How to make a wood splitter from a washing machine. How to make a wood splitter from a washing machine engine. Building Blocks - Budget Calculation

Manual splitting of wood chocks, especially knotty ones, is quite difficult and rather slow. Today, this physically difficult work can be accelerated by shifting onto the shoulders mechanical wood splitter prefabricated. Here is just one problem: such a "woodcutter" with a "carrot" costs from 20 thousand rubles.
But the experience of folk craftsmen shows that, even without knowing the turning business, it is possible to make a mechanical cleaver from scrap materials, adapting it to the place, the volume of work and anthropometric data.

It will take

In principle, almost all materials and assemblies for assembling a mechanical cleaver can be removed from old machines, household appliances and find in landfills. But it doesn't hurt to know how much this or that "thing" costs in the store, how much the engine from the old washing machine will cost, what the turner will ask for work, etc.
So, what we need to stock up on if we decided to make a mechanical cleaver:

• round steel products (round timber);
• masking tape;
• sheet metal of various thicknesses;
• shaped pipe about 14 m;
• flywheel from GAZ-53;
• bolts, nuts, washers;
• motor with pulley and belt;
• paint and brush;
• conical screw cleaver-carrot.

Of the tools and equipment, we must have at hand:

• grinder with discs;
• plasma cutter;
• file for metal;
• welding equipment;
• vices and clamps;
• drill with drills.

Manufacturing of units and parts of a wood splitter

We fix the round timber in a vice and mark the cuts with masking tape for speed and ease of ensuring the required accuracy.

According to the markings, we cut out the billet of the wood splitter shaft using a grinder and cutting disc 180 mm.
We apply on the surface of a thick sheet of metal the markings of two discs of different sizes, but with the same central holes.

It is more convenient and more accurate to cut them with a plasma cutter, as a result the volume of subsequent processing is minimized.
We bring the discs to the required size with a file and a grinder, and in order not to remove excess metal, we glue precise patterns made of adhesive tape or paper on the side surfaces.

When processing discs, we pay the main attention to the central holes: the shaft blank should freely enter them, but at the same time the gaps should be minimal.
This operation is one of the most important: we weld a large disc exactly at 90 degrees to the round timber. Therefore, we conduct welding carefully, constantly checking the angle between the parts so that they are not led, and we use magnetic squares. We clean the welded seams.
The second ring is easier to install. It is enough to press it tightly and fix it to the first disc with clamps and weld it in this position.

Now the turner will work on the workpiece: he will grind the front support, which is welded to the smaller ring, grind the circular surfaces to size and make a number of annular grooves for the drive belt.
Of shaped pipe we cut blanks of the required sizes and in the required amount, from which we weld not just a desktop, but a base for the installation of also mounted units.

Separately, we weld a subframe to the main frame under the tabletop, to which the electric motor will be attached and adjusted.

We cut out with a grinder two symmetrical parts from a metal plate 6 mm thick, which, welded together and fixed on the tabletop, will be a kind of blade-stop on the wood splitter.

Since the load on our device will constantly change, a flywheel is indispensable. In our case, in terms of size and weight, the most suitable was the flywheel from the GAZ-53 with an outer diameter of 372 mm, a bore of 40 mm and a mass of almost 16 kg.

We remove the ring gear from this part and clean it of perennial oily dirt using a hammer, a screwdriver and a grinder with attachments.

We carry out static balancing of the shaft and flywheel by screwing them to each other with bolts and nuts. Due to the lack of a balancing machine, we invent it using only available opportunities.

To do this, temporarily place two corners parallel on the table frame and lightly grab them. Using the level, we ensure the maximum possible flatness of the corners and lay the shaft with the flywheel on them.

We give rotation to the flywheel and monitor the stopping moment. If it has an unbalanced mass, it will roll back a little before stopping. Moreover, the excess mass will be at the lowest point. We mark this place and drill a hole, thereby removing the excess mass.

Balancing is complete when the shaft and flywheel do not roll back before stopping.
For safety, we make a protective cover for the flywheel from the remnants of the profile pipe and sheet metal and cook the tabletop.

We connect two symmetrical parts to each other at an angle, place a spacer inside and weld the resulting assembly to the tabletop.

All units and parts are made, so we start painting them with an ordinary brush.

