'm guessing was part of a footer for some type of structure. So, the "push plate" you see attached to the log splitter actually came attached to the H-beam I bought. I even left some of the H-beam attached for support. The push plate rig is so heavy, no joke, I could barely lift above chest high when attaching it to lines to paint it.

Cheers,
Thomas

 

[Haywire]

Looks like fun. I know I had a good time building mine. I went for the speed demon approach though. 18hp Briggs twin and a 28gpm two stage pump. Cycle time out and back is about 8 seconds. It would be 6 seconds but the engine is an older model that only runs 3k rpm instead of 3600.

 

[thallman]

QUICK UPDATE:

I re-constructed the push plate as shown in the photos below. The photo's show and the "rough" looking version. I didn't want to grind and paint it to perfection until I've run this new design more. I worked with it tonight and it works so far (knock on wood) like a charm

 

[2458n]

Very nice. What rod did you use ? And how big of box or can did it come in. I have a good selection of old junk rod and need to buy some new. Thank you. Another question. How do you determine the correct height for the cylinder off of the "H" beam ?

 

[Haywire]

I have a suggestion for ya. My pusher was smooth like yours except for 1 bump in the middle and I had a problem with wood that wasn't cut quite square trying to slide off the pusher. One popped out and almost caught me in the family jewels. I solved that problem by putting a few bolts in the perimeter of the push plate. Those nuts (pun intended) sink into the rounds quite nicely and stop any lateral movement.

Ian

 

[thallman]

I have a suggestion for ya.... putting a few bolts in the perimeter of the push plate. Those nuts (pun intended) sink into the rounds quite nicely and stop any lateral movement.

Ian

Thanks Ian, that was actually going to be my next step if needed. I already have holes there from the previous set-up that would work quite nicely.

 

[thallman]

Very nice. What rod did you use ? And how big of box or can did it come in. I have a good selection of old junk rod and need to buy some new. Thank you. Another question. How do you determine the correct height for the cylinder off of the "H" beam ?

If by "rod" you are referring to welding rod, then I can't help you. I used flux core MIG with MANY passes. I don't think the height of the cylider matters. I about the wedge, cylinder, cylinder bracket and hydraulic valve from Northern Tool. It was actually cheaper that way. The bracket at the end of the cylinder actually determined the height for me. If anything a couple inches more would be nice, especially if you went with a 5" cylinder. I like to make things overkill that are also easy to work on, so having plenty of room is nice. I just made sure things wern't touching each other that shouldn't be, as to avoid wear and tear if at all possible. -Thomas