Heating oil too expensive, need to buy a log splitter??

Question

I have a lot of wood that I can use on my stove, but I need to split the logs up, an axe looks like hard work! Has anyone used an electric log splitter? and are they easy to use? I am small/ average build female, and I don't really want anything that is too heavy to deal with. Any suggestion what make to buy?

Thanks

Answer 1

also check with your local authorities....the Greens have passed laws in California and Oregon restricting the use of wood stoves.....

Answer 2

I always used a gas powered one.  It ran a hydraulic pump which drove the splitting blade.  It ran quite slow, taking about 20 seconds to travel one foot.

The first electric ones that I saw used a flywheel to build up some stored energy and then transfer it all at once to the splitting blade.  The blade moved very fast, one foot of travel in less than a second.  Lots of accidents with these.

The one shown in the link above, the Ryobi, looks very safe as the splitting blade moves slow and is a little more forgiving if you have a finger in the wrong place.

Just don't get one of those that acts like a guillotine.

Answer 3

You can do a google search on log splitters. There are a lot of models to choose from.

http://www.ramsplitter.com/

Answer 4

Remember that you have to get the rounds onto the splitter. Lifting them can be a problem.

I get all my heat from firewood and never split with an axe. It is more efficient to use a sledgehammer and wedges. Even so, it's a tedious job and you may wind up with an upper body that looks as if you swiped it from a body-builder.

Local landscapers know what I can burn and deliver rounds when they are working in my area. They don't have to pay to dump the wood, the landfills last a tiny bit longer, I get almost-free heat, I needn't join a gym for exercise, and the end-product (ash) gets used to sweeten my soil.

Answer 5

A billhook might be easier than an axe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billhook#No...

Here's an electric splitter in use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsc8yG5aM...

Why don't you just find yourself a hunky labourer? It would probably be cheaper.

Answer 6

Whenever my dad took my camping, he'd make me split some logs for fire wood. Last time I did it, I was about 12 and 93 lbs. I thought it was fun. It wasn't at all that hard to do. Chopping enough logs to last a few hours takes but a few minutes. Plus, it's great way to get some exercise. You might even consider paying a neighborhood kid or a relative to do it.

If you're having a lot of trouble holding the axe above your head, you can make your own log splitter out of a car jack (bottle type) , an axe head, and a simple jig to hold it all together. A 2 ton bottle jack (able to apply 2tons of pressure) costs about 20$ @ lowes and can provide more than enough power to slice through a log. You may go on the safe sideand get a 6-ton'er.  Those bottle jacks are still human powered, so expect to do some work. Get the smallest bottle jack you feel comfortable with; you'll have to pump far fewer times. I made the mistake of buying a 20 ton jack just to lift my half ton Honda >_<. I have to pump it forever. Best part of getting one of these jacks, is you can change your car's oil, when not in the log splitting jig, saving you a few bucks over taking it to jiffy lube.

Answer 7

Machine Mart (in the U.K.) has them, but like most gimmicks, by the time you've got all the paraphernalia ready, you could have finished the job with your axe.

Unless you're infirm, I recommend the axe.

Don't forget that the logs have to be cut into short (maybe 1 foot) lengths before you can split them. The log splitter does not do that bit, it only splits them along the grain.