Twig and I -firewood splitting workstation

[DMcCoy]

 

 



 

 

 

[r.man]

I like pictures but words help too.

[DMcCoy]

OK.

I store firewood in an unheated greenhouse.   Initially I thought that I could store logs 8-12' and cut/split them later when it was rainy, cold, etc.  What I found is that the hardwood logs - Red Alder, Big Leaf Maple would start to rot even in the dry.  This year I cut rounds and stored them.  Well they too will start to turn if they are not right on top.  looks like I need to cut and at least quarter everything or stack rounds in rows with lots of air.  Tall piles of rounds doesn't work so well. It gets really hot inside those greenhouses on a summer day, my guess upwards of 120-130 deg on a 95 degree outside sunny day.

My splitting arrangement has changed over the years to what you see in the pictures.  I estimate my finished pile to be @10 -12 full cords(128 cu ft).  This took me maybe a couple of days worth of time but I didn't keep real close track.  I work for 1 fuel tank load in the morning and then go do other stuff the rest of the day.

The splitter is a Troy Built 27 T, Honda engine, cost less to buy than the parts to make my own.  Works good but I'm 6'6" tall so bending over is not good on my back so  I lifted it @8" and added side tables of 3/4" plywood.  The motor side is hinged to allow access. I replaced the factory hydraulic valve handle with the extension set-up you see in the pictures.  The extension will flip up and stay if I need it out of the way.  The extension handle is a must have if you want to get much done with the way I have it laid out with the equipment I'm using. Imo.

The green cart to the left of the splitter is something we use around the nursery works great for decking rounds.  22" wide by 6' long @ 34" tall.  I will load it up and then split until it's empty, start over again. 

The conveyor "Twig" is a bit of a joke.  A good friend gave me an old Cushman named twig and I needed some metal for chain guards.  Twig was just for parts anyway, and how can a guy pass up a name like twig for a firewood conveyor . 
So twig in an electric conveyor - home built by myself.  I used #32W steel detach chain with factory links for the flights(paddles) off a really old combine.  Flighting material is 1/4" UHMW plastic.  After breaking too many of the special factory links I added a strip of 1/4" UHMW under where the chain that pulls the wood up the conveyor rides.  Small pieces of wood would fall and then get carried back down by the motor and bind up until something broke.  It would be better design wise to have the motor at the discharge end - as it is the chain must be very tight to avoid slack.  Loose chain and loose paddles find creative ways to jam up >:(.  I wanted the motor down low out and of the way.

Twig runs at about 28' per min. That is a really good speed for me working by myself, I try and keep it as full as I can.  In general it runs slightly faster than I can keep up with which I believe is just what you want.  There is of course the occasional traffic jam, but nothing serious.  It is adjustable for output height with an old hand winch, it would load a pick-up.  I put swivel casters on the output end so I can swing it side to side and fill up the stack where it needs it.  Twig is super valuable and the other "must have" to the whole process.  The time and fatigue it saves is just too much.

I work with "flow" in mind.  A lot of what I split is more square in general shape.  I will split 'planks' and then stack these one on top of the other flat-ways so the each stoke of the ram splits 2x as much than if I did each piece singly. If I end up with a single plank I will set it aside until I get another one from the next piece so I can run a double.  Splitting double planks will often leave me with 4 pieces all at once which I pick up as a group set them on the conveyor.  Twig will pull the bottom piece out first and the other pieces fall and the next flight will grab one or more of those.  I don't waste time putting pieces on one at a time if I can in any way avoid it.  I focus on running the splitter, it is twigs job to move firewood. 

Any wood that falls off (not much 3-5 pieces per tank full) gets left on the ground until I finish for the day.  I then load these onto the conveyor to start with in the AM.

Hope that helps.  I will answer questions - just ask.
D

[beenthere]

Thanks for the description... all looks good, but you will not get any drying satisfaction with the split wood when the sides of the greenhouse are down.. just an opinion. Some heat added to bring the humidity down may help a lot or many dehumidifiers running might help too... but too expensive I'm sure.

Do you have to get the blocks up on the cart using your back, or something else ??

[DMcCoy]

The sidewalls roll up and down so there was airflow.  Top rounds very dry,  ones on the ground not so much.

The small rounds I picked up.  The larger ones I use a lifter I built.  Uses the return stroke of the ram to lift.  I just roll them over until I fill the cart.



 

[Loesshillslogging]

Looks great bro! We split almost everything indoors anymore when we use our small splitters, open both doors and the wind carries gas fumes out, although I never really notice, but I like what I am seeing and we need to make some improvements your helping with - thanks!