Powerful vertical log splitter build
Lockdown didn’t stop Bill Stevenson from finishing his project build
Bill Stevenson has a granddaughter with a family, living on a farm down south. The farm has a lot of trees and the family has a log burner, so keeping warm in those cold southern winters isn’t a problem. However, cutting the firewood is an arduous task, even with a chainsaw. Many of the logs arrive at the house several metres long and with a diameter of more than 500mm. Chopping those to size with an axe is even more laborious. The family needed a log splitter.
Building a log splitter was nothing new to Bill — he’d built them before. With a background working at Comalco — where, incidentally, he worked with Des Thomson, another writer for The Shed — Bill has skills and experience, particularly in the engineering arts. However, the challenge was that the log splitter needed to be built on a trailer for ease of dragging it around the farm.
Too high
Now, Bill has a garage but, as with most sheddies, his car lives outside — in this case because he was housing the log splitter in the garage. Unfortunately, the garage door was not high enough to allow for the post carrying the 500mm hydraulic ram. So Bill folded it over and put a hinge in it
— the post, that is, not the door.
Like many sheddie projects, this one started on Trade Me. The post is made from 150mm x 50mm x 5mm RHS that Bill bought for $50. The hinged plate is made from 10mm steel plate with 1-inch shafting, and 1-inch heavy wall pipe is used for the pin.
Bill has used high-tension bolts on both the ram post and the splitting wedge, with 45 x 16mm for the post and 35 x 12mm for the wedge. The top of the post is 1400mm from the table, and can cater for a 500mm diameter log. The splitting wedge stops short of the table by 15mm in order to avoid unnecessary damage caused by a careless moment — 37 tonnes of wedge slamming into the table is not ideal. The cutting table is 800mm x 1200mm, cut from ¼-inch mild steel plate.
“Building a log splitter was nothing new to Bill — he’d built them before”
Built like the proverbial
Bill has plans to build a side-loading ramp / lifting arrangement capable of handling extra-large rings at a later stage and is deciding whether he’ll use a cable or hydraulics to lift and manoeuvre them. He made the trailer and chassis from welded
75 x 35 x 3 RHS.
Much attention was paid to both the weight of the log splitter and the forces involved in its operation, particularly in respect of the suspension. Bill decided on 1000kg springs to accommodate its final weight of 700–800kg — which includes 80 litres of oil. He ruled out using 1500kg springs due to the potential for too much bounce during towing.
Among the Trade Me treasures
Bill amassed was a pair of Holden Commodore mags for the trailer. This log splitter’s got class! Bill bought the RHS for the trailer chassis new, along with the other major components. These include the 16hp electric-start Titan petrol motor, the 5.5-inch 500mm stroke ram, the hand-control valve, the oil pump and filter, and the coupling and housing for the pump, motor, and hydraulic hoses.
A hard day’s work
The pump can move oil at the rate of 100 litres a minute, building up a pressure of 37 tonnes with a cycle time of around 9 seconds. It’s not surprising, then, that the fabrication specs for the log splitter are significant. A day spent splitting logs is a formidable amount of work, and the hydraulic system must be able to cater for that just as much as the trailer/chassis does.
The mudguards are 750 x 250mm x 1.5mm stainless steel bent over a 25 x 25 x 2 RHS frame. Bill happened to have the stainless steel already, and it looks good against the mags. The breather cap on the oil reservoir and the tail lights are Trade Me buys, with Bill himself doing all the necessary wiring. A new battery to power the electric start will be housed between the oil reservoir and pump.
“In order to avoid unnecessary damage caused by a careless moment — 37 tonnes of wedge slamming into the table is not ideal”
Good mates
Bill moved to Christchurch 11 years ago, and 3 years ago discovered the Halswell MenzShed. He met fellow sheddie Graham Weal there, and is full of praise for him.
“I got Graham, who is a top-notch TIG welder, to weld the tank. He did a first-class job.”
The reservoir holds 80 litres of oil and is made of 2mm mild steel plate. The choice of such a large tank was due to Bill’s concern over cooling as the cycle time means the oil will heat up, which will be detrimental to the splitter if the temperature is not monitored — he is fitting a thermometer to the front of the tank. Bill wants an operating pressure of 2500psi, with a ceiling of 3000psi, and will use an oil pressure gauge during testing in order to achieve this.
At this stage he’s not certain which oil to use, and is planning on seeking professional advice when the time comes. That will not be cheap!
Craig Burrowes — another sheddie — helped Bill design the ram post and splitting wedge, doing the necessary MIG welding in the process. A menzshed lathe was used to turn out bushes for the hydraulic ram mountings.
