Homemade manual wood splitter with your own hands. How to properly make a wood splitter with your own hands: drawings, photos, instructions of different types. How to make a hydraulic wood splitter

Before the beginning heating season owners wood stoves and solid fuel boilers are stocked with firewood. Buying or preparing logs in the forest and then bringing them to your own yard is not a big problem. Yes, and cut the round timber into logs using a chainsaw or circular saw will not be difficult. Many hours of exhausting labor creeps up in the form of a heavy cleaver, wedges and a hammer, with which the logs are split into logs.

Such an unproductive and labor-intensive method simply could not be ignored by home craftsmen trying to mechanize this work. One of the devices that can easily and quickly chop firewood is a cone splitter. Considering its simple design and the ability to use improvised materials in the work, we suggest making a mechanical screw cleaver with your own hands. In addition, everything that is required for this can be purchased in the online store of accessories for screw wood splitters at manufacturer’s prices. The catalog contains cones different diameters, fastenings and ready-made kits, which can only be attached to the walk-behind tractor or engine.

Screw cleaver - what is it?

The simple design of the cone log splitter is very effective if you need to chop several cubic meters of firewood

You can split wood without much effort using a screw splitting splitter. To understand how this device works, it is enough to remember how, in the process of unsuccessfully screwing a screw into a wooden strip or plank, these objects split at the point of physical impact. It’s easy to combat this phenomenon - just pre-drill a hole for the self-tapping screw, and it will go like clockwork. The principle of splitting wood when screwing in a screw was used by home craftsmen in the design in question. But a simple screw does not move the fibers apart enough, so it was modified by greatly increasing the taper and reducing the ratio of thread depth to tool diameter. The result is a screw, which is a symbiosis of a wedge and a self-tapping screw. The device is easily screwed into wood thanks to the threaded part and breaks it along the fibers due to the multiple increase in the diameter of the tool.

Screw log splitter diagram

Depending on the design of the drive, there are several types of screw splitters. In some, the screw is mounted directly on the shaft of the electric motor. In this case, the requirements for the power unit are quite stringent - the electric motor must be low-speed (no more than 500 rpm) and sufficiently powerful (at least 3 kW).

The scheme in which the cone is installed directly on the electric motor shaft is suitable only for low-speed power plants

In other screw splitting schemes, electric motors of any type are used, and a reduction in rotation speed is achieved through the use of mechanical gearboxes, belt and chain drives. In this case, a pulley (sprocket) of small diameter is installed on the shaft of the power unit, and a large one is installed on the shaft of the wood splitter cone. The ratios of their sizes are selected so as to reduce the rotation speed of the electric motor to an acceptable 300 - 500 rpm. Sometimes, when using high-speed motors, it is impossible to achieve this without significantly increasing the diameter of the driven sprocket (pulley). In this case, an intermediate shaft and a double (stepped) transmission are installed.

You can simplify the design of a mechanical cleaver as much as possible while maintaining high performance by installing an electric motor with a gearbox

All structural parts are mounted on a durable frame, which is equipped with a folding table for ease of work.

The advantages of cone splitters include:

simplicity of design;
the possibility of manufacturing at home (almost all components, except for the cone, can be found in your own backyard);
high equipment performance;
low installation cost;
operation of the unit does not require operator qualifications.

Unfortunately, the simple and reliable design of screw cleavers is not without its drawbacks. A huge disadvantage of a cone log splitter is that wood with intertwined fibers is an insurmountable obstacle for its gimlet, so root and particularly knotty logs will have to be cut in a different way. The second drawback is the incomplete separation of the logs into logs. Often you have to finish cutting a large log into two separate parts by hand, and not everyone can do this. I would also like to note that it is impossible to make a log splitter cone without using a lathe. Of course, this can only be partially listed as a disadvantage, since there are many offers on the Internet for both the manufacture and sale of screws of any size.

Requirements for a cone splitter

The design of the screw splitter should ensure not only high reliability and performance, but also safety during operation. Therefore, when choosing the design of the unit and its manufacture, it is important to adhere to the requirements for equipment of this type and the recommendations of the craftsmen who have tested the machine in action.

Flexible transmission is a simple and affordable way to change the speed of rotation of the propeller when using high-speed electric motors

the electric motor power should be in the range from 2 to 4 kW;
to reduce the number of revolutions, it is recommended to use a gearbox or flexible transmission;
rotation speed of the cone screw - no more than 500 rpm;
the machine must be equipped with an on/off button (magnetic starter) and a residual current device (RCD);
the cone shaft is mounted on bearing supports;
the cone must have a persistent thread;
when driving with a belt, it is better to use double-ribbed pulleys and a pair of V-belts;
During operation, the supply of logs must be carried out with their vertical orientation, otherwise the screw may jam and damage the installation.

You should not follow the lead of the “craftsmen” who offer the simplest design a wood splitter, in which a shaft with a wedge-shaped screw is clamped into the chuck of a powerful electric drill or hammer drill. Such a device not only has low efficiency, but is also very dangerous, since it will not be easy to hold it in your hands with the increased resistance of the wood. If you still decide to use this scheme, then try to secure the tool on a solid base in order to use it in the traditional way.

To obtain a mobile design, an internal combustion engine is used to drive the machine

What is needed for making

Making an “iron lumberjack” does not require the use of scarce parts, so most components and blanks can be found at home or in the garages of friends and acquaintances. Here's what you'll need during the process:

cone (you can grind the screw yourself or purchase it on the construction market);
shaft (if you make your own threaded wedge, you can use a suitable hub from agricultural machinery);
pulleys or sprockets;
drive belt or chain from automobile or motorcycle equipment;
bearings with housings ( excellent option are supports for driveshafts of automobiles);
steel profile pipes or angles for the frame;
metal sheet with a thickness of at least 4 mm for the desktop;
electric motor;
wiring;
switch or magnetic starter;
bolts and nuts M8 or M10.

Most parts can be used from old automobile or agricultural equipment. The only thing that may be difficult is making a conical screw. However, you should not even try to cut this part using a grinder, as some “authoritative” sources advise. The time spent is not worth the resulting misunderstanding, which can only indirectly be called a screw. Moreover, in operation this “carrot” will not even come one iota close to the efficiency that a cone made by turning will give.

Main components of a cone log splitter

If you plan to use the wood splitter as a mobile unit, then you should take care of durable metal wheels in advance. A truly mobile design is achieved using a gasoline or diesel engine as a power plant.

When making a machine, you will need tools that any “handy” owner will have:

welding machine;
electric drill with a set of drills;
Bulgarian;
hammer;
set of wrenches;
tape measure, marker.

Any enamel for exterior use is suitable for protection against corrosion. It is only important to thoroughly prepare the metal surface for painting, so if necessary, prepare a metal brush (manual, or in the form of an attachment for a drill or grinder), a primer and a rust converter.

Preparatory work: approximate dimensions and drawings

Before taking up the tool, it is important to draw up at least a simple sketch diagram with the location of the main components and parts of the machine and indicating its main dimensions. In addition, you will need a diagram electrical connections, to work on which you can connect a familiar electrician. The diagrams and drawings of finished structures presented to your attention will help you correctly configure the wood splitter and avoid mistakes in its manufacture.

Layout of a log splitting machine

The most important step in the process of creating a mechanical cleaver is making a wedge, so let’s look at this in more detail.

