How to make a wood splitter with your own hands drawings. Screw wood splitter: types, pros and cons, DIY making

Many owners of private houses heated by stoves and solid fuel boilers use wood splitters to prepare firewood for the winter. Not everyone can purchase industrial units due to their high cost. To make a wood splitter with your own hands, it is enough to have its diagram on hand and follow the sequence of the work performed.

What it is

Equipment designed to split a piece of wood into logs is called a wood splitter.

For professional harvesting in industrial volumes, wood splitting machines are produced. These complexes are capable of trimming a log into pieces of the required length and chopping them into logs. Finished products are removed from the working area by a conveyor.

Wood splitting machines are used in sawmills to split logs into logs of the required size

A household wood splitter is intended only for splitting chocks into logs, but the log must first be cut into pieces. The performance and operating time of this equipment are limited. With the help of household firewood cutters in the private sector, they prepare firewood for a bath, fireplace and for the winter.

Split logs can be used as fuel for a boiler, fireplace or stove

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The devices are produced with vertical and horizontal workpiece arrangements. In the first version, the workpiece is placed on the bed and the cleaver is lowered from above. The advantage of vertical wood splitters is that you can put curved chocks on the bed, but you have to hold them with your hands, strictly observing safety precautions. In the second type of wood splitter, the workpiece is placed in a horizontal chute and moved to the knife. These devices are more practical and safer than vertical ones, but take up more space.

By the type of energy used, cleavers are divided into:

Kinetic (manual);
Mechanical.

The first type of cleavers works by using human strength and does not require additional technical means. These products are the most economical and most popular due to their low cost and ease of manufacture.

Crowbar cleaver

It is a long metal rod with a pointed cone on one side and a handle on the other. The cleaver is raised by hands and forcefully lowered by a cone onto a log. Productivity is low and work is physically demanding.

The splitting log splitter is excellent for heavy and thick softwood logs

Cylindrical manual

Compact and easy to carry. Used for preparing a small amount of firewood (for a fireplace or a bath). A frame with an upward blade is fixed on the stand. The workpiece, placed inside the frame, is hit with a sledgehammer. The blade splits the chock into logs.

For a private house, one of the simplest and safest options is a cylindrical manual log splitter

Spring loaded

The most widespread and efficient among kinetic devices. The workpiece is split by the working part, fixed on the beam and with a shock-absorbing spring. Requires little effort.

Mechanical wood splitters are distinguished according to the type of work:

Hydraulic;
Conical (screw);
Rack and pinion.

In a spring wood splitter, the main force is taken by the spring

Hydraulic

The advantages are smooth running and high load on the workpiece.

Despite the creation of a large working force, the hydraulic log splitter does not have a high working speed.

Energy from an electric or gasoline engine is transmitted to a hydraulic cylinder. The working fluid enters the rod, which moves the stop with the workpiece to the stationary fixed knife. The force generated by the hydraulic cylinder can be up to 10 tons. The stroke and direction of movement are controlled by a valve. It also protects the mechanism from breakage if its power is not enough to split the chocks.

Screw

The principle of operation is based on screwing a cone-shaped working element into the workpiece and splitting it into 2 or more parts. Screw devices are produced in 3 versions, with a difference in the methods of transferring energy from the engine to the working cone. The cone is fixed directly or through a flywheel on the shaft of a low-speed electric motor (up to 5 kW, 400-500 rpm).

The cone-shaped cleaver is most commonly used in gasoline and electric models.

From the motor, the torque is transmitted to the cone using a belt or chain drive. Pulleys are selected so that the cone speed does not exceed 300-400 rpm. Sometimes the motor transfers energy to the cone through a geared motor. This design is relatively complex and is mainly used in industrial wood splitting machines or folk craftsmen.

For efficient operation, the drive power must be at least 1.5 kW

Rack

The operation of the device is based on the method of operation of a rack and pinion gear. The movable gear rack is operated by a gear attached to the lower belt pulley connected to the engine. The pinion and rack are in contact with the control stick. The toothed rack moves along guides installed on a reinforced frame, and on the other end of which there is a cleaver. The reverse travel of the rack is carried out by a return spring. Rack wood splitters are distinguished by their reliability, economy and excellent performance in work.

