Log splitter and a flying log - safety

[Sawyer Rob]

I'm convinced the design of the wedge has a lot to do with whether the round will fly apart or not. The wedge on my splitter seems to release the tension in the wood much slower and the wood doesn't fly open, releasing the stored energy.

My old splitters had the problem, the Timberwolf I have now has never had any wood fly off it. The only difference is the wedge design it has.

SR

 

[prs]

The tip of my ring finger was knocked almost all the way off due to beech crotch unloading like that. Being younger and dumber, I used black tape to bind it. I thought it would die and have to be taken off, but it healed; sort of. It looks normal, but sometimes feels like I could shake it off with a few swift hand motions. Dangerous work; a lot of what we do is dangerous.

prs

 

[turnkey4099]

Today I was splitting wood with a 25-ton log splitter as I have done a 1000x before. I had a piece of oak in, and the ram was moving forward as normal when I heard a pop, then saw a flash of a log flying. When I came to, I was lying on my back in the pile of logs, blood dripping from my face, and unable to see very well. It seems the log hit me. Long story short, after the trip to the ER I ended up with a broken orbital socket, some stitches, and a mild concussion.

My question is, what would cause a log to come off the splitter like a rocket? I realize it is under pressure, but I never saw a 20lb log become a full-blown projectile. I was lucky; I had my safety glasses on (the lens was damaged from the log), but not sure how I would have prevented it or how I could have been better prepared. The machine was in the horizontal position where you pick the log up and set it in the machine when this happened. Thinking that having it in the vertical position may be better because if it spits one out it would at least be at ground level.

Pressure builds until a split starts and releases all at once, I have had several fly on on me. There is a safety defect built in on mosdt commercial spliotters - the wedge is on the ram and when a split 'lets go' it flies right at the operator - most times right in the groin. I home built my first splitt with the wedge on the beam. Any flyers go away8 from the ooperator. That splitter is still being used out in central washington somewhere.l I am on my 3rd commercieal one. I hate that wedge on ram design alllthough it does allow for splitting vertically. Something I have rarely had to do.

 

[scootr]

Seems like it would be possible to build a bit of cage on 1 side. Even a a couple of bars placed at mid height of the average work piece could divert or arrest any flyers. No?
Maybe the diverter hinges and drops into place when splitting... I'm sure it would be an added inconvenince but so loosing your eye or worse.

 

[Code54]

I checked the machine out, and nothing broke, bent, or damaged. Good idea to check it!

What was mentioned about the wedge is interesting and may be a possible answer.

I think I am going to finish the pile by working vertically and sit a big round on the ground between me and the splitting surface in case one of the green logs decides they want to launch. At least I have something to stop it before it gets to me. Also may start wearing the logging helmet for splitting - don't know if it would really have helped, but the mesh shield is one more layer of protection, at least.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I experience this alot.... I split almost exclusively pine and don't get it when splitting green wood through my wood processor or through my 25 tonne log splitter.

Where I do get it alot is splitting dry pine quarters through my little electric splitter when I am turning 1/4 rnds into kindling.

Has me wondering if wood being dry/seasoned causes this more??

 

[scootr]

We used to split some oak and elm that rediculously hard... had to freeze it before splitting for the easiest results.

 

[etpm]

I checked the machine out, and nothing broke, bent, or damaged. Good idea to check it!

What was mentioned about the wedge is interesting and may be a possible answer.

I think I am going to finish the pile by working vertically and sit a big round on the ground between me and the splitting surface in case one of the green logs decides they want to launch. At least I have something to stop it before it gets to me. Also may start wearing the logging helmet for splitting - don't know if it would really have helped, but the mesh shield is one more layer of protection, at least.

My back is really messed up and lifting logs onto my splitter makes it hurt. So I sit on a round to split wood. I get a big pile on one side and throw the split wood onto a pile on the other side. My son splits wood with the splitter horizontally. He can split wood faster than I can but my back is much happier when I'm sitting and the splitter is vertical.
Eric

 

[richardlc]

I hope you are still recovering well. After about 20 years of using a splitter (Super Axe, an Australian machine 40 ton force, with bench top height table and hydraulic lift running off a Honda petrol engine) I recently found by accident that splitting a round, even containing a fork or knot, that the jump or sudden pop is avoided (most of the time) if you split from the root side of the round, that is from the bottom side downwards with the wedge entering the root side or surface. Big rounds 3 foot across by 18 to 24 or more inches high respond just as well and produce nice clean splits. I am going to check with a local (world) champion arborist and log splitter to see if this is how they do it manually. I have tried manual splitting using this rule, since this finding, and it certainly seems to apply though at 80 I am not that keen on giving up the hydraulic splitter.
To a professional woodsman this may be old news/information known by everyone, but I retired from office type city work to this style of living in the bush so was never taught the old ways.
I have found that wearing the logging helmet with a clear polycarbonate face mask, and/or mesh and ear muffs have saved alot of damage over the years, but painful finger splitting happens if you forget to keep hands clear!

