Pendulum cleaver of firewood drawings and diagrams. Do-it-yourself wood splitter. Mechanical helpers for splitting firewood

With stove heating, the need to swing an ax every day quickly becomes a routine and time-consuming. This is where the question of mechanizing the process arises - you need to make a wood splitter with your own hands! There are many options for making homemade automated cleavers - from the simplest to the semi-professional. Use step-by-step instructions and helpful tips from those who have already forgotten when holding a regular ax in their hands to assemble your tool.

Simple mechanisms for splitting firewood from scrap materials

Types of wood splitter:

mechanical (usually consists of a knife, frame and spring);
screw (splits firewood by screwing in);
hydraulic (has chisel knives that allow you to chop the log).

Wood splitter for home

Manual mechanical log splitter, simple assembly

A mechanical (or manual) firewood splitter does not imply a motor connection. It only allows you to make less effort when splitting logs.

Here is the safest way to make a wood splitter with your own hands:

Weld a round frame slightly larger than the diameter of the logs (optimally 23 cm).
To do this, as a basis, you need to take a circle of thick metal and weld two pipes, 35 cm high, to it.
Weld a ring on top of the structure to make a cylinder.
At the bottom, secure the metal knife with the tip up.
Drill holes in the base for fastening.

The log in such a wood splitter must be placed on top of the knife. By hitting it with a sledgehammer, you make your work safer. After all, there is no possibility of injury with an ax!

Attention! This mechanism is only suitable for soft woods that are easy to split. The wood obtained is suitable for kindling a fireplace. For an oak or elm tree, this device will be useless.

Manual safety log splitter

Spring cleaver manufacturing scheme

The next idea on how to make a wood splitter at home is to make a spring mechanism. Components:

section of the channel;
metal corners;
spring (from the car);
plate knife (you can from an old cleaver);
a piece of pipe, slightly smaller than a spring in diameter;
hinge assembly
weighting agent (rail).

Tool base

Manufacturing process:

First of all, it is necessary to make a support for the wood splitter using welding.

Prepare the spring pad.

Sawing a hole

Weld the platform, spacers, pipe to the support.

Welding parts

Make a cut-out for attaching the beam to the support.

The beam is welded into the hole

Hang the pivot beam onto the support.

The support must be hinged

Weld the beam, keeping its mobility.

Hinges provide mobility

Attach the beam and cleaver horizontally.

Cleaver position

Weld the handle and weight to the tool.

The weight is the rail

The resulting mechanism is best painted to prevent rust.

Falling down on the log with force, the cleaver splits it into two parts. And then it returns to its original position. This significantly saves human strength.

Carrot log splitter in step by step instructions

Affectionate name "carrot" such a mechanism was due to the conical shape of the knife. Screwing into the log by the self-tapping principle, it splits the wood from the inside. The wood splitter is driven by an electric motor.

Screw wood splitter manufacturing process

Make a screw log splitter with your own hands using drawings and step-by-step instructions:

Make a cone of steel grade 45, 13 cm long and 5.5 cm in diameter (thick part) at an angle of 30 °.
On a lathe, cut a left-hand persistent thread 2 mm deep with a pitch of 6–7 mm. The nose of the cone should be very sharp.
Install the shaft in the bearings and weld the flange (sprocket) from the rear side.
Put the cone tightly on the shaft and fix it with a pin (an M8 bolt will do).
Weld the supports of the car cardan to the bearings (the mechanism will be attached to the table on them).
Make a spacer between the shaft and the engine, with which the chain will be tensioned. A pipe and nut squeeze is suitable for this.
Make a table from thick boards (an old door will do) with iron legs 40 cm high.
Fix cardan supports and an electric motor with a power of 2 kW or more. Tighten the chain.

Cone knife drawing

Attention! The thread direction is not critical. But when cutting a right-hand thread, there is a high chance of ruining the tool or taper.

Drawing of the shaft and support for the cone

Important tips for work:

When making a cone log splitter with your own hands, it is worth remembering that the distance from the cone to the table should be minimal. Then the log will not be pulled out of the hands.
The splitting log can only be installed vertically. Otherwise, the wood can get stuck between the cone and the table and bend the shaft.
The chain and motor must be protected with a guard. This will reduce the risk of injury while working.
Logs should not be longer than 0.5 m and wider than 0.6 m in diameter.
The rotation speed can be from 150 to 800 rpm (optimally 400–500). To do this, use a gearbox (for example, from an old motorcycle).

How to make a hydraulic log splitter - aerobatics

If there is a lot of firewood and you need to chop them constantly, you should build a hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands.

Video: DIY hydraulic wood splitter

Building Blocks - Budget Calculation

The principle of operation of the hydraulic mechanism is as follows. The log on a sliding platform is fed to the knives. Under the pressure of the cylinder, the log is split into 2, 4, 6 or 8 pieces, depending on the design of the knife.

For the hydraulic mechanism you will need:

gasoline engine (from 6 HP);
hydraulic cylinder;
gear pump;
hydraulic valve;
pump bracket;
metal for knives (MAZ spring is suitable);
channel 80 mm;
profile 60x60 and 30x30 mm;
pipe 50 mm;
i-beam (for the support beam);
metal plates;
wheels (automobile);
pulley;
belts;
oil tank;
fittings, adapters, couplings, bolts, screws, nuts, etc.

Wood splitter drawing

The budget that will have to be allocated for the purchase of components is approximately 60,000 rubles. The purchase of suitable scrap metal can reduce the cost of the finished product.

The basis of the wood splitter - how to assemble the frame

The first step is to assemble the front and rear axles to which the wheels will be attached. Since all the support is on the rear axle, car tires should be here.

Front and rear axles

Step-by-step instruction for assembling a hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands with drawings and photos:

Weld hubs from a 30x30 mm profile to a 50 mm pipe so that two triangles are obtained. Weld the base of the future frame to the hubs.
Weld spacers from the 30x30 mm profile to the front axle from the 60x60 profile. Attach small wheels to the axle.
Weld the engine mount to the rear axle.