The cleaver in the structure of the rack and pinion splitter is attached to the rack, which moves due to the gear transmission

By the type of traction, wood splitters can be divided into:

Electrical. Power is supplied by an electric motor. These devices are low maintenance and easy to operate. Indoor installation is possible. The downside is low mobility due to attachment to the source of electricity
Gasoline-powered wood splitters are more powerful and more productive. They are used both in everyday life and in industrial blanks.
Tractor-driven wood splitters. The working cylinder of the device is connected to the transport hydraulic system, which significantly increases the speed and working life of the wood splitter. These models are used when it is necessary to procure a large amount of firewood in forestry or on a farm.
Combined traction. It is used on industrial wood splitting machines and is of two types: tractor hydraulic drive and electric motor, tractor hydraulic drive and gasoline engine.

To solve everyday problems, manual and electric wood splitters are most often used, less often gasoline ones.

Factory models are much more efficient and presentable.

Before buying or making any wood splitter, you must pay attention to the following technical characteristics:

The splitting power of the hydraulic device should be between 3-7 tons.
The acceptable rotation speed of the working cone of the screw wood splitter is 400-600 rpm.
The working length (distance between piston and knife) indicates the maximum longitudinal dimension of the workpiece to be split. In household wood splitters it is 0.5-0.6 m, in industrial - 0.5-1 m.
The piston travel stop increases productivity and saves resources when machining short workpieces.
The optimal speed of the piston when moving forward (working) is 4 cm / sec, backward - 7.5 cm / sec.
Engine power in hydraulic wood splitters is 1500-2300 W, in screw - 3000-4000 W.
Dimensions and mobility of the device.

Making a wood splitter with your own hands

The purchase of a factory wood splitter is not always economically justified, especially since some types of this mechanism can be assembled with your own hands from simple materials.

Spring loaded

To create it, you will need the following material:

Channel;
I-beam;
Pipes or corner for frame and stiffening ribs;
Metal corner;
Square tube;
Automotive spring;
A piece of pipe with a diameter slightly smaller than that of a spring;
Hinge knot;
Cleaver;
Weighting agent (a piece of rail or channel with a thick shelf).

For a stationary wood splitter, you can pour a concrete base by inserting a rack into it. In this version, you do not need to make a frame. All parts of the wood splitter, except for the hinge, are connected using electric welding. Cut off the pieces of the channel for the bed and the I-beam for the base. The length of the support is 0.6-1 m. The height of the base is selected individually. The support is connected to the bed, strictly maintaining an angle of 90 °. For the stability of the structure, pipes are horizontally welded to the ends of the bed. The connection between the bed and the base is reinforced with spacers.

To increase the stability of the structure, it is necessary to install spacers

A piece of channel 40-50 cm long serves as a platform for the spring. On one side of it, a hole is cut out with a grinder to connect to the base. A spring guide is welded to the other edge. To determine the place of attachment of the platform, it is necessary to subtract the length of the spring from the height of the support. The platform must also be reinforced with spacers from the corner.

In order to determine the place of attachment of the platform, it is necessary to subtract the length of the spring from the height of the support

In the upper part of the base, a seat with a depth of 8-10 cm is cut out for the outer element of the hinge assembly. Then a channel for the cleaver is prepared. To do this, on one side of the channel with a length of 0.5-0.7 m, at a distance of 10-15 cm from the edge, cut a rectangular hole of such length that the base beam does not interfere with the course of the channel that is put on it. In the center of the hole, the inner rod of the hinge assembly is welded. On the second edge of the channel, a spring seat is attached.

The beam will move with hinges

The distance from the base to the lower and upper spring cups must be the same.

A cleaver is welded to one side of the metal square from below at an angle of 90 °, and a weighting agent is welded on top. The second side is connected to the channel for the cleaver so that the total length of the obtained arm is 1-1.5 m. The assembled structure is put on the base so that the outer hinge elements fall into the seat on the beam, fixing them by welding. A spring is put on the landing cups. For ease of use, a handle is attached near the cleaver.

A rail welded above the cleaver will act as a weighting agent

To make the device mobile, 2 wheels are attached to the frame from the base side.

Video: how to make a spring log splitter

Conical or screw

The main active part of this wood splitter is a threaded cone, which splits the tree by screwing into its structure like a self-tapping screw ("carrot").