Estimated costs

Let's estimate what a homemade wood splitter will cost us:


In total, it turns out about 7 thousand rubles. This is 3 times less than the cheapest factory wood splitter.

Assembly of units and parts of the wood splitter

We firmly fasten the flywheel to the shaft, put on the belt, bearing assemblies and fix the assembly to the frame.
We install and fasten the “carrot” at the end of the shaft with two special pins.

We tighten the belt by tightening the bolt intended for this, which rests against the support, moves the engine and pulls the belt.

The electrician consists of a power cord, a switch and a voltage regulator from the grinder. The connection system is quite standard.

At start-up, the presence of a regulator eliminates jerks and ensures a smooth set of revolutions by the flywheel. This is very important since the belt does not slip in the grooves, which means it will last longer.
Also, thanks to the voltage regulator, you can change the power, which without load immediately leads to an increase in speed.
We install a protective cover on the flywheel in order to protect ourselves and nearby people from injury if the flywheel suddenly flies off the shaft or cracks.

Firewood splitter test in action

First, let's try to split a small piece of the board. Our homemade product copes with it playfully. The same thing happens with dry logs that were stored under a canopy. With absolutely no stress, the wood splitter straightens out a rather massive hemp.

If suddenly the "carrot" gets stuck in a log, then turning off the power, with a key, rotating the shaft by the rear part, we can easily release the working body from the log in which it is stuck.

Even this little practice has shown that the fastening of the "carrot" on the shaft should be recessed so as not to interfere with chopping wood, and the table should stand on an absolutely horizontal surface. This will negate even small vibrations when the wood splitter is operating.
Also, you cannot work on this unit with gloves and mittens, and the sleeves of clothes should not be too long and without laces, belts and other hanging elements, so that they would not be twisted on a "carrot" and would not damage your hands.

A do-it-yourself wood splitter is a mechanism designed to facilitate the process of splitting large logs for a stove or fireplace. The attractiveness of the tool is expressed in the fact that anyone can make their own from inexpensive materials.

Device classifications

The design has many classifying factors. Wood splitters are distinguished by:

• the sphere of exploitation (private use, large enterprises);
• tree bookmarking method (vertical, horizontal, mixed);
• engine type (electric, gasoline, tractor-driven, combined);
• method of transportation (mobile and stationary);
• the principle of operation (hydraulic and screw (conical)).

Homemade wood splitters are most often equipped with an electric or gasoline engine. The rest of the parameters are individual and are selected for personal needs. For everyone who racks their brains with the question: "How to make a wood splitter with your own hands?" we will provide assembly instructions for the hydraulic and screw unit.

DIY hydraulic wood splitter

Most often, the hydraulic system for the operation of the device is borrowed from the tractor. An electric motor driven by a tractor or gasoline can also be used. The hydraulic wood splitter includes the following components:

• bed;
• pump;
• container for oil;
• motor;
• hydraulic cylinder with a stop;
• blade;
• distributor.

Making a wood splitter with your own hands with drawings, photos and instructions will not be difficult for people who are at least a little versed in the mechanics of a hydraulic installation.

For convenience, we will show a drawing of the mechanism and put together a short assembly guide.

Hydraulic wood splitter assembly instructions:

1. Fix hydraulic jack on the bed.
2. At the other end, a wedge-shaped blade is mounted, which will allow you to work with logs of different volume and length.
3. In the middle of the structure we have a platform for laying logs. When interacting with the handle of the jack, the stop will press the wood towards the wedge knife, which will successfully split it.
4. After splitting, the springs will return the stop to the starting position.

Such a device is not distinguished by its high speed of work, however, whatever one may say, it is much easier than chopping wood with an ax.

DIY screw (conical) wood splitter

The principle of operation of this type of wood splitter lies in the property of a rotating metal cone to split logs, due to the existing thread on the surface.

You should not try to make a cone yourself. This is a very time consuming and painstaking task. It will be more profitable to buy a ready-made version, correctly made and suitable for your future design.

To make a screw copy, you should use this article and watch a video about homemade wood splitters.

This is one of the most common wood splitting tools. It is easy not only to use, but also to assemble it yourself.

