Building a new tip-up log splitter

[radroy92]

More work on clevis

After a long delay I got back to working on the clevis mount. It's tacked together as of last night. I had to a piece on top of the end plate just to make things look better. I'll grind/sand it down and nobody will ever know. ;-)

Roy

 

[moose5180]

Man that is looking good, i have been kicking around the idea of building one instead of buying one. This has me chompin' at the bit to get started now.

 

[radroy92]

Man that is looking good, i have been kicking around the idea of building one instead of buying one. This has me chompin' at the bit to get started now.

Thanks! Did you see this build? http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/131550.htm This guy really did a nice job.

Roy

 

[radroy92]

Clevis Done

I hade some problems with damp 7018 rods making some really bad welds. I finally baked the rods a couple of times and got much better welds. So after a lot of fooling around the clevis mount is done!

Roy

 

[TJ-Bill]

Nice work!! it's looking pretty good. reminds me that there's some changes to mine I wanted to make..

 

[radroy92]

New Wedge Parts

I started work on the new wedge today. Most of the parts are done and ready for welding. This one will have a clevis to give it a little more flexibility and a larger slide to keep the wedge from tipping.

Roy

 

[mizzou]

Just went through the entire thread, looks great.

 

[radroy92]

Making Shoes and Welding Slide and Clevis

I made up the tricky parts of the slide. I added a wear strip on the shoes. It's tack welded all around for easy replacement. The slide design had to have pocket welds to make strong welds and keep them out of the way. I did some grinding and sanding to make a smooth surface after welding. I made up spacers to leave some play between the wedge and the clevis.

Roy

 

[radroy92]

Here's the rest of the pics.

 

[Rookie1]

Nice job Roy. Im impressed with your welding skills every time I see your pics.

 

[richv70]

Very nice work, you are a craftsman!

 

[jags]

Yes, your work is quite first class. (and you ain't afraid of using metal:msp_tongue

 

[radroy92]

Thanks

Thanks for the comments guys!

Yeah the welding has been a steep re-learning curve. Boy what ever you do don't let your E7018 rods get damp. Not even wet just the dampness of the air. I still have some problems with the rods but usually only on the start of the bead. Lots of little holes all through the weld as I grind the bad sections off. I'll only buy what I need of those rods from now on.

I wasn't happy with my welds a while ago and so I sat down with the rod chart, some scrap steel and did nothing but weld and try different settings: dc +-, AC and all different Amp settings for a whole afternoon. I asked a welder how to get an idea of where to set the Amps for this and that thickness of steel and this and that sort of weld and different rods and his answer was "hood time". I agree.

As far as using steel..... well I have been saving it for this project for a while and got most of it for free (beams, square tubing) and the stuff I paid for (plate) I got at 65 cents a pound. The new cylinder mounts and wedge are much heavier and better than my early plans because of recomendations I got from this group. Also it's much easier to put the heavy stuff together. Even multi-pass welds have little warping effects on the 3/4 steel plate. I hope that I won't have any problems because of the redesigned parts but you never know. The first one I built was much lighter steel and all the welds were 6013 rods. No welds ever failed. But it had a 3" cylinder.

Thanks again, Roy

 

[radroy92]

Tools used

BTW in case your thinking I have this awesome shop filled with tools... don't.

I'm working with Harbor Freight 4" hand grinders, a portable band saw (Milwaukee) I picked up at the flea market, asian drill press, 3/8 electric drill, steel square, tape measure, assorted hand tools and a vise bolted to a steel milk crate. I use plastic milk crates for everything: seats, work supports, tool carriers, mini work benches etc.

The big ticket item was the Lincoln Precision TIG 225 I bough a few years back. I bought the parts and made up the electrode cable to use it in stick mode. I'll be using TIG mode on the oil tank.

Roy

 

[jags]

Sweet! Nobody says that ya have to have the latest laser guided plasma powered gadgetry to do a good job. Time and craftsmanship can go along ways.

 

[radroy92]

Wedge done!

I had to make up a special pin because of the tight clearence inside the wedge. Had some trouble with the old shaft I used for the pin. It was case hardened and it cut all right. I had some trouble drilling the hole for the spring pin.

Roy

 

[radroy92]

Wedge done

More wedge pics.

 

[rancher2]

Nice work. I would put some more braces on those wings or you will probably bend them on a tough piece of wood.

 

[arlen]

Nce Job

Roy you are an incredible welder fabricator. I have no talent in that area. Thanks for sharing this picture rich tread.

What size is the cylinder and the rod?

Thanks rep sent for great post David

 

[radroy92]

Nice work. I would put some more braces on those wings or you will probably bend them on a tough piece of wood.

Yeah I was looking into that. I had it braced good on my first wedge but I don't want to get in the way of pulling the spring pin. I'll fit something in there. The 1-1/8 pin actually does help with some support.

Roy