The splitter of a wood splitter is a cone-shaped element, also known as a "carrot"

In order to make this mechanism it is necessary:

Make a cone according to the drawing from a ST-45 cylinder with a diameter of 55 mm and a length of 14.5 cm at an angle of 30 °.
On a turning machine, apply a stop thread to the cylinder with a pitch of 6-7 mm and a depth of 2 mm.
The finished cone is put on the shaft and secured with a pin.
On the opposite side of the shaft, fit 1 or 2 bearings and weld the flange (a sprocket for a chain or a pulley for a belt).
Supports are welded to the bearings to fix the mechanism to the table.
A spacer is placed between the shaft and the motor to tension the belt or chain.
The conical structure with an electric motor using the legs is fixed on a table of solid solid wood with metal legs.
The cone is fixed at a height of 10-15 cm from the table surface.
The motor, belt or chain is covered with a metal cover for safety reasons.

During operation, the cone slowly cuts into the log and breaks it into several pieces

If it is problematic to make a cone yourself, then it should be purchased in a specialized store.

The direction of the thread does not matter, but when cutting a right-hand thread, there is a chance of ruining the taper.

Video: how to make a "carrot" in the garage

Rack

First you need to decide on the drawing according to which the unit is manufactured. The desired performance, the type of wood and the installation location must be taken into account. Based on these data, the engine power and the parameters of the rack and pinion mechanism are calculated.

The basis of the rack and pinion splitter is a strong steel frame, to which the drive and frame are attached

The mobile frame is made of a shaped tube and a corner. For a stationary wood splitter, the frame can be made of heavier channel and I-beams.
When welding the frame, vertical and horizontal lines must be strictly observed, which will further affect performance and safety.
The structure must be stable, the wheels on the frame must be securely fixed and fixed for the duration of the work.
The length of the staff should be 1.5 times the distance to the cleaver.
The log feed speed is selected individually and regulated by the selection of a decreasing number of pulleys.

The horizontal, trough-shaped stacking mechanism ensures optimal movement of the workpiece to the splitter.

Video: homemade rack and pinion inertial wood splitter

Hydraulic wood splitter from jack

The simplest hydraulic wood splitter is made according to the following scheme:

A vertical frame with a base for a car jack is welded from the channel. The height of the frame depends on the length of the pieces to be split.
In the center of the upper frame bar, a tapered wedge is installed on a screw drive. For this, the required thread is cut in the hole on the frame.
The workpiece installed on the jack rod is first fixed from above with a wedge using a screw. Then, using a jack, the chock is strung on a wedge and split into logs.

A car jack is suitable for making a hydraulic wood splitter.

There is no universal technology for creating a hydraulic wood splitter. It all depends on the available hydraulic system, which consists of:

Hydraulic cylinder with pusher;
Hydraulic pump;
Working fluid flow distributor;
Oil tank;
Electric or gasoline engine.

The frame is constructed from a metal channel, I-beam, angle and profile pipe. For mobility, it is recommended to place it on a finished chassis or wheelset.

An example for the hand-made creation of this unit can serve as factory models or piece copies of craftsmen, photos and videos of which are published on the Internet.

An example of a horizontal design of a hydraulic wood splitter with an oil tank

Video: a hydraulic device from available tools

Safety engineering

For safe work with a homemade device, the following rules must be observed:

The process of harvesting wood must be carried out in closed clothing, gloves and goggles so as not to be injured by chips flying off the workpiece.
The workpiece must be firmly located in the chute and not displaced when moving.
When the piston moves, it is forbidden to reach out to the knives and correct the shifted workpiece.
Any manipulations with the workpiece are performed after turning off the unit and completely stopping all of its components.
Work on the repair or replacement of the wood splitter units is carried out by disconnecting the electric motor from the mains supply.

Wood splitters make it much easier to harvest large amounts of firewood, saving time and effort. However, there is no need to purchase sophisticated expensive equipment to provide a fireplace or bath with wood. It is much more pleasant and healthier to use a regular ax.

Before the start of the heating season, the owners of wood stoves and solid fuel boilers stock up on firewood. It is not a big problem to buy or prepare logs in the forest, and then bring them to your own backyard. And cutting the round timber into chocks using a chainsaw or circular saw will not be difficult. Many hours of exhausting work creeps up in the form of a heavy cleaver, wedges and a hammer, with which the blockheads are split into logs.

Such an unproductive and time-consuming method simply could not be ignored by craftsmen trying to mechanize this work. One of the devices with which you can easily and quickly chop wood is a cone wood splitter. Given its simple design and the ability to use improvised materials in the work, we suggest making a mechanical screw cleaver with your own hands. In addition, everything that is required for this can be purchased from the online store of accessories for screw wood splitter at the prices of the manufacturer's factory. The catalog contains cones of different diameters, fasteners and ready-made kits, which you just need to attach to a walk-behind tractor or engine.

