Splitting wood.

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SikaStag
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Joined: 05 Jun 2012, 13:57
Location: Scottish Borders
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Re: Splitting wood.

Post by SikaStag » 04 May 2013, 12:18

I also have a splitting maul. If I am working with really big rounds. I am getting to old to be lifting them and manoeuvring them around. I use the splitting maul with a sledge hammer. I also use splitting wedges once the crack develops. This gets a 5 foot wide log down to a workable size for me to split it. I do not have the luxury of someone here to help me. There is two of us when we are felling and removing the wood. Once it is home here, it is my problem.

The wood burning stove I have has a top loading lid that is also your cooking plate. I fabricated a baffle plate to put it back to a conventional wood burner. I no longer can nor did I ever want to load it from the top.


Ian

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snoopy
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Location: NER NER LOL stoke on trent

Re: Splitting wood.

Post by snoopy » 04 May 2013, 13:45

sunndog wrote:depends really mate. but as a rule most wood will split easier when green. it will also season quicker when split
i always say the worst time is when it just starts to dry, but not yet seasoned

wood is such a variable thing though. oak for example splits very well when green and i'v cut/chopped seasoned elder that was as hard as dragon scales!

are you using an axe declan?......if so watcha got?
yeeup.. theres a point where it grabs the axe perfectly..

them log slpitter devices are handy for that stuff.(like a work bench with a splitter head effert that drives down.)

edit..silkastag may well have the name for the log splitter..the easiest way is make some one else do it of course..hehehe
'who is that masked man? its the kemosabby der..the bloody injun tells you every week!'

SikaStag
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Joined: 05 Jun 2012, 13:57
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Re: Splitting wood.

Post by SikaStag » 04 May 2013, 15:53

I made my first hydraulic log splitter 20 years ago. I used the ram off of a JCB, that extends the arm out that the bucket is attached to. It had a 18 ton working pressure. I used the spool reel off of a forklift. I did all the fabricating myself. Never followed any plans. It was a heavy bugger. I old it to my father, who then sold it to my brother in law, who still had it to this day and uses it regularly.

I was going to make another one with a slightly different design. When I costed the parts, It was working out quite expensive. I ended up buying a ready made hydraulic log splitter from Ebay for £425. It weighs probably a third of the one I made and is a little beauty. Does not have the 18 ton pressure of the one I made but it does the job if you know what your doing.
I would recommend to anyone to buy one the same. I also bought a beaver hydraulic power-pack to operate the splitter. I can split wood on site or at home. I can get the splitter set up in the middle of no where.

If you have a tractor, it will work direct off the back of it attached to hydraulic connections.

Splitting with just a maul is a sore job. Was ok when I was a lot younger and fitter. Too much like hard work now.


Ian

SikaStag
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Joined: 05 Jun 2012, 13:57
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Re: Splitting wood.

Post by SikaStag » 04 May 2013, 15:57

This is the splitter that I purchased.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRACTOR-MOUNT ... 3cc61ee516

Ian

Gloop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2011, 13:09
Location: Andover

Re: Splitting wood.

Post by Gloop » 04 May 2013, 22:09

Backboiler is out. She moaned today that we need a bigger house.. Yeah baby. So need to save some money to move. This time bigger garden so I can have a bigger shed. And a garage. next to the house please.

Am I getting carried away?

Oh well dreams are good. Must stop buying NV kit. And there goes the upgrading the car idea.

Happy days.

Anyway I think I can fit 6" logs in mine. Well it is only 5 kilowatt but it did heat the whole house. Got another 2 loads of logs today. will cut them up over the next 2 weeks. Then will go and get some more. I am starting to see the damn things in my sleep. I am starting to think about seriously cutting the gas off because we have to pay a standing charge. The wood will heat the house and can use the emersion to heat the water for a shower. Might need to fix the emersion mind as I have never used it. lol

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snoopy
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Joined: 22 Jun 2012, 23:22
Location: NER NER LOL stoke on trent

Re: Splitting wood.

Post by snoopy » 04 May 2013, 22:21

Gloop wrote:Backboiler is out. She moaned today that we need a bigger house.. Yeah baby. So need to save some money to move. This time bigger garden so I can have a bigger shed. And a garage. next to the house please.

Am I getting carried away?

Oh well dreams are good. Must stop buying NV kit. And there goes the upgrading the car idea.

Happy days.

