Low-Cost Log Splitter Built From Post Pounder

Low-Cost Log Splitter Built From Post Pounder WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Wood Splitters 25-5-18 "It didn't cost anything to build except a little cutting and welding, and it made use of a machine that used to sit idle most of the year," says John Kuefler, High Prairie, Alberta, who can now convert his post pounder into a log splitter. Whenever he needs to split wood, Kuefler simply bolts a homemade splitting wedge to the base of the post pounder's hammer. To make the wedge, he welded a pair of catches onto a 1/2-in. thick steel plate, which slides into another pair of catches welded onto the post pounder's weights. A single bolt is used to fasten the plate to the post pounder. He used an old worn-out moldboard plow share to make the wedge's cutting edge. The wedge's sides were made by cutting two sections out of a 24-in. dia. steel pipe and then welding them in between the plate and the cutting edge. To use the splitter, Kuefler positions the hammer housing straight up and down and places a big tree stump under it so that the hammer never reaches the bottom of its stroke. "It works better than I ever imagined. I've never come across a log that it couldn't handle," says Kuefler. "It has enough power to split wood up to 3 ft. in diameter, in almost any length. Most of the logs I split are about 24 inches long. "It works faster than most commercial splitters because most of the time I have to lift the hammer only about 6 to 12 inches above the wood before hitting it. The hammer weighs about 600 lbs. so it usually splits the log on the first hit. "I still use the post pounder for a few hours every summer. It takes only about one minute to remove or install the wedge." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Kuefler, Box 571, High Prairie, Alberta, Canada T0G 1E0 (ph 780 523-2680).

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