Screw cleaver - what is it?

The simple construction of a cone wood splitter is very effective when you need to chop a few cubic meters of firewood

You can chop wood, without making great efforts, using a screw splitter. To understand how this device works, it is enough to remember how, in the process of unsuccessfully screwing a screw into a wooden strip or strip, these objects split at the place of physical impact. It is easy to deal with this phenomenon - it is enough to pre-drill a hole for a self-tapping screw, and it will go like clockwork. The principle of splitting wood when screwing in a screw was used by home craftsmen in the construction in question. But a simple screw does not push the fibers apart enough, so it was modified by significantly increasing the taper and reducing the ratio of thread depth to tool diameter. As a result, a screw was obtained, which is a symbiosis of a wedge and a self-tapping screw. The device can easily be screwed into the wood thanks to the threaded part and breaks it along the fibers due to the multiple increase in the diameter of the tool.

Screw wood splitter diagram

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

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

In other schemes of screw cleavers, electric motors of any type are used, and a decrease in rotation speed is achieved through the use of mechanical gearboxes, belt and chain drives. In this case, a pulley (sprocket) of small diameter is installed on the shaft of the power unit, and a large diameter is installed on the shaft of the wood splitting cone. The ratios of their sizes are selected so as to reduce the rotational speed of the electric motor to an acceptable 300 - 500 rpm. Sometimes, when using high-speed motors, this cannot be achieved without a significant increase in the diameter of the driven sprocket (pulley). In this case, install an intermediate shaft and a double (step) gear.

It is possible to simplify the design of a mechanical splitter while maintaining high productivity by installing an electric motor with a gear

All structural parts are mounted on a solid bed, which is equipped with a folding table for ease of operation.

The advantages of cone wood splitters include:

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

Unfortunately, the simple and reliable design of the screw splitter is not without its drawbacks. A huge disadvantage of a conical wood splitter is that wood with intertwining fibers is an insurmountable obstacle for its gimbal, so basal and especially knotty logs will have to be cut in a different way. The second disadvantage is the incomplete division of the chocks into logs. Often, you have to manually finish cutting a large block of wood into two separate parts, and not everyone can do that. I would also like to note the impossibility of making a wood splitter cone without using a lathe. Of course, this can be brought to the disadvantages only partially, since there are many proposals on the network both for the manufacture and sale of screws of any size.

Cone Log Splitter Requirements

The design of the screw splitter must ensure not only high reliability and productivity, but also safety during operation. Therefore, when choosing a unit diagram and manufacturing it, it is important to adhere to the requirements for equipment of this type and the recommendations of the masters who have tested the machine in practice.

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

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

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

To obtain a mobile design, an internal combustion engine is used in the drive of the machine.

What is needed for manufacturing

Making a "woodcutter" does not require the use of scarce parts, so most of the components and blanks can be found at home or in the garages of friends and acquaintances. Here's what you need in the process:

cone (the screw can be turned on your own or purchased on the construction market);
shaft (when making a threaded wedge yourself, you can use a suitable hub from agricultural machinery);
pulleys or sprockets;
drive belt or chain from automotive or motorcycle equipment;
bearings with housings (an excellent option are car cardan shaft supports);
steel profile pipes or corners for the bed;
metal sheet with a thickness of at least 4 mm for the desktop;
electric motor;
wiring;
switch or magnetic starter;
bolts and nuts M8 or M10.

Most parts can be used from old automotive or agricultural machinery... The only thing that can be difficult is the manufacture of a cone screw. Nevertheless, you should not even try to cut this part with a grinder, as some "authoritative" sources advise. The time spent is not worth the resulting misunderstanding, which can only be indirectly called a screw. Moreover, in work, this "carrot" does not even come close to the efficiency that a cone made by a turning method will give.

The main units of the cone wood splitter

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

In the manufacture of the machine, you will need tools that any "handy" owner will have:

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

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

Preparatory work: approximate dimensions and drawings

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

Log splitting machine layout

The most important stage in the process of creating a mechanical cleaver is the manufacture of a wedge, so we will dwell on this in more detail.

The best material for the cone is tool steel, but not every turner will undertake to make a part from it - the metal has increased hardness and requires special handling. Most likely, the screw will be made of the most popular grade of structural steel - St 45. In this case, it is better to harden its threaded part by any available method - hardening, nitriding or carburizing.

