Let's build the biggest non commercial splitter ever!

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Just make one of these lol

3000 SERIES Firewood Processor - Bell's Machining - YouTube

 

[NH Mike]

The cylinder will take 15 gal. to extend 7.5', ~ 2 gal per foot, a 60 gpm pump will cycle 1 gal. per second so 15 seconds to cycle a 7.5' log out and under 8 seconds to return due to the 5.5" rod dia and dump valve. So the cycle time for a 24" log would be 4 seconds out and 2 seconds back. That's quicker than new wood can be loaded. Cycle time will not be an issue. I'm going to install blocks along the beam to short stroke the piston, most likely at 24" and every 12" there after. This way if someone has an outdoor wood boiler that takes 3' or 4' long logs I will have the adjustability. On the loading area I'm going to build hydraulic lifts on both sides to add flexibility. One side can remain in the upward position to keep logs in place as they are loaded.

 

[texasranger556]

The cylinder will take 15 gal. to extend 7.5', ~ 2 gal per foot, a 60 gpm pump will cycle 1 gal. per second so 15 seconds to cycle a 7.5' log out and under 8 seconds to return due to the 5.5" rod dia and dump valve. So the cycle time for a 24" log would be 4 seconds out and 2 seconds back. That's quicker than new wood can be loaded. Cycle time will not be an issue. I'm going to install blocks along the beam to short stroke the piston, most likely at 24" and every 12" there after. This way if someone has an outdoor wood boiler that takes 3' or 4' long logs I will have the adjustability. On the loading area I'm going to build hydraulic lifts on both sides to add flexibility. One side can remain in the upward position to keep logs in place as they are loaded.

Double check your calcs. A 10" cylinder 90" long holds about 30 gallons fully extended. I use this calculator for cycle times, they have others for pressures and such. 24" at 60 GPM would be about 15 seconds.

Hydraulic Cylinder  Speed Calculator

 

[rustydollar]

Another monster wood splitter being made at the farm, the yearly propane bill was $13,000.00 to heat the large shop which has in floor heat.

A wood fired boiler is now the primary source of heat with propane as a back up and to fire up the steam cleaner.

The splitter below will be used to split 8 ft logs into manageable pieces to feed the boiler once a day.

 

[LD1]

Yep, double check your calculations.

To fully extend and fully retract will take 52 seconds with a 60gpm pump and 90" stroke. 14 seconds for a 24" stroke out and back.

Bout the slowest $999 splitter on the market is 16 seconds. Dads is 16. 4.5" bore, 11gpm. Its painfully slow. Which is why when I built mine, I went with a 4" cylinder and 22gpm. Real world time is 8 seconds out and back. (hose and fitting restriction most likely). 8 seconds out and back for a 24" splitter is about perfect. Which would require a 100 GPM pump on that cylinder. And that would give you a 31 second cycle for the full stroke.

You never did say what your budget is gonna be? Are you prepared to spend $10k to make this happen?

 

[NH Mike]

You are correct my numbers were off, that's why I'm posting this as I go. The budget will not be anywhere near 10k. as you will see going forward.

 

[rustydollar]

You are correct my numbers were off, that's why I'm posting this as I go. The budget will not be anywhere near 10k. as you will see going forward.

We're a dying breed.

 

[Oldpath05]

I like the Idea of building a Tim the ToolMan wood spliter but have no useful input on how to do it. I'm just here for the picture show, should be a really really BIG SHEW...........

 

[MossRoad]

Here goes....

A 10" bore cylinder is 8' long.
A 10" bore cylinder is 96" long.
Volume of a cylinder is pii times the radius squared times the height.
Pii = 3.14
The cylinder diameter is 10"
The cylinder radius is 5"
The cylinder's radius squared is 25
The height is 96
The rod's diameter is 5.5"
The rod's radius is 2.75"
The rod's radius squared is 7.5625
The rod's height is 96
3.14 X 25 X 96 = 7536 cubic inches in the push side.
3.14 X 7.5625 X 96 = 2279.64 cubic inches displaced by the rod.
7536 - 2279.64 = 5256.36 cubic inches in the retract side.
There's 231 cubic inches in a gallon.
7536/231 = about 32.6 gallons on the push stroke to full extension of 8'.
5256.36/231 = 22.75 gallons on the return stroke to full retraction of 8'.
A 32.6 GPM pump will take:
60 second for 96" of extension
30 second for 48" of extension
15 seconds for 24" of extension
A pump twice that size (your 60 GPM estimate) will take about half those times.
30 seconds for 96"
15 seconds for 48"
7.5 seconds for 24"
Your return stroke times will be about 2/3 of the push stroke times, as the volume out is about 30 and the volume in is about 20, so about 2/3 of the volume needed to retract.
So, about 20 seconds for 96"
10 seconds for 48"
5 seconds for 24"

So, at 60GPM a full 8' stroke and back will take about 50 seconds.
48" stroke out and back will be about 25 seconds.
24" stroke out and back will be about 12.5 seconds.

I think that's correct, so someone check my math.... please! YIKES!!! a quiz! :laughing:

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

You are correct my numbers were off, that's why I'm posting this as I go. The budget will not be anywhere near 10k. as you will see going forward.

Rock on man! This looks like it would be a blast to build. :thumbsup: