I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to now.

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Hydraulic ones seem to cost from £100 upwards.

You can get non-hydraulic foot pump ones for £50-£60 but I have no idea
how effective these are.

Does anyone know of a DIY design which has an adjustable reach, a blade,
and can use an existing hydraulic jack?
I have a trolley jack and a bottle jack available.
A standard axe head may well be enough for the blade part.

Cheers

Dave R



--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

On Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 12:55:54 PM UTC, David wrote:
I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to now..

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Hydraulic ones seem to cost from £100 upwards.

You can get non-hydraulic foot pump ones for £50-£60 but I have no idea
how effective these are.

Does anyone know of a DIY design which has an adjustable reach, a blade,
and can use an existing hydraulic jack?
I have a trolley jack and a bottle jack available.
A standard axe head may well be enough for the blade part.

Cheers

Dave R

youtube


NT

In message , David
writes
I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to now.

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Hydraulic ones seem to cost from £100 upwards.

You can get non-hydraulic foot pump ones for £50-£60 but I have no idea
how effective these are.

Does anyone know of a DIY design which has an adjustable reach, a blade,
and can use an existing hydraulic jack?
I have a trolley jack and a bottle jack available.
A standard axe head may well be enough for the blade part.

I think anything hand operated is going to be very slow.

I used to split Elm rounds with a pair of steel wedges and a beetle
(wooden sledge hammer)

--
Tim Lamb

wrote in message
...
On Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 12:55:54 PM UTC, David wrote:
I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to now.

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Grenade splitters are pretty ineffective on tough logs, they try to open
several cracks simultaneously.
The ordinary axe works better if slower. Take bits off round the edge, don't
go for a radial split, especially on big logs


You might try steel wedges and sledge hammer if all else fails. I use
various cold chisels I have round the place as wedges.

On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:01:20 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

I think anything hand operated is going to be very slow.

Me too, not to mention the efficiency of pumping oil through pipes
compared with delivering kinetic energy into an axe head.

I used to split Elm rounds with a pair of steel wedges and a beetle
(wooden sledge hammer)

I gave up with logs that needed more than two or three axe swings long
ago. Easier to use the chainsaw.

In practice an engine driven ram pushing green wood through a knife
gives the more presentable product loaded into transport.

For dry interlocked grain, like elm or eucalyptus, the screw-cone like
hycrack busts them best but the product is not as presentable and it
often doesn't split them cleanly apart.

The value in a firewood log is all in the labour required to prepare
it otherwise the few hundred tonne heaped in our yard would have
disappeared long ago.

AJH

On Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:09:13 +0000, news wrote:

On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:01:20 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

I think anything hand operated is going to be very slow.

Me too, not to mention the efficiency of pumping oil through pipes
compared with delivering kinetic energy into an axe head.

I used to split Elm rounds with a pair of steel wedges and a beetle
(wooden sledge hammer)

I gave up with logs that needed more than two or three axe swings long
ago. Easier to use the chainsaw.

In practice an engine driven ram pushing green wood through a knife
gives the more presentable product loaded into transport.

For dry interlocked grain, like elm or eucalyptus, the screw-cone like
hycrack busts them best but the product is not as presentable and it
often doesn't split them cleanly apart.

The value in a firewood log is all in the labour required to prepare it
otherwise the few hundred tonne heaped in our yard would have
disappeared long ago.

I've discovered (too late) that I should have split some of my logs when
they were green.

I don't know which wood this is (could be holly) but it as hard as a very
hard hard thing.

I can't get it to split with the grenade, which splits nearly everything
else.

The chain saw which zips through other woods really struggles to cut it
(although it is probably due for a sharpen).

I can just about to get it to split using two steel wedges - has to do
this to get the grenade out.

So I very much doubt anything but a serious industrial log splitter will
have a change against this.

I could swing the log maul at it, but at the moment I don't have a decent
solid base to stand the logs on before I hit them.

Now looking at hiring a log splitter - £20-£30 for a day could turn out to
be money well spent.
All I have to do now is find one locally, which is not proving easy.

Cheers

Dave R


--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

On Monday, January 26, 2015 at 3:06:42 PM UTC, David wrote:
On Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:09:13 +0000, news wrote:

On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:01:20 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

I think anything hand operated is going to be very slow.

Me too, not to mention the efficiency of pumping oil through pipes
compared with delivering kinetic energy into an axe head.