The best material for a cone is tool steel, but not every turner will undertake to make a part from it - the metal has increased hardness and requires special handling. Most likely, the screw will be made from the most popular brand structural steel - St 45. In this case, it is better to strengthen its threaded part with any in an accessible way- hardening, nitriding or carburization.

Long-term and efficient operation of the cone is ensured only when it is correct production. When placing an order with a turner, be sure to specify that you need a screw with a 1:2 taper and a persistent double-start thread with a pitch of 5 - 6 mm. Regular metric threads will not work due to rapid wear. In addition, the standard screw thread fits into the wood much worse.

The size of the screw wedge and the amount of its taper are directly related to maximum size splitting logs, so when determining the parameters of the drill, you can use the table.

Table for calculating cone sizes

The approximate dimensions of the bed depend on the operator’s build and can be:

height - up to 80 cm;
width - up to 60 cm (with folding table 100 cm);
length - up to 85 cm.

The most commonly used scheme is with a bottom-mounted electric motor. This will protect its rotating parts from chips and chips. If an internal combustion engine is used as the power unit, then it is installed at the same level as the wedge. This arrangement is more convenient both during startup and during operation, when it is necessary to adjust the rotation speed of the wedge, fill the tank with fuel, etc.

The cone installed on the frame of the circular saw eliminates the need to make another metal work table, makes the design universal and allows you to save space when storing equipment under a shed or in a shed.

In the process of designing a cone log splitter, they must provide a method for tensioning the chain or belt - using an additional sprocket or roller, slide, etc. A protective casing mounted on a chain or belt drive would also be useful. It can be bent from sheet metal and secured to the frame with screws.

Pay attention to how well the flexible transmission protection is designed.

Step-by-step assembly instructions

After drawing up a drawing of the future design and preparing the necessary components and materials, you can begin assembling the mechanical cleaver. It is best to use ready-made instructions and carry out the work in strict accordance with the plan.

Using an angle grinder, metal corners and profile pipes are cut into the sections necessary for the manufacture of the frame.
A rectangular table cover and bottom shelf are cut out of a metal sheet 4–5 mm thick.
Bed assembly
Using a welding machine, the parts of the upper and lower frame are connected, after which the legs are welded to them.
IN mobile version The axles on which the wheels are mounted are welded to the frame.
Wheel mounting
Install the tabletop and shelf.
Assemble the electric motor support frame and attach it to the frame.
Mount the electric motor and install the drive pulley on its shaft.
The cone working shaft assembly is assembled, for which the bearings are pressed into the housings. After this, the shaft is mounted and the pulleys are installed. The assembled unit is secured to the frame with bolts and nuts, having previously drilled holes in the tabletop. Once assembled, the main shaft should rotate easily. The pulleys can be installed on a keyed connection or secured with side screws, having previously made recesses on the shaft.
Installation of the main shaft and electric motor
Install the belts and check the straightness of their trajectory. If necessary, the shaft with supports is shifted by drilling a couple of additional holes. When rotating, there should be no radial and axial runout, otherwise the belts will constantly fly off and quickly wear out.
Cone installation
Using a keyed connection, a screw cone is installed on the drive shaft, after which it is secured with screws. During operation, the cone may get stuck in the wood so that it can only be removed by reverse rotation. Since it is problematic to organize reverse in this design, you will have to turn the wedge using a gas wrench. You can avoid its slipping by making flats on the protruding part of the shaft.
Install the divider.
The logs should be placed on the wedge in a vertical position. Otherwise, the screw may jam or break.
You should be careful when splitting logs with large knots, as well as logs from the butt part of the round timber. The process in this case can go unpredictably - with jamming of the shaft, sharp rotation of the log, throwing large chips to the side, etc. An increased speed of rotation of the cone is also fraught with danger - too high speeds will not make it possible to control the work, so it is better if the number driven shaft revolutions will be within the recommended limits.
To make a cone log splitter with your own hands, you will need minimal skills in working with plumbing tools. One day spent on its manufacture will pay off in the future by saving time and effort. It is only important to follow safety rules when chopping wood, and then this simple activity will not bring surprises.

Preparing firewood for the winter is a labor-intensive and troublesome task. In addition to sawing, the firewood must be split and stored in a dryer or shed. The most difficult part of the work is the splitting. To make your life easier and save time, it makes sense to automate the process as much as possible.

How to make a wood splitter with your own hands, with photos and examples, their various varieties - mechanical, including spring and inertial, as well as conical electric - is the topic of this article.

Mechanical wood splitters

In cases where firewood procurement is not massive and regular, the task is quite feasible with the help of mechanical wood splitters. They are distinguished by their simplicity and low cost of construction; they are made, in fact, from scrap metal.

The simplest mechanical wood splitter

The unit is very similar, both in appearance and in principle of operation, to a well crane. The difference is that instead of a bucket there is a cleaver with handles attached. The racks and crossbar are connected using hinges, the disadvantage is that the connection will have to be lubricated often.

The principle of operation of the wood splitter is simple - the log is placed on a stand, the lever is jerked down, the splitter, under the influence of force and gravity, picks up speed and splits the log. The process is repeated, obtaining ever thinner logs.

The device is assembled from scrap materials - pipes and angles, and an old ax without an ax will serve as a cleaver. It is better to provide for the possibility of disassembling the wood splitter to make it more convenient to transport it from place to place.

The design has some disadvantages. Firstly, to stop the cleaver after it has split the log, you have to make an effort. Secondly, the device is quite bulky - a long lever is required to reduce the applied force.

Despite its shortcomings, such a device greatly simplifies the process of chopping wood. In order for it to work as it should, you need to weigh down the stake with a blank welded to it or a pipe filled with concrete.

Spring log splitter

If we modify the above mechanical wood splitter, you can make a smaller device that requires less physical effort when working with it. For this purpose, a spring is attached to the frame, one of which rests against the crossbar, which also serves as a fastening for the cleaver.

The operating principle is similar to the previous device, except that the load is absorbed by a spring after the log is split. The main task is to select the stop and spring so that the greatest result is obtained with the least effort. For ease of force adjustment, the emphasis is made movable.

But if it is planned that the same person will work as a wood splitter all the time, a stationary stop is made, its height, as well as the stiffness of the spring, is selected experimentally. The connection between the frame and the lever is made movable, on good quality bearings.

The height of such a wood splitter should be at least 80 cm. However, at this height it must be installed on a platform or operated in a bent position.

It is more reasonable to calculate the height of the wood splitter according to your build; to do this, calculate the height of the bed as follows - a convenient height for the location of the log plus the highest possible height of the logs being split. In this case, bending over will only be necessary to install the logs on the stand.

Inertia wood splitter

To make it, in addition to the cleaver, you will need a meter pin round section, a little piece of pipe larger diameter and a massive platform to which the lower part of the pin is welded. The cleaver is welded to a piece of pipe and placed on a pin.

The principle of operation is to manually lift the cleaver, place a log on the platform, then forcefully lower the cleaver. If the log is very strong, the cleaver is hit from above with a hammer.

Electric cone splitter

The principle of operation of the mechanism is that a steel cone with a thread of 3 depth and a pitch of 7 mm (most likely, you will have to order from a turner) is placed on the electric motor gearbox. Rotating, the cone works like a drill and tears apart the logs. Thicker logs begin to be torn at the edges, and then torn in the middle.

An electric motor is needed with a speed of 250-600 rpm and a power of at least 2 kW. At low speeds, less than 200, the performance will be too low, and above 500 it becomes dangerous to work.

