Woodworking & Carpentry

A Log Splitter Is An Indispensable Woodworking Instrument   by Kurt Schefken

The log splitter is a precious piece of equipment if you cut a lot of wood. It is used for cutting fire wood or for making log furniture. Wherever logging equipment is sold, you can purchase them from there. For saving money, you might want to purchase a used log splitter or make one of your own. You will find log splitter plans on the net.

Advantages of a Hydraulic Log Splitter

There is nothing complicated about a hydraulic log splitter. It consists of a small diesel or gasoline engine that powers the machine. An engine is attached to the oil pump, which empowers the hydraulic cylinder, thus splitting the log. The tank which holds the oil has to be changed from time to time.

Some features of Hydraulic Splitters:

Engine ranges from 5 to 8 horsepower. The home splitter usually has an engine that is smaller than that for commercial purpose.

10-25 tons of splitting force

A two stage oil pump

A home splitter is mainly used to cut logs for firewood. First cut down the tree and remove all branches with a chainsaw. Whatever remains of the trunk is cut with a chainsaw into sections before putting it into the splitter. Such a method makes wood cutting faster and more convenient. What would otherwise take hours, or even days can now be completed in jiffy!

Safety Tips

Small children should avoid the equipment

Kids should be kept away from the equipment, as the debris may injure them.

Always wear good foot wear, preferably work boots

Dont wear any loose clothing or long sleeves, since it gets caught in the machine

Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes

Keep a safe distance from the machine to avoid injury from flying logs

Avoid making adjustments while the machine is moving

Operate it during the day and not at night

Do not consume alcohol or drugs while running it. This makes the reflexes slow which may lead to accidents.

Avoid using on wet or slippery surfaces

Use the machine only for cutting wood

Keep a guard always on the machine, dont ever remove it.

Splitter and Furniture Making Tools

There are some other uses of log splitters too. Another major use is for making log furniture. Apart from other log furniture tools a good splitter and chainsaw are necessary.

Some Tools Needed for Log Furniture

Various sizes of clamps for holding the materials
Videos and books for instruction
Router
Chisels that are strong and of large sizes
Mallet to drive the chisels
A Tenon maker for putting a tenon easily on a log; these help make several tenons quickly and evenly for good furniture.

About the Author

Being really interested in wood splitter plans, Kurt Schefken published lots of news stories in the field. You can see his publications on how to build a log splitter over at http://www.insidewoodworking.com/log-splitter-parts-and-plans.html and different sources for how to build a log splitter news.
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