Instructions for assembling a screw log splitter with a cone-shaped splitter:

1. Decide on the power source of our unit. The example drawing shows an electric motor.
2. It is necessary to select the correct cone. Depending on the size of the device and the logs to be split.
3. Make a plan for the location of all elements of the device on the desktop.
4. Make the bases for the entire structure. The working platform looks like a steel table with a fixed cleaver shaft.
5. Weld a kind of keel to the table to avoid log particles getting under the rotating device.
6. Attach the power supports for installation and place the cleaver in its working position.
7. Connect the motor. The device is ready for use!

The engine is preferably mounted under a table. It will be protected from accidental damage and the ingress of wood chips.

The principle of operation of the cone wood splitter

The power unit (in our case: the electric motor) gives the rotary motion to the cone. You should carefully bring the log and press gently towards the cleaver. The cone cuts smoothly into the structure of the tree and splits it in half.

Screw log splitter with motor from washing machine is the most convenient and functional option for home use.

In addition, it is possible to avoid the cost of purchasing a new engine. It can be used by removing from the old washing machine.

A wood splitter is an indispensable device in a private house or in the country. A large amount of information on the Internet allows you to make a wood splitter with your own hands using video or text instructions. The flexibility of the design scheme allows the use of a wide variety of components. There is always an opportunity to select and build a unit for your individual conditions and needs.

The device and operation of a homemade wood splitter - video

Chopping wood is a useful activity for any physically strong healthy man. But sometimes there are large volumes of firewood, which must be prepared in a short time, in this case they use a special tool. A wood splitter is a device that is difficult to do without when you have to chop massive wooden ingots.

Features of homemade models

The wood splitter is especially necessary in private households, where you have to heat the house using firewood. You can make such a tool with your own hands, it is not difficult and will save a significant amount of money. Working with a massive tree is a rather risky business, you can get injured, the poet should use good toolobserving the necessary safety regulations.

Mechanical units, which help to split wood and heavy logs, tend to store energy, they are economical and easy to operate. There is no need for muscle strength in working with such devices. The units can handle any kind of logs and wood ingots. They work in push mode and can be operated with logs up to 35 cm long, no physical effort is required.

Push action devices have an internal combustion engine drive, and can also be connected to an electric motor.They are not cheap, but their use almost completely eliminates the muscular effort that must be expended. Using this device, you can heat the house up to 350 square meters, while frosts can be Siberian, up to -35 degrees Celsius.

This unit is safe; among the shortcomings, one can point to a rather complicated design and high energy consumption.

The return stroke of the pusher is usually no more than 7 centimeters per second.In a few hours, more than half a ton of firewood can be prepared for one person. You cannot work with damp wood; it is recommended to put wooden blanks in a woodpile under a canopy in the warm season. In three months, the tree will "fit" to the desired condition. Raw wood does not provide enough heat, the thermal conductivity is much lower (by 25%), the cleaver often gets stuck in it, and it is sometimes extremely difficult to extract it from there. A homemade wood splitter can be made no worse than a factory one, that is, it will have horizontal and vertical feed of the workpiece.

For orientation, it is worth saying what the approximate monetary savings can be:

• a solid diesel-fueled unit designed for splitting ingots 25 cm in diameter costs from 20 thousand rubles;
• a machine that can "straighten" with blanks up to 35 cm, splitting them into 4-5 fragments, costs about 30 thousand rubles.

Specifications

The most simple construction wood splitter is a cleaver ax. To work with it, you need some practical experience. For experienced woodcutters, the cleaver can be the main tool when processing massive wooden blanks, the size of the ax for this tool is up to one meter. Last years the cleaver is made from innovative materials, which makes it more efficient to use it in the labor process.

The handle is made of lightweight, durable fiberglass material, allowing you to work more efficiently with this tool. For two thousand years, while the cleaver ax has existed, it has been continuously improved. The modern fiberglass hatchet completely eliminates vibration, painful recoil in the palm.

To harvest firewood in large quantities, push-type wood splitters are usually used. They have a rack or hydraulic pusher. Such a device pushes a massive wooden blank onto a cleaver, which, in turn, splits it into several small pieces. The feed rate of the workpiece is about 5 centimeters per second. Vertical wood splitters are more durable and more compact. The disadvantage of this device is that there is a risk of ejection of a workpiece in which there are such "difficulties":

• many layers;
• many knots;
• there are various wrong cuts.

