As you may have read in the parallel thread, I need to have split logs for our Pizza oven. Even when I get quartered logs, I need to cut them down thinner to use for kindling.
So I started using an ax. Boy, that was a good work out and dangerous too! A heavy sharp blade hurling down it not the safest thing in the world, even though it runs on human power!
So I went searching for another power tool. Reluctantly mind you. I am so, so, tired of yet another garden tool with a small engine. Pain in the neck to keep them all maintained. When you go to use them, you find that they won't start, no matter how much care you put in to winterize them. And changing oil in all of them, etc. becomes a major chore when you have half a dozen of them.
So I start looking at these monsters with many HP engine and huge hydraulic rams and such, worried about the amount of space they take in addition to the above engine aggravations. And then there is the ROI. I just don't do enough of this to pay for a $2,000+ machine. After going blind researching them online in various forums, I land on an unusual find. People were praising these $300 electric splitters sold under multiple names: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
I read the reviews at HD and they were unusually positive for such a low-end unit. You expect to hear horror stories of stuff just falling apart on first use, especially given the huge stress these things are under when operating (multiple tons), but I found hardly any.
So I went ahead and bought one from HD. Oh what a joy! I can leave the thing in the garage since it doesn't have a smelly gas engine. I plug it in, put in the log and the thing splits it like butter. It is like breaking a match-stick with your fingertips.
It has two hand operation so it is pretty safe in forcing you to not leave your in the line of fire. You do have to stand back a bit though as pieces do fly to the side some times but from where you operate it, that naturally happens.
There are few tools that put a smile on my face and this is one of them. It takes tedious work out of splitting wood and costs so little. And of course, maintenance free. The laws of universe do work in your favor sometimes!
So I started using an ax. Boy, that was a good work out and dangerous too! A heavy sharp blade hurling down it not the safest thing in the world, even though it runs on human power!
So I went searching for another power tool. Reluctantly mind you. I am so, so, tired of yet another garden tool with a small engine. Pain in the neck to keep them all maintained. When you go to use them, you find that they won't start, no matter how much care you put in to winterize them. And changing oil in all of them, etc. becomes a major chore when you have half a dozen of them.
So I start looking at these monsters with many HP engine and huge hydraulic rams and such, worried about the amount of space they take in addition to the above engine aggravations. And then there is the ROI. I just don't do enough of this to pay for a $2,000+ machine. After going blind researching them online in various forums, I land on an unusual find. People were praising these $300 electric splitters sold under multiple names: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
I read the reviews at HD and they were unusually positive for such a low-end unit. You expect to hear horror stories of stuff just falling apart on first use, especially given the huge stress these things are under when operating (multiple tons), but I found hardly any.
So I went ahead and bought one from HD. Oh what a joy! I can leave the thing in the garage since it doesn't have a smelly gas engine. I plug it in, put in the log and the thing splits it like butter. It is like breaking a match-stick with your fingertips.
It has two hand operation so it is pretty safe in forcing you to not leave your in the line of fire. You do have to stand back a bit though as pieces do fly to the side some times but from where you operate it, that naturally happens.
There are few tools that put a smile on my face and this is one of them. It takes tedious work out of splitting wood and costs so little. And of course, maintenance free. The laws of universe do work in your favor sometimes!