Long-term and efficient operation of the cone is ensured only if it is properly manufactured. When placing an order to a turner, be sure to specify that you need a screw with a taper of 1: 2 and a thrust double-start thread with a pitch of 5 - 6 mm. Conventional metric threads will not work due to rapid wear. In addition, standard screw threads are much less likely to fit into wood.

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

Table for calculating the dimensions of the cone

The approximate dimensions of the bed depend on the size of the operator and can be:

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

Most often, a circuit with a lower location of the electric motor is used. This will protect its rotating parts from chips and chips. If an internal combustion engine is used as a power unit, then it is installed on the same level with the wedge. This arrangement is more convenient both during start-up and during operation, when it is required to adjust the rotation speed of the wedge, fill the tank with fuel, etc.

The cone mounted on the circular saw frame eliminates the need to make another metal work table, makes the design versatile and saves space when storing equipment under a shed or in a shed.

In the process of designing a cone wood splitter, a method of tensioning a chain or a belt must be provided - with the help of an additional sprocket or roller, a slide, etc. It will also be useful to have a protective casing installed on a chain or belt drive. It can be bent from sheet metal and fixed to the bed with screws.

Notice how the flexible transmission protection is cleverly designed

Step-by-step assembly instructions

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

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

Procurement of fuel for heating a house in winter is an important and responsible event. A lot of energy is taken away during the manual chopping of firewood. To speed up and facilitate the process, the owners often mechanize the operations as much as possible. In particular, you can make a wood splitter for home use with your own hands. The purchase of such a device will require significant financial costs, and a home-made wood splitter will be cheaper and will be optimized for specific conditions of use.

High-quality combustion of logs in a solid fuel stove depends not only on the type of wood, but also on the physical parameters of the logs, which include:

workpiece length;
diameter of the log;
the form.

Excessively thick workpieces will take a long time to flare up and may not even completely burn out. Too small and thin firewood will quickly burn out, not giving enough heat to the room. In such a situation, the assembled wood splitter will help out with his own hands, drawings, a photo, instructions for which are prepared in advance.

Equipment classification

Before making a hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands or in a garage environment to assemble a mechanical wood splitter with your own hands, it is worth deciding on the type of end device. Each design has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, such a device for splitting wood will be more profitable financially than purchased from a hardware store.

By the type of installation of the workpiece, the equipment is divided into two groups:

Horizontal type. The log is laid horizontally on the bed and moves along its axis towards the working tool. A ready-made homemade device can be designed with a reverse action, when the cutting part itself is embedded in a stationary fixed log.
Vertical type. The cutting part enters the workpiece vertically. This positioning requires fixing the log. In some cases, this is done by hand or with special devices.

Combined type. It is quite rare in self-made schemes. It is in demand in industrial conditions at woodworking enterprises.
Choosing a way to make a wood splitter with your own hands, you need to select the type of drive for the equipment:
Due to the work of gasoline or diesel vehicles. Such options are the most common of all self-contained homemade products. They are highly efficient and, due to their mobility, can be used as close to the source of raw materials as possible.
A mechanical wood splitter is a fairly reliable equipment and is used in the case of a relatively small amount of work. A homemade mechanical unit requires a small amount of materials, which is its advantage over other types of structures.

A manual do-it-yourself wood splitter on an electric traction is stationary. However, with a similar design scheme, the user will receive a less powerful device.

The key element in the design of any unit, including a hand-made hydraulic wood splitter, is the shape of the cleaver - the working part of the machine. The cleaver comes in the following forms:

Wedge shape. The wedge cuts at high speed between the wood fibers and splits the workpiece in two.

Cruciform shape. It takes a lot of effort to operate the apparatus to enter between the fibers and divide the workpiece into four or more parts.
Helical (conical) shape. The working part with a cut screw profile on a cone is screwed between the fibers and thus splits the workpiece.

Varieties of devices

Before starting work, it is advisable to decide on the type of equipment, which is classified according to several criteria:

the presence of an engine - these can be spring cleavers, independent of electricity, hydraulics, a gasoline or electric unit;
the actual structure - vertical, horizontal, mixed type, rack or cone;
the method of splitting firewood is by means of a screw pair, according to the principle of a screw, the effect of pneumatics or hydraulics.

The simplest wood splitter consists of a stationary table, console and stand.

For the operation of the cone unit, you will need an engine with the appropriate equipment, a drive shaft and a working body connected to the mechanism by a chain or a transmission belt.

