Contents
Tired of chopping wood with an axe? We suggest you make a homemade wood splitter with an engine from a washing machine. This simple mechanism will make it easy to cope with the splitting of large logs and quickly prepare firewood for the winter.
To make a wood splitter, you will need a minimum of parts. Therefore, the output is a productive and inexpensive design.
Wood splitter classification
Stitching machines in the household can make life much easier. You will no longer need to split heavy chocks yourself – just substitute the deck for the wood splitter, and he will quickly split it into pieces. All you have to do is collect and store.
Before manufacturing, you need to decide on the design of the mechanism. To do this, familiarize yourself with the classification of wood splitters:
- According to the scope of operation, they can be divided into private or used for large enterprises.
- According to the method of laying the tree, the devices are divided into horizontal, vertical and mixed.
- Depending on the type of motor: gasoline, electric, mixed.
- According to the method of installation: stationary and mobile.
- Type of work depending on the mechanism: hydraulic, screw (conical), rack.
The mechanism of the device for sawing firewood is made with an electric motor or a gasoline engine.
In the article, we will consider how to make a screw wood splitter with your own hands. Its design is the easiest to assemble, so the device will turn out to be cheap.
With the help of such a machine, you will prepare several cubic meters of firewood in 2-3 hours, while working manually, you will spend 3-4 days on it.
What you need to create a wood splitter from a washing machine
The screw wood splitter has a metal cone that splits logs when rotated. In addition, there is a frame (bed) – the entire structure is attached to it. Also the engine and drive mechanism that sets the cleaver in motion.
How does a firewood harvester work?
The electric motor is started by driving a small pulley. Thanks to the drive belt, the revolutions are transmitted to a large pulley, and from it to the shaft, where a cone for sawing and chopping firewood is fixed. When you bring the log, the cone crashes into it and splits it into pieces.
What tools are needed for a wood splitter
To make a chipper you will need:
- welding machine with 3 mm electrodes;
- Bulgarian;
- drill;
- pliers;
- Screwdriver Set;
- grinding wheel;
- file;
- anvil and vise;
- ruler;
- pencil.
When preparing materials, purchase a cone. It is very difficult to make a part on your own. On its surface, a special carving is made for splitting firewood. It should not be deep and with a short step. The cone is then heated in a furnace and cooled.
Buy a hardened cone from an online store. There you can also purchase a set for a homemade machine: a shaft, bearings, pulleys and a belt.
If you have the opportunity, then all the details, except for the cone, can be made independently.
Before manufacturing a device for sawing a slab, it is necessary to prepare a detailed drawing with the calculation of all structural elements. The components of the wood splitter are listed in the diagram.
How to make a wood splitter: drawings, instructions
The entire mechanism must be supported by a frame or bed that needs to be made. You will need:
- Metal corner measuring 4,5 m by 4 cm.
- Metal sheet measuring 90 by 45 cm.
- Cardan suspension VAZ 2102, 03 – 07. Or you can find another suitable part.
Bed assembly:
- With the help of a grinder, you need to cut the corner into such parts: two 140 cm each, four 20 cm each, one 45 cm.
- Weld the structure in the shape of the letter “P” from two corners of 140 cm and one 45 cm.
- Step back from the top 90 cm and weld the gimbal. Between the cardan element and the connection (piece 45 cm), lay a metal sheet and weld.
- From the remaining four pieces of 20 cm, make the legs. Install wheels for ease of movement.
The platform of the bed is divided into two parts – working and power. On the power side, the motor and the rest of the electronics are installed. The working part is a table made of metal sheet.
Assembly design
Install the shaft on the suspension and put a large pulley on one side. It is recommended to heat the shaft with a soldering iron during pressing – for reliable installation of the pulleys.
Next, do this:
- Put a small pulley on the motor shaft. Position and secure the motor under the hanger. Since the structure will vibrate strongly, it must be firmly fixed.
- The small and large pulley are connected by a belt.
- Put bearings on the other end of the shaft and fix them with screws on a metal tabletop.
Before installing the cone part, you need to connect and check the motor. It is advisable to choose an asynchronous engine, but a collector one is also possible. The diagram below shows how to properly connect an old-style asynchronous electric motor:
More modern engines are connected according to the following scheme:
For direct rotation of the motor, follow the diagram below:
If you need the motor to rotate in the opposite direction, then swap the wires, as shown in the figure:
After connecting the motor to the network, you can see how well the homemade wood splitter works. If everything is fine, you can install the cone and get to work.
Note! When feeding a log onto the cone, place it vertically, otherwise, when moving horizontally, parts of the wood may get stuck in the mechanism, which will lead to jamming.
In such a simple way, you can adapt the old parts of the washing machine and build useful equipment. Now harvesting firewood for the winter will not be a burden to you. The main thing is to follow safety precautions.