Log Splitter Wedge Angles

[super3]

Yeah and all welders are created equal right?

There ya go.

 

[Junkfxr]

I don't think that there is such a thing as an ideal all round wedge design. I believe that it all depends on the wood. I had a really interesting experince with that this weekend. I live in central VA and most of our firewood comes off of the easten side of the Appalachians. The only really easy splitting hardwoods we have are red oak but the predominant hardwood for firewood here is white oak. That stuff is just nasty and stringy. I have broken and torn several wedges off of the splitter and spent hours beating stuck blocks off of the wedge (fixed wedge). When I was a kid growing up in the mountains of SW VA, all we had to split with was an ax and I hated to split white oak, always ended up with the wedges. I visited a friend in western MI this weekend and while I was there we cut and split a couple white oaks on his place. I couldn't believe how easy that stuff split, it just popped apart with the maul, kind of like red oak around here does. At first, I thought that it wasn't white oak but that's what it was. So what's the difference in where it grows? Wind? Minerals? Climate? Growth ring size from rain? I have always thought that the wedge design depended on the wood but after seeing the difference in the same species grown in two different areas, you'll not convence me otherwise.

 

[SAWFISH]

Here is a pic of one that I had made, I was worried about it going through the stringy stuff but so far no problem. I was sick of the wimpy one that came on the Huskee splitter.

 

[flxblx]

My 2 cents on wedge design. Local weld shop made this in the late 70's.

First time I have tried to attach a picture.

The wedge has worked well for us for many years.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Looks like the back angle of the wedge that FlxBlx posted is about the same as the entire wedge angle that SawFish posted. Both appear to be just under 50 degrees. The 2-stage approach the FlxBlx shows still seems to have a lot to offer. Both of these wedges look to be an improvement over store-bought offerings.

 

[kgreer]

Excellent, Eric! A 2-stage wedge? It looks like the front snout has about the same angle on it as the back of the wedge. It starts the splitting action and then the back of the wedge eventually takes over when the log starts to give.

I like this idea. Looks like the wedge angle on both the front and the back is between 45 and 55 degrees, but it's a bit hard to tell. Can you get a ballpark measurement on it?

This has got to be superior to anything being sold at the supply shops (like Northern Tool). Note also the taper of the bottom plate that prevents a jam up against the outer edge of the log.

Yes, I agree. Alot of splitters out there have a wedge like this. The first part of the blade that does the initial split could be made a bit longer so that it cuts deeper before the spreader part bites in and pops the piece. That way if your cutting really stringy stuff it gets the piece a little deeper before the pop.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Firewood processors (Timberwolf, Multitec, CordKing) always move the wood through a fixed wedge. They are designed for production. There, it is settled, done!

Yep. And maximum production means you obtain logs that are easy to move around. You do NOT want monster rounds.

Which is why....

We also know that well over half the splitters being sold today are made with the wedge moving and the toe plate stationary. That design allows for the easiest swing up from horizontol to vertical in order to accommodate the monster rounds.

Which is why those of us who take what wood we can get free, and most of that IS monster rounds, prefer the wedge on the ram.


There is no such thing as "one size fits all". Different conditions call for different tools.

Ever notice how many types of hammers there are? Screwdrivers? Wrenches? Trucks? Etc., etc. etc.

There's good reason for that.

 

[kgreer]

I think the search for the perfect splitter wedge may be impossible to find due to many variables such as , fixed wedge ,moving wedge, cylinder size ,and mainly type of wood. Wood that splits easily will often work quicker with a wide or winged wedge especially when mounted on a ram. With stringy wood a narrow fixed wedge often works better where the following block finishes pushing the first.

What about designing a wedge with a slip over spreader part. The main wedge would be flat for the stringy wood and then a slip over block that adds the steep angle to get the wood to pop apart quicker.
The best of both worlds!

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I don't remember where, but I saw a wedge that looked liked this:

The idea was to start the split wit the small part.


kgreer, I think you have the answer. Different wood, different tool.

 

[flxblx]

Looks like the back angle of the wedge that FlxBlx posted is about the same as the entire wedge angle that SawFish posted. Both appear to be just under 50 degrees. The 2-stage approach the FlxBlx shows still seems to have a lot to offer. Both of these wedges look to be an improvement over store-bought offerings.

Even in Elm and Hackberry (elm family) 2nd stage of the pump RARELY kicks in. This was originally used with a single stage pump. This wedge makes a very good combination with the 2 stage pump.

 

[Wood Doctor]

2-stage wedge + 2-stage pump = Ideal Splitter

Even in Elm and Hackberry (elm family) 2nd stage of the pump RARELY kicks in. This was originally used with a single stage pump. This wedge makes a very good combination with the 2 stage pump.

Mark, et al., I think we have something here. Perhaps the wedge should be designed somewhat in conjunction with the pump. When the quick first stage of the pump cannot get the job done, the second stage comes in and finishes it off (most of the time). The wedge should match that performance. The wider portion of the wedge may really only be needed with the tough stuff, but without it, you are a cooked goose.

Around here, at least half the logs that I split need that second stage, not only for crotch but also embedded branches that appear from nowhere.

 

[triptester]

Blue RidgeMark,

The wedge you shown in your post is I believe the wedge used on the small Timberwolf TW P1 splitter. It is designed that way so their 4-way can slip on with reducing the openning between wedge and push plate.