I used to split Elm rounds with a pair of steel wedges and a beetle
(wooden sledge hammer)

I gave up with logs that needed more than two or three axe swings long
ago. Easier to use the chainsaw.

In practice an engine driven ram pushing green wood through a knife
gives the more presentable product loaded into transport.

For dry interlocked grain, like elm or eucalyptus, the screw-cone like
hycrack busts them best but the product is not as presentable and it
often doesn't split them cleanly apart.

The value in a firewood log is all in the labour required to prepare it
otherwise the few hundred tonne heaped in our yard would have
disappeared long ago.

I've discovered (too late) that I should have split some of my logs when
they were green.

I don't know which wood this is (could be holly) but it as hard as a very
hard hard thing.

I can't get it to split with the grenade, which splits nearly everything
else.

The chain saw which zips through other woods really struggles to cut it
(although it is probably due for a sharpen).

I can just about to get it to split using two steel wedges - has to do
this to get the grenade out.

So I very much doubt anything but a serious industrial log splitter will
have a change against this.

I could swing the log maul at it, but at the moment I don't have a decent
solid base to stand the logs on before I hit them.

Now looking at hiring a log splitter - £20-£30 for a day could turn out to
be money well spent.
All I have to do now is find one locally, which is not proving easy.

Cheers

Dave R

Holly's a very pricey wood with a fine creamy smooth hard finish. If you've got a bit big enough to split, make something from it or sell it. But be aware its devilishly unstable.

In future holly should be debarked on day of cutting and dried at maximum speed. Anything else sees it stain heavily.


NT

On Saturday, 24 January 2015 12:55:54 UTC, David wrote:
I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to now..

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Hydraulic ones seem to cost from £100 upwards.

You can get non-hydraulic foot pump ones for £50-£60 but I have no idea
how effective these are.

Does anyone know of a DIY design which has an adjustable reach, a blade,
and can use an existing hydraulic jack?
I have a trolley jack and a bottle jack available.
A standard axe head may well be enough for the blade part.

Cheers

Dave R



--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

I've always favoured a log splitting maul over a grenade because each attempt at splitting the log is a single operation - no 'one hand holding the grenade while the other wields the sledge hammer'. Also it doesn't jam in partially split timber as easily as a felling axe can.

On Monday, January 26, 2015 at 3:06:42 PM UTC, David wrote:
On Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:09:13 +0000, news wrote:

On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:01:20 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

I think anything hand operated is going to be very slow.

Me too, not to mention the efficiency of pumping oil through pipes
compared with delivering kinetic energy into an axe head.

I used to split Elm rounds with a pair of steel wedges and a beetle
(wooden sledge hammer)

I gave up with logs that needed more than two or three axe swings long
ago. Easier to use the chainsaw.

In practice an engine driven ram pushing green wood through a knife
gives the more presentable product loaded into transport.

For dry interlocked grain, like elm or eucalyptus, the screw-cone like
hycrack busts them best but the product is not as presentable and it
often doesn't split them cleanly apart.

The value in a firewood log is all in the labour required to prepare it
otherwise the few hundred tonne heaped in our yard would have
disappeared long ago.

I've discovered (too late) that I should have split some of my logs when
they were green.

I don't know which wood this is (could be holly) but it as hard as a very
hard hard thing.

I can't get it to split with the grenade, which splits nearly everything
else.

The chain saw which zips through other woods really struggles to cut it
(although it is probably due for a sharpen).

I can just about to get it to split using two steel wedges - has to do
this to get the grenade out.

So I very much doubt anything but a serious industrial log splitter will
have a change against this.

I could swing the log maul at it, but at the moment I don't have a decent
solid base to stand the logs on before I hit them.

Now looking at hiring a log splitter - £20-£30 for a day could turn out to
be money well spent.
All I have to do now is find one locally, which is not proving easy.

Cheers

Dave R


--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

Apparently rip cut blades are available for chainsaws, most blades are cross cut. I was met with a blank stare when I asked about them. (We were converting an 8ft log of oak into quarter sawn planks and it was a ******* to do on the bandsaw. Chainsaw wouldn't really look at ripping it.)

On Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:31:51 -0800, fred wrote:

On Monday, January 26, 2015 at 3:06:42 PM UTC, David wrote:
On Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:09:13 +0000, news wrote:

On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:01:20 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

I think anything hand operated is going to be very slow.

Me too, not to mention the efficiency of pumping oil through pipes
compared with delivering kinetic energy into an axe head.