If an engine with the required parameters is found, the cone is placed on it without a gearbox. If not, they calculate how much the speed needs to be reduced and apply a cone attachment through the gearbox.

The main problem when assembling the structure is to find a suitable cone; with an electric motor and gearbox the situation is somewhat simpler. It makes sense to make such a device when it is necessary to prepare large volumes of firewood.

Photos of do-it-yourself wood splitters

A homemade screw splitter will help you chop a large amount of firewood without spending a lot of effort. This device uses the principle of splitting wood when screwing in a massive screw, which is a symbiosis of a screw and regular wedge. The manufactured cone, thanks to the cut thread, easily tears the wood along the fibers due to large diameter screw

Based on the design of the drive, you can make several types of homemade wood splitters. Some craftsmen place a screw on the working shaft of an electric motor. In this case, very stringent requirements are put forward for the electric motor. It must only be low-speed and quite powerful.

The most common are screw splitters of another type, in which any electric motors can be used. Reducing the speed in them is achieved due to the use of various gearboxes or belt drives. A small diameter sprocket is placed on the working shaft of the electric motor, and a large pulley is installed on the cone of the wood splitter. Their dimensions must be selected in such a way as to reduce the engine speed to 500 rpm. It happens that when using high-speed electric motors it is difficult to achieve the required speed values. In this case, it is worth installing an intermediate shaft and a special stepped transmission.

All components of the device must be securely fastened to a durable frame. For more comfortable work, it can be equipped with a small folding table.

Advantages and disadvantages of cone splitters

The main advantages of cone splitters are:

simplicity of design;
the ability to assemble it yourself;
good performance of the device;
low installation price;
Any person can work on such a device.

At the same time very simple and reliable design homemade wood splitters have a number of disadvantages.

One of them can be considered that wood with highly intertwined fibers is a big problem for its screw. This is why tree roots and logs with knots should be chopped by hand.
The next drawback is the poor separation of large lumps into parts.
It is also worth noting that making a cone yourself is almost impossible without the help of a qualified turner.

On this moment On the Internet you can find high-quality drawings of a screw wood splitter for making it yourself or offers for selling the finished product.

Main requirements for an electric splitter

A homemade electric splitter must be very reliable, safe to operate and have high performance. That is why, when choosing the type of device and assembling it, it is necessary to follow the rules for complying with the requirements for devices of this type.

The basic requirements for wood splitters are:

Materials and tools for assembly

Assembling the machine with your own hands does not require the use of expensive parts. Many blanks can be taken from old washing machine or a faulty walk-behind tractor, and you should ask an experienced turner for a drawing of a cone for a wood splitter.

To make a homemade device you will need the following materials:

Many nodes will fit from the old one washing machine or car. You should not make your own screw. There are a lot of materials on the Internet in which craftsmen advise cutting out this part using an ordinary grinder. Experts say that this idea will just turn out to be a carrot, not a cone screw.

To assemble the electric splitter, you will need the following tools:

welding machine;
drill and drill bits;
electric grinder;
small hammer;
spanners;
pencil and tape measure.

To protect the surface of the machine from corrosion, you can use any type of enamel. However, it is worthwhile to properly prepare the metal for painting. This can be done using a special brush and chemical rust converters.

DIY cone splitter

At the initial stage of assembling an electric cleaver, it is worth making a good sketch, which will indicate the location of the parts and mechanisms of the device, as well as its dimensions. You will need an electrical wiring diagram that any electrician can create. These steps will help you assemble the machine efficiently and prevent many mistakes. It is also necessary to take a responsible approach to the manufacture of a special wedge, since it is the most vulnerable part of the mechanism.

Most suitable material For a wedge, tool steel is considered expensive, but it is very difficult to process even for an experienced turner. Most often, ordinary steel is used for this, which is then strengthened by carburization or hardening. Long and high-quality operation of the screw cone will be ensured only if it is good production. A simple metric thread is not suitable for these purposes, as it wears out quite quickly and does not fit into the wood well. Experts advise making a double-start thread with a pitch of 5 mm.

The dimensions of the bed directly depend depending on a person’s build, but most often they are:

height - about 90 cm;
the surface width should be no more than 70 cm;
The length should be about 1 m.

Most often, the electric motor is located in the lower part of the frame, which helps protect it from various chips or small shavings. When using a motor from a walk-behind tractor, it should be placed on the same level as the screw wedge. This arrangement is very convenient during operation of the machine, if it is necessary to adjust the rotation speed or add fuel.

When designing an electric splitter, it is necessary to decide on the method of tensioning the belt drive. To do this, you need to install additional rollers or sprockets. It is worth attaching a special protective casing to the belt drive, which can be made from a piece of tin and attached to the working surface with fastening materials.

Assembling a screw cleaver

After a drawing of the machine has been made and all materials and parts have been prepared, you need to begin manufacturing the screw splitter. Experts advise using quality instructions and carry out assembly in accordance with the drawn up work plan.

To make a homemade electric wood splitter, you will need a little skill in handling tools. A little time spent on assembly will save a lot of effort in the future. The main thing is to follow all safety rules when working with the device.

For a physically developed person, chopping wood is more pleasant than a burden. And, of course, it is useful: this activity harmoniously loads all muscle groups. But what is too much is not healthy. If chopping wood is exhausting and/or leaves no energy for other household chores, then a wood splitter is, of course, needed on the farm. However, in this case it is hardly advisable to select a prototype based on the technical features of well-known industrial products, if only because there are dozens of varieties of their designs and the use of each requires safety measures that are not always feasible at home. Therefore, in order to make a wood splitter with your own hands, you must first determine for what purpose it is needed:

For regular preparation of large quantities of firewood for heating a large house in a harsh climate;
The same, but the house is small and/or located in a place with mild winters, i.e. little firewood is required;
For irregular preparation of firewood as additional fuel (for example, to coal) or for heating utility rooms;
For occasional preparation of firewood for decorative heating devices (eg fireplace) or for heating a winter weekend cottage.

Hit or push?

Splitting wood chips is considered a dangerous production process: a blank that turns out of the machine can flatten a person, and flying wood chips can pierce him through. It is impossible to completely exclude emergency situations when chopping wild wood - in this regard, it is far from a completely predictable material. As a result, some types of technical classification of devices for splitting raw wood need to be kept in mind in order to make a wood splitter that is safe enough for everyday use. Namely, whether it is a shock action or a pressure action:

Mechanized impact splitters with intermediate energy storage are highly efficient, economical, and almost completely relieve the operator of muscular effort, but they are structurally complex and the most dangerous in operation. They cope with any kind of fools, incl. with butt ridges of elm and larch.
The same, manual ones without a mechanical energy accumulator - non-volatile, cheap, and structurally simple. They can be used in pressure mode and thus split twisted and knotted wood up to 25-30 cm in length. They require less muscular effort, and work safety is higher than when manually chopping with a cleaver on a block. Low productivity; suitable for irregular and occasional preparation of firewood.
Push splitters driven by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor are quite expensive (see below). Also, the muscular efforts of the operator are almost completely eliminated. The productivity is sufficient to regularly supply firewood to a house of up to 200-300 sq. m in winter with frosts down to –40 and below. The highest possible security is achievable for this class of devices. Disadvantages are the complexity of the design and fairly high energy consumption in the form of electricity or liquid fuel.

Note: churak (forestry term) – unprocessed timber without butt and crown or part of it. The use of colloquial synonyms churbak, churban and churka is certainly legitimate if there are no discrepancies in the context.