For normal operation of a rack and pinion wood splitter, you need an engine, a drive shaft, a chain or belt drive, a gear and racks. By self-assembly, this is a complex structure, the principle of which is to convert a rotating shaft into a sequential movement of the working part.

If we are talking about a small amount of wood fuel, then a simple design will cope with this - a mechanical or hydraulic wood splitter. In addition to the fact that the assembly itself does not require exceptional knowledge, they are easily disassembled and work without an engine and complex equipment. This volume is enough for a fireplace, a bath, which is used occasionally, and friendly gatherings around the fire. If it is tedious to prepare firewood for heating a house in winter or for normal operation of a greenhouse on stove heating, mechanics will not be enough. For these purposes, they usually buy gasoline or electric wood splitters.

Mechanical spring apparatus

The least expensive to manufacture is the mechanical circuit. The force in it is formed by the spring. A frame of metal square profiles is based at this time on a horizontal plane. The end of the workpiece rests against the cleaver located below.

The device consists of several elements:

console;
support table;
rack.

VIDEO: A very simple but effective mechanical cleaver

Screw cleavers

Recently, units with a tapered screw working part have become very popular. This is due to the relative simplicity of their manufacture and convenient maintenance. Such a design requires the preliminary drawing up of a detailed diagram, drawing or dimensioned sketch.

The constituent elements of this type of manual log splitter are:

a frame welded from a building metal profile and sheet iron;
power plant in the form of an electric motor or liquid fuel;
chain drive with sprockets and a chain or belt drive with pulleys and a belt;
shaft with a helical cone, fixed in rolling bearings;
workpiece stop.

The cone is made of steel grades st45 or 40X. It is advisable to harden the finished product in order to give it the necessary hardness.

During the manufacturing and assembly process, it is necessary to be guided by some safety rules:

it is strictly forbidden for safety rules to use the attachment directly with a motor without a reduction gear, which is usually used by a chain drive or an installed gearbox with gears;
the installation of the electrical box must be carried out in accordance with safety principles;
for a belt or chain drive, a protective cover is required to prevent the drive from catching the casing of the sleeves, etc.;
the optimal speed of rotation of the working part is about 250 rpm;
it is preferable to fasten the shaft supports not by welding, but by screws.

To increase the mobility of the invention, it is worth installing the entire structure on wheels. In this case, it is necessary to take care of the presence of a braking system. It should be borne in mind that with a significant decrease in the rotation speed, the performance of the equipment decreases, and the increase affects safety.

How to make a hydraulic log splitter

Working fluids inside the hydraulic cylinder are capable of creating significantly greater forces than is possible for screw pairs. In this regard, this equipment is often used as a workpiece pusher to the cleaver.

To make a homemade hydraulic wood splitter at home with minimal costs, you can use a hydraulic jack for these purposes.

The principle of operation of such a device is to push a wooden blank onto a stationary installed blade. For this, the hydraulic pusher moves along the guides from the channels to the knife.

The advantage of this design over the electrical circuit is that in the second case, the electric drive will push the stump even with high resistance, which can lead to the combustion of the motor. The hydraulics build up force gradually and while reaching significant resistance can remain in place without breaking the structure or causing other damage to the machine.

Most hydraulic units operate horizontally, however, the concept of both types is the same. The developed force is about 3-5 t and depends on the cylinder used. For domestic conditions, this power is quite enough. This type is considered to be more efficient than the helical design.

VIDEO: How to make a cleaver with your own hands

Anyone can create a wood splitter with their own hands, drawings, photos and instructions for which are developed by experienced craftsmen. To do this, you can use a large number of available tools, which will in no way worsen the effectiveness of the equipment created. It will greatly facilitate housekeeping and automate the difficult process of collecting firewood.

Wood splitter classification and their features

A homemade wood splitter is an excellent solution compared to expensive equipment of this type. It usually works according to the following principle: the motor moves the tree onto special knives, which split it into several pieces. When choosing the design of a homemade device, you should pay attention to the following features:

log stacking method- vertical or horizontal. The first option is more powerful, the second - helps to cut the curves of the log;
performance. Such devices can be for household or industrial use;
drive power. At home, it is best to make a unit with a power of up to 2.5 kW.

Equipment classification

Wood splitters, taking into account the type of drive, are divided into the following types:

on gasoline or diesel which provides a high degree of efficiency and autonomy;
mechanical type. Such units will be useful when working with small volumes of materials;
on the electric drive. Such models are usually stationary, but they have high performance.

