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Car Forum / Toyota / Toyota Cars / November 2009( OT ) I need to split some logs ...
and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one ever again. This probably makes me a rental yard customer, but I don't know a good machine from a bad one. I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems to me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with log splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we did get an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the Freak Storm category.) The wood I have to split is some species of pine. The logs are 20-ish inches in diameter. I have to cut them to 12 or 15 inch chunks so they fit my fireplace -- and the splitting machine. I expect that by the time I'm done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half (I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...) > I'm hoping some of you guys with a northern exposure can tell me the key > points to look for, or warning signals that tell me to walk away. Seems to > me that snow and trees are things that people with experience with log > splitters might have in abundance. I have no snow, ever. (Well, we did get > an inch in an hour once, but I'm pretty sure that falls into the Freak > Storm category.) Must be the effects of Global Warming... > and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these > machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half (I'm > not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...) Do you plan on using this wood for an indoor fireplace, or what? >> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these >> machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Do you plan on using this wood for an indoor fireplace, or what? Didn't I say that I had to cut logs to 12 to 15 inches so it would fit my fireplace? >>> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >>> these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Didn't I say that I had to cut logs to 12 to 15 inches so it would fit my > fireplace? There are indoor and outdoor fireplaces, at least around here. You are not supposed to use pine for indoor fireplaces. It deposits too much pitch inside the chimney and can cause the kind of fire you don't want. Some people say they've gotten away with it for many years. Our local fire department says otherwise, as did fire departments in three other locales where I've lived. But go ahead & try it if you like. >>>> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >>>> these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > But go ahead & try it if you like. Bullshit. Whatever wood you use in an indoor fireplace, you should have it swept and examined every 2 years. >> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these >> machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Do you plan on using this wood for an indoor fireplace, or what? Are you f.cking dense? I QUOTE from his post "so they fit my fireplace". >>> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >>> these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Are you f.cking dense? I QUOTE from his post "so they fit my fireplace". Oh. I see. You want to try to discuss logic and the endless possibilities presented by the language we speak. You're saying that the words "my fireplace" can only apply to one that's indoors. You just said that. But what if a person has an outdoor fireplace like this? http://www.firepit-and-grilling-guru.com/images/outdoorfireplace2.jpg Would they be wrong to use the words "my fireplace" when referring to that outdoor fireplace? Yes or no? Would they be wrong? >and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >cord and a half (I'm not experienced in converting uncut logs into >cut ...) http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96071 >>and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >>these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96071 I have one of those. I was hoping for a little more automation, and less physical participation on my part. >> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >> these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96071 Do they come in pink? It's good exercise for the wife, honey, run down to the store and get me a 6 pack and split the wood after you get the dishes done. >>> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >>> these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > It's good exercise for the wife, honey, run down to the store and get me > a 6 pack and split the wood after you get the dishes done. After getting her so involved in making the firewood, I suppose it easier to get her to shag several armloads every night ... > and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about > these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > firewood, maybe a cord and a half (I'm not experienced in converting > uncut logs into cut ...) I'd recommend against using pine for firewood. I'd suggest checking around at local rental places like: http://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/equipment.aspx?itemid=0700060&catid=s456. See what they have - the selection is likely to be limited, so I doubt you are goign to have much of a choice to decide between. In Raleigh, firewood is so cheap, I wouldn't bother splittign it myself, I would just buy a pre-split cords. At my farm, I have ash trees growing all over the place and I need to to remove them, so since I ahve to cut them down for other reasons, I often use them for firewood. These are so easy to split, I just use an axe. I can spit a 12 inch diameterash log with an axe faster than I can load it into the splitter. We have a splitter, but I have not used it in a decade. If I was goign to split oak, I'd dust it off, but ash is so much better for "prettty fires" I don't know why I'd bother with oak. And for sure, I would not burn pine. If you don't get the fire hot enough, pine leaves a sticky tar residue in the flue. Eventually this will ahve to be cleaned out, or it will eventually build up to a point and then catch on fire which might lead to a house fire. The only time I have ever burned pine was when we lost power for a week after an ice storm. By the end of the week we