I Designed It, I Built It

So i started modelling with the baseparts.

Made a model of the trailers frame on scale, thought about how to make it stable and start building the base frame and log transport. In the back you see Tomahawks model as reference and inspiration.

I was thinking how to transport the Log, i like a conveyor system and was modelling a rollerchain type with supports for the log. I dont think is the way to go because with smaller logs they will tilt or get stuck i think. Maybe a regular conveyor belt is better?

Also had some thoughts about how to make it the trailor stable while working with the machine, especially if we want to add an hoisting system in the future. I designed this hydraulic support wich only works well if the trailer is on a flat surface. With this design you cant adjust the supports independently. so if we use this in front we have to make a adjustable version on the other side of the trailer otherwise it wil tip over all the time (think of a four legged table with one legg shorter).

so far so good. next step is to model the Hydraulic unit so we can fit this in the frame and start our modelling with the logsplitter itself. I will share this model here on GrabCad for you all to adjust.

Hi Roland , I think that this a really interesting and useful project.

I like volunteers design works. When all cad data will de accessible to all users of course ...

About your preposition I have some questions :

Do you really want to help all community and desire this project for another peoples also or you only want to keep your money and don't want to pay anyone ?

If you really want to help someone you can try to bilt some machine to all users not only for you and with materials , but that machine will be based of your local desine of course , and in this case I think it will be extrmly cool design ... Not only with one specific motor and piston , but for the rest peoples too ...

I mean that you can try design first prototype only for you but after that another design will be based on your prototype but for rest peoples. Because for now I cant understood how some specific firewood processor with specific motor and piston will be useful for rest community ?

Best regards

I can and will do the modelling myself if nobody was intrested, so this is never about getting work for free. I will build this machine and share the model anyway.

What i like about grabcad or engineering in a whole is to see how differtent people find out solutions for mostly the same problems. And even more, its all about details wich makes a machine better or worse. Look at youtube and be amased by how many solutions people come up with for firewood making. Not all that systems are really safe to use and on Grabcad there are not many buildable models. So lets change that by building something together.

I was thinking of making this machine for a while and i am not in a hurry, so if you want to help and you have some good ideas you are welcome to help. If you don't help no problem the model will be shared when finished anyway.

You are right, my intentions are to make the machine as easy accesible for eveybody but this will be hard of course, it will be a bit based to my preference first because of the parts i have. Especially the trailer. But we can make the machine with a more universal set up wich can either be put on a trailer or can be fitted to the hinches of a tractor for axample. For hydraulics i will use mostly standardized parts. In the end it doesnt matter if you have an electric-hydraulic unit or one with a petrol engine or even a direct connection with a tractor or heavy machinery. You need a certain amount of power and a fitting pump.

For laser/plasmacut metal parts we can make DXF files available for everyone to use and for others parts like bearings we will use standardised parts. in the end my goal is that everyone with a small workshop is able to build it and all information like partnumbers is available.

Like mentioned in my last post i like the model Tomahawk used wich is widely known in this processor systems but his model is build a bit complex. For me that is no problem i can lasercut that and adjust it a bit. But it will be kind of costly while i can see it is possible to make it more simple construction.

Hmm , I've understood, okay ...

"Opensourse" is always good ...

I'm interested in your idea , and can help you with some things , if you will agree of course ...

You can write me in private message here if you interested

As opensource and modular as possible.

i think it will be good idea to take the machine down in elements so when somebody is interested in building it you can try different solutions or even not building the whole machine at once.

Like starting with a base where the log splitter and pressing cilinder are in and you can add modules.

Hydraulic power module:

• petrol or diesel engine with hydraulic pump
• electricdriven pump like i am using now.
• PTO driven hydraulic pump
• direct hydraulic connection to tractor/heavy machinery

and then add parts to it wich fit on a predesigned base:

Saw unit including safetybar and manual or hydraulic control:

• 400mm hydraulic powered blade
• 400mm petrol driven (like Stihl MS391)
• 400mm Electric blade (like Makita UC4051A)
• other ideas?

intake unit:

• belt driven
• chain driven
• hand drive on rollers
• slider driven by the logsplitter cilinder (Tomahawk model)
• other ideas?

Output unit behind the log splitter:

• just a filterrack where small pieces can fall through
• Filterrack + conveyor
• Filterrack + cleaning drum + conveyor
• other ideas?

how will the machine be postioned/transported:

• base frame mounted on trailer (what i am doing)
• wheelaxle(s) directly under frame.
• tractor 3-point hoist or even wheel loader adapters
• forklift adapters
• adjustable leggs for levering the machine

And then some more:

• Hoisting unit with remote control steel wire hoist
• Hoisting arm with hydraulic clamp
• small hoisting on the side for smaller treestumps directly into the logsplitter
• table to store the longer logs before the are insert in the machine
• other ideas?