Anyway I think I can fit 6" logs in mine. Well it is only 5 kilowatt but it did heat the whole house. Got another 2 loads of logs today. will cut them up over the next 2 weeks. Then will go and get some more. I am starting to see the damn things in my sleep. I am starting to think about seriously cutting the gas off because we have to pay a standing charge. The wood will heat the house and can use the emersion to heat the water for a shower. Might need to fix the emersion mind as I have never used it. lol

at least a 35meter garden range..i mean lawn lol
'who is that masked man? its the kemosabby der..the bloody injun tells you every week!'

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jdk1
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Joined: 13 Aug 2012, 17:11
Location: Vigo kent

Re: Splitting wood.

Post by jdk1 » 04 May 2013, 22:31

Gloop wrote:Backboiler is out. She moaned today that we need a bigger house.. Yeah baby. So need to save some money to move. This time bigger garden so I can have a bigger shed. And a garage. next to the house please.

Am I getting carried away?

Oh well dreams are good. Must stop buying NV kit. And there goes the upgrading the car idea.

Happy days.

Anyway I think I can fit 6" logs in mine. Well it is only 5 kilowatt but it did heat the whole house. Got another 2 loads of logs today. will cut them up over the next 2 weeks. Then will go and get some more. I am starting to see the damn things in my sleep. I am starting to think about seriously cutting the gas off because we have to pay a standing charge. The wood will heat the house and can use the emersion to heat the water for a shower. Might need to fix the emersion mind as I have never used it. lol
I worked for calor gas for a couple of years delivering cylinders and a lot of our customers were people that had log burners or other means of heating and they wanted the cylinders just for cooking or as a standby , i think it costs a bit to have the regulator and pipework fitted but once thats done you only pay for the gas , a 47kg cylinder should cost between £50-£60 which may work out cheaper than using the immersion heater

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snoopy
Posts: 2694
Joined: 22 Jun 2012, 23:22
Location: NER NER LOL stoke on trent

Re: Splitting wood.

Post by snoopy » 04 May 2013, 23:10

jdk1 wrote:
Gloop wrote:Backboiler is out. She moaned today that we need a bigger house.. Yeah baby. So need to save some money to move. This time bigger garden so I can have a bigger shed. And a garage. next to the house please.

Am I getting carried away?

Oh well dreams are good. Must stop buying NV kit. And there goes the upgrading the car idea.

Happy days.

Anyway I think I can fit 6" logs in mine. Well it is only 5 kilowatt but it did heat the whole house. Got another 2 loads of logs today. will cut them up over the next 2 weeks. Then will go and get some more. I am starting to see the damn things in my sleep. I am starting to think about seriously cutting the gas off because we have to pay a standing charge. The wood will heat the house and can use the emersion to heat the water for a shower. Might need to fix the emersion mind as I have never used it. lol
I worked for calor gas for a couple of years delivering cylinders and a lot of our customers were people that had log burners or other means of heating and they wanted the cylinders just for cooking or as a standby , i think it costs a bit to have the regulator and pipework fitted but once thats done you only pay for the gas , a 47kg cylinder should cost between £50-£60 which may work out cheaper than using the immersion heater

yes i used to to the blue ones, its a penny wacher though, can end up costing more at the rong place.. or pay for itself at the other place.
'who is that masked man? its the kemosabby der..the bloody injun tells you every week!'

SikaStag
Posts: 990
Joined: 05 Jun 2012, 13:57
Location: Scottish Borders
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Re: Splitting wood.

Post by SikaStag » 04 May 2013, 23:21

Gloop.
I also have a smaller log burning stove in my living room, takes about a 10" log. Remember to sit the logs from left to right in the woodburner as opposed to facing back to front (hope that makes sense).

I fitted it myself. Including the chimney liner and all the other things to make it work absolutely brilliant. I can cook on that as well if I needed to. The cooking and being able to heat water on the top was very important to me.
I purchased a stove top oven from Ebay. I make my own bread and also do slow cooked casseroles in this little oven. It is a talking point for people that see it for the fist time. I had a visit from my sister and her family, just as I was taking the bread out of the oven, as soon as they came in they were sniffing like blood hounds. That smells delicious, It took 5 minutes for an hour and a half's work to disappear with half a block of butter.

Your doing good, gathering all the wood. Keep gathering as much as you can. It is hard to get for some people and it sells at a premium as every one wants a wood burner.

You will sit back and toast your feet at it and quickly forget all the toil you went through for it to be burning.

Ian

PESCA

Re: Splitting wood.

Post by PESCA » 05 May 2013, 10:22

"I make my own bread and also do slow cooked casseroles in this little oven."

You've got me thinking I made the wrong choice when I got married. You must get up at 4 am and not got to bed until 3 am :shock:

Can you do hoovering, dusting and the ironing? If so, when can I move in?

George

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