What WOOD you do?

[rancher2]

Keep scrounging. You will need something to keep that new splitter busy when you get it.

 

[c5rulz]

A couple solutions come to mind Ron. One, come up here and split some of my wood while you wait for your new machine. Or two, bring a load of those cull logs up here and we'll play around with some saws. I just got a new 562. I know they're your favorite.


If you give me a bite of your apple, I'll let you help whitewash this fence.

I don't know if you saw my newest apple, Meet "Andy" the apple.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I don't know if you saw my newest apple, Meet "Andy" the apple.

Omg. Lucky you, Ron!

If I had to guess, someone found out that you grow apples and just had to give it to you. Am I close?

 

[c5rulz]

Omg. Lucky you, Ron!

If I had to guess, someone found out that you grow apples and just had to give it to you. Am I close?

No my mentor for years has been a grower all his life and is now 80 years old and this was the last year for the pick your own. He at one time, had wholesale, retail, apple products, pumpkins and pick your own. He slowly transitioned out and only has his experimental apples now. I go with him every year evaluating his experimental apples. He brought River Belle and Pizazz to market. I told him when the day came I would buy the apple. This year when we were riding around in the gator tasting apples he asked if I still wanted it as I asked before. I said sure. Price was very reasonable. For the last 2 years he wanted me to run and take care of the 15 acres of Honeycrisp for pick your own.

 

[jasper89]

Hi Ron. I figured you were just a fan of the Big Apple, politics and all.

 

[c5rulz]

Hi Ron. I figured you were just a fan of the Big Apple, politics and all.

I've got the prototype bi-directional splitter here right now until the build is finished.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

This is primo wood weather. Grounds hard, snows at Bay. Get after it! Might not even need 4wd.

 

[c5rulz]

Well I am now putting the prototype through the paces.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Beautiful clean looking machine.
Your calling it a prototype... so I do have a design question or observation, to throw out, especially for big wood.
First a positive. This design keeps from pushing the wood away from you and dropping huge chunks on the ground. I used my SpeeCo splitter and table sideways to a conveyor for years. I had to push the pieces in the conveyor apron, but really not an issue, and the wood needing split is right there in front of you where it should be, where it needs to be, to be efficient. Not true of many big splitters.
Question: What I'm picturing is a big round not splitting completely above the wedge and capturing the wedge, requiring wrestling. Actually, even after a good split, the piece appears to have to be slid sideways, to be repositioned, moved around the wedge, to split each time. Little wood, no issue. Sliding big wood sideways for each split adds up.
Could a slot or 'wedge garage' be designed in at each end?
If the wedge disappeared into a slot in the foot on each end, the split could simply be bumped forward onto the beam instead of sideways and forward.
Maybe I'm overthinking it, and it isn't an issue at all.

 

[clint53]

My wife and I have been blessed with free wood this year. Mostly EAB Ash and Oak. Over 20 cords so far.
Lately we have been have fun stacking it.

 

[jasper89]

That is the real deal.

 

[Cowboy254]

llll l. @Cowboy254 style mega bonfire

There's always that. Nothing like watching a winter's worth of BTUs go up in one night!

Progress pics...



It was for Cowgirl's benefit, mainly.



Ready to go, with some special herbs and spices hidden inside...

 

[c5rulz]

Beautiful clean looking machine.
Your calling it a prototype... so I do have a design question or observation, to throw out, especially for big wood.
First a positive. This design keeps from pushing the wood away from you and dropping huge chunks on the ground. I used my SpeeCo splitter and table sideways to a conveyor for years. I had to push the pieces in the conveyor apron, but really not an issue, and the wood needing split is right there in front of you where it should be, where it needs to be, to be efficient. Not true of many big splitters.
Question: What I'm picturing is a big round not splitting completely above the wedge and capturing the wedge, requiring wrestling. Actually, even after a good split, the piece appears to have to be slid sideways, to be repositioned, moved around the wedge, to split each time. Little wood, no issue. Sliding big wood sideways for each split adds up.
Could a slot or 'wedge garage' be designed in at each end?
If the wedge disappeared into a slot in the foot on each end, the split could simply be bumped forward onto the beam instead of sideways and forward.
Maybe I'm overthinking it, and it isn't an issue at all.

Very astute observation. You nailed it regarding the relatively short wedge on very big blocks. Some were in the 30+" range. Since this was ash and stringy, it would not split all the way. The round can be easily dislodged by having a very small split hand, wedge it against the round and end plate and retract the wedge. But flipping the round is cumbersome. It really excels at small wood in the 8-12" range and has about a 4-5 second cycle time.