Saturday 13 December 2014

With a Wish and a Prayer!



I'd taken the dogs on a walk through the woods to see the ancient Borie (top left), when we came across this wonderful Heath Robinson machine. 

Take one hydraulic ram, an RSJ, and a few bits of assorted metal, and Bingo; you have a home-made log splitter.

Someone's obviously been busy. There were several sawn Oak tree trunks nearby, and the remnants of log splitting.

I have no knowledge at all of engineering or heavy metalwork, which is probably why I admire this sort of machine. It's operated by an ancient looking tractor drive shaft, and no doubt has provided decades of service.

My congratulations to whoever made it.

20 comments:

  1. Impressive! It would be interesting to see it in action.

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  2. I am amazed by the colors of your photos. You sure have an eye of an artist.

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  3. You do come across some strange and wonderful things on your walks - shame it is too big to slip in your pocket to take home - it would certainly be useful with your huge log pile.

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  4. Looks crude, but looks effective.

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  5. I dare not show this post to the farmer or he would be out there in his shed having a go at making something similar from bits of one of his five old tractors (which are little or no good for anything else anyway).

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  6. It is a fine log splitter and well looked after judging by the hoses and couplings.

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    Replies
    1. You obviously know about such things!

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    2. I do. I grew up with a family of "engineers" of this type of invention, It was always taken for granted that mum and I knew what was what, and I think we did mostly.

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    3. My brother has a log splitter with its own petrol engine and splits logs for a living, amongst other things.

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  7. The trouble with those is that you have to lift the heavy logs in place and then pick up the pieces for a second split. As dad is getting a bit long in the tooth he built one with the additional hydraulics to operate a lift so that one can roll the log on at ground level and then lift it in place. Here is his version.
    http://s151.photobucket.com/user/Rocosil/library/Log Splitter
    It does run of a small engine which is rather noisy the tractor drive would make it better.

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  8. OK that didn't work, lets try that link again.
    http://s151.photobucket.com/user/Rocosil/library/Log%20Splitter?sort=4&page=1

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    Replies
    1. What a mechanical marvel piece of creative engineering.

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    2. What a fabulous machine. Very much of the same ilk, but with refinements. His log pile puts mine to shame; very organised!

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    3. That pile is only about one tenth of the volume he cuts and splits each year. He usually does about 5 cords.1 cord is 4x4x8 foot stack. He buys it in 8 foot lengths, cuts it and splits it and lets is dry for a year. They heat the house only with wood. 2 wood stoves going steady pretty much for 6 months a year. Darn good for an 83 yr old.

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  9. Cro, wood splitting has never been on my list of things to do in my entire life. Some friends I know have such a machine but the split wood is for campfires and decorative fireplaces. Hardly ever is it used for heating the house. Most don't want to deal with the physical work involved or the messy clean up afterward. Trees are at some what of a premium here. The land is mostly flat farm ground without many trees. Trees do grow in abundance along major rivers and on the bluffs that follow the rivers. A high percentage of those trees are scrub trees like Cottonwood, Willow, or Popular which are fast burning and not really suited for generating heat. The one Mulberry tree that I cut to allow more light on my garden was over a hundred years old by counting the tree rings. That was one hollowed out branch that was about to fall any way. From that branch, a pile of campfire wood now resides at the back of my garden property.

    Have a great treasure finding walk day.

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    Replies
    1. Part of my wood cutting activity is for exercise. the other part heating. We are in a heavily wooded area, mostly pine (no good for heating), chestnut, and oak. It's a lot of work even keeping two fires fed, we have a wood fired cooker in the kitchen, and a wood fired stove in the sitting room. I think I'd be bored stiff in winter if I didn't have my wood duties to see to.

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  10. Marvellous! i could do with one of those.

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