The horizontal log splitter is safer. The employee does not risk falling under the flying chips, because its speed is sometimes very high. The vertical unit has a circular scattering of fragments, therefore, from a safety point of view, there are questions about this unit. Hydraulic wood splitter:

• productive;
• spends a minimum of energy;
• safe to operate

Of the shortcomings, it should be pointed out: to work with such a device, you need some experience. And also under heavy loads, liquid can flow out of the apparatus. The unit is simple to maintain, spare parts for it can always be found on the market.

The hydraulic wood splitter does not have a return spring, and it also has a rather long switching time - about 0.55 seconds. The time interval is quite significant, because the workpiece can split and disintegrate into many fragments. Such wood splitters have a common drawback: their engine works through a fluid coupling and sometimes cannot cope with the loads. The engine usually runs in standard mode, while consuming little fuel. A gearing is attached to the flywheel (it is usually hydraulic, there is also a fractional one). This lever is a clutch with a pusher, which provides the supply of the chock to the cleaver knife.

There is enough energy to split almost any piece of wood.

Tools and materials

To create a screw cleaver you will need:

• power plant from 1.5 kW;
• shaft with fitted bearing;
• drive belt;
• threaded cone;
• metal 6 mm thick;
• corners 6, pipes 45 mm.

You will need tools:

• jigsaw;
• welding machine;
• turbine;
• screwdriver;
• screwdriver;
• scotch;
• a hammer;
• nippers;
• pliers;
• tape measure and triangle ruler.

How to do it?

Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare drawings and assembly instructions. A simple wood splitter with an electric motor can be assembled at home. Indicative in this respect hydraulic wood splitterthat can be done in the garage. The hydraulic system can be supplied from a mini-excavator or some other equipment. Performance will be determined by splitting force:

• 20 cm by half - 2 tf;
• straight layer - 2.7 tf;
• 25 cm - 2.4 tf;
• 30 cm in 4 parts - 4 tf;
• 30 cm in 8 parts - 5 tf;
• 40 cm in 8 parts - 6 tf.

The power of the hydraulic pump is determined by the feed rate, which on average is 4.5 cm. Then the efficiency is calculated and the engine is selected, its stock should be 15% more.

And also fittings are selected with a margin;

• hose;
• valve;
• dampers.

The cleaver itself is an important working element. It is made of durable metal (auto spring or rail, for example). The workpiece is usually met by a vertical knife that is sharpened on a straight line (symmetrical wedge). The horizontal knife stands a little further (18 cm), it is spent on the upper oblique wedge.

The vertical knife is placed from below for the best safe work, the height is about 35 mm, while the tool protrudes 25 mm. This design will allow you to work with complex wooden elements, provided they are placed flat sideways at the bottom. The sharpening angles are as follows:

• vertical knife for soft wood - 19 degrees (three knife thicknesses);
• for hardwood (including birch) - 15 degrees (3.8 knife thickness);
• horizontal knives - 16 degrees;
• the pricker has an angle of inclination of no more than 26 degrees (minimum 20 degrees), knife thickness 2.6;

A rack-and-pinion log splitter is simpler, it is cheaper than a hydraulic unit (it costs no more than 20 thousand rubles). Making it yourself is not very difficult. The pusher is fed using a toothed rack, the transmission connection to the shaft works in such a way that the movement occurs no more than 4.5 cm per second. To do, you need elements - just disassemble the old jack. The rack-and-pinion splitter does not have hydraulic components, and its maintenance takes a minimum of time.

Such a unit, from a safety point of view, is more preferable. The scheme of work is as follows: it acts when the lever is lowered, then the return spring element will raise the rail and fold it back. The disadvantage of such a unit is that with a decrease in the feed rate, the stop grows rapidly, and then also unexpectedly drops to zero. If there is a cavity or some other flaw in the workpiece, the unit will be subjected to too strong a load, this can happen spontaneously, which can provoke deformation of the machine or even its breakdown.

The hydraulic drive always works softer, the largest stop ratio occurs when there is a feed rate that approaches zero. If a workpiece that is too strong gets into the feed of the hydraulic unit, it will be pushed on the cleaver non-stop, which can lead to damage. For a rack-and-pinion log splitter (based on all the above remarks), a more powerful engine is needed. To calculate its power, you can simply shift the splitting forces that exist for a hydraulic drive: a pig with a diameter of 20 cm - 2.6 tf, while the efficiency will be about 0.87.