I used to split Elm rounds with a pair of steel wedges and a beetle
(wooden sledge hammer)

I gave up with logs that needed more than two or three axe swings
long ago. Easier to use the chainsaw.

In practice an engine driven ram pushing green wood through a knife
gives the more presentable product loaded into transport.

For dry interlocked grain, like elm or eucalyptus, the screw-cone
like hycrack busts them best but the product is not as presentable
and it often doesn't split them cleanly apart.

The value in a firewood log is all in the labour required to prepare
it otherwise the few hundred tonne heaped in our yard would have
disappeared long ago.

I've discovered (too late) that I should have split some of my logs
when they were green.

I don't know which wood this is (could be holly) but it as hard as a
very hard hard thing.

I can't get it to split with the grenade, which splits nearly
everything else.

The chain saw which zips through other woods really struggles to cut it
(although it is probably due for a sharpen).

I can just about to get it to split using two steel wedges - has to do
this to get the grenade out.

So I very much doubt anything but a serious industrial log splitter
will have a change against this.

I could swing the log maul at it, but at the moment I don't have a
decent solid base to stand the logs on before I hit them.

Now looking at hiring a log splitter - £20-£30 for a day could turn out
to be money well spent.
All I have to do now is find one locally, which is not proving easy.

Cheers

Dave R


--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

Apparently rip cut blades are available for chainsaws, most blades are
cross cut. I was met with a blank stare when I asked about them. (We
were converting an 8ft log of oak into quarter sawn planks and it was a
******* to do on the bandsaw. Chainsaw wouldn't really look at ripping
it.)



Thanks - interesting.

Google throws up a chain from Oregon designed to rip cut.
However it says:
"For use on chain-type sawmills; not recommended for hand-held use"

Further Googling offers:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/The-Different-Chain-Types-
Styles-/10000000009826673/g.html

"Now ignoring Ripping chain for a minute, the short answer, for the
average consumer who only uses the saw once in a while for general garden
tidying, tree pruning and a little weekend firewood, is that there is no
need to worry about whether you buy semi or full chisel chain. Indeed the
small consumer saws bought from garden centres, mail order catalogues and
such like, are as often as not fitted with Low profile 3/8" chain, which
is virtually always only available as a semi-chisel anyway, so they have
no choice! But for the more discerning saw owner I will try to shed some
light on the mysteries of chain styles and types. "

"Hardwood trees when examined under the microscope have a porous structure
these pores act as natural gaps in the fibre of the tree, making them
easier to cut through. The sorts of hardwoods you will likely encounter in
your garden include oak, beech, ash, cherry, and a couple of hardwoods
that are evergreens namely boxwood and holly. In firewood terms hardwoods
make the best logs, burn better,spark less etc. Hardwoods are best cut
with a Full chisel Chain. "

and

"Ripping Chain

This is special purpose chain, with shallow angle cutters (typically 10
degree angle, whereas conventional chain is 25-35 degrees). Only used for
chainsaw mills, making planks etc. Gives a smooth finish to the cut timber
due to cutter angles. Ripping chain is ALWAYS semi-chisel, since cutting
with the grain along the tree trunk, effectively makes all wood fibrous
like softwood. you are never cutting across the pores (veins) so do not
get the natural breaks in fibre caused by cutting across the pores.Now if
speed of cut rather than quality of finish (fence posts, roof joists etc)
is your aim, then full chisel normal chain will do the job fine, and cut
faster. For real speed use a skip chain.....
"

Finally:

"At The End Of The Day
In summary, for most people it matters not whether you buy full or semi
chisel chain. If you can sharpen chain with a file then full chisel is the
stuff, cuts faster in all woods. If you have a pine forest to fell you
better buy semi-chisel or if you cannot sharpen chains (it MAY stay sharp
longer). Do not buy Ripping Chain if you do not have a chainsaw mill, do
not buy square ground chain unless you are an expert with a triangular
file or have a bench grinder. Most pros use full chisel as the extra
cutting speed outweighs the (possible) faster dulling of chain (except
when felling large quantities of softwoods)."

All interesting stuff but that seems to leave me with only a semi-chisel
chain as the saw is a Bosch electric. The quotes above also say a ripping
chain is semi-chisel and implies that this is the way to go when ripping
hard wood.