As you can see a lot of options, some work better then the other and depends a lot of what the builder has for parts or can use to provide the power.

I worked with the logsplitter this weekend and overall its just not powerful enough. Logs bigger than 30cm are hard to split at once. especially if there are branches/ tree knots in the log. i think the processor should be able to do logs of around 400mm diameter dont you guys think? lets say maximum of 500mm?

1- pressing force:

I put a pressure gauche in front of the operatinghandles and its a steady 180Bar from the tractor.

If i calculate the pressure to Kilograms Force i get this:

So switchin from the current 80mm cilinder to 100mm piston will increase the splitting force by 40%. from about 10T force to 14T force.

I'm not sure of the electrohydraulic unit i got will go to 200Bar but the difference wil be even more. I will keep my eyes open for a 100mm or even bigger cilinder.

2- logsplitter:

so the current splitter has a vertical knife and about 15mm behind follow the two horizontal knives. i think this is to close. The vertical knife is penetrating the log but the log is not splitting yet as it hits the horizontal knifes. At this point it is deviding its pressing force over the whole knife and not step by step. I think the horizontal (or secondray knives) should be at least 30mm behind the first knife.

3- waste materials:

When using just the logsplitter we need a platform with a grader or something else to get small parts out directly behind the splitter. It will hold the splitted logs so you can check them easily, and i gets a big mess under the machine. i think we need to collect this someway maybe together with the sawdust when using the chainsaw on the processor. You can use the small woodparts for making fire but overall its just pieces of bark.

You tiped quite a large plan , but I think first of all need discus general conceptions and aims, and after that choose systems and doing modeling, also will be useful to see on some existing designings , it helps to prevent very stupid mistakes ...

For example something like this machine :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7oFRlIodVM

Also I think here talk about all of this question wouden't be convinient , to attract peoples yes but for communication on realization stage would be better something like discord goupchat or telegram for example.

What do you think ?

You are right about a big plan but i think we can do it a piece at a time if we keep things modular. Like mentioned in the topic starter the base will be in the direction of the model from Tomahawk here on Grabcad. I like the concept of a base machine wich is modular and you can upgrade or build on later on.

The main goal is pretty easy, to split woodlogs :) so i think the base machine must be able to do that and everything you like to add to make work easier you can add to this base.

I think another big goal can be what the machine can process? based on what normally is easy to find/buy and carry can be up to a diameter of maximum 40-50cm. so to have at least some versatile machine we aim for this diameter to process.

I saw the youtube link and the machine looks pretty heavy on parts and pretty limited in process diameter? they tapemeasure a 20cm log but you can see its smashed to bits like its been hit with a hammer instead of a knife?

I found a machinebuilder who has machines that uses the same concept as the model from Tomahawk: JAPA365 or JAP405 by Metsamachines.com

Its a finnish company who builds relative low cost machines wich are very intresting. They build machines for (semi)professionals and are not modular but the concepts are well proven. They have some modular options but still the basic machine is pretty complete as a log processor. Its even possible the model from Tomahawk is based on this machine or the other way around. they have very much similarities.

This base machine costst around 34.000USD wich i think is pretty steep.

ok so, to give you all an update.

i found out that most of the parts did not need designwork and without a real design i could just start building. why not?

so instead of a design thread it becomes to be a prototype thread now .

so i took some spare metal form the shelf and made the presscabin of the woodsplitter, just to see how strong this is and to test the hydraulic pump and cilinder.

Connecting the hydraulics with old hoses for testing, now lets put some woodlogs in:

So the motor is pretty powerful, the pump a little small but good pressure but mostly the 90mm cilinder is way to small. Just not enough force to split the bigger logs. On the picture you see a 35cm oak log getting split in two wich barely worked.

so back to the workshop, build in a 125mm cilinder and started building on the input conveyor. i decided to just us som scrap parts to make af conveyor frame with a used hydraulic motor and order a new conveyorbelt:

these pictures are from some weeks back, dont have much time but getting closer to a working machine.

At this point the input conveyor is close to finished, i made an electric chainsaw on the machine and now working on the output conveyor.

still some parts to do and parts to learn from but i think i am close to a good working machine.

Here some pictures of the machine now.

still updating some parts but in base it works really well.

logs untoll 30cm i put on the conveyor. bigger logs up to 50-55cm is no problem for the machine but i the have to cut them to 30-35cm thick pieces before putting them in the machine.