Often too thick shriveled bark interferes with the movement of the workpiece. As a conclusion, it can be noted: rack and pinion units are appropriate when the volume of work is relatively small, the work is done using muscle strength.

For small pieces of firewood, a vertical screw log splitter may well be suitable. This device has low performance, it is not afraid of various flaws in wood blanks. An electric engine for its operation may be suitable for a low-power, only 2.8 kW - from a washing machine, with a drive on a pulley. With a low-power engine, such a unit will be able to "cope" with elements up to 42 cm in diameter and up to 65 cm high. To create it, you will need an engine from a washing machine, the speed of such a power plant may well be suitable. The disadvantage may be that by mounting the cleaver directly on the engine shaft, the engine housing can lead and it will break.

In the work, the main role is assigned to the nozzle in the form of a cone, which has a thread and rotates at a speed of 160-1550 rpm (the operating frequency is usually 300 rpm). The carving is done on the left due to the fact that people for the most part are right-handed, their right hand is physically better developed.

The workpiece on a screw cleaver enters it along the vertical plane. During movement, the workpiece (its movement) gets better with hands. This formulation of the question does not have the best effect on the level of safety engineering, therefore, one should take into account the fact that a screw log splitter is a device that is dangerous. The worker is required to monitor constantly so that too little material remains under the right hand. If the cleaver gets stuck, the process of winding the workpiece will take place. To prevent such incidents from occurring, you should mount a spacer under the cleaver.

The assembly and operation of the screw unit can be affected by the rationality of the design, as well as the location of such units:

• wedge stop;
• drive pulley;
• work of the main shaft.

And it is also important what shape the cleaver itself is, how it is sharpened, such parameters will certainly affect the operation of the unit itself. The wedge stop is also important, it determines the safety of the unit and affects the performance and reliability. If the emphasis is chosen incorrectly, then problems will arise with the engine, the functioning will occur with a high voltage of the power unit. The performance will be noticeably lower. It is impossible to leave the cleaver suspended without a lower stop. The wedge stop is attached to the base on the right. Moreover, its length can be such that the nose is larger than the length by 1 / 4-1 / 2 of the thread distance.

The stop parameter corresponds to the splitter diameter in a similar section (in this case, 4 heights of the threaded part are subtracted). The distance between the shank and the stop is about 1.8 mm, however, if the gap is 0.8 mm, it will be even better. The cleaver will initially "interfere" a little, but after a short time, grinding will occur, and the product will serve for a long time.

The vertical stop is 2/3 of the shank. For 76 mm, the limits are limited to 52-62 mm. Pulling the workpiece has to be intercepted manually after the cleaver has entered the tree quite deeply. If the cleaver has already entered too deeply into the material, it will be impossible to hold it with bare hands. The tucked-up bottom will hit the side of the stop. In this case, damage and defects are possible.

It is necessary to make the unit in such a way that the cage and the main shaft drive are made according to the instructions, in this case nothing will happen and there will be no damage. In a screw wood splitter, the inertial impulse for rotation is carried out by transmission through a pulley. In this case, the pulley must slip if a "plug" occurs, otherwise an accident is inevitable.

In this regard, transmission with the help of a chain is more rational and practical, "plugs" become noticeably less. The chain itself has a lot of weight, because the transmission is more rigid and allows you to overcome "obstacles". If the workpieces have too many knots, then you will need to install a drive, which is presented in the form of a powerful driven pulley.

There is a carrot screw, this unit really looks like a root crop.The unit is simple in device and assembly, you can work with it when harvesting a small amount of firewood. And also this device can cut wood, so splitting with a screw provides enough sawdust. On the farm, this is sometimes in demand if there is a poultry house on the territory that needs to be heated.

A wood splitter with a sliding cleaver is another option. The shoulder is taken into account 1.6 meters. Overload can be up to 40 kg. If the wood splitter is stationary, then in this case it can work as an inertial lever, that is, it can be lifted by the handle and then lowered onto the workpiece with effort. If the cleaver is dynamic, then it can be easily moved along the lever, in this case it can be push. At the same time, the shoulder is significantly lengthened. The Lever Log Splitter has a number of features:

• it is best to use the Arrow cleaver, it is not difficult to buy it;
• the lever is spring-supported in a horizontal position;
• the spring must be well fastened so that it does not fly off;
• often the spring is passed into a moving pendulum guide.