So overloaded with new information and still confused :-)

Cheers

Dave R

--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

/Apparently rip cut blades are available for chainsaws, most blades are cross cut. I was met with a blank stare when I asked about them. (We were converting an 8ft log of oak into quarter sawn planks and it was a ******* to do on the bandsaw. Chainsaw wouldn't really look at ripping it.) /q

Er blades for chainsaws??

Do you mean table/circular saw blades?

Jim K

On Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 2:33:08 PM UTC, JimK wrote:
/Apparently rip cut blades are available for chainsaws, most blades are cross cut. I was met with a blank stare when I asked about them. (We were converting an 8ft log of oak into quarter sawn planks and it was a ******* to do on the bandsaw. Chainsaw wouldn't really look at ripping it.) /q

Er blades for chainsaws??

Do you mean table/circular saw blades?

Jim K

Nope. Chaisaws.

On Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:09:13 +0000, news wrote:

hycrack

Got me all excited until I Googled it and realised you need to have your
own tractor to drive it......



--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

On Mon, 26 Jan 2015 10:29:07 -0800, meow2222 wrote:

snip

Holly's a very pricey wood with a fine creamy smooth hard finish. If
you've got a bit big enough to split, make something from it or sell it.
But be aware its devilishly unstable.

In future holly should be debarked on day of cutting and dried at
maximum speed. Anything else sees it stain heavily.


NT

Just for the hell of it I tried to find out if there was a demand for
holly.
Can't see anyone on t'Internet desperate for it.
I have quite a few cut logs all about 400mm long and pretty wide which
would presumably be big enough for turning.
However the wood also burns exceptionally well ( a chunk burnt overnight
and then for much of today ) so I would need a decent supply of hardwood
to replace it, or the funds to buy some.

So how would I go about selling it?
Any wood turners out there?

Cheers

Dave R

--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

In message , David
writes
On Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:09:13 +0000, news wrote:

hycrack

Got me all excited until I Googled it and realised you need to have your
own tractor to drive it......

Yes. I use an ancient David Brown 880 (40hp) to drive mine.

There were lots of hydraulic power packs (tank of hydraulic oil with a
top mounted close coupled motor/pump) used in the bearing industry when
I had a proper job. Prolly 3 phase 415V but there must be some redundant
240V versions gathering rust somewhere.




--
Tim Lamb

On 27 Jan 2015 20:42:48 GMT, David wrote:

On Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:09:13 +0000, news wrote:

hycrack

Got me all excited until I Googled it and realised you need to have your
own tractor to drive it......

Not necessarily, generic types are available powered by induction
motors but for toughness you need the grunt of about 20hp to prevent
the screw getting stalled in the wood.

AJH

On 27 Jan 2015 20:47:34 GMT, David wrote:


Just for the hell of it I tried to find out if there was a demand for
holly.


Apart form hobbyists it was used for marquetry (white with a green
tinge), cues and wheel tapping hammer shafts.

I only once sold a piece for cue making and never got paid so it all
ended up in the pulpwood heap.

AJH

On Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:31:51 -0800 (PST), fred
wrote:


Apparently rip cut blades are available for chainsaws, most blades are cross cut. I was met with a blank stare when I asked about them. (We were converting an 8ft log of oak into quarter sawn planks and it was a ******* to do on the bandsaw. Chainsaw wouldn't really look at ripping it.)


These are for cutting across the end grain, typically in an Alaskan
mill attachement, which is hard work with a standard chain, the teeth
are filed flat.

Standard semi chisel doesn't cut end grain well but is ok at about 45
degrees, it also works well with the grain, giving wood wool instead
of flakes as waste, but you must keep the clutch housing clear and
allow the strips to clear out of the way.

AJH

On 27 Jan 2015 12:52:14 GMT, Huge wrote:

Me too, now. I don't even know what kind of chain my saw has. How do I
tell? (I can sharpen it with a small round file (purchased as "chain
saw files" - does that tell one anything?))

You can normally tell from the number on the drive link.

Standard sizes are .404", 3/8" and 0.325" pitch. Most larger hobby
saws will be 0.325 pitch and dinky little ones will be low profile
type. I am generally too hard on chains to use 0.325".

..404 needs a 7/32" (saveedge are possibly best but I'm easy with most
makes) file, 3/8 and .327 use 3/16", low profile use 5/32". In the old
days we used to change down a size once the chain was half worn.

Then there is the drive link width, this is to fit the slot in the
bar, Husqvarna were 0.58 and Stihl 0.62 in non hobby saws.