Varieties of wood splitters

When making a wood splitter with your own hands, it should be understood that it can have a different design. This affects the appearance of the following types of equipment.

Rack (electric) type

This type of equipment is quite easy to make. It is distinguished by the presence of a special pusher that feeds the logs to the cutting mechanism. To make such a unit on your own, you can use parts from a rack and pinion jack. During the operation of this equipment, difficulties rarely arise (due to the lack of complex mechanisms).

Hydraulic type

This device works on the principle of a hydraulic press. In this case, the hydraulic cylinder moves the log onto a sharp wedge, which splits it into several parts. The functioning of such wood splitters is possible due to the presence of an oil pump in their design. It is usually powered by a diesel or gasoline engine.

The main disadvantage of such equipment is its high cost. But it is offset by high performance and easy operation.

Manual type

The manual wood splitter has a simple structure. It consists of a metal pipe, which is connected to the base by means of a hinge. On a kind of "crane" there is a working blade and several reinforcing elements. To make the process of lifting the pipe easier, sometimes counterweights are additionally installed on it.

To split the tree, the "crane" is sharply lowered down. Under the influence of the force of inertia, the tree is split into several parts.

The advantage of such a wood splitter is called the simplicity of its design and low cost. For the manufacture of the unit, it is enough to buy several pipes. The main disadvantage is the need to use physical force.

How to make a wood splitter yourself?

To make a wood splitter yourself, you need to prepare all the materials and find the drawings. After that, you can proceed to the manufacture of the main structural parts and the assembly of the unit.

Materials and tools

To make a functioning log splitter, you need to prepare the following materials:

Elements of which the wood splitter consists

cone. If you have the appropriate skills, you can make it yourself or purchase a finished part;
pulleys;
asterisks;
drive belt. You can use a chain from a car or motorcycle;
bearings equipped with housings;
metal corner or pipes;
steel sheet 4 mm thick to form the working surface;
metal scraps;
Electrical engine;
wiring;
bolts and nuts;
magnetic switch.

Assembly rules

After preparing all the necessary materials and tools, you can proceed to assembling the wood splitter with your own hands:

With the help of a grinder, the corners and pipes are cut into pieces of the required length for making the bed.
An overlap for the table and a shelf are cut out of a metal sheet.
Using a welding machine, the elements of the wood splitter frame are connected.
To make the unit mobile, it is recommended to attach wheels to it.
A tabletop and a shelf are installed on the finished frame.
Install the support frame of the electric motor and the power unit itself.
The cone shaft is assembled: the bearings are mounted in the housings, the shaft and pulleys are installed.
After assembling the assembly, it is secured to the bed using bolts and nuts. It should rotate freely.
Belts are mounted. To make the equipment work efficiently, be sure to check the straightness of their movement.
The screw cone is mounted on the shaft using a keyway.
Mount the divider.
Install an RCD, a magnetic starter, electrical wiring.
If everything is done correctly, the log splitter will start up.

How to make a hydraulic log splitter?

If you need to make a hydraulic wood splitter with your own hands, you need to prepare an oil tank and a pump, metal beams, high-pressure hoses, a hydraulic cylinder in addition to the main list of materials. The manufacturing technology of the unit is as follows:

The frame is formed from the rolling materials.
A hydraulic cylinder is installed above the beam at a height of 5 cm.
A pusher made of sheet material is mounted at the end of the rod.
It is necessary to make a housing for the knife to ensure its movement along the bed.
Several holes are made in the body and the knife is fastened using bolts and nuts.
All elements of the hydraulic system are connected in one circuit - pump, tank, hydraulic cylinder, control unit.

The main provisions of safety during the operation of the wood splitter

Safety precautions when working on a wood splitter

If you managed to make a wood splitter with your own hands, you need to approach its operation no less responsibly. Due to the high torque on the cone shaft, this instrument may be unsafe. It is recommended to plant chocks with bare hands. This is the main danger. The worker is wearing gloves, so there is a chance that they will be tightened to the screw. This can lead to serious injury to the upper limbs.

You should be especially careful when splitting logs with a large number of knots, a chock from the butt of a round timber. Even if you do everything right, there is a possibility of emergencies. Shaft seizure, chips being thrown in different directions, or log rolling may occur.

Potentially hazardous and increased cone speed. In this case, it is very difficult to control the workflow. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the shaft speed within the permissible range.