“He ruled out using 1500kg springs due to the potential for too much bounce during towing”
Vertical operation is the go
At the beginning of the project Bill looked at existing splitters, usually with 6hp motors and 50-litre oil reservoirs. Some operated horizontally but he didn’t like the ergonomics of that approach, particularly when the planned side-loader is taken into account. He also found that the vertical approach gave the operator more control with regard to handling and manoeuvring the timber on the table.
“A day spent splitting logs is a formidable amount of work”
Not a toy
The rigours of towing — both down to the farm and ultimately over it — have been factored into the design strength of the splitter. Bill is also aware that this is no toy, and used incorrectly can cause harm to the operator and damage to the splitter, so he intends to put together a training package for those unfamiliar with a splitter. His only design concern at this stage is the splitting wedge — but that’s subject to testing.
The wedge is 200mm long and 115mm wide across the top, with a depth of 115mm to the cutting edge. When compared with the cheaper and lighter splitters on the market, this one is serious value for money. And let’s not forget the mags!
Snail’s pace
The project had begun around six months ago before my first visit, but due to other priorities — building a tilt trailer for a golf cart, making a covered canopy for a ute, and spending a month in Aussie — Bill had been concentrating on the splitter for only about a month, with work progressing at both the menzshed and in his garage.
Like a lot of projects the log splitter got bigger and dearer as it progressed. The budget was around $1500 but the final figure will be closer to $3000. This includes the cost of the warrant of fitness, registration, and all the items necessary for compliance such as the tail lights, coupling, safety chain, and a jockey wheel — plus the oil.
A tight finish
This article was written during the lockdown, the photos being taken the day before. As we headed into June, I caught up with Bill again and he had all but completed the project, with one final piece to be addressed.
It was a simple matter: the shaft on the oil pump was metric, and the shaft on the motor was imperial — 25mm > 25.4mm. This meant the coupling had to be machined to accommodate the 0.4mm. Then, as it turned out, it also had to be shortened by 12mm. The red ‘spider’ that provides a flexible link between the two components to allow for potential misalignment couldn’t be fitted as the coupling was too far forward by 10mm. Given that the spider is 2mm thick, 12mm needed to be removed. Of course this was only discovered after the coupling had been fitted. With much vigour and comments such as, “Well, Bill, I hope you’re not going to want to get that off in a hurry!”, it was removed. With the combination of a crowbar, a steel bar as a fulcrum, and Bill, it came off surprisingly easily — somehow I think resistance would have been futile.
The finishing touch was Hammerite Gunmetal Grey paint brushed all over except for the splitting wedge, which was painted silver with Cold Gal. An hour counter was added to the motor, more for oil changes than engine life.
“The reservoir holds 80 litres of oil and is made of 2mm mild steel plate”
Test run
Finally, it was the moment of truth: time to test the beast out. With what — Bill hadn’t brought any logs with him.
Fortunately the Halswell MenzShed is situated in the beautiful grounds of St John of God hospital, and it wasn’t long before two logs were found. Bill fired up the 16hp engine, situated the log, and pulled the lever. The words ‘knife’, ‘butter’, and ‘hot’ came to mind very quickly as we watched the product of Bill’s endeavours perform flawlessly.
A satisfying project
Bill told me he really enjoyed the project. A retired mechanical fitter, and former rower and rugby player — I can’t imagine him on the wing — he said the build was a mix of both his skills and the expertise of other sheddies.
“It’s been a very satisfying project, particularly in terms of the design and spec’ing of the materials.”
This log splitter’s got many years of productive life in front of it — I wonder if Bill can adapt it to cut the kindling as well.
“He also found that the vertical approach gave the operator more control with regard to handling and manoeuvring the timber on the table”
Looking back
Bill didn’t do any drawings for the log splitter; he just made it up as he went along. He spent around 200 hours on the project. When I asked him if he’d change anything or what lessons he might have learned along the way, he was quite happy with his approach and wouldn’t have changed anything.
Bill registered the machine as a trailer as then there was no need for the level of scrutiny a home-made car, for example, would have required.
It was a privilege to be a part of this project, albeit as an observer. Seeing the camaraderie and joint efforts involved in bringing it to fruition is a good sign for the new normal now being talked about post lockdown. NOTE: This logsplitter is designed for private, not commercial use. Commercial log splitters are required to be designed and manufactured to meet the appropriate health and safety and industry standards. If you use a log splitter for commercial gain and have an injury, you will not be covered by ACC.
For more information on using a commercial log splitter or upgrading a log splitter for commercial use, see https://worksafe.govt.nz and search PCBU. PCBU is a broad term used throughout HSWA to describe all types of modern working arrangements, which Worksafe commonly refers to as businesses.
“Like a lot of projects the log splitter got bigger and dearer as it progressed”