There are three types of cutter (apart from specialist stuff like
TCTipped and self sharpening) Full chisel which have a "square"
section, when looking into the cutting edge, and are sharpened to a
point, these are for forestry types (especially conifer) , need to be
kept sharp regularly and any dirt kills the cutting point. Semi chisel
which have a rounded "corner" and are less aggressive but more
forgiving of dirty conditions. Then the original "chipper" chain which
has a round edge, good for harder wood and will continue cutting when
a bit dull but gets a bit slow.

The main thing to consider with all these chains is that when looking
at the cutting edge in good light if there is a bright line reflected
it is blunt because a sharp edge does not reflect.

AJH

On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:22:04 +0000, harryagain wrote:

wrote in message
...
On Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 12:55:54 PM UTC, David wrote:
I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to
now.

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Grenade splitters are pretty ineffective on tough logs, they try to open
several cracks simultaneously.
The ordinary axe works better if slower. Take bits off round the edge,
don't go for a radial split, especially on big logs


You might try steel wedges and sledge hammer if all else fails. I use
various cold chisels I have round the place as wedges.

I have two steel wedges.
Took me about four days of hammering them into a split down one side
until they stopped moving then going away for a while before the log to
split.

Even when the two halves were separated by a wedge head width they were
still held together by strands of wood and wouldn't come apart.

I had to use a hand saw on the last bits to get the wedges out and finally
split the log.

That is some tough wood!

Cheers

Dave R


--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

On 30/01/2015 11:28, David wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:22:04 +0000, harryagain wrote:

wrote in message
...
On Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 12:55:54 PM UTC, David wrote:
I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to
now.

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Grenade splitters are pretty ineffective on tough logs, they try to open
several cracks simultaneously.
The ordinary axe works better if slower. Take bits off round the edge,
don't go for a radial split, especially on big logs


You might try steel wedges and sledge hammer if all else fails. I use
various cold chisels I have round the place as wedges.

I have two steel wedges.
Took me about four days of hammering them into a split down one side
until they stopped moving then going away for a while before the log to
split.

Even when the two halves were separated by a wedge head width they were
still held together by strands of wood and wouldn't come apart.

I had to use a hand saw on the last bits to get the wedges out and finally
split the log.

That is some tough wood!

Cheers

Dave R


Usually dead easy when the log is dry. Chicken and egg

On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 12:27:17 +0000, stuart noble wrote:

On 30/01/2015 11:28, David wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:22:04 +0000, harryagain wrote:

wrote in message
...
On Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 12:55:54 PM UTC, David wrote:
I've just about run out of split logs, and also logs which will yield
easily to the "grenade" splitter which has been very successful up to
now.

I thought I would look up log splitters.

Grenade splitters are pretty ineffective on tough logs, they try to
open several cracks simultaneously.
The ordinary axe works better if slower. Take bits off round the edge,
don't go for a radial split, especially on big logs


You might try steel wedges and sledge hammer if all else fails. I use
various cold chisels I have round the place as wedges.

I have two steel wedges.
Took me about four days of hammering them into a split down one side
until they stopped moving then going away for a while before the log to
split.

Even when the two halves were separated by a wedge head width they were
still held together by strands of wood and wouldn't come apart.

I had to use a hand saw on the last bits to get the wedges out and
finally split the log.

That is some tough wood!

Cheers

Dave R


Usually dead easy when the log is dry. Chicken and egg

What made you think the log wasn't dry?
Dry as a very dry dry thing.
Wishing now I'd split it when it was green.



--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

On Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 8:47:38 PM UTC, David wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jan 2015 10:29:07 -0800, meow2222 wrote:

snip

Holly's a very pricey wood with a fine creamy smooth hard finish. If
you've got a bit big enough to split, make something from it or sell it.
But be aware its devilishly unstable.

In future holly should be debarked on day of cutting and dried at
maximum speed. Anything else sees it stain heavily.


NT

Just for the hell of it I tried to find out if there was a demand for
holly.
Can't see anyone on t'Internet desperate for it.
I have quite a few cut logs all about 400mm long and pretty wide which
would presumably be big enough for turning.
However the wood also burns exceptionally well ( a chunk burnt overnight
and then for much of today ) so I would need a decent supply of hardwood
to replace it, or the funds to buy some.

So how would I go about selling it?
Any wood turners out there?

Cheers

Dave R

Its not used a lot because there's so little usable wood available. But its lovely stuff and can command high prices. Amazon, gumtree I guess. Perhaps ebay.


NT