Video: How to make a wood splitter with your own hands

Harvesting firewood in preparation for the heating season in the village is a special ritual, but recently the townspeople, who have come in large numbers, are trying to minimize the proportion of physical labor. Quite a lot of factory-made firewood blanking machines began to appear and, of course, the temptation to use them is quite great. The only thing that stops the mechanization of splitting firewood is the high price of branded wood splitters. Let's try to go the other way and make a machine for harvesting firewood ourselves.

Firewood for the stove. What should they be

On the other hand, if there is an opportunity to build a wood splitter with your own hands, drawings and photo instructions will always be found, why not at least try to make your life easier. Before considering the existing options for wood splitters, it is worth knowing what kind of firewood should be used to fire a stove or bath.

The fact is that the combustion process and the temperature of the furnace strongly depend not only on the type of wood or the degree of its drying, but also on the shape, length, and thickness of each log. If the block is thin enough, you can simply split it in half into two blocks. The larger ones are split into four, six or eight pieces. The basic rule is that the log should not be too thick, otherwise it will not give a temperature when burning and may not even burn out to the end. Actually, the whole theory. Now let's move on to practice and find out which wood splitter is best for building with your own hands.

Types of wood splitters, drawings and photos

There are not so many types of wood splitters. The main parameter of a home-made device can be considered the location of the log, but it can only be vertical or horizontal. With the horizontal arrangement of the log, it is laid on a special base and fixed, and the knife moves towards it. Some designs assume the opposite principle of operation - a stationary knife and a movable bed. When the log is positioned vertically, the knife is lowered from above, while the log is either fixed or held manually.

By the type of drive, the wood splitter can be gasoline, electric or mechanical, manual. The first type of wood splitter is the most common, and the reason for this is its complete autonomy and high performance. Electric wood splitters are more reliable and less capricious in maintenance, but they are inferior in performance to gasoline ones. Mechanical is the simplest option with the lowest performance.

Designs and features of homemade wood splitters

In addition, wood splitters are divided according to the type of working body and according to the principle of its movement:

Screw (conical). The device is a sturdy frame on which the shaft is mounted. A tapered screw is tightly seated on the shaft, which is rarely found on sale, but it is easy to grind on a lathe. His drawings are presented on the page. The principle of its operation is simple - the log is installed on the bed, after which the screw is screwed into it, and due to the cone it splits into two parts.
Balancing. Old but reliable design. A large-diameter flywheel is fixed on the bed, which rotates by an electric motor using a chain or V-belt transmission. At a certain distance from the center of the flywheel, a connecting rod is pivotally fixed, a kind of crank is obtained. The connecting rod drives the balance bar in a reciprocating motion, at the end of it a knife is fixed. This knife splits a log set vertically on a stand.
Rack wood splitter. Not very productive, but a simple and reliable machine based on the work of a screw / nut pair. A log is fixed on the bed with a stop, and the knife is connected to a nut. The screw is driven in rotation by an electric motor and slowly but persistently moves towards the log. Such a system works not due to inertia, but due to the enormous effort that a rotating screw-nut pair can create.
Hydraulic wood splitters. These devices operate due to the enormous pressure in the hydraulic system, which consists of a pump, hydraulic fittings and a hydraulic cylinder. Even a small hydraulic cylinder with a rod diameter of about 80-100 mm can create a force of several tons, which is quite enough for splitting firewood. The safest design and more reliable than the rack and pinion, because in the event of a knife jam in the chock, the bypass valve is triggered from overpressure.

How to build a screw log splitter

One of the simplest and most reliable designs. For the construction of such a wood splitter, a strong frame, welded from a metal profile, an electric motor with a power of 2-2.5 kW and a V-belt lowering pair are needed.

A reduction gear reducer can be used instead. The cone is simply pressed onto the gearbox output shaft and screwed into the log body during operation. A movable stop is installed for the log, with the help of which the operator moves the log towards the screw.

Assembling such a device is simple and inexpensive. If the farm has a two-kilowatt motor, then it remains to order a screw cone from a turner and find a suitable gearbox or V-belt transmission.

It is important to know that if pulleys are to be used, then they must necessarily have a protective cover. And when choosing a gearbox, it must be borne in mind that the number of revolutions on the output shaft should not be lower than 300-350 per minute.

We have presented a few more schemes, including an industrial hydraulic wood splitter, but its construction can take a lot of time and be expensive, so a screw conical one is still considered the best option for making a wood splitter with your own hands. Enjoy your work!