If the mechanical unit is not attached to the base, then it is made with a diameter not inferior in size to the lever arm (a size is taken that is 2 times the size of a wooden blank). It makes no sense to create a "mechanic" with a fixed cleaver that slides along the guide. Even if you hit the cleaver with all your might with a sledgehammer, it will often jam.

A cone-shaped wood splitter is often also used, which in a private household (when relatively little firewood is needed) can cope with rather weighty ingots (up to 55 cm in diameter). The cone is 82-148 mm in size, the angle of inclination is about 16 degrees if the tree has small layers, and 19 degrees if the layers are straight. The opening angle of 26-32 degrees changes by a third of the height of the cone. It is best to use a rack and pinion jack. A rack and pinion jack is preferable because it is very simple and reliable, not afraid of heavy loads. There is more work to do with a hydraulic device, and it is more vulnerable when overloaded.

One more detail is important. The control rod of the cone splitter is usually made functional; in this case, reinforcement or a rod of steel grade St47 is used, with a diameter of at least 22 mm. The thread is made in the form of a trapezoid (sewer valves are often suitable, where the steering wheel is removed and replaced with a lever).

You can also make a wood splitter in the form of a saber with your own hands, such a device is also called a saber one.The lever arm here is not less than 0.9 meters, it is made of soft woods (pine, birch). You can work with such a wood splitter only with soft tree species. And also in the dachas they put wood splitters of the lever principle of operation for the winter, which can break workpieces up to 35 cm in diameter. The performance of such a unit is low, but in order to chop wood for dinner, such a device is quite enough. With the help of the pedal, the sliding stop is raised, then it is released and pressed on the pedal, thus the workpiece is delaminated.

You can even make a wood splitter from a wheel, we will consider the technology below.

From the jack

A wood splitter can be made from a jack that is manually driven by physical force.

You will need the following materials:

• hydraulic jack;
• steel sheet 5 mm;
• channel or corner No. 8;
• primer;
• springs;
• bolts and nuts.

Tool list:

• bulgarian;
• welding machine;
• drill;
• triangle ruler;
• marker.

It is important to properly fasten the vertical mounts, they will bear the lion's share of the load. For these purposes, you will need a corner number 8 or an I-beam. Then a wedge is made, which cuts wood blanks. This element is made of steel or a corner. It is also recommended to sharpen the wedge well, then the work will be more productive. The jack will be placed with a bottom stand, which must be slightly raised above the base. To do this, you need to weld a few flat pieces of sheet steel. The jack must be well secured so that it does not jump out during operation. The element is additionally fastened with clamps with nuts.

You will also need springs that will return the element to its original state. You should also make a solid bed, which is best welded from steel. In order for the support base to be fixed firmly on the jack, in addition to it, it is welded round tube... And you will also need to weld the fasteners for the springs. The apparatus is mainly placed in a corner, it can be additionally "grabbed" with bolts to two walls.

From the rim

A wood splitter can be made from a wheel disc of a tractor or truck. Concrete can be poured into the cavity of such an element to build up mass. A vertical mount similar to a guillotine is welded to the central block. The disc rotates, and the "guillotine" falls and hits the plate, which is attached in the center. It is not easy to work on such a unit; it requires practical experience.

Security measures

During work, safety measures should be observed. The energy that is spent on splitting wood elements is quite significant. The spreading speed of the chips can be high. Before starting the drive, check all fixing elements:

• bolted connections;
• joints;
• fastening the pulley;
• cable;
• engine mount;
• knives must be in good condition, without chips or signs of corrosion.

Long-sleeved clothing should be loose and dense, and should also be:

• good work boots;
• gloves;
• glasses;
• headphones.

