How to make firewood from tree trunks

[bbhaag]

A guy on alt.home.repair posted this video and I thought it was really impressive. I always wondered how those bundles of firewood outside gas stations were made. Now I know.

The vids a little long at 4mins but you really only need to see the first minute or so to get the idea. It reminds me of the apple slicer I use when I make my kids lunches.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8G2Mwid5GrCREo0V2wxc3R2M2c/view?pli=1

 

[DrPizza]

There are days when I absolutely love being outside on a chilly morning, splitting firewood by hand. Then there are the days when I wish I had a nice hydraulic splitter that could split like that. There are some that I can get for my tractor that use the hydraulics of the tractor, or use the PTO of the tractor - but I haven't seen any with that "apple splitter" style of splitting; just a simple wedge driven through the wood.

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDR_2Zsr40

 

[NetWareHead]

There are days when I absolutely love being outside on a chilly morning, splitting firewood by hand. Then there are the days when I wish I had a nice hydraulic splitter that could split like that. There are some that I can get for my tractor that use the hydraulics of the tractor, or use the PTO of the tractor - but I haven't seen any with that "apple splitter" style of splitting; just a simple wedge driven through the wood.

Agreed. I know it is hard work and can be tedious but I love it too. The best firewood splitting days when temps are in the high 20s so you barely break a sweat. Have yourself a thermos of hot coffee with a nice measure of rum added to it to keep you going and I'll split logs from sunrise to lunch. :thumbsup:

 

[waggy]

i hate splitting wood. though whenever we (me and the kid next door) see a tree that fell we ask if we can have it. most home owners will let you have if you take it away.

we were always doing it by hand. then he got a splitter. still a workout but so much better.

He has 6 cords of wood and i have 2.

 

[NuclearNed]

I love to split wood too... unless it's real knotty. Splitting wood can be real cathartic.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

 

[Jaepheth]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4I3i36IJrY

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4I3i36IJrY

Someone didn't bother looking at the link in the third post

 

[RagingBITCH]

FIL had a log splitter. Well worth the investment...they burned logs like a mofo. They just bought a new house and installed a gas fireplace after feeling the heat (and convenience) of ours. Easiest way to split em.

 

[Anubis]

wait you seriously didn't know how wood was split?

 

[bbhaag]

There are days when I absolutely love being outside on a chilly morning, splitting firewood by hand. Then there are the days when I wish I had a nice hydraulic splitter that could split like that. There are some that I can get for my tractor that use the hydraulics of the tractor, or use the PTO of the tractor - but I haven't seen any with that "apple splitter" style of splitting; just a simple wedge driven through the wood.

Me to. I'm familiar with the wedge type splitters but this was the first time I'd seen something like that. Obviously the vid is a commercial setting verse residential though. I just thought it was neat.

 

[dougp]

FIL had a log splitter. Well worth the investment...they burned logs like a mofo. They just bought a new house and installed a gas fireplace after feeling the heat (and convenience) of ours. Easiest way to split em.

I've always been able to get more heat out of my wood burning than the gas in our firepalce.

 

[Carson Dyle]

That thing looks kinda stupid, IMO. Why do it on a moving vehicle? The thing picks up a log, then sits in one place for five minutes while it cuts and splits the log.

I'm also betting that the little bundles you see in gas stations and grocery stores are not typically produced this way. That looked way too crude.

 

[bbhaag]

That thing looks kinda stupid, IMO. Why do it on a moving vehicle? The thing picks up a log, then sits in one place for five minutes while it cuts and splits the log.

I'm also betting that the little bundles you see in gas stations and grocery stores are not typically produced this way. That looked way too crude.

It could be meant for a smaller operation that might not have the man power for something more sophisticated. I'm not really sure though because the guy who posted it didn't say.
I'm not sure if the wood split in the vid goes to gas stations either that was just something I added.....

Someone posted this awesome piece of modern machinery to. I bet this thing could clear a patch of timber in no time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuuPI2hyt6M

 

[Homerboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vThcK-idm0

 

[MongGrel]

There are days when I absolutely love being outside on a chilly morning, splitting firewood by hand. Then there are the days when I wish I had a nice hydraulic splitter that could split like that. There are some that I can get for my tractor that use the hydraulics of the tractor, or use the PTO of the tractor - but I haven't seen any with that "apple splitter" style of splitting; just a simple wedge driven through the wood.

Yeah, have several cousins in the mid west are farmers, one of them just welded together one up himself like that on a small trailer decades ago, a hydraulic ram and a single wedge just hooked to one of his tractors.

He cleans out the hedgerows now and then, just saw em up, plop em on there, pull handle, split.

Rinse, lather, and repeat.

He makes good money selling cords of wood on the side.

I used to do it manual a lot when I was younger, it's been a long time personally, is a good workout.

 

[lupi]

just looks like an add on to a bobcat that does an obscenely quick job turning a tree trunk into firewood.

 

[Merad]

Yeah, you only get stuff like that if you're a rich bitch or own one as part of a company. If you're joe average and splitting large logs you'll probably be using a sledgehammer and wedges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EgyQQGPZwrk#t=237

 

[MongGrel]

Yeah, you only get stuff like that if you're a rich bitch or own one as part of a company. If you're joe average and splitting large logs you'll probably be using a sledgehammer and wedges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EgyQQGPZwrk#t=237

Wood mauls work well, manually.

That and they double as a sledge on the backside with a few wedges if you run into a really tough one.

Most wood if if even a little bit seasoned you can almost just passively swing at it and split it with them, as they are heavy made for it.

 

[skyking]

I made one on a set of transport forks on the Ford 8N. The ram and wedge were vertical, opposed by a steel plate tacked to the forks.
Unlike the traditional splitters, you do not pick up the round. Simply spin it on the steel plate, which got pretty slick with water most of the time. Two of us would operate it, one turning the round and running the lever and the other guy tossed the product up into the truck.

 

[notposting]

I love to split wood too... unless it's real knotty. Splitting wood can be real cathartic.

Pictures NuclearNed splitting wood, feeling manly -- old timer neighbor comes up behind him and watches for awhile. Clears throat. NuclearNed jumps, holding in his girlish scream.

"How long were you there?" NuclearNed asks. "Long enough to see how well you chop wood," his neighbor snorts derisively, turning away and leaving in a rugged mountain man fashion, while NuclearNed wonders if the clearance pink handled ax was a wise choice...

:sneaky:

 

[twinrider1]

I've always been able to get more heat out of my wood burning than the gas in our firepalce.

What's the saying....warms you up twice; once when you cut it, and once when you burn it.

 

[Merad]

Wood mauls work well, manually.

That and they double as a sledge on the backside with a few wedges if you run into a really tough one.

Most wood if if even a little bit seasoned you can almost just passively swing at it and split it with them, as they are heavy made for it.

For soft wood, sure. Big ass hardwood trees laugh at your wood maul as it bounces off of them.

 

[DrPizza]

For soft wood, sure. Big ass hardwood trees laugh at your wood maul as it bounces off of them.

That's solid maple. Hardwood. I'm not even sure if I own a sledge hammer that I'd consider safe to use. Entire thing split with a maul, and occasionally wedges if a piece was knotty. And, I did it while it was green, not seasoned.