The turn of the frame has come:

Weld a frame for a movable structure from two channels.
Assemble the movable platform from the 80 mm channel on the cylinder rod.
Weld a triangular platform from the same channel. She will push the log to the knives.
Place stops on the sides of the platform to prevent the logs from falling.

Advice! Instead of a sliding platform, it is better to use a cart on wheels. To do this, bearings must be installed inside the channels from which the platform is made. In this version, the wood splitter will last longer, since the friction force will be reduced.

Base for installing motor and pump

Wood splitter heart - how to make a splitting knife

For a knife, trims of an I-beam or a spring from MAZ are suitable. Operating procedure:

cut a workpiece from wood with an angle of 60 °;
sharpen metal like a chisel;
fold the hex knife using a workpiece (placing it between the segments);
weld the knife to the bed.

Hex knife

The central (vertical knife) should enter the log first, then the upper side ones, and only then the lower ones. Otherwise, the load distribution will be incorrect. As a result, the wood splitter will not be able to cope with sticky wood species.

Assembling the oil tank

The driving force is the assembly of the motor and oil tank

An empty propane cylinder will fit under the oil tank. Operating procedure:

Fill the bottle with water.
Cut the valve off with a grinder without draining the liquid.
Make a sump: separate ¼ of the cylinder with a 10 cm high steel partition cut inwards.
Install a mesh filter with a magnet at a height of 5 cm from the bottom. It will trap metal shavings, which will extend the life of the motor.
Weld in the pipe through which the pump will suck in oil. The branch pipe must be deepened so that the intake does not occur from the very bottom. After all, all the garbage that gets into the tank settles on it.
Place the tank above the pump level.

Insert pipe

When all the elements are ready, it's time to assemble the structure. A self-made wood splitter should be painted.

Life hack from a Finnish farmer - how to split a log with a minimum of effort

Moving with an ax is one of the most balanced loads for the human body, so chopping wood by hand is undoubtedly useful. But even this work can be improved! How? Reduce unnecessary movements.

What makes chopping wood uncomfortable? Constantly flying chips and a cleaver stuck in the ground. It is very easy to solve this problem.

It is enough just to install the log in car tire! Choose a rubber wheel with a diameter slightly larger than the log. Or take a large tire and put some logs in it. And there will be less work on the farm!

Advice! You can increase the diameter of the tire by cutting off the side parts so that only the tread ring remains.

Application old tire

Video: Wood splitter with a washing machine engine

Assembling a wood splitter is a troublesome and costly business. But, if you have the skills to work with metal, this is a justified way to save money and your own strength. It will take you half a day to make the simplest mechanism. Whereas a complex unit will take 1–2 months. However, you can always turn to professionals! This is a surefire way to save time. What is more expensive - it's up to you!

In our century modern technologies, electricity and other sources of power, manual labor mechanization occurs everywhere. Even this clean male work, like cutting firewood, improved, and therefore made easier.

Wood splitters replaced the traditional ax. This market segment is represented by a fairly large range of mechanical cleavers.

What you need to know about them in order to do right choice, and get what you need?

All wood splitting mechanisms are divided into:

Household wood splitters... They usually only split the wood.
Professional wood splitters... These are not only wood splitters, but also wood splitting machines that feed logs, cut them along a given length, then chop and remove the finished logs. Naturally, they are an order of magnitude more expensive, since their power, performance, size and functionality are incomparable with household mechanisms.

Types of wood splitters

According to the working direction (location of the split log), they are made:

Horizontal type ... The log (the sawn off part of the log) is placed on a horizontal trough. The splitting scheme is as follows: either the log is moving (it is moved by the pusher towards the knife of the mechanism), and the knife is fixed in place, or vice versa - the block lies in place, and the knife moves towards it.
Vertical type. A part of the log is placed vertically, and the knife moves and presses on it from above. Such mechanisms are more productive, but sometimes it is required to support the split log with your hands, which requires careful observance of safety measures. But they more require less operating space. As a rule, this type of work direction is performed by professional wood splitters.
Mixed type ... It combines the capabilities of both horizontal and vertical automated processes. Used in the professional field.

Depending on the motor power supply:

1. Models with electric motorswhich drives a hydraulic pump. These are the most simple mechanisms for splitting firewood. They are easy to operate, environmentally friendly - they can even be used indoors. They do not need specialized service, they are simply and quickly set up for work. Such models are used for household needs... They have only one drawback - they do not always have access to the power supply network.

2. Models with gasoline (diesel) engines... They can be more powerful than motorized mechanisms. Such machines are used not only by professional loggers, but also by craftsmen in their summer cottages.

3. Tractor-driven wood splitters... It is connected to the hydraulic system of the tractor, or to its PTO shaft. These mechanisms are powerful and durable. Their use is forestry, farms, commercial enterprises.

4.With combined motors... The following combinations of wood splitter drive sources are produced:

Tractor drive and electric motor
Tractor drive and gasoline engine

Depending on the principle of work, cleavers are divided into:

. With the help of a hydraulic pump, the knife presses on the block with tremendous force and splits it. The price of such a wood splitting, household mechanism, depending on the country of manufacture, ranges from 9500 rubles. up to 32000 rubles, depending on engine power and working direction device.
. Instead of a knife, a threaded cone is used, which, while rotating, is screwed into the log and splits it. Based on this principle of the wood splitting mechanism, it is easiest to make a homemade wood splitter. He has practically nothing to break. The thread of the cone is sufficient for splitting 2000 m3 of birch firewood, which is impressive. The only drawback is that a screw log splitter requires a more powerful electric motor than a hydraulic one. The price of such a mechanism, depending on the type of engine, ranges from 17,500 rubles. up to 38000 rub.

Depending on the ability to move, wood splitters are divided into:

Stationary mechanisms. As a rule, heavy wood splitting machines are in this design.
Movable mechanisms. The presence of special transport wheels makes it possible to move the machine to the required place without any difficulty.