were burning almost anythign we could get to and pines were the closest. Ed >> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these >> machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Ed I've always bought split wood too. I went to a customer's house to do some work, and he asked if I would like the logs out on his driveway. He has a 5- or 10-acre parcel, and had some trees cut down, and the logs were left along the side of his drivway. I loaded them onto my trailer and brought them home. Free wood, all I have to do is make it useful. A couple of you guys have said that pine makes poor firewood. That's about 80% of the wood we get around here. We get eucalyptus, avocado, and some oak, but mostly pine trees. Eucalyptus is hard to burn unless you have natural gas to light it and keep the flame going. Oak is hard to burn too because it's so hard. Avocado burns pretty easily, but goes fast. The avocado logs don't have to be split, usually, because they aren't very big around anyhow. The trunks can be large enough to split, and exposing the inside of the wood helps for lighting the wood, but lots of an avocado tree is only about 4 or 5 inches around, or smaller. Nothing is absolute, but I think I've been burning pine trees in my fireplace since I was a kid. My house has a chimney that runs up the inside of my house, and I think it's only about 6 inches in diameter. It actually fits inside of a wall, so some of it is 4x8 or 4x10 (it fits inside a wall that's constructed of 2x4s, my house is made of 2x4s, but this wall might be 2x6s because the chimney is made of sheet metal, and it would need a heat shield to contain the heat.) In any case, my chimney is not made of the large clay pipes that typically are attached to the outside of the house. > and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these > machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half (I'm > not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...) As several people have mentioned, it is generally not a good idea to burn pine in an indoor fireplace because of creosote/pitch buildup on the inside of the chimney. If that buildup catches fire, the heat can easily breach the chimney and spread to the rest of the house. I have also heard that artificial logs that you buy at the store can also cause similar problems, depending on what they use to bind the log together. Hydraulic splitters have an electric or gas motor that powers a pump, and a series of valves allows hydraulic pressure to move rams, which move a wedge to split wood. Electric splitters are usually less expensive than gas ones but are also less powerful than gas powered splitters. Unless you have pretty steady supply of wood to split, it is probably more cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have to deal with storing it somewhere.  SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) >> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these >> machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have to > deal with storing it somewhere. I'm planning on renting. I was exploring the purchase option, but I find that there is a wide range of capacities, not to mention being driven by a gasoline engine or an electric motor. They can be found with 4 or 5 ton capacity or 12 or 15 ton capacity. One distributor said they dropped the small machine due to customer complaints that it was too weak. That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I should ask before I rent something and drag it home. >>> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >>> these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I > should ask before I rent something and drag it home. Rental ones are generally 10 or 12 ton and are trailerable, that is, you can hook it right up to a trailer hitch to tow home. 10 or 12 ton should be more than enough to split pine. I saw that you have been burning pine in your fireplace for a while. If you routinely do this, you should have a professional chimney sweep come out at least one a year to remove any creosote buildup, or you can buy a kit and to it yourself. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) >>> and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about >>> these machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I > should ask before I rent something and drag it home. Make sure your home insurance has no exclusions for ignorance of firewood quality. >> I'm planning on renting. I was exploring the purchase option, but I find >> that there is a wide range of capacities, not to mention being driven by [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Make sure your home insurance has no exclusions for ignorance of firewood > quality. We used to burn pine all the time. In Mass wood stoves sold since about 1993 or so have been required to have catalytic converters in them. The CC gets so hot not much can build up. It's all burned off. And the stove gets HOT! Also, we installed the chimney with no bends, which also helps prevent build up. >> Unless you have pretty steady supply of wood to split, it is probably >> more cost effective to rent one than to purchase one, and you won't have [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > That got me to wondering what capacity I really need, and what questions I > should ask before I rent something and drag it home. When I was working at the CarQuest store, there were a couple people on a Volun. FD in the next town so they kept a scanner under the counter. One Saturday there was a call that came in: "xxx Main street reports hand caught in log splitter..." One of the guys went, "ooooh...." And then about a minute later: "Follow up to xxx Main street splitter incident: fingers are on the lawn..." We ALL went, "EEEWWWWWW!" > and I'm looking for a log splitter. I know absolutely nothing about these > machines. I've never used one, and when I'm done I'll likely not use one [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > done, I should have about a cord of firewood, maybe a cord and a half (I'm > not experienced in converting uncut logs into cut ...) Before you SPLIT the logs, you have to CUT the logs into those 12 or 15 inch lengths. For that, you need a CHAIN SAW. |
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