On Oct 13, 7:01*pm, Harry K wrote:
On Oct 13, 8:26*am, "SteveB" toquerville@zionvistas wrote:



"PV" wrote in message

news:zPAIk.1244$fF3.1131@edtnps83...

Steve wrote:
On Oct 12, 12:25 pm, "SteveB" toquerville@zionvistas wrote:
"Steve" wrote in message

...

Hello,
I am considering buying a McCullugh (called a Woodchuck) electric wood
splitter. It has a 4 ton force and supposedly can split a 20 inch
long piece of wood up to 12 inch diameter. I am thinking of keeping
it in my basement to split pieces of wood down to kindling size when
needed. My question is does anyone on here have one of these
splitters and, if so, what do they think of them??? They sell around
my area for about $230. Made in China, of course........
Thanks,
Steve

I have a Honda 5hp 26 ton splitter. I love it. Yet, still, I need a
kindling splitter like you. I'm thinking of making one out of a maul.
Drill a hole in the end of the handle for a pivot point. Insert bolt so
it will rotate 90 degrees, falling onto a stump on which to sit smaller
pieces of kindling. Starts vertical, ends up horizontal. Then let
gravity do its work. Maybe attach a bungee to add a little oomph. I can
make the framework out of steel tubing, as I weld. Stumps are a dime a
dozen around here.

Or make some kind of sliding device that drops like a guillotine. I
think
you could come up with something for less than $230.

Trouble is "It has a 4 ton force and supposedly can split a 20 inch long
piece of wood up to 12 inch diameter". Sounds like you may use this for
your main splitter, and one day overwork it. If you just use it for
kindling and small pieces, it should be okay. But if you're like me, you
tend to push the envelope.

Steve

Most of my firewood is already split at least in half so it would be
mainly to reduce the halves down farther if needed to fit into my wood
stove. *It might be used probably a few times a day at the most. *Up
until now I have been using a small hand size metal splitting mall to
do what I am talking about and am just thinking of trying to make my
woodburning life a little easier in my older age. *I still split all
my major size firewood outside by hand with a large metal splitting
mall. *Sounds like you have a pretty good idea to try too though.
Thanks!
Steve

You could try something like this for kindling...

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...81&cat=1,41131

--
PV

Still, for $140, I think I could make something out of a stump and a maul,
which I have. *Maybe a little Yukon Jack or Jaegermeister for working in the
cold cold shop .......

Steve- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

All the 'mini splitter' types I have seen in catalogues, on the net,
etc., take more effort and time to split the stuff than an ax and a
single swing would. *I guess they are all right for people with poor
physical strenght or other handicaps but for the able bodied, I just
don't see it.

You could, I suppose, make a case for 'safety', a weak one, but a
case.

Harry K

I agree Harry. Just this past weekend splitting birch I was 3-1 with
the splitting maul over the brother who was using the electric
splitter which had an 8 second return.