Wood splitter specifications

1. Power of splitting- this is an indicator of the effort with which the cutting of prepared blocks will be made. In household woodcutters, the splitting capacity varies from 3 to 7 tons. In screw cleavers, attention is paid to the rotation speed of the nozzle. Its optimum value is 400 - 600 rpm.

2. Working length (distance between wedge and piston)... It determines the length of the logs that this woodcutter can work with. Usually, in household mechanisms, the length of the chocks is 50cm. In professional - 50/60/90 / 100cm, depending on the model.

With a screw chipper, the length of the log is determined by how easy or hard it will be to hold it in your hands while splitting. But who will make the logs longer than the oven itself?

3. Diameter of the chopped block in household mechanisms it is equal to 30 cm. A conical wood splitter will split a stump of a log of any diameter.

4. Piston stroke - the distance that the piston travels in one operation. At the moment, household wood splitters have begun to be equipped with a piston stroke limiter, which is very convenient when splitting short logs. This gives an increase in productivity by almost double, and a good energy saving.

5. Speed \u200b\u200bof piston movement in household wood splitters:

Forward movement speed - up to 4 cm / sec.
Backward speed - up to 7.5 cm / sec.

The time of cutting the chocks into logs depends on it.

6. Electric motor power in household woodcutters it varies from 1500W to 2300W. It is clear that both the productivity of the machine and the power consumption depend on this characteristic. A screw splitter for firewood requires a three-phase motor with a capacity of 3000 - 4000W.

7. Dimensions of household firewood cutters are small... They vary depending on the model and manufacturer, but are not fundamentally different.

8. Additional features:

At the moment, they began to produce household hydraulic mechanisms, on which you can install a nozzle from 4 cutters, which also allows you to increase productivity - the block is pricked into four parts at once.
For the convenience of work, it is possible to complete it with a special table, which allows you to increase the working height of the woodcutter to the belt level.

How to make a wood splitter?

Wood splitters for a summer residence, a private house are an absolutely necessary thing. But not many can, and even want to give tens of thousands of rubles for this assistant. There is a completely inexpensive alternative to a factory made wood splitter.

You can just buy a threaded cone nozzle or ready-made units, and assemble a wood splitter with your own hands. It can be seen from the diagram that the wood splitter-screw consists of a frame on which the engine is fixed. Further, the working cone sits on a shaft, which is driven by a motor through a reduction gear.

It must be remembered that:

Do not attach the attachment directly to the motor. This is dangerous because the engine speed reaches 3000 rpm.
The rotation speed of the nozzle should not be less than 250-300 rpm. At a lower speed, a very low cleaver performance is obtained.
A chain or belt drive (it transfers rotation from the motor gearbox to the working cone) must be in a protective casing.
The electrical part of the wood splitter must be handled by a specialist.

The price of the bearing assembly (the upper part for a homemade wood splitting mechanism) assembled ranges from 4200 rubles. up to 5600 rubles, depending on the diameter of the working cone.

For the owner of a country or private house, a cleaver is an irreplaceable device. It can be mechanical or manual. You can buy a similar device in a store, but mechanical devices are expensive, so not everyone can afford it, although they can significantly facilitate the process of preparing firewood.

Before making such an expensive purchase, you need to think about the fact that such designs are not complicated, therefore you can make them yourself. But first, decide whether the cleaver will be mechanical, or it is better to supplement it with an engine. In the latter case, you will have to look for spare parts somewhere, as well as use the services of a turner. It's good if you have such skills yourself.

Varieties of wood splitting devices: ax with an offset center

On sale today you can find a cleaving ax with an offset center. For the Vipukirves Leveraxe model, you will have to pay 16,000 rubles. With the help of the tool, a large amount of firewood can be chopped in a short time. This is possible thanks to the curved foot located at the top of the blade. It clings to the remaining elements of the log and forms a lever. As a result, the tool does not slip after the impact, and the legs remain safe. The design assumes a free grip of the ax.

The handle is made of Finnish birch, which is capable of absorbing shock impulses. In winter, the handle will not freeze, it will not slip in your hands even in rainy weather. Due to the fact that the design of such an ax is unique, the blade does not get stuck in the wood, because the shifted center of gravity instantly takes the ax to one side, so with one blow a section of the log breaks off. The blade is 8 cm thick and weighs 3 kg. The material used is steel, and when folded, the dimensions of the tool are 91 x 23 x 9 cm.

Things to consider before manufacturing

Before performing a cleaver, it is important to think about the fact that they will have to swing not several, but very many times. It follows from this that the weight of the instrument must be appropriate to the physical form of a person. For example, you can find cleavers on sale, the weight of which varies from 2 to 5 kg. However, using a lightweight tool, only small blocks of wood can be split, so the size of the wood must also be taken into account.

The handle of the tool, which is called a hatchet, must be made of wood like elm or maple, in extreme cases it can be birch. After all, inaccurate and strong blows will render the instrument unusable. It is also important to take into account the length of the handle - it should not be too short. If you decide to do it yourself, then it will be more convenient to have two tools. One of them should be a powerful ax with a long handle, while the other is a wedge-shaped classic cleaver. The latter is suitable for fresh chopped wood with high moisture, while the other will cope with dry logs. Different types of wood will behave differently. And if you have two cleavers at hand, you can find an approach to them.

Before making a cleaver with your own hands, you should choose a suitable design. Homemade tools are hydraulic or screw, the latter are also called conical. The most common are homemade screw or factory options. The main part is a coarse-threaded cone, which is driven by an electric motor. The master will only need to move the deck to the cone, as the latter starts to screw into it.

The cone splitter has a corresponding shape, from which the wood is split into 2 pieces. If we are talking about hydraulic cleavers, then they will have a higher performance compared to the above, but they are more difficult to manufacture. The principle of operation will remain the same as in the case of wood. The wood will be pressed through a special form, which splits the element into logs of the required size. The mechanisms of the machine are a hydraulic drive that operates from a gasoline or electric motor. A cone log splitter will be more convenient when compared to a conventional ax. It is easy to make such tools, but you can find ready-made kits for assembling such devices on sale.

