Gerald Krob decided he needed a portable wood splitter to ease the chore of making the tons of firewood he burns every winter.

While trying to decide how to power his splitter, he came across an old Red Seal Continental industrial 4-cylinder enigne that had an electric starter on it. "I was told it had powered a generator set back in the 1940's when it was new," he says.

Since the old engine had plenty of power, Krob decided to also equip the splitter with a buzz saw. "I figured I could make a complete wood processing tool," he says.

Krob mounted the engine on the rear of a triangular-shaped frame made of 3-in. channel iron and put three wheels under it. He put a wagon-type axle under the engine and a pivoting dolly wheel in front.

A saw arbor with a 32-in. buzz saw mounts on one side of the frame. On the other side, he installed a splitter that he built from scratch, making use of an I-beam and a used hydraulic cylinder. To make the wedge, he cut a piece of 1 in. thick plate steel, sharpened one edge and then added wings to the sides to get a good, quick split.

To power the saw and hydraulic pump for the wood splitter, he mounted a pulley on the front of the engine's crankshaft. He ran a belt from the pulley to a pulley in the center of a shaft he mounted in a pillow block bearing on the frame. Pulleys on either end of the shaft drive belts that turn the saw on one side and the hydraulic pump on the other. Belt tighteners serve as clutches to engage or disengage the saw and hydraulic pump.

Krob added a hitch at the front of the frame that allows him to pull it to the woods with his pickup. Maneuvering it into place in the woods, though, was difficult.

He solved the problem by adding a hydraulic motor and chain drive to the rear axle and differential which came off an American Motors Hornet. He uses sprockets and roller chain to drive the differential. He also added steering and used toothed gears and roller chain to make the steering system.

He switched the old engine over to a 12-volt electrical system and mounted lights on the frame. He also added a worklight by mounting a lightweight reflector on a an old two-way radio antenna salvaged from a patrol car.

"It can keep four people busy with the saw and splitter. The engine has plenty of power," he says.