Modifications you really like/or things you tried that didn't work out.

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Just trying to get some new conversation going...IMG_4802.jpgThis is a guy about ten miles from me. He uses the Petteybone and a fork mounted dumpster style hopper to split into and then dumps on the pile, which last fall was easily ten foot higher. Homemade splitter with very large table he dumps rounds on with the other machine. The splitter is between the two machines in the shade. Simple efficient set up for big wood with some older equipment. I tried piling with a conveyor, but not enough sun and wind, and I got nasty moldy wood.
 
Mingo marker:
Didn't really work for me, and I got paint on everything. Might as well be carrying a grease gun without a rag.
When I did mark a few logs next to each other, the saw chips soon covered up the paint marks. Plus the paint marks are an inch or more wide, the paint can was often clogging, so not starting, or spattering blotches. Some colors were better than others, to see and less clogging. Ended up using a tape measure and paint cans till the paint was gone.

For marking big logs I read a tip on AS that does work for me.
18" stick or piece of lathe with a roofing nail 16" from the end, and a short stubby hand saw. Hook the nail on the end and make a mark with the saw. The nail will find the kerf mark, and mark the next one, and on down. Even if covered with chips there is a distinct saw mark to be found when the chips are brushed away, and the round length is much more uniform.
 
KiwiBro:
I need to do that yet.
Post some pictures, as I get stuff stuck under the table as it is, next to the wedge.
Will do when next near the splitter. That portion of the table where the small splits and splinters can get forced into I reinforced with small bits of rebar to at least stop splinters getting between the UHMWPE and table.
 
A few thing we have done to help speed up the process of making firewood. Bought a grapple fork for the skid load to work brush and to hold logs up to buck to get ready to split. Bought a old gravel conveyor to load trailers off the splitter. Removed my hyd boom lift off the splitter and installed a heavy duty log lift much faster than the boom.
 
First photo: Stock TW-6. Pushing a round thru the four-way results in the pieces falling on the outfeed table behind the wedge. In order to resplit, these large pieces must be lifted and brought forward to the beam or log lift.
Second photo: Wing welded to back of four-way.
Third Photo: Shows benefit of wing. Without moving from the left side of the beam and controls, large pieces can be "pulled" forward to the log lift and the beam with a pulp hook, which eliminates having to move and lift each pieces, and step back to the beam to reposition them.
IMG_1434.jpg IMG_1467.jpg IMG_1517.jpg
 
I bent the sides of the work table down to 45* angle on my super split,with a big adjustable wrench .seems to make a big difference in the size of the table.

I like that. When splitting large pieces I often stand one half of the round on end on the table, or set it aside completely on the log deck.
 
Mingo marker:
Didn't really work for me, and I got paint on everything. Might as well be carrying a grease gun without a rag.
When I did mark a few logs next to each other, the saw chips soon covered up the paint marks. Plus the paint marks are an inch or more wide, the paint can was often clogging, so not starting, or spattering blotches. Some colors were better than others, to see and less clogging. Ended up using a tape measure and paint cans till the paint was gone.

For marking big logs I read a tip on AS that does work for me.
18" stick or piece of lathe with a roofing nail 16" from the end, and a short stubby hand saw. Hook the nail on the end and make a mark with the saw. The nail will find the kerf mark, and mark the next one, and on down. Even if covered with chips there is a distinct saw mark to be found when the chips are brushed away, and the round length is much more uniform.

I borrowed a Mingo and used it once. It kept slipping and losing register, making long pieces. Tap n Cut, filled with blue chalk, is the answer for me. Walk down the log and tap, tap, tap.....

Tap n cut.JPG
 
I went from a cheap Chinese splitter to a vertical table splitter. Log lift runs of main ram. A leg falls down holding the log lift at table height. Easy to handle three foot plus (or smaller) rounds at the chainsaw site. Ends up being a fast, simple and safe one man operation for larger wood.
 
The log lift in action. I should shorten chain a little to let leg get vertical . The chain connected to the ram to move the log lift.
 

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Instead of using a hatchet to make kindling . I welded a 8 inch steel wedge onto a lump of flat steel. I hammer splits down the wedge.
After a hatchet tip went sideways over 3 inches in wood that it should have gone straight through. My fingers are worth to much.
 
I "rescued" a slide hammer type splitter, the frame had broken so I measured the slide rod & found it was 20mm dia so I purchased a length of 20mm rod & drilled a 20mm hole in a section of log dropping the rod in the hole the log makes an anvil & by working the unit it produces excellent kindling & dependent on my enthusiasm & fitness will spit logs easily as well
 
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