Making a screw cleaver

If you are thinking about how to do it, then first you should prepare the following materials and details:

electric motor;
pulleys;
drive belt;
sheet metal:
plate for engine mounting;
shaft with bearings;
working cone;
shaped pipes;
metal corners.

When choosing an electric motor, you need to pay attention to one that has a power of 2 kW. The sheet metal should be 3 mm thick.

Homemade can be made much easier if you can find a low-speed powerful electric motor that will be capable of delivering 500 rpm. In this case, it is not required, and the cone can be put on its shaft.

The number of revolutions of the engine, in principle, can be any, but it is necessary to calculate the pulleys of the belt drive so that the speed is equal to 500 revolutions per minute. On the market, you can buy a ready-made shaft with bearings for an electric cleaver, but pulleys and a threaded cone can be made by contacting a turner.

Method of work

If you decide to make a cleaver with your own hands, then carbon steel will act as a material for the cone, it is better to use the St45 grade. When preparing a thread, it must be borne in mind that it must consist of two starts. The pitch is 7 mm, while the height of the turns is 2 mm.

It will be possible to grind pulleys from ordinary steel grade St3, and the dimensions of the grooves will depend on the selected belt. Experts use a chain drive instead of a belt drive. It is more reliable, but more difficult in the manufacturing process. It is important to choose the size of the stars, which is not very convenient. In order to assemble the cleaver with your own hands, you need to weld the bed by installing a plate for attaching the motor under the tabletop. A shaft with bearings should be located on it. A pulley and a cone are fixed on it. Next, the master will have to put on and tighten the belt. Connecting the motor to the network is carried out in the next step, then you can proceed to testing.

Making a hydraulic cleaver

The hydraulic splitter has a different design from the previous one. As a special feature, the drive and the working part are used, which is used for splitting the material. The bed has a different shape, although it is welded from corners, pipe and sheet metal. The baler works due to the pressure provided by the oil pump. It is necessary to install this element on the same shaft with an electric motor, while the unit can be located separately from the bed, but it must be connected to the cylinder using hoses.

Nuances of work

If you decide to make a hydraulic cleaver, then first you need to find all the parts and take care of making the mold. It is made of metal, and the cruciform shape will act as a base. Its sizes can be selected individually, because there are no clear restrictions. The main condition in this case is that the power of the cylinder is sufficient to split firewood when their size is too large.

The mold must be fixed on the bed, its transverse axis must coincide with the hydraulic cylinder shaft. It is installed along the frame and connected to the pump, and the pipes must be used. Such a mechanical cleaver can be mobile; for this, the wheels must be reinforced to the frame.

Harvesting firewood requires significant effort: they need to be sawn, chopped, folded in to dry. Most of the energy is spent on chopping firewood. A wood splitter can facilitate and speed up the process. They are presented in sufficient quantities, but they cost a lot of money. At the same time, you can make the simplest wood splitter with your own hands from scrap metal - pipes, corners, etc. Everything will take literally several thousand - if there is no metal, you will have to buy it.

Mechanical wood splitters

If the volumes of firewood are small, a mechanical wood splitter can easily handle them. They differ in simplicity of design, the minimum number of complex units, and also in that the costs are minimal, even if there are no suitable pieces of iron on the farm.

Simple do-it-yourself wood splitter: mechanics

The simplest mechanical wood splitter resembles a well crane. The design is one to one, only a cutter and handles are fixed instead of a bucket. The connection of the rack (racks) and the crossbeam can be made the simplest - articulated. Only good lubrication is required.

The principle of operation is probably clear to everyone. The block is placed on a support, the lever is pulled down sharply, due to the force of inertia, the chisel gains significant force and splits the block. The process is repeated until logs of the required thickness are obtained.

It is easy to assemble such a mechanical wood splitter with your own hands, and, literally, from what is - pipes, a corner of any size, you can even use an ax as a cutter. In addition, such a design can be made collapsible so that it can be carried.

There are a lot of cons. Chopping wood requires considerable effort. Moreover, more efforts are made to stop the cleaver's move after the log has fallen apart. The second minus - such a log splitter occupies a solid area, because the longer the lever, the less effort you need to apply. However, even this primitive mechanical device greatly reduces the complexity of the process.

One of the options - the cleaver is welded to a square pipe filled with concrete

In this design, the cleaver must be heavy. Therefore, the blade itself is welded to an all-metal blank. More affordable option - weld to a pipe (round or square) and fill it with concrete. Agree, making such a wood splitter with your own hands is within the power of anyone who knows how to handle

Spring log splitter

There is a modified design of a manual mechanical wood splitter, which, with a smaller size, splits firewood better, requires less effort. In this model, the main working unit is a spring, which is fixed on the bed, and its upper part rests against a stationary crossbar on which the cleaver is fixed.

In this design, the main effort - to hold the cleaver after the log has split - is taken over by the spring. Accordingly, the main thing is to choose the spring and stop so that minimal efforts are applied, but they were sufficient to split even complex, knotty block of wood. The spring support can be made movable. Then you can adjust the parameters for specific conditions. In reality, "readjustment" is required for a specific person. If one person will work with the tool, then everything can be done stationary, choosing the height empirically.

It is equally important to make a movable joint between the frame and the lever, on which the cleaver is fixed. The best option is bearings. They must be of high quality, preferably self-leveling.

The minimum height of a homemade wood splitter is about 800 mm. But then you either have to work while bending over, or set the machine on the table / bed. A more comfortable option that requires minimal effort is made to fit your height. Determine at what height it is convenient for you to stand the log, to this figure you add the height of the block itself, you get the height of the bed. In this case, you will also have to bend over, but only when you set the chock on the stand, and not every time the cleaver is lowered.