 

[gink595]

Blue RidgeMark,

The wedge you shown in your post is I believe the wedge used on the small Timberwolf TW P1 splitter. It is designed that way so their 4-way can slip on with reducing the openning between wedge and push plate.

I made that set up when I made my first wedge, it did work but if I were to do it again I would make that bump out in the middle of the wedge instead, I think your right though TW uses it for there 4-way. But I had seen some manufaturer put them in the middle.

 

[milkie62]

I have a slip on wedge very similar to a Timberwolf TW-P1. I have a 4x24 cylinder and my pump pegs a 2350 psi.Mine setup will only split straight grain wood with the 4 way.It rarely goes over 1500 psi in 2 way mode. I am not a welder so I more or less have to leave what I have alone.I did build my splitter from scratch and had a super professional welder do it up for me.It has worked well for me for the 20 yrs I have used it.Only issue was a dry-rotted tire which was dry rotted when it was aquired.I do want to build a new one which will be taller (I am 6'2") ,have a 5x30 cylinder,22gal pump,Hydraulic 4 way ,log lift, and any other goody I can think of.Also will have cylinder stops so max length can be established for customer specific length

 

[Kong]

I've read these 4 pages of replys with interest and I notice one thing that I expected to be discussed early that has been overlooked entirely. Are you talking about cutting wood or splitting it? I think a dull wedge is far superior in most woods to a sharp blade. Once the wedge starts to cut rather than split your efficiency drops like a stone. Idealy a dull blade separates the fibers of the wood and the split (as noted in an early reply) preceeds the blade as the wood separates more or less effortlessly. However once the blade cuts across the grain as it will in any twisted grain wood then the only thing that keeps the separation going is the raw power of the splitter. Once again, I suspect the sharpness or dullness of the blade has more to do with this than its angle.

Who knows? I could be right, I could be wrong, 50-50 chance.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I've read these 4 pages of replys with interest and I notice one thing that I expected to be discussed early that has been overlooked entirely. Are you talking about cutting wood or splitting it? I think a dull wedge is far superior in most woods to a sharp blade. Once the wedge starts to cut rather than split your efficiency drops like a stone. Idealy a dull blade separates the fibers of the wood and the split (as noted in an early reply) preceeds the blade as the wood separates more or less effortlessly. However once the blade cuts across the grain as it will in any twisted grain wood then the only thing that keeps the separation going is the raw power of the splitter. Once again, I suspect the sharpness or dullness of the blade has more to do with this than its angle.

Who knows? I could be right, I could be wrong, 50-50 chance.

Good advice, Kong. I have been told by (and agree with) many experienced wood splitters that a super sharp wedge is to be avoided. Splitting twisted grain wood proves the point. The sharp wedge cuts reather than splits twisted grain. Working with multi-crotch wood demonstates that again and again.

About the only advantage a sharp wedge has is its ability to cleave off burl knots or sucker branch stubs that the sawyer forgot to remove.

 

[arro222]

My splitter has a one inch thick rather dull fronted wedge. I use a slip on 4 way that Northern tool sells.....it's almost twenty years old....The wedge is also the one sold by Northern Tool twenty years ago. The wedge is rather dull like I was saying, maybe a half inch wide and rounded on it's front from years of use of the slip on 4 way.

Every few years I get the top part of the wedge built up a bit because the 4 way wants to slide up on some pieces and it's rather irritating. I'm ready to get it built up again and this time I think I'm going to have the welder build up the inside of the 4 way a bit and see if that works better.

I just started using a powered splitter 11 years ago. It took me 25 years of hand splitting to finally cross over. I tossed around the idea of getting a 4 way for years as I did not know if it would be worth it. I got one just 2 days ago. Here is what I experienced. First it definitely speeds up things, 2. It has destroyed my beam wedge as I guess it was built for a 1" thick splitter wedge. ( mine is 5/8") 3. It will not stay put and rides up as well.
I've put 6 rounds of wood through it and I'm ready to toss it. The wedge came from Ramsplitter and the proprietor was nice enough to place the cross wedge further down the center wedge. This allows me to split more rounds in the middle by just turning the wedge upside down, that is if I can get it to work correctly

 

[milkie62]

Exploding wood

Does anybody experience their wood blasting off the 4 way at times ? On some even straight grain pine mine will grenade off the end---not all pieces just some.It is just the horizontal wedge that does this.It is 3/4" thick.

 

[arro222]

Does anybody experience their wood blasting off the 4 way at times ? On some even straight grain pine mine will grenade off the end---not all pieces just some.It is just the horizontal wedge that does this.It is 3/4" thick.

It may have to do with how sharp or dull the leading edge is. On the few pieces I did with mine it was the opposite. The leading edge was dull but the wings were sharp. I'd get a pop with the vertical edge annd a slice with the horizontal.

 

[Split this!]

I built my own splitter, I could not figure out how to attach the wedge to the ram and beam without an engineers degree, so I welded the 2" wedge directly to the beam and built a flat plate on the front of the ram. It was easier to come up with an attachment to the beam with the large flat push plate. Sometimes with angle cuts the wood tries to push up away from the wedge as it's passing threw, so I let it push all the way, then flip the wood over and send it threw from the other side. When I'm cutting my own wood, I make all cuts square, but a lot of times, and more often then not, someone in the neighborhood is having a tree taken down and they offer me the wood already on the ground, cut into lengths, can't beat that! I've never had a problem with the weld breaking, I guess I need to keep my fingers crossed.