 

[pumasong]

Glad to hear you're OK and weren't badly injured, sounds like it could have been much worse if you weren't wearing those safety specs.

I have a relatively small electric hydraulic splitter, and I've had logs fly off with incredible force sometimes. Usually knotted wood but not always. They always seem to go away from me, but have had the odd one come in my direction, but never make contact in any meaningful way.

I've thought that it might be worth wearing a forestry helmet with face guard, the kind that I use with the chainsaw, but haven't made a habit of it in the past when splitting wood. Hearing your story makes me think I should start!

 

[Herkypilot]

I've had it happen several times with my 30 ton splitter used in the vertical configuration with White Ash wood. I have a 4 way split wedge on mine, so some pieces can be smaller and lighter to make them easier to propel. It starts out with some resistance first, then a pop and the pieces blow out a bit. I sit on a small camp chair while splitting to avoid knee pain and if I'm too close, the piece that shoots out catches my knees. Ouch. It's usually enough to slow it down with my hand on the piece I suspect is creating a lot of pressure for the split.

 

[m5040]

I built 2 splitters, a horizontal and a table top vertical (out of a TSC). I have never had a log want to fly off. One thing that I do is to keep the wedge sharp. As they say with knives, a dull blade is actually more dangerous to use than one that is sharp. This may apply to log splitters also?!
How is the edge on yours?
I wonder if it would be good to add a small extension onto the wedge to penetrate first into the log and "lock" it in?

 

[Musdalen]

That's a new one to me. But I can sort of understand it happening. Something like leaning tree barberchairing on you.

Anymore, I sometimes think I should be wearing an NFL approved football helmet 24/7...

 

[JsJs]

Adjust your pressure relief valve to give way in the first place. Pay more attention to the engine sound. It must have died down with that much pressure building sudenley.

 

[John Atkisson]

I use a kinetic splitter, and I love it- much faster than hydraulic models. Only problem is, the ram drives forward very quickly (3 second cycle time), making this type of high energy log pop much more common. The upside of that is that you get used to it and prepare for it, so it doesn’t take you by surprise as it does on slower hydraulic machines. The family jewels are the most common target, so you learn to protect yourself with body positioning and log placement to avoid pops.

 

[John_Mc]

I'm still stuck on air trapped in the hydraulic system. Hydraulic fluid is not compressible, so doesn't provide the "spring" to really launch a piece of wood. Generally, as soon as the wood moves a bit, the pressure is relieved, so the log just sits there. The motion of the log is about as slow as the splitter itself, so a traditional log splitter is not the hazard that a kinetic splitter is. It's possible for the wood itself to provide that "spring", but unusual (for example, if the piece bends, and then straightens out rapidly when it splits.)

When there is air in the hydraulic system, it compresses. It's almost like pumping up one of those air-powered BB guns some of us had as a kid. When the log lets go, the compressed air expands rapidly, providing some motion on the wedge or anvil to launch the log. It doesn't take much.

 

[jmc]

Nerd alert: I think that starting with iPhone 6, there is a slow motion video option that is wwwway slow. Might be interesting to film a few suspicious logs to see what is actually happening when they pop.

 

[cfolk50]

A number of years ago, I had a neighbor who was splitting wood with a splitter on the tractor. He was working with oak. He had been working with wood for many years. A piece split off and came flying at him. It hit him on the side of his head. It broke his jaw, knocked out some of his teeth and crushed his skull. He spent 6 months in the hospital and in recovery and rehabilitation. He was never the same afterwards. Since that accident, I built a shield on the end of my splitter and stand behind that when splitting.

 

[dodge man]

I don’t think air in the hydraulics is the problem. I think it’s just the way the wood splits.

 

[dj1701]

I saw it happen to my dad. we were trying out a new splitter and had a big knotty chunk of wood to test it out. Well, it had a bit of trouble, then it let loose and hit him right in the man danglers. He started to do the curly shuffle around the yard. I was in tears; I just could not stop laughing. Luckly he was okay after the pain stopped.