You can work with one hand or come up with a clamp for setting logs (safer) Movable joint assembly and spring attachment - several options

To add mobility structures, the frame is welded, on one side of which the wheels are fixed, on the second, stops are welded. Making such a wood splitter with your own hands is somewhat more difficult, but if there is a spring and bearings, this is such a difficult task.

Inertial vertical log splitter

Another easy option for self-made... To make such a wood splitter with your own hands, you need two pipes of a larger and smaller diameter. You will also need a heavy plate - a base, and, in fact, the piercing part - a cutter / cleaver.

The design is one of the simplest, little effort is required. A thick-walled pipe is fixed on a massive platform, or better - a pin. Height - about a meter. This is the leading pipe. A cleaver moves freely along it, which is welded to the rings of a pipe with a slightly larger diameter than the leading pipe. He chops wood in the following way: lift up the cleaver and release it. You can accelerate down a little. Due to the force of gravity, the log splits.

A heavy cleaver is the key to success in this model

But this mechanical wood splitter does not immediately split all block of wood. To increase its effectiveness, a weighting agent can be made on the cleaver. It can be "added" as needed. The second option is to hit the column with a hammer a couple of times. This method is good if the cutter is stuck in the wood. An alternative is to raise it together with the block up and sharply lower it. But it's easier to swing a hammer.

Electric wood splitters

A manual wood splitter, of course, makes it easier to harvest firewood, but it still requires solid physical effort. Not so much as they are spent waving with an ordinary cleaver, but still ... The electric motor helps to make efforts even less. On its basis, wood splitters of various designs are made. But making such a wood splitter with your own hands is more difficult. Here, the device is more complex, and at least minimal knowledge of electrical engineering is required - desirable.

Screw (conical)

One of the most common models is a cone or screw log splitter. The only difference between them is the absence / presence of threads on the piercing element, which in this model is made in the form of a cone.

Churbaks split due to the fact that the cone rotated by the motor cuts into the wood, gradually tearing it apart. In large logs, the edges are first chipped off, then the middle is torn apart.

Taper and thread options

First, the cutting part was turned into a smooth cone. If you use a smooth cone, you have to lean on the block quite hard during work so that the cylinder "bites" into the wood. The process is much easier if a thread is cut on its surface. In this case, the block is somehow screwed onto the screw, and then cracks.

The main thing is to correctly make a threaded cone. If you have a lathe and work experience, you can try to do it yourself. If not, you will have to order. The thread is made different, but the following parameters are recognized as optimal: a step of 7 mm, a depth of 3 mm (minimum - 2 mm). Another important point is that the depth of the seat on the motor gearbox is at least 70 mm.

If there is a threaded cone, making this wood splitter with your own hands will not be difficult.

Electric motor and gearbox

You need an electric motor powerful enough (2 kW or more or 5-9 l / s), but with a low speed: 250-600 rpm. At 250 rpm and below, it splits very slowly, and if the rpm is more than 500, it is dangerous to work, as it can pull the log out of hand.

If you managed to find an engine with such parameters, you can put the made lance (screw) directly on the crankshaft (pictured above). If there are more revolutions, it is necessary to install a reduction gear or make a chain or belt drive to reduce the speed.

The ratio is calculated depending on the engine speed. For example, there is a 900 rpm engine. Having made a 1: 2 gearbox, we get 450 rpm. Just the best option.

Transmissions can be belt or chain. Chains work many times louder, require constant strokes, and it is usually more expensive to carve sprockets with the necessary parameters. Double belt drive is desirable (as in the photo above). In this case, there will be less slippage.

Chain drive is noisier but more reliable "Extension" for the propeller - to keep the work area away from the motor or belts / chains

Where to place the motor

If the design provides for the presence of a transmission, it is better to put the motor at the bottom, and fix the screw itself on the working surface. Choose the height of the working surface for your height so that you do not have to work in an incline.

A safer model. Making such a wood splitter with your own hands will make your life much easier

There is also such a parameter as the height of the screw above the working surface. The gap from the table to the cylinder should be in the region of 8-20 cm. It should not be placed higher - it can turn small-diameter blocks of wood. The optimal distance is 8-12 cm. Even small blocks of wood do not turn.

Hydraulic wood splitter

A hydraulic log splitter is the most powerful, but also the most difficult and expensive to manufacture. In addition to the bed, engine and cutting knives, a hydraulic cylinder with sufficient power is needed. They are not cheap. In addition, an oil tank and a pump are needed.

A hydraulic firewood splitter develops solid efforts, therefore, in its manufacture, metal of considerable thickness is used - 6-10 mm depending on the drive power. The developed effort is quite enough to break the chock into 6-8 logs at a time. Therefore, knives are made in the form of an "asterisk".

When knives are made, they are spaced a few centimeters apart. So that there is only one in the work. For example, first - horizontal, then - vertical, then - right and at the end - left. In this case, reinforce each of the knives by welding reinforcing plates on the back. It is advisable to use hard steel, having previously sharpened it according to the same principle as on cleavers.

Do-it-yourself electric wood splitter. Video

From the video clip you can see how you can easily chop wood without an ax. This is done using a cone that is screwed into the log and splits it. The simplest model of such an electric moon is easy enough to make with your own hands.

It is more difficult for everyone to make a cone in such a device. It, according to a drawing that can be found on the Internet, must be turned on a lathe. In addition, a left-hand stop thread must be cut on the cone.

In the absence of a lathe, you can use a metal grinderby placing it on the pulley of the electric motor. After the grinder begins to rotate freely, the metal should be removed equally from all sides.

In addition to the cone, for the construction you will also need:

drive shaft block;
electrical engine;
metal sheets and corners.

Having made a cone with your own hands, you can start assembling the structure:

The cone splitter is ready. When making it, it is necessary take into account some recommendations:

the chain or belt drive must be equipped with a protective cover;
for greater productivity of the design, the nozzle should rotate at a speed of 250 rpm;
do not connect the nozzle to the engine directly, as it is dangerous due to the large number of revolutions;
it is better to entrust all work related to electricity to a specialist.

