Content
The first wood splitters appeared around the end of the 19th century. Such devices worked in pairs and required human participation. They were used only in large-scale industries, since their use was unprofitable for people harvesting firewood for their own needs. Now you can buy ready-made wood splitters of various capacities. If you wish, you can independently assemble a structure that runs on electricity. Such mechanisms are also called hydraulic.
Advantages and disadvantages of electric wood splitter
All electric wood splitters can be divided into the following types:
- Horizontal... In such devices, the log lies in a horizontal direction. After that, a cleaver is introduced into the wood, which breaks the log into several parts.
- Vertical wood splitters... Such mechanisms practically do not differ from horizontal ones. The only difference is that the log is vertical. It should be noted that the quality of this type of device is higher, but they have a higher cost.
Both types of mechanisms can have different designs. For example, many vertical wood splitters are a mechanism with a small platform for placing a log and an overhead element that splits the wood after the lever is pressed. Other devices have a piercing element that works automatically and is lowered onto the log after a predetermined period of time. Such models are less secure.
Before purchasing a wood splitter, you should familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of such devices. The benefits include:
- No need to use gasoline, diesel or diesel. That is why many owners of suburban areas for preparation of firewood acquire electrical mechanisms.
- Relatively low cost when comparing the described wood splitters with models that run on combustible fuel.
- The ability to assemble an electrical device with your own hands. If you wish, you can create a simple and effective design from scrap materials. For example, many people use an engine from an old car for this.
- No need for maintenance. During use of the device, you do not need to lubricate its components and change the fuel.
- Lack of any waste generated during use.
But the described type of wood splitter also has disadvantages. These include the need to connect to a three-phase 320 volt network. This means that the electrical system at the site will have to be upgraded. If you wish, you can find devices that operate on a 220 volt network.
Also, the disadvantage is the need for a nearby electrical network. If diesel models can be used in any area and far from home, then electric ones are used only at a short distance from the mains. In addition, it is difficult to replace the engine on some models of electrical devices, since such units are not common in Russia.
When purchasing an electric wood splitter, you should remember that even the most powerful household devices are not designed for industrial logging.
general description
If a horizontal log splitter is used to split logs, they must be lifted. Vertical machines do not require logs to be lifted. It is worth noting that wood splitters are divided according to the amount of wood they can chop.Also, the division occurs according to the width and length of the firewood.
Many models are designed for chopping wood no more than 50 cm in height and 30 cm in diameter. Industrial electric wood splitters are capable of handling logs about 120 cm long and about 70 cm in diameter.
Before choosing a particular device, it is important to determine exactly what it will be used for. If you need a wood splitter to harvest a small amount of firewood, you should take a closer look at the cheapest models. In the case when it will be used every year for harvesting firewood for the winter, it is necessary to choose a device with a vertical bed and a durable machine.
The standard cutting force of the wood splitter described is 5 to 10 tonnes if they are intended for domestic use. Models used in production have a cutting force of 10 to 30 tons. The standard motor power of the mechanism used in everyday life varies from 2 to 10 kW. In addition, during the selection, you should pay attention to the presence of wheels.
Industrial electric wood splitters
A feature of industrial wood splitting stations is the ability to harvest a large amount of firewood in a short period of time. Such stations not only divide the log into separate logs, but also saw it.
They are rarely purchased for domestic use as they are expensive. These stations can be of various sizes. If necessary, a large number of attachments are installed on them, allowing you to split logs of various diameters. At the same time, during work, you can choose the required length of firewood.
Features of household electric wood splitter
If you are going to purchase simple electric wood splitters with a capacity of about 3 kW, it is worth remembering that they work quite slowly. At the same time, during the use of such devices, it is necessary to constantly rotate the chopped chops so that they split into logs of the same size.
Such devices should be purchased when a person does not want or is not able to spend energy on splitting firewood with a cleaver. If you want to quickly deal with a large number of logs, you should purchase more powerful and expensive wood splitters.
Recommendations
So that during the use of the wood splitter there are no problems, it is worth listening to the advice of people who have extensive experience with such devices:
- If the cleaver is made on the basis of an electric motor, the power of the device must be taken into account. This figure should be from 3 kW.
- If the power of the machine is good, the motor will be able to quickly move the hydraulic pump to unwind the cone. This makes splitting the chocks quick and easy. That is why it is important to take into account the power of the acquired mechanism.
- When working with a wood splitter, you must follow the safety rules. For example, when working with a cone mechanism, you should not work with gloves that can wrap around it when touched. It is also important to carefully monitor each movement, as the knives that split the logs into logs are quite sharp.
- It is worth installing a protective device on the cleaver, which will prevent the unexpected start of the mechanism.
Having considered the different types of wood splitters, you can assemble your own mechanism with your own hands. This will save you a lot of money. Also, thanks to such mechanisms, you can easily prepare firewood with little or no effort.
Having made an electric conductor with your own hands, you need to check its performance and make sure that it is safe for the one who will use it.