Why - don't hit

In mechanical impact wood splitters, a relatively weak engine spins the flywheel through a fluid coupling. Thus, the engine operates almost all the time at optimal speed and consumes a minimum of fuel/electricity. Then a crank with a pusher is engaged with the flywheel (hydraulic or frictional), feeding the block to the splitting knife. The impact force is colossal: more energy can be “pumped” into a flywheel with a diameter of 60-80 cm than in a 100 kg aerial bomb. Churak actually does not prick, but is cut with a knife, despite any defects in the wood.

Abroad, where energy resources and high-quality straight-layer wood are expensive, household mechanical impact wood splitters are produced and are in demand, see photo at the beginning. There are no imports of such devices into the Russian Federation, and industrial ones are finalizing their resources and analogues to replace them are not being developed. The reason is that they are extremely dangerous. Modern composite superflywheels do not burst, but it is impossible to stop the push from the flywheel and thereby prevent the development of an emergency situation into a threatening and dangerous one. Therefore, further in the article mechanical impact wood splitters with energy storage are not considered.

It couldn't be simpler

The simplest non-volatile manual wood splitter is nothing more than a splitting axe. If you use it little by little, but regularly, so that you develop skill and eye, then it is even safer than mechanical and mechanized ones and more productive than the former. Provided that the configuration of the cleaver and the ax is optimal and consistent.

The splitting ax has undergone a long evolution and continues to improve. On the right in Fig. a drawing of the Strela cleaver, adapted for manual splitting of knotty and twisted ridges, is given; on the left are axes for it (the cleaver is attached to it with a wedge). With the ax handle as you wish, whether you like to swing the ax or not, but the cleaver itself will still be very useful to us, see below.

But what not to do

For several years now, a Finnish farmer’s discovery has been circulating on the Internet: chopping logs for firewood in a tire, see fig. on right. It is not clear why it is good that the split lump will not fall apart, but will remain sticking out in the shell. But something else is clear. If, when chopping wood normally, you smear a cleaver instead of a block on the block, the ax handle will hurt in your hands. You might not even be able to stand on your feet and hurt yourself. But if you miss the rubber with the same cleaver, you can get hit on the forehead with the butt. So don't. The wood splitter tire is a curiosity, but not at all useful.

When you need a lot of wood

For mass preparation of firewood, push-type wood splitters with a hydraulic or mechanical rack pusher and a stationary working body - a splitting ax - are used. The pusher pushes the block onto the cleaver, which splits it into 2, 4 or 8 segments suitable for loading into the furnace firebox. In both cases, the speed of feeding the block onto the cleaver is determined most of all by the properties of the wood and is 4-5 cm/s. To prevent the engine from “losing speed” during the reverse stroke of the pusher and consuming too much fuel/electricity, the reverse stroke speed is set to 7-7.5 cm/s. In this case, you can prepare up to half a ton or more of firewood in the morning.

Note: Do not prick raw, freshly chopped churaki into segments. For a year they should dry from the ends in a separate section of the woodpile or woodshed. If you chop logs that are still oozing juice onto firewood, the wood will lose up to 15-20% of its calorific value during further drying. And you, respectively. money for fuel.

More about safety

A homemade wood splitter can be made similarly to factory ones with horizontal or vertical supply of wood, see figure:

Wood splitters vertical type more compact and allow the use of a more durable U-shaped frame. However, the probability of ejection of cross-layered, knotty, twisted, crooked and/or non-parallel cuts or its fragments from a vertical wood splitter is much greater than from a horizontal one; the side paws are here, as they say, for peace of mind. In addition, the operator of a horizontal wood splitter is normally located outside the area of scattering of parts of the log in an emergency situation; he can only be hit by a ricochet. In a vertical wood splitter, the debris scattering zone is almost circular and people around it are directly affected by them with full force. Therefore, it is better to make a horizontal wood splitter with your own hands from random materials at hand, and a vertical one only when there is very little suitable space. A typical case is a stationary wood splitter with an electric drive. It cannot be left outdoors due to safety requirements, but a vertical one can be placed in a woodshed.

Hydraulic

The hydraulic wood splitter in this segment is the most economical and productive. This is determined by the external characteristics of the hydraulic drive, see below, and by the fact that the hydraulic pump drive motor operates in a stable mode. The device diagram, appearance and diagram of a hydraulic drive with one pump are shown in the figure: the drive motor rotates the hydraulic pump, which pumps oil from the tank into the system, and the distributor supplies it to the cavities of the forward and reverse hydraulic cylinder.

A significant drawback is that the owner-operator must be skilled in operating and maintaining hydraulic systems. Less significant is the need to periodically change the oil, which costs money. Another drawback (in this case a small one) is that the motor power is taken away both in forward and reverse, therefore, if the components are available (see below), craftsmen sometimes make hydraulic systems with 2 pumps for forward and, low-power, for reverse, see . video clip:

Video: homemade hydraulic wood splitter

Note: It’s quite possible to do it yourself and hydraulic wood splitter vertical type, see video below:

Video: vertical hydraulic wood splitter

The safety of the hydraulic splitter is average: there is no return spring, and the switching time to reverse is quite long - about 0.5 s for the best branded designs. During this period, the “harmful” block may have time to burst and fly apart, even if the operator is experienced and his reaction is instantaneous.

Make or buy?

The first thing you need to decide if you already like a hydraulic splitter is whether it’s better to buy a ready-made one with a guarantee? Good unit using diesel fuel for double splitting, straight-layered blocks up to 20 cm in diameter can be found for up to 20 thousand rubles. A device for splitting logs up to 30 cm with separate knots and strands into 4 segments (which is optimal for a stove) with adjustable splitting splitter height and automatic dumping of logs (see figure on the right) will cost up to 25-27 thousand rubles. For a high-performance wood splitter for splitting into 8 segments of knotted and twisted ridges up to 60 cm in diameter, you will have to pay more than 100-120 thousand rubles.

At the same time, a set of scattered units for a homemade hydraulic splitter will cost at least 60 thousand rubles. Even if you have parts of an old hydraulic system lying around in your shed, this is not an option. Firstly, worn-out hydraulic system components are difficult to repair. Secondly, the hydraulic cylinders of special equipment are designed for a higher feed speed than is optimal for chopping wood. Accordingly, the pump will have to be over-efficient, and the motor to drive it is obviously more powerful. As a result, either fuel consumption will be significantly higher, or the thrust will be weaker than that of the factory prototype.

If you do anyway

Let's say you have hydraulic system components from a mini-excavator or other mini-special equipment in your trash or you can buy them cheaply (these will do just fine). In this case, the hydraulic cylinder is selected (or the performance of the wood splitter is determined) based on the splitting force:

Churak 20 cm in half - 2 tf straight layer; 2.7 tf is a bit knotty/wilted.
Churak 25 cm – 2.3/2.7 tf, respectively.
The same, for 4 segments - 3/4 tf.
Churak 30 cm into 4 segments – 3.5/4.5 tf.
The same for 8 segments - 4/5.5 tf.
Churak 40 cm into 8 segments – 5.5 tf / 7 tf.

Next, based on the feed speed of 4 cm/s and the volume of the hydraulic cylinder, the performance of the hydraulic pump is determined and, according to the specification for the hydraulic cylinder, the appropriate pressure is selected. After this, a distributor is selected. Then the efficiency of the hydraulic system is set to 75% and the drive motor is selected for the required power with a margin of 5-10%. Additionally, based on the external characteristics of the drive motor, they look at its most economical speed and check whether they correspond to those of the pump. Hoses, valves and other fittings are selected according to operating pressure with a margin (for amateur design) of at least 50%.