The equipment should be placed on a flat, stable surface that is “not afraid” of powerful vibration. A reinforced concrete slab is an ideal basis for basing such a unit. The machine can only process parts that match the format of the equipment. And a few more tips:

• when the machine is operating closer than three meters, it is not recommended to approach it;
• the working area should always be fenced off with a signal tape made of paper or PVC material;
• the equipment should only work under the supervision of an employee;
• during operation, you should carefully monitor so that no foreign objects fall into the unit;
• routine inspections and test runs should be carried out;
• all repair works are carried out with the engine disconnected from the network.

It is a pleasure to sit near the fireplace, where the burning firewood crackles. Having warmed up in the sauna, which is heated with wood, you get no less pleasure. The only unpleasant moment in these events is to manually chop wood. Sometimes you have to swing an ax for a long time, especially when the conversation turns to kindling a bath. To reduce the complexity of this process, engineers have long invented a special machine called a wood splitter. True, it is not as cheap as we would like. Therefore, it is worth considering a completely unique design of a wood splitter from a washing machine.

It should be noted that you can cut firewood different waysusing different tools. Therefore, wood splitters have different designs.

• Where the drive mechanism is based on hydraulic technology.
• Which are based on the rack and pinion mechanism.
• And the so-called stepped screw wood splitter.

The third version of the wood splitter is just suitable for making it with your own hands, using some parts and assemblies of an ordinary washing machine.

Details from a washing machine for a wood splitter

So, for a wood splitter, you will need an electric motor with a pulley, a pulley that is installed on an impeller that rotates the water inside the tank, and a belt that connects the two pulleys. By the way, there are only two pulleys in the washing machine, so both of them are needed.

To turn all this into a wood splitter, you need a base on which the assembly parts will be installed and fastened. It can be made from metal profiles (even used) in the form of a frame. It is important that there is alignment between the pulleys used from the washing machine. It should look approximately as shown in the picture below.

In addition to spare parts from the washer, a few more parts are required. This is the shaft on which the large pulley will fit and the taper on the other side. This cone is the main working tool of the wood splitter, with which a wooden chock will be cut. In order for the shaft to be in a horizontal plane in one place and, moreover, to rotate, two bearings are needed, which are installed at a short distance from each other and are also fixed to the frame.

The biggest problem of all the above items is the wood splitter cone. Firstly, it can only be made on lathebecause it's just a cone. Secondly, it is necessary to cut threads on it with a small step. Again, you can't do without a machine. Therefore, you will have to look for a turner to make this part exactly to the required dimensions. Thirdly, it will have to be hardened, because this part must be very strong. Here again a specialist is required.

There is another simpler option. This is to buy a ready-made cone in an online store, since such an opportunity is provided today. The main thing is to choose it in size. By the way, today you can buy a whole set for a homemade wood splitter. All that remains is to assemble the frame for it. True, all this costs money, so it will be cheaper to disassemble an old washing machine and make a wood splitter from it. And one more thing - the shaft will also need to be ordered by the turner, while providing him with bearings so that he can make the part exactly for them.

Assembling the wood splitter

First of all, bearings and a shaft are installed on the frame. It is very important to match the protrusion of the shaft to the frame so that it matches the length of the protruding part of the electric motor shaft. The thing is that pulleys will be installed at both ends of the two shafts. And they should be located in the same plane.

The bearings will have to be fastened using special housings, which in their design have legs with through holes. You can clearly see this in the photo below. Although there are many mounting options, you can choose an easier one.

Attention! To get the exact alignment of the two pulleys, it is necessary to make not holes for the electric motor fasteners, but grooves (elongated through grooves), with which you can move the engine along with the fasteners.

Now a belt is put on the pulleys, after which the electric motor moves in the direction so that both elements are in the same plane. The belt should stand upright. After that, the power cable from the motor must be plugged into the outlet. If everything works as it should, then after disconnecting the working tool itself - the cone - is connected.

In order for the wood blocks to separate well, a metal wedge must be installed under the threaded cone. You can make it yourself from a metal strip 3-4 mm thick, sharpening one of the ends. The wedge is electrically welded to the frame just below the cone. By the way, the video will clearly show it, and it will be clear how it works.

Firewood cutting technology

A homemade wood splitter is ready for use, you can carry out a test cut of firewood. A chock is taken and installed "on the butt", that is, on the butt. Then it is fed to the cone with the hands sideways. Since the cone has a thread, it will instantly start to cut into the wood, pulling it over itself. In principle, the machine will operate in almost semi-automatic mode.