In addition, do not forget that safety precautions should be followed when working with an electric wood splitter. Even with one wrong move, injury can be guaranteed.

With mechanical, hydraulic or electric cleaver you don't have to worry about preparing firewood for the winter. With its help, this will be done quite easily. And if you also design a device for chopping wood with your own hands, then a lot of money can be saved in the family budget.

For some, chopping wood is an old Russian pastime. And in many regions of immense Russia, this is a way to survive and not freeze in winter. And in more civilized regions, there are stoves and fireplaces in the country. Buying ready-made firewood - you save time, but not money.

To facilitate this troublesome occupation, the Russian "left-handers" began to make a wood splitter with their own hands. Such devices are sold in stores, but 90% of rural residents with stove heating use homemade gadgets.

Types of tools for splitting logs

Principle of operation - a pusher, driven by a hydraulic drive, feeds the log to the wedge system. A compressor is required for operation. It can be electric or combustion-assembled. The design is efficient and reliable enough, since there are few mechanical parts. Only the hydraulics itself needs maintenance.

It is quite problematic to make it yourself, unless you can get a hydraulic drive from decommissioned agricultural equipment.

The video shows an example of the work of a homemade wood splitter. As you can see from the video, there is nothing super complicated about its design. The main hydraulic cylinder from the auger of the combine harvester stroke is 50 cm.

The pusher is driven by a pair of "gear-rack", the mechanism is clear from the illustration. The drive can be electric or gasoline. The torque from the shaft of the electric motor is multiplied by a reducer.

With the help of a lever, the rack is pressed against the rotating traction gear, feeding the pusher onto the log. Then the spring returns the mechanism to its original position. Such a wood splitter is not as powerful as a hydraulic one.

However, for home use, it is quite suitable. The cost of the device is quite affordable. The disadvantage is that the working gear wears out quickly and the pair needs to be replaced.
Such a device can be made by hand.

In this video clip, a homemade belt-driven rack and pinion splitter is presented. Nothing fancy, a simple and effective design, productivity, which is higher than that of a hydraulic log splitter.

Screw (conical) wood splitter

The most popular design of this device. Available in a variety of sizes and price ranges. The principle of operation is simple - the log is fed onto a rotating cone made in the form of an Archimedean gimbal.

The cone is screwed into the workpiece and, thanks to the wedge-shaped shape, splits it. The simplicity of the design allows you to make such devices yourself.

IMPORTANT! The rotational speed of the shaft with the gimbal should not exceed 500 rpm. Otherwise, the device becomes injurious.

Many do-it-yourselfers neglect the gearbox and push the cone directly onto the motor shaft. In this design, you have to add a device to hold the log, or put it vertically.

It is better to make the reducer gear, since the force on the axle is large, and the pulley can slip. Therefore, double reinforcement is made in the belt drive.

How to make a wood splitter with your own hands, and which design is more practical

It has a simple design, so we just give the drawings and consider the structural elements:

The engine must be secured firmly, since the force on the shaft is serious, especially when the cone wedges;
The reducer is made at the rate of 200-300 rpm;
The shaft of the cone gimbal is mounted on powerful bearings;
It is advisable to install an additional wedge under the gimbal. It will assist in splitting and fix the log from turning.

Making a rack and pinion wood splitter with your own hands is much more difficult. However, this design allows you to work with more complex and large pieces of wood. In addition, the quality of cutting the log is higher.

The bed is welded from a channel with a thickness of at least 4 mm. Special attention is paid to the cleaver mounting The main effort is applied to it, so it makes sense to weld it permanently. To sharpen the cutting plane, you can use a "grinder" with an emery wheel.

The knife itself is made from the remains of agricultural machinery using the same angle grinder.

A pair of rack-and-pinion gears was used from a broken steering gear from some decommissioned truck. Several teeth are worn down, so with great effort the rack sometimes slips. The eccentric lever mechanism is welded from steel sheet 3 mm.

Electric motor from a Soviet-made ventilation system, 2 kW. A set of pulleys, together with a belt, removed from a rusting harvester from the virgin lands.

The pusher simply slides along the channel. No lubricant is used as it will clog up immediately with sawdust.

The return springs can be taken from anything, for example, those that were previously used as a door closer.

The cost of such a design tends to zero, especially if you use components from old junk or from decommissioned equipment.

Video how to make a screw log splitter with your own hands

Part one

The process of making the working part of a screw wood splitter from scrap metal with your own hands.
From this video you will learn all the dimensions of the shaft taken from the hydraulic cylinder. Sizes of auxiliary bushings and flanges, as well as how to save on the manufacture of keyed connections. How to make your own pulley, bearing housing and the main working part - "carrot".

Part two

From the second part of this video, you will understand how to make a frame for a wood splitter with your own hands, how to fix the working part on the frame. You will learn the manufacturing features and dimensions of the base for the wood splitter, as well as the engine power and the method of torque transmission.

Winter is close, which means that you need to start thinking about firewood now. Let's leave the option of manual labor in the last century and turn our eyes towards the hydraulic (and not only!) Wood splitter. This device will be a great help if you need to chop a dozen cubes of firewood. We will also consider 4 schematic diagrams of homemade wood splitters.

Briefly about the device of the wood splitter and the principle of its operation

The basic elements of a standard hydraulic log splitter are a frame with an attached knife, a hydraulic piston and a drive. The knife plays the role of the point of the same cleaver, which has to be waved in the absence of the equipment considered here. The necessary force is created by the operation of the engine in conjunction with a hydraulic piston, which pushes the workpiece onto the knife. Everything is quite prosaic and looks something like the video below.

The vast majority of factory products work according to this principle. When studying the information, you may come across the so-called screw (conical, carrot, etc. names) cleavers. They have gained great popularity due to their simple device and the possibility of making them by hand. We will talk in detail about the design features of such log splitters in the last part of the article.

How to choose a hydraulic log splitter

The main characteristics of modern wood splitters and their description are presented in a small table below.

