Log splitter design for short stroke cylinder

[jimmysisson]

And if you're running both cylinders at once it'll be twice as slow as one. I know we're not supposed to be in a hurry splitting, but a slow one is BORING!
Jim

 

[bassgrinder]

This wouldn't work so well on "stringy", or very green wood, where the initial couple inches of travel will split it, but it is still held together with a lot of "strings" of wood (too many to just pull apart by hand).

Actually it works really well. Yes the first few inches of normal wedge will do as you say but a wedge designed so that in the next lets say 6 inches after that is 8 to 10 inches wide will finish any block I have ever seen. The thing is that a wedge like that requires more total force. But remember when you double diameter you increase volume by aprox 4 so a 7 cylinder has about 4 X the force of a 3.5. The wedge is key and with a two stage pump you could split at the same speed as a store bought splitter even with a 7 inch cylinder.