Converting a woodsplitter into a firewood processor

[mx842]

Kick *** processor.. I really could put that to use.. I built a big outdoor boiler/stove and she eats 8-10 cords yr. All I have is a hyd lift to hoist the big stuff.. Not everything gets split but the stuff that does is very time consuming.. Nice work..

Got any pics of your boiler build? I'm in the planning stages of that project right now.

 

[mx842]

I've been watching this thread for awhile and still can't figure out how the log winch works. Do you just plan to pull them up to the deck then reattach the cable further out on the log to basically push it into your log length setup??? How big of a log will go through that little gate?

Wait a minute....I went back through the whole thread for like the 6th time and I see now you have it hinged and the pics I was looking at the ramps were in the up or travel position.

Looks really good but I'm wondering how it's going to work if you get some crooked or stuff that is not fairly round in shape. I do like the winch setup though.

 

[Scooby074]

I've been watching this thread for awhile and still can't figure out how the log winch works. Do you just plan to pull them up to the deck then reattach the cable further out on the log to basically push it into your log length setup??? How big of a log will go through that little gate?

Wait a minute....I went back through the whole thread for like the 6th time and I see now you have it hinged and the pics I was looking at the ramps were in the up or travel position.

Looks really good but I'm wondering how it's going to work if you get some crooked or stuff that is not fairly round in shape. I do like the winch setup though.

Yup some of the pics had the ramp in travel position. Basically you winch them up onto the deck then re-attach the cable to the far end to pull it through the processor. I plan on making a video to show it in action.

Crooked stuff within reason shouldnt be that bad. I have 28"+ under the winch to work with. If something is crazy crooked I can still do it the old way and cut it on the ground. The log lift is still functional too for anything really oversize.

Basically it works like this
wallenstein wp820 firewood processor - YouTube


OR this
2014 Firewood Processor Wolverine A Process Wood - YouTube

 

[mx842]

Yup some of the pics had the ramp in travel position. Basically you winch them up onto the deck then re-attach the cable to the far end to pull it through the processor. I plan on making a video to show it in action.

Crooked stuff within reason shouldnt be that bad. I have 28"+ under the winch to work with. If something is crazy crooked I can still do it the old way and cut it on the ground. The log lift is still functional too for anything really oversize.

Basically it works like this
wallenstein wp820 firewood processor - YouTube


OR this
2014 Firewood Processor Wolverine A Process Wood - YouTube

I see now......looks great. Can't wait to see the video..

I'm in the part gathering stage of my build and like the winch idea. I think though I will have a log table to the side rather than out the back like yours. I'm thinking of something like a cherry picker arm to reach out and grab the logs to place them on the table. Still working out the details.

 

[Scooby074]

Got my 8cd of wood. Wood is in short supply here with several month waits for firewood logs now Firewood shortage in Nova Scotia sparks rise in prices | The Chronicle Herald. Its getting pretty ridiculous. Not only that, the wood that is being sold is far from high quality. Small diameter and lots of rot.

 

[Scooby074]

Here's one decent log. 13.5" dia. Processor and winch handled it fine.

 

[Scooby074]

A few things will need improving.

I likely will have to put some sort of roller or fairlead like Roger suggested at the log ramp to guide the cable for pulling logs that are too close to the ramp. When they dropped my wood, they didnt set it far enough back so I cant get a good pull on the logs. This should improve once I get the first 10 or so feet of the pile cut.

The other thing is I need to put more weight onto the roller that holds the logs down. It works OK, but more weight would help for those short pieces of wood.

And I got to tweak the hydraulic pressures. Since I installed the new 3 spool, the Autocycle valve only works correct half the time.

Overall though, its been a huge time and labour saver so far. A worthwhile upgrade

 

[Scooby074]

I see now......looks great. Can't wait to see the video..

I'm in the part gathering stage of my build and like the winch idea. I think though I will have a log table to the side rather than out the back like yours. I'm thinking of something like a cherry picker arm to reach out and grab the logs to place them on the table. Still working out the details.

Something like this? I came across this video when I was designing mine.

If you want to build a proper log deck then its a pretty good idea. In my experience so far dragging from the pile via winch seems to be working OK, however I might make some sort of log deck next year and use the tractor to load it.. it isnt required but it might make things easier. The hardest part of my installation is the fact that I have to turn the logs 90* to get them into my processor due to the shape of my yard and where I have space to pile my wood and logs; not a problem with logs 10" and under but larger stuff is a bit of work.

 

[murphy1244]

Too many people to run that. 2 max to make it worth while.

 

[Scooby074]

Too many people to run that. 2 max to make it worth while.

You could run that setup with one guy. Load log deck, cut till empty. Repeat.

That video is showing "family wood time". Having two little kids who "want to help" Im real familiar with the concept... Basically a lot of people running around trying to help but doing nothing

 

[mx842]

[/B]


Something like this? I came across this video when I was designing mine.

If you want to build a proper log deck then its a pretty good idea. In my experience so far dragging from the pile via winch seems to be working OK, however I might make some sort of log deck next year and use the tractor to load it.. it isnt required but it might make things easier. The hardest part of my installation is the fact that I have to turn the logs 90* to get them into my processor due to the shape of my yard and where I have space to pile my wood and logs; not a problem with logs 10" and under but larger stuff is a bit of work.

Yeah that's pretty cool but I'm thinking it wouldn't work too well for the wood I split around here. He wouldn't be able to handle the wood I have laying around my place. That splitter is really fast though and the saw setup is nicely laid out. I like the log length setup too, I wish there were some closer shots of how that part was done.

 

[Scooby074]

Yeah that's pretty cool but I'm thinking it wouldn't work too well for the wood I split around here. He wouldn't be able to handle the wood I have laying around my place. That splitter is really fast though and the saw setup is nicely laid out. I like the log length setup too, I wish there were some closer shots of how that part was done.

Its a "Woodking" brand processor. Not that this video is much better, but it has a closeup
http://youtu.be/a6CxF8B-uYI

 

[zing]

Here's one decent log. 13.5" dia. Processor and winch handled it fine.

Hey Scooby, where did you get the hearing protection with what looks like mp3 and radio? I have the ones from cdn tire Stanley® AM/FM MP3 Earmuff | Canadian Tire and I haven't found them to be solid enough. After a year or two they now only actually work half of the time.

 

[Scooby074]

Hey Scooby, where did you get the hearing protection with what looks like mp3 and radio? I have the ones from cdn tire Stanleyｮ AM/FM MP3 Earmuff | Canadian Tire and I haven't found them to be solid enough. After a year or two they now only actually work half of the time.

Those are Stihl ones from Green Diamond in Bayers Lake (Deere). Should be available at any Stihl dealer.

They are also sold as Peltor Work Tunes.

Theyre a couple years old now and still work fine. Take a beating too, those ones fell off my truck at about 60 lol.

 

[zing]

Those are Stihl ones from Green Diamond in Bayers Lake (Deere). Should be available at any Stihl dealer.

They are also sold as Peltor Work Tunes.

Theyre a couple years old now and still work fine. Take a beating too, those ones fell off my truck at about 60 lol.

Cool, thanks for the info, will have to look them up.

 

[Scooby074]

Cool, thanks for the info, will have to look them up.

FYI they are around $85 on sale. Not sure what the regular price is. Worth every penny though. Only complaint is the tuner is a bit weak for distant radio stations. Local FM stations are no problem

 

[Scooby074]

Getting down to the end. About 3 cord left.

Marked out a cord with paint on the pile to test speed. Even considering the fact that the wood a bad mix of twisted, oversize and undersize, and the fact that I have a pretty badly sprained left arm, I did a cord cut and split in a little over 2 hours. The large log in the pic is 28" or more at the fattest part. All of it, except the far end was over my 20" bar! That one was done the old school way, on the ground. Then I lifted it with my log lift. Glad I didnt remove the log lift so I wouldnt need to buy a new 3 spool valve, like I briefly considered doing. :laughing:

I shot a couple videos of operation, but they were not done very well. Ill have to re-shoot them.

 

[zing]

looking forward to the video. It looks like a sweet setup.

 

[mx842]

Getting down to the end. About 3 cord left.

Marked out a cord with paint on the pile to test speed. Even considering the fact that the wood a bad mix of twisted, oversize and undersize, and the fact that I have a pretty badly sprained left arm, I did a cord cut and split in a little over 2 hours. The large log in the pic is 28" or more at the fattest part. All of it, except the far end was over my 20" bar! That one was done the old school way, on the ground. Then I lifted it with my log lift. Glad I didnt remove the log lift so I wouldnt need to buy a new 3 spool valve, like I briefly considered doing. :laughing:

I shot a couple videos of operation, but they were not done very well. Ill have to re-shoot them.

Yeah....that's a pretty rough looking piece of wood there. How did the splitter react to those big knotty parts? That's about what all my wood around here looks like. Even the straight sections of the log are knotty as all get out. My little splitter has a hard time with them and some times I have to beat a clunker out and reposition it several times before It softens up enough to bust open. When I do my processor I want to make sure it has enough splitting power to power on through those knots without having to mess with having to dig them out and take another wack at it.

Most all the video you see of these machines in action shows them splitting nice clean straight grained wood. I was just wondering how it worked out in the real world. What kind of wood is that you have there? It looks a little like maple but the way the bark on some of the pieces look it looks like it could be white oak. I guess I need to eat more carrots my old eyes aren't what they used to be.

 

[Scooby074]

Some fuel consumption info. That Subaru engine is thirsty. Im averaging about 7l /3h (tank is 7l)

Chainsaw is about a tank every 2 hours.

Some mods I have to make:

Build a better outfeed chute. Tighter so that the logs will push themself away from the splitter. Current outfeed setup is wide and low from being a manual splitter because you needed to use it as a work table, now that shallowness and width allows the splits to scoot off in all directions.

Add metal to fill in the gaps of the infeed ramp and trough. Small wood is falling though and catching hoses and getting jammed.

Change the wedge design to a euro knife design

Make some sort of log tongs instead of using the cable like a choaker.

Change the pusher and build a better catcher trough to catch and center cut rounds automatically in front of the pusher.

Add some sort of offset rollers to the infeed ramp area to allow some more side pulling. Currently Im wrapping the cable around the feet to give some offset to the cable to pull logs over. The Twitch and split guy was onto something when he built the hydraulic centering arms. I thought he was crazy, but in practice I think the idea would work.