Selection criterion	Varieties and capabilities of devices
Construction type	The most popular devices are hydraulic wood splitters, the force in which is created by a motor and a hydraulic piston, due to which the workpiece is pressed against the knife. The screw splitter (carrot wood splitter) is another common solution due to the fact that it can be made by hand. The axis of the drive drives a screw cone in rotation, which, when the workpiece is fed, is literally screwed into it and breaks the layers of wood. The rack-and-pinion splitter is simple to use, but rather dangerous to use. In such a cleaver, the workpiece is pushed due to the force transmitted to the rack from the rotating gear.If all of the above options are equipped with a drive, then the inertial or spring wood splitter already requires some manual force. With a large shoulder and spring, it modernizes the approach to traditional splitting.
Drive unit	Devices based on electric motors (220 V / 380 V) and gasoline engines are used. The choice is determined solely by the convenience and working conditions.
Maximum splitting force	Determines the magnitude of the force of the piston pressure on the workpiece - typical for hydraulic and rack and pinion splitter. In private, it is sufficient to use models with a force of 4 to 6 tons. More powerful models are suitable for working with long logs and on an industrial scale.
Working position	Determines the position of the workpiece axis during operation. There are cleavers with horizontal, vertical and combined positions. The first option is the most common for private use and is used in most hydraulic and rack structures for convenience and safety.
Sizes of logs	The length of the logs when using hydraulic splitter is limited by the piston stroke and the maximum splitting force. Usually this value is limited to 0.52 m. The thickness of the workpieces can vary from 0.25 to 0.5 m depending on the splitter model. In rack and pinion solutions, the length of the log is determined by the dimensions of the rack and, again, by the force generated. The use of screw wood splitters allows the use of larger diameter chocks - up to 0.7 m, but this increases the complexity of the work.
Options	Height adjustment. This option has a positive effect on the convenience of work, but at the same time increases the cost of the product, its absence can be compensated homemade stand. Wheels, preferably large. Provide convenience during transportation. Safety system, usually a two-lever type, in which the operator must simultaneously use two hands on the console, is an integral part of all modern factory products.

Of course, the speed of his work can also be considered as a parameter when choosing an assistant in the wood-splitting business, but it is believed that even the minimum values \u200b\u200bare more than enough.

About homemade products

When familiarizing with the factory products, some might have a completely natural thought: "Why not save money and do something like that yourself?" In the presence of the right hands and a bright head, everything is possible. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most interesting wood splitter schemes that you can really do with your own hands.

It is an evolutionary step in the development of classic cleavers. The use of a spring log splitter requires the use of muscular strength, but to a lesser extent due to the spring mechanism, large shoulder and additional weight. On the diagram, it looks like this.

The construction of such a homemade product includes a metal tube or profile (this will be our strength-enhancing shoulder with a blade at the end), a metal support and a pivot joint between them. Spring type return mechanism, old shock absorber can be used. The video below shows an example of working with such a mechanism.

"Carrot"

A mechanism with such an uncomplicated name also does not require the use of high-tech parts. To manufacture it, you need a drive, a simple gearbox with a belt drive, a pair of bearings, a shaft, a threaded cone and a table-frame. A drive with a power of more than 2 kW, at least from an old washing machine, is not a problem to find. Paradoxically, the most difficult part of the system is the cone. You need to either buy it ready-made, or order it from an experienced familiar milling machine operator. The screw splitter diagram is shown in the figure below.

The chocks are split by screwing in the cone, which literally breaks the wood fibers. The main thing is not to make money feeding logs - this is a rather unsafe construction, and a carrot can just as successfully screw the sleeve of your clothes. How it works is in the next video.

Rack construction

For all its effectiveness, the rack and pinion splitter is a controversial decision. And first of all it concerns security. It is necessary to carefully calculate the speed of rotation of the gear, the force from which is transmitted to the rack. As a rule, splitting with such a wood splitter is very quick. Pressing the rack against the gear by pressing the handle, the operator sets it in motion. Releasing the handle, contact with the gear is reduced due to the spring, the return mechanism is triggered and the rack returns to its original position. The rail must be placed on a carriage that will move along the bed. Actually, it is necessary to fix the pusher plate on it. Schematically, it looks like this.

It turns out that the maximum attention should be paid to the frame, i.e. its stability, as well as the quality of the reiki - it will not be possible to carve one without special skills. For the rest, at least some experience in welding and using electric drives will help. The end result may look like this artisan from the video.

Hydraulic cleaver

In our opinion, this is the most technically difficult solution, it is also the most secure. Armed with Pascal's law, hydraulic cylinder, drive, pump and oil tank, with the help of an experienced hydraulics, you can create a system that develops a force of 5 tons and more. Schematically, the device of such a product is as follows.

The person from the video could do it, can you do it too?

Instead of a conclusion

If you do not have the necessary materials and parts for the construction of a wood splitter, then think several times whether it is worth purchasing them and wasting your precious time on “inventing the bicycle”. Indeed, for a fairly adequate amount, you can immediately purchase a finished factory product, safe and with a guarantee!

Reading time ≈ 11 minutes

Many families, even in the 21st century, have to heat their homes with firewood in solid fuel boilers or hobs, and their preparation is a rather laborious process. But to make your life easier, you can buy or make a homemade mechanical wood splitter with your own hands. Considering the fact that the first option will require considerable financial costs, we will focus on the second and consider several options.

Working with a mechanical wood splitter

What kind of wood splitter can you make yourself

Mechanical wood splitter

All wood splitters can be divided into at least two main types, but they still have subspecies. This whole classification of mechanisms is associated with the type of drive.

The wood splitter can be mechanical, divided into:

device with simple mechanics;
with spring drive;
inertial vertical mechanism.

To facilitate work, an electric drive can be installed on it and at the same time it will be:

cone or screw log splitter;
with one electric motor or complete with a gearbox;
there are also hydraulic wood splitters and although they are the most complex in design, they still take place when harvesting firewood.

Mechanical devices

The easiest way is to make a homemade mechanical wood splitter with your own hands, since the device of all its subspecies is as simple as possible and does not require large costs, even if there are no suitable parts on the farm. But such a device has the greatest efficiency only with small needs for firewood, for example, for heating a country house or summer cottage.

Device with simple mechanics

The simplest mechanical device

Such a simple mechanism as in the photo above is the easiest to assemble, and all the constituent materials are most likely to be found in household... It can be a round or profile pipe, a metal corner, besides, if there is a shortage of length, you can weld different profiles into one piece. An ax or a cleaver is perfect as a cutter - they will always be found in any house with stove heating. The device can be collapsible and can be easily carried from place to place.

The assembly method here is extremely simple: the rod with a cutter is installed on a vertical rail with a sole in the form of a frame made of any metal profile, but so that it moves freely. For this, even bearings are not necessary - the movable unit can consist of two welded ears (with holes) on the rack and a metal pin, which simultaneously serves as a shaft for rotating the arm with a cleaver and an attachment.

The problem here is that such a wood splitter has many negative qualities. Firstly, the handle on which the cutter (cleaver or ax) is fixed should be as long as possible in order to spend less effort when chopping firewood, therefore, the device will require a lot of space. Secondly, even with a long handle, you will have to make a lot of effort. But, be that as it may, even such a primitive mechanics will significantly reduce the labor intensity of the procurement process.

Note. To make the handle shorter, you can weld the cutter to a thick round or shaped pipe and then pour concrete over it. But the problem is that such a design will be heavy (the handle itself) and it will not make your work much easier.

Mechanical spring device

Spring log splitter

With a slight refinement of the mechanics, you can make a spring wood splitter, which will require significantly less human muscular load. In fact, the principle of assembly will not change here and all the same mechanics will remain, except that you have to weld a shelf on the rack to hold the spring. The spring must be made of tool steel so that it does not deform when compressed.

If we consider that the shoulder becomes heavy, then it is not difficult to strike a block of wood - much more effort has to be made after the deck is split, since there will be recoil from the spring. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the choice of the spring here - to make it easier to lower the lever down and easier to hold during recoil. In addition, you need to take into account the physical strength of the person who will chop wood, as well as the length and knotty of the log.

Note. It is best to use bearings for the articulation of the arm with the rack - this will greatly facilitate the work.

Schematic diagram of the spring device

In the diagram above, you see the principle of operation of a spring-loaded mechanical wood splitter. Now let's talk about the most optimal size for such a device. The minimum height of such a device should be at least 80 cm, but if the person who will use it is tall, then 80 cm will not be enough. The distance from the rack to the cleaver should be about 100-150 cm, and this is not counting the width of the cutter itself and the handle, that is, this is the length of the shoulder. To facilitate the work on the cleaver, a metal blank or a pipe with concrete poured into it is welded in, so that the result is 10-20 kg. An add-on for the mass of a blank can become a cleaver if you make it yourself from a large sledgehammer.

Council. To make the spring log splitter easier to move from place to place, an axle with wheels can be welded on one side of the support frame, and on the other - stands for stop and frame alignment.

Video: using a spring wood splitter

Inertial vertical mechanism

Inertial vertical log splitter

Very simple option you can also call an inertial vertical log splitter, which is quite easy to make with your own hands. For the manufacture of such a device, two pipes will be needed, where the outer diameter of one is about a millimeter less than the inner diameter (DN, DN) of the other. As a base, you can use a thick sheet of steel (10-12 mm) or weld a frame from a metal profile (tubular). And the most basic element, of course, is a cutter made from an ax, a cleaver, or turned from tool steel.

Simplified sketch of an inertial cleaver

Now let's figure out how to make such a device and how it works. First of all, a rack and pinion guide is welded to the bed or frame in a vertical position about a meter high. To do this, you can use a round or profile pipe, the main thing is to fix it well from below and for this it is best to use stiffening ribs on four sides. Then the cleaver is welded to a tubular profile of a slightly larger section so that the cutter can be freely put on the riser, as shown in the drawing.

To split the deck, the cutter is simply lifted on a riser, and by the force of its gravity it falls on the block. But the log does not always split the first time - it depends on the density of the wood, the length of the block, knotty, and so on. In such cases, the cleaver is hit on the butt with a log or even a small sledgehammer. You can, of course, raise the piece of wood together with the cutter and lower it again, but the first option is easier physically.

Devices with electric drive

The installation of an electric drive on the wood splitter will further facilitate the work of preparing firewood. But in this case, making the instrument will turn out to be more complicated and school knowledge about electricity will not be enough. The fact is that for such devices, it is best to connect the motor through a starter, and also provide a control panel so that it can be turned off at any time - this is consistent with the safety instructions and common sense in particular.

Cone or screw log splitter

Homemade cone log splitter

Of course, making a homemade mechanical wood splitter with your own hands is much easier, but if you add an electric drive to it ... but do not rush to conclusions. Such devices are an electric motor with a smooth or helical cone at the edge of the shaft - this is their only difference. Here, the deck splits not due to the impact, but due to the fact that the cone rotated by the engine sticks into it. You can start splitting around the edges (for large logs) or from the center.

Taper and thread

Screw cone drawing with dimensions in mm

As you probably already guessed, a screw cone, as in the drawing and below, is much easier to work with than a smooth one, since in the latter case much more effort is expended on pressing. If there is a thread on the cone, then the wood is twisted and pricked on it, even when there is a lot of knots, and you hardly have to exert any effort. But, nevertheless, the principles of operation of a cone wood splitter of any type are exactly the same.

Screw cone nozzles of different diameters

To make a good machine, it is very important to properly carve the cone and cut the threads on it. If you have a lathe at home with experience working on it, then you can make this part yourself, but if you do not have this, you will have to order it from a turner. The thread can be different, especially if the person cutting it has no experience in working with such wood splitters. But there are those who have this experience and they claim:

the minimum landing depth on the gearbox is 70 mm;
step - 7 mm;
thread depth - 2-3 mm.