Cleaver

The most important part of a homemade wood splitter is its cleaver. Hobbyists make it from old truck springs. In terms of the quality of the material, it cannot be better, but the spring leaves are slightly curved, which reduces performance and increases the risk of injury to the product. Best option– upper 1.5-2.5 cm of the heads of old rails. Convicts also really value railroad wheel tires and car buffers for their knives (they also went through a long cold hardening process), but they are less suitable for the configuration of a wood splitter.

The relative position of the cleaver knives is also very important. A horizontal knife protruding forward (on the left in the figure) immediately makes the wood splitter dangerous and, most likely, a thin straight-layered pine block will get stuck in it. The chock should be met with a vertical knife sharpened to a straight (symmetrical) wedge, pos. 1 in the center. The horizontal knife is positioned 15-20 mm posteriorly and is sharpened on the upper oblique wedge, pos. 2. It is very useful to equip the vertical knife with a piercing pin at the bottom (item 3 on the left) with a height of approx. 30 mm protruding approx. 20 mm forward. Such a cleaver will be better able to split clumsy logs if they are placed on the support with the flattest side down. The sharpening angles are:

Vertical knife for soft and/or straight-grained wood (except birch) – 18 degrees (3 knife thicknesses).
The same for hard fine-grained wood and birch - 15 degrees (3.7 knife thickness).
Horizontal knives – 15 degrees.
The needle is 22-25 degrees (2.5-2.7 knife thickness).

Rack and pinion

A rack-and-pinion wood splitter is cheaper than a hydraulic one: a branded one can be bought for 8-17 thousand rubles. Its device is shown in Fig. – the pusher on the rack is fed by a small gear-tribe (or tribe). Gear ratio from the motor to the tribe shaft is calculated at a feed speed of 4 cm/s.

It is also easier to make a wood splitter with a rack drive with your own hands - the parts of a rack jack (you can use old ones) are quite suitable for the base. A rack-and-pinion splitter is also simpler to operate: maintenance of the hydraulic system is completely eliminated. Its safety is greatest: it is enough to release the pressure roller lever (or reflexively throw it out of fear), and the return spring will lift the rack above the bushing and throw it back.

The main disadvantage of the rack-and-pinion splitter is the poor external characteristics in this case (pos. P in the figure below): as the feed speed approaches zero, the stop increases sharply, and then also sharply drops to zero. That is, if there is a defect in the block in which the cleaver gets stuck, the drive will jerk strongly (which can cause its breakdown), and then the force of the tribe will be spent on pushing the rack away from itself, and not pushing it forward. It looks like this: the feed lever (if not released) beats painfully in the hand, the mechanism cracks, trembles, and may break. The initial section of the external characteristic of the hydraulic drive is soft: the greatest emphasis is created at zero feed speed. If a hydraulic splitter comes across a very stubborn chump, he will just as stubbornly push and shove him onto the splitting ax; maybe it will split.

The first consequence of the rigidity of the initial branch of the external characteristics of the rack-and-pinion splitter is that more motor power is needed. Shift the splitting force values for the hydraulic drive in the list above by one position, and throw out the 40 cm block and 2/2.7 tf for the 20 cm one - get the initial data for calculating the rack drive; however, its efficiency can be taken as 0.85. Secondly, the internal defect of the block, which can slow down the cleaver, may also be the bark that has fallen into the split. As a result, the rack and pinion drive is more suitable for low-performance manual mechanical wood splitters (see below) with the adaptive external characteristic of the “motor” - our muscles.

Note: the poor external characteristics of the rack and pinion drive can be improved to some extent by a chain drive from the motor to the drive shaft, see below.

When you need less wood

For splitting logs into firewood in milder climates or for heating a small building, a screw splitter is most suitable. Its productivity is low; using it requires a certain skill and fairly strong hands. But, contrary to popular belief, a screw wood splitter is not very sensitive to block defects, because its working body splits the tree, screwing into it and sawing. As a result, a screw wood splitter is also economical: with a 2.5-3 kW motor it can chop logs up to 40 cm in diameter and 60 cm in height; with a motor from a washing machine - more or less straight-layered with a diameter of up to 20-25 cm.

Note: Many people make screw wood splitters with motors from washing machines, especially since the rotation speed is suitable, see below. But in this case there is no need to place the cleaver directly on the motor shaft - from lateral forces the motor housing, which is not designed for them, will soon move or, if it is silumin, it will crack. The cleaver must be placed on the drive shaft in supports, and it must be connected to the engine shaft with a damping transmission or coupling, for example. from a piece of durite hose.

The device of a screw wood splitter is shown on the left in Fig. The working body is a conical screw with a shaped persistent left-hand thread; rotation speed 150-1500 rpm (optimally 250-400). Why is the thread left-handed? Mainly because most people are right-handed and their right hand is stronger; If you are left-handed, then it will be much more convenient and safer for you to work with a right-handed screw cleaver.

The churak is fed vertically onto the screw cleaver, otherwise the situation shown below on the right in Fig. Churak must be held with his hands (above right), so a screw-type wood splitter is a potentially dangerous device. The right hand, which is stronger and more dexterous (for left-handed people, the left hand) keeps the rest of the block from being pulled under by the cleaver (the wedge stop is also important in this regard, see below), which inevitably causes irreparable damage to the mechanism and almost always injury to the operator. Therefore, you need to chop off the logs from the part of the log that is under your left hand (right for left-handers), and make sure that there is not too little left under your right (left). If a cleaver encounters a viscous place in the mass of wood (a knot, a twist), it can, as it were, wrap a block around itself from above and bend downward; a wedge stop under the cleaver prevents this situation.

Design Features

Safety, productivity and ease of use of a screw wood splitter with the same motor strongly depend on the rational design and its correct execution of such structural components as the wedge stop, the drive mechanism, the drive shaft and its support. The efficiency of a screw log splitter is more influenced by the configuration of the splitter.

Emphasis

The wedge stop is a critical element of the entire structure. Its absence or incorrect implementation not only makes the wood splitter dangerous, but also reduces its performance, reliability and capabilities: a wood splitter with an incorrect stop takes smaller ones, slower, and itself wears out faster and breaks down more often.

Leaving the cleaver hanging high without a lower stop, and even with the drive shaft supported only by bearings (on the left in the figure) is a gross mistake. There are more than enough opportunities to pull a piece of wood under yourself and tear yourself out of the weak supports along with the bent shaft here, but it is difficult to split a block of wood by gnawing into it high above the lower cut. But a simple steel plate instead of a stop (in the center) is no better: with the lateral forces that arise when chopping, it doesn’t matter whether it’s 4 mm steel or cardboard.

The correct wedge stop for a screw wood splitter is a massive all-metal one, securely attached to a strong frame, on the right. The length of the stop is such that the nose of the cleaver is free by 1/3-1/2 of the length of the threaded part. The width of the stop along its entire length is equal to the diameter of the splitting ax in this section minus 3-4 thread heights, see below. The gap between the stop and the shank of the cleaver is no more than 1.2-2 mm; It’s better if you can make a gap of 0.5-0.7 mm; Let the cleaver rub a little against the stop while working, no big deal, but it will last a long time and reliably. Stop height approx. 2/3 of the diameter of the cleaver shank; for 75 mm within 50-60 mm.

The essence of the action of such a stop is that the grabbing and pulling of the block at the beginning of the working stroke is easily countered with your hands. When the cleaver is sufficiently screwed into the tree, you can no longer hold the grabbed block with your hand. But in this case, the bottom of the pulled-up part will hit the side of the stop; Perhaps it will break off and fly off. Grabbing part of the block under right hand will weaken and will not turn the cleaver upward, and grabbing the left side will press it against the stop. If the drive and drive shaft holder are made correctly, the mechanism will stop and the situation will not develop into a threatening situation.

Drive unit

The external characteristics of a screw log splitter have unpleasant feature, similar to that of the rack and pinion - zero thread travel with zero rotation. Only here it is not the lath that is pushed away by the tribe, but the cleaver that pulls the block under itself. At the same time, if a cleaver encounters a sticky obstacle in a tree, in most cases it is enough for him to break through first, then he will go to saw a branch or strand, although more slowly. In this case, the inertia of the drive can help: for a moment, the wood splitter turns into a mechanical impact one.

Inertia for rotation is provided by a belt drive with a fairly massive driven pulley, on the left in the figure, but without additional safety elements (see below), this solution is questionable: if the “plug” is not torn off, and the flywheel pulley is heavy, then the entire mechanism may break and a dangerous situation will arise. Much better in this regard is the chain drive, on the right in Fig. The chain itself is heavy, and because of the play in the joints of its links, one strong, fairly long jerk is broken into a series of sharp, frequent ones, and the cleaver overcomes the “plug” more easily. Compare: what is the best way to drive a nail into a wall without bending it - hit it once with a backhand or with frequent small blows?

Drive shaft support

The inertia of the chain is still low, and if you have to chop clumsy logs, it is still advisable to equip the wood splitter with a mechanical energy storage device in the form of a massive driven belt pulley. The safety of the device is then ensured by introducing a known weak link into the supporting structure of the shaft.

An example of such a solution is given in Fig. on right. The weak link here is the pair of cotter pins - cotter pins and nuts (items 1 and 2). Additionally - friction clutch of pulley 5 through a thick washer 3. The drive shaft 10 is of a simple configuration, and ordinary ball bearings 4 (preferably self-aligning) are fixed with spacer cups 6 and 8 between the bearing journals and the rear journal and pulley. The covers 7 are pressed into the body 8, and the entire support assembly is attached to the frame in any convenient way.

The cotter pin nut is not completely pinned; 1-2 cotter pins are enough (selected by experience). The nut is normal right. If the jerk of the flywheel does not help the cleaver overcome the blockage, the cotter pin is cut off, the nut is unscrewed and the cleaver stops. The operator expresses himself as best he can, but nothing terrible happened, and the breakdown is easily repairable.

Carrot screw

This is the name given to the working body of a screw wood splitter due to its external resemblance to a root crop. A carrot wood splitter also cuts wood at work, so chopping wood with a screw produces quite a lot of sawdust, see figure. If the barn or poultry house is heated with a sawdust stove (bubafoney, etc.), this may come in handy. But in general, let Over the course of a season, up to 10-12% of the fuel goes to waste is undesirable. Changing the thread profile of the screw splitting ax can help in this case.

Drawings of 2 variants of a carrot splitter for a screw wood splitter are given on the following. rice; the landing dimensions are the same, for the drive shaft shank in the drawing above.

On the left is a conventional design with a sawtooth profile thread: it produces quite a lot of sawdust and small chips, it does not overcome wood defects well, and it often gets stuck in dense, fine-grained wood. On the right is a screw cleaver with a specially profiled thread, which cuts little wood, but overcomes its defects well. In addition, special thread profiling made it possible to increase the angle at the apex of the cone from 19.85 to 26 degrees. The working body has become shorter; therefore, the same block of wood will split faster. In addition, the special thread clings to the wood more weakly and it is safer to work with such a cleaver. To cut special threads, you will need a shaped cutter, but both screw cleavers can be turned with your own hands on a desktop lathe, see video:

Video: making a “carrot” for a wood splitter in the garage

When you need a little wood

In southern regions and/or for heating utility rooms, little firewood is required. A normal guy could pin them by hand effortlessly, and then let the missus just try not to serve the stopar for dinner. But there is a problem: the correct swing. Without it, swinging a cleaver is exhausting and dangerous, and developing a swing for chopping wood is no easier than skills in using edged weapons; see, for example, how a fighter chops firewood in Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.”

A manual mechanical wood splitter, again contrary to popular belief, saves little or no muscle effort when chopping wood, but allows you to do it quite safely without having to master the woodcutter's swing. Its additional advantage is that it can work both in gravitational-inertial and pressure modes. The latter allows you to little by little, but manage the most stubborn chumps of almost any diameter. The main thing is that their cuts are parallel and approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the log, otherwise the work will be much more dangerous.

The structure of a manual mechanical wood splitter is shown in Fig. The lever arm is taken from 1.5 m; the bigger, the better. Load - depending on its strength, 10-50 kg. If the splitter is fixed motionless, this wood splitter works only as an inertial one: the lever is lifted by the handle and forcefully lowered onto the block. If the splitter can be moved along the lever, then the wood splitter can also be push-type; The lever arm is extended by a pipe placed on the handle.

There are a number of significant nuances in the design of a lever manual wood splitter (shown by arrows on the right in the figure). The first is a cleaver. A simple wedge made from a piece of rail is ineffective and gets stuck in the wood. Such a wood splitter works much better with the Strela cleaver (see above), especially since it can be inexpensively purchased ready-made. The second is the spring; it is the most traumatic element in this design. The spring force is needed such that the free lever with the cleaver in the farthest position is held approximately horizontally. The spring must be secured to the heels so that it does not come off them with the full swing of the lever; It’s better to pass a swinging guide into the spring.

And lastly, if the lever wood splitter is not rigidly attached to the supporting area, then its front legs must be made no less than the maximum length of the lever arm + double the diameter of the largest block. How to make your own lever wood splitter with improved kinematics, see next. video:

Video: firewood cleaver on a spring

Note: You should not make a mechanical wood splitter with a cleaver sliding along a support, see fig. higher right. You have to hit the butt of the cleaver with a sledgehammer, but it still jams every now and then.

When firewood comes in handy

The butt parts of forests and, especially, stumps from uprooting are known to produce a lot of heat when burned. You can buy them for firewood inexpensively, and in some places in Russia you can simply buy them for pick-up: they are of little use for cellulose, fiber for MDF and industrial wood chips for OSB, chipboard and fiberboard. But it’s not so easy to split such a clumsy block of wood, inside and out, into firewood. However, for the preparation at home of a small amount of additional wood fuel to the main one, this problem, which woodworking specialists are still struggling with, is completely solvable.

How? It is necessary to make a cone splitter: it does not split the block by force, but forces it to crack as it is more convenient for him. If the workpiece is no more than 60 cm in diameter, then the resulting logs will fit in the furnace firebox. Their transverse dimensions are not optimal for the most economical combustion, but the fuel is also waste.

The structure of a cone log splitter is shown in Fig. on right. The diameter of the cone base is 80-150 mm depending on largest size available idiots. The apex angle is 15 degrees for thin-grained wood and 18 degrees for straight-grained wood. Note at 1/3 of the height of the cone from the base it is replaced by an opening angle of 22 and 25-30 degrees, respectively. It is better to use a rack jack. The fact is that a car jack is an emergency device, not designed for frequent regular use. The rack and pinion jack cannot be simplified any further, but the hydraulic jack in the wood splitter will start leaking pretty soon. For comparison: a hydraulic stamping press that develops the same force is a solid structure weighing more than a ton.

One more nuance: it is better to make the adjusting rod of the conical cleaver also working. To do this, it is made from a rod of steel St45 or stronger with a diameter of 24 mm. The thread is cut trapezoidal (you can use parts from an unusable main gas or water valve). The steering wheel is replaced with a lever gate. Then, together with an assistant, it will be possible to split the thickest, most vile of vile blocks. Frame – channels from 150 mm and pipes from 60x4.

When firewood is sometimes needed

That is, for the firebox decorative fireplace or temporary heating with improvised waste fuel; eg in the country. Low-value churaki are sold abroad specifically for fuel for fireplaces. soft wood: poplar, aspen, willow, etc. And to them - wood splitters like the one in pos. 1 pic. below. The core of marketing promotion is that the ridges on the knife immediately provide a kindling light. But in general the idea is strange: a block of wood that can be split with a light blow of an ax is placed in a clip and hit it hard several times with a sledgehammer. True, chopping wood, on the contrary, is safer. Maybe this is relevant there. There is a saying in America (translated into Russian): “If the average American, rushing to get to work, doesn’t slip and break his neck in the shower, he will cut his own throat while shaving.”

A reciprocating wood splitter (item 2) is much more convenient and not at all more dangerous. He acts according to a well-known saying: a lazy man was asked why he chops wood while sitting? “I tried lying down - it’s uncomfortable.” The reciprocating wood splitter can be attached to both the wall and the floor. Cutting lever arm from 0.8 m for soft straight-grained wood; for birch and pine from 1.2 m.

Split oak, etc. with a reciprocating wood splitter. or wood fruit trees It’s already difficult and it doesn’t always work out. Therefore, at a dacha visited in the cold season, a foot-operated lever wood splitter (item 3) will not hurt: it copes with the wood of any tree with a diameter of up to 25-30 cm; however, productivity is low. In this log splitter, a sliding stop pulls the shackle (shown by the arrow) when you press the pedal. The swinging cradle is raised until the block fits in it, then released and pressed on the pedal until the wood splits.

Chopping wood is an extremely tedious process, fraught with danger and taking a lot of time and effort. That is why many people who have to regularly perform this work try to purchase a special wood splitter or even make one themselves. Of course, to assemble a wood splitter with your own hands, you need drawings, photos, and instructions. But in addition, you need to know which model to give preference to.

In contact with

What types of wood splitters are there?

So, before answering the question of how to make a wood splitter with your own hands, you need to decide which model is the best solution for a particular user. Today, the three most common options are:

hydraulic;
electric;
manual (inertial).

Now let's look at each of these options in more detail, so that the potential user can choose the most suitable mechanism for splitting firewood.

Hydraulic

Perhaps the hydraulic wood splitter is the most popular. The fact is that it is he who has the greatest productivity.

When working with such equipment, you can easily and quickly cut almost any wood, including wet and durable wood.

The main element of this wood splitter is the hydraulic cylinder. A log is placed on it, after which the cylinder, under the pressure of the liquid, pushes the sharpened blade.

Thanks to the significant pressure, the work is completed in a second. High productivity allows you to chop a large amount of firewood in the shortest possible time.

Important! When choosing the material from which the blade will be made on a hand-assembled wood splitter, give preference to the hardest grades of steel so that you do not have to sharpen it often.

Alas, this type of equipment is the most difficult to manufacture. Therefore, to construct a hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands, drawings will not be enough - you also need to have considerable experience working with such mechanisms.

Electric wood splitter

A more budget-friendly option, which also does not require special forces - by observing certain safety precautions, even a ten-year-old child can successfully work with it. The operating principle is similar to hydraulic. However, here the blade does not split the log under the influence of a hydraulic mechanism. Here's the main one acting force is an electric motor.

Thanks to more simple device, it costs much less. And it will be much easier to assemble it yourself (if you have the appropriate components).

Important! When installing electric wood splitter choose a place on a slight hill and be sure to lay a rubber mat under it to avoid short circuits if the ground is wet after rain.

However, there are certain limitations. First, you need to have a source of electricity nearby. However, in most dachas and private houses this is not a problem. Second, make sure the wiring can handle the additional load. A wood splitter with a gearbox, either a homemade one or a factory one, is equipped with a fairly powerful engine, and if the wiring is too weak, this can lead to knocked out plugs.

Manual (inertial) wood splitter

The layout of this type of wood splitter is simple, which makes it a certain popularity. No engine is needed for manufacturing, and even a person who is not too accustomed to working with his hands can handle the assembly.

A blade is installed on a long, about one and a half meter, metal pipe. A log is fixed under it, on which a log is placed. After this, the user simply swings the main working part down.

Muscular force combined with inertia easily splits most logs that would be quite difficult to handle manually.

In some cases, the wood splitter is modified. For example, the working part is equipped with a spring at the bottom, the other end of which is fixed near the block. The user lifts the part with the blade manually, unbending the spring, and then abruptly releases it - under its weight and the tension of the spring, the blade delivers a strong blow, cutting even a problem log with knots.

You can also hang a small weight on the opposite end of the pipe - this will significantly facilitate the lifting process, although it will slightly reduce the impact power.

Finally, on metal pipe, in the area of the blade, you can hang additional weight. It will be harder to lift the blade, but the blow will be much stronger.

The advantage of a manual or inertial wood splitter is its simplicity, unpretentiousness and the ability to assemble from improvised means. But there is also a minus. You need to have a certain amount of physical strength to successfully chop enough wood. And this will take much more time than when working with a hydraulic or electrical device.

Which wood splitter to choose

The most common types of wood splitters are described above. They can be made by hand - some are simpler, others more difficult. But having a drawing, homemade wood splitter Anyone can install it in their dacha.

It is very important to decide which device will become good choice for you. After all, manufacturing will take a lot of effort, time, and money. Therefore, the possibility of error should be excluded.

Let's start with the hydraulic one. Its main advantage is high performance and ease of operation. But there is also a minus - it is complex; to create it you will need special equipment and certain skills that not every person has. Similar equipment should be preferred in cases where the user will regularly work with a large amount of firewood.

The advantage of an electric wood splitter is its greater simplicity and power, which is not inferior to a hydraulic one. A very good solution for an ordinary summer resident - you can prepare several cubic meters of firewood with such an assistant without much difficulty. And in order for all summer season heating the bathhouse, and during frosts heating the main living space a little, this will be quite enough.

Finally, a manual wood splitter. As already mentioned, it is simple. Almost everything you need can be found at a ferrous metal collection point, paying no more than a few hundred rubles for the necessary components, and sometimes much less. But to work productively with it, you need to have good physical fitness.

Chopping wood inertial wood splitter although it is easier than with a regular cleaver, it is still quite difficult. Therefore, it should be chosen only by people who have remarkable strength, but who are unwilling or unable to work as a cleaver. However, if you need to chop just a few logs into logs, without risking your health (inept handling of an ax often leads to serious danger) and without getting too tired, this solution will be successful.

Classification of wood splitters

In addition to those models that were described earlier, there are others. For example, with a cone-shaped cleaver. A very convenient solution, most often created on the basis of electrical equipment. Using any sufficiently powerful engine (suitable from a pump, motorcycle or even a washing machine), you can easily make quality equipment. The cone rotates at high speed - just bring the log to it and apply light pressure so that it splits along the fibers. There is no need to swing an ax - even an inexperienced user will take a matter of seconds to turn a heavy log into a pile of logs suitable for burning in a stove.

Drawing of a rack-and-pinion wood splitter.

Drawings of a rack-and-pinion wood splitter are also popular - many users want to make one with their own hands. Why is he interesting? In general, it is similar to a conventional hydraulic one. There is only one difference here. If in most wood splitters a blade is driven into a log, then on a rack splitter it’s the opposite - the log splits on the blade. To do this, a blade is installed on a suitable platform (usually made of thick sheet metal). A block of wood is placed in front of it, on which the moving part of the wood splitter presses. In a second, a thick, weighty log splits in half, then into four parts, and so on.

A simple mechanism for chopping firewood from scrap materials

Our people are distinguished by their ingenuity and love for non-standard solutions. Therefore, many craftsmen make a mechanical wood splitter with their own hands. It consists of a frame with a knife attached on one side and a tight spring on the other. A block of wood is placed on the frame (usually not very large so that it can be easily split in one go), after which the spring is tightened. This is done either manually or using a special gate. Then the spring is suddenly released. She delivers a strong blow to the log, which splits on the knife. The mechanism is simple, but at the same time reliable, effective and does not require much physical strength.

How to make a manual wood splitter with your own hands

Let's start with the simplest option - we'll tell you how to make a manual wood splitter at home. In fact, it’s not even a wood splitter, but a simple device that simplifies the process of chopping wood and makes it safer.

To do this you will need:

a thick metal sheet (7-10 mm thick) measuring 150x600 mm – the future blade;
metal plate 5 mm thick and 300x300 mm in size - base;
metal rod (the cross-section can be either round or square, but not less than 20 mm) - about 3 meters.

Now let's start assembling. The scheme of a homemade wood splitter is as simple as possible. The thick sheet is cut into pieces: one 150x300 and two 150x150 millimeters. They are sharpened on one side and welded to a metal base in the shape of a cross.

The rod is cut into two parts: 1 and 2 meters. The first is welded to the base from the side, strictly perpendicular. The second is bent into a circle and welded to the first at a height of 30 cm.

That's all, the design is ready. Now insert the log into the ring formed by the rod, resting it against the sharpened cross, and strike it from above with a sledgehammer - it will split into four neat parts.

How to make a spring log splitter step by step

If you want to make a spring cleaver with your own hands, you don’t need drawings - the diagram here is as simple as possible. You only need a few details:

metal corners;
two pieces of channel;
powerful spring (you can spring from passenger car);
a plate that acts as a knife (you can use an old cleaver);
hinge joint;
a piece of pipe whose diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the spring;
weighting material

When you have everything you need, you can start assembling:

Using one channel as a base, weld a second one perpendicular to it.
Prepare a site for installing the spring.
Weld the pipe and spacers (corners) onto the base.
Using a grinder, make a cutout on the beam through which the structure will be attached to the base.
Weld the beam.
Hang the beam with the hinge assembly onto the support.
Install the spring.
Fix the boulder on the moving beam.
Weld the weighting material on top of the boulder.

The structure is ready - you can paint it to protect it from rust.

Carrot wood splitter

This is the popular nickname for a wood splitter that uses a screw to split wood. Here the design is more complicated - to assemble a screw wood splitter with your own hands, you will need drawings, photos, and instructions. Before you begin, prepare:

the engine is quite powerful and provides a rotation speed of 200-250 rpm;
cone with screw thread with a diameter of 5-6 cm and a length of 20-22 cm;
two rotation supports;
chain;
shaft 30 cm long and 3 cm thick.

Drawing of a carrot wood splitter.

Problems usually arise when searching for a cone - the easiest way is to order it from turners or buy it in a store; it is not too expensive. Now get started:

Install the shaft onto the bearing and weld the flange at the back.
Place the cone on the shaft and secure it.
Weld the supports to the bearing to secure the structure to the table.
Make a spacer between the engine and the shaft - use it to tension the chain.
Place the structure on the table, fix and tension the chain between the flange and the motor.

If you use an electric motor, do not forget to protect the structure from moisture, and if possible, ground it.

How to make a hydraulic wood splitter

The hydraulic wood splitter is the most complex. Typically, the engine is a gasoline engine from a car or motorcycle. It’s worth warning right away - its creation will not be cheap. But the comfort of work and productivity fully compensate for the costs. So, what do you need to assemble a gasoline wood splitter with your own hands? , and how much will it cost?

Engine with 12-14 horsepower - 14,000.
Hydraulic distributor – 3500.
Hydraulic cylinder 100x40x61 – 10500.
NSh32 – 1500.
Drive NSh – 4000.
Hubs from a VAZ 1500 car.
Engine pulley – 1000.
V-belts – 900.
40 liters hydraulic oil – 2500.
Couplings and high pressure hoses – 2500.
Flanges for NSh – 400.
Metal plate – 1000.
Metal profile – 4000.
Fastening material – 700.
Engine oil - 400.
Rubber hose and clamps – 300.
Paint – 600.
2 kg of electrodes f4mm and 5 kg f3mm – 1000.
Wheels for an angle grinder (regular and clearing) – 700.
Brush for applying paint – 100.

In total, you will have to pay about 51 thousand rubles, and maybe more. If you have purchased everything necessary elements, you can start working.

Assembling the frame

The assembly proceeds as follows:

Weld a 30x30 mm corner - a hub - to a 50 mm pipe. You should get two triangles.
On the front axle, made from a 60x60 mm corner, weld spacers from a 30x30 mm corner.
Attach the wheels to the axle.
Weld a base onto the rear axle on which you will place the engine.
Weld a strong channel frame.
Assemble a movable structure from 80 mm channel.
Weld a triangular platform from a channel that pushes the log onto the knife.
To prevent the log from falling, secure stops on both sides of the platform.

How to make a splitting knife

A good cleaver is the basis for a comfortable and safe work. A piece of Kamaz spring will do. Fortunately, its manufacture is a relatively simple procedure - to make a firewood splitter with your own hands, you don’t need drawings. But you can’t do without tools - you’ll need a sharpening machine.

Sharpen the metal - the angle should be 60-70 degrees. Weld the knife onto the bed.

How to assemble the motor and oil tank

You can use an empty propane tank as an oil tank. The work is as follows:

Fill the balloon with water.
Without pouring out the water, cut off the valve using a grinder.
Create a sump - separate a quarter of the volume of the cylinder by installing a steel partition at least 10 cm high.
Install a filter mesh equipped with a magnet 5 cm from the bottom. The filter will retain chips, increasing engine life.
Weld the pipe - oil will flow through it into the pump. The fence should not reach the very bottom so that the pump does not suck up debris.
Place the tank just above the pump using a level

How to make a wood splitter mobile

Do you want to be able to easily and quickly move a homemade wood splitter, made by yourself, that weighs a hundredweight or even more?

Equip it with small wheels, for example, from a garden wheelbarrow.

The most careful users also install brakes on the wheels.

But you can use several bricks to keep the structure securely in place.

What is the difference between a homemade wood splitter and a factory model?

The main difference is the cost. Even if you decide to make a hydraulic wood splitter, for the components for which you will pay about 50 thousand rubles, you will still save a lot. After all, the cost of a factory one starts at 100 thousand. There is no need to talk about screw or manual ones - they will cost several hundred or thousand rubles, because everything you need is available in many farms or can be purchased quite inexpensively.

Now you have a good understanding of the types of wood splitters and can easily make the right one.