Scariest log splitter ive seen

[Sodo]

Depends if someone wants to gamble with their opposing thumbs.

I can't speak for everyone else but I would do it like the guy in the video, where he holds the round on the end away from the danger. And where he stands, he can fall back away from it, and can easily brace his body against that shelf to stay out. So in my case it would be 16 inches away but could be 18 or 20 inches. Maybe consider a guard above it that let the biggest round in but gave you something positive up higher to brace against. Can't say without using it but I would know within the first few minutes.

Fingers ~18 inches away from that is absolutely no problem (for me).

My chainsaw is very often closer to fleshy bits than 16 inches. But agreed while not everybody should use a chainsaw, few people clear out or get scared watching a video. How were you thinking the operator might get his thumbs in there? Maybe his children are playing football next to the woodpile? Drinking buddy jumps on his back to give him a noogie? Rough-housing while he's running the chainsaw?

Move along folks this thing is probably safer than a chainsaw (or a tractor). Safer than felling, safer than tree trimming it's no big deal. Hydraulic could be safer but so much slower, and more time to rest between rounds. But more bending over which has high possibility of injury.

 

[WilliamBos]

While surfing you tube videos I had to see the Redneck Log Splitter video. Wow, this is a huge accident waiting to happen. I know annually there are lots of farming accidents and its bc of cockamamey ideas like this one....check it out. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=40sCGb678sQ

Have you ever split with with an axe before? This is no more dangerous!

 

[WilliamBos]

I have absolutely no trouble with that splitter. Your "safe and sensible" lacks self responsibility. Who will take care of you until you grow up? Keep your wits about you, don't go out on the ocean .

I agree 100%!!

 

[k0ua]

I can't speak for everyone else but I would do it like the guy in the video, where he holds the round on the end away from the danger. And where he stands, he can fall back away from it, and can easily brace his body against that shelf to stay out. So in my case it would be 16 inches away but could be 18 or 20 inches. Maybe consider a guard above it that let the biggest round in but gave you something positive up hiugher to brace against. Can't say without using it but I would know within the first few minutes.

Fingers ~18 inches away from that is absolutely no problem (for me).

My chainsaw is very often closer to fleshy bits than 16 inches. But agreed while not everybody should use a chainsaw, few people clear out or get scared watching a video. How were you thinking the operator might get his thumbs in there? Maybe his children are playing football next to the woodpile? Drinking buddy jumps on his back to give him a noogie? Rough-housing while he's running the chainsaw?

Move along folks this thing is probably safer than a chainsaw (or a tractor). Safer than felling, safer than tree trimming it's no big deal. Hydraulic could be safer but so much slower, and more time to rest between rounds. But more bending over which has high possibility of injury.

please look at the video again at 24 seconds. Please advise me that his fingers are 16 inches or more away from Danger.

 

[BowlBuilder]

Here are a couple of scary splitters.

A little short, but really shoots the logs out.
True air powered log splitter - YouTube

A little too fast for me.
mechanical wood splitter - YouTube

 

[BowlBuilder]

Here are a couple of very nice, well thought out homemade splitters.

Kinetic baler Flywheel log wood splitter. Splitfire Supersplit - YouTube

Homemade 30 ton Log splitter with log lift and adjustable 4-way blade - YouTube

 

[k0ua]

Here are a couple of scary splitters.

A little short, but really shoots the logs out.
True air powered log splitter - YouTube

A little too fast for me.
mechanical wood splitter - YouTube

Either one of those including the fast one are 100 times safer than that rotary "wheel of death" that was originally posted. There is nothing there to hurt you in a moment of inattention. The "wheel of death" splitter's require your intense concentration 100% of the time. And as I pointed out at the 24 second mark of the original posted video, that operator came very close to the blade. Am I OK with a person using such of a tool?.. Of course I am.. It it their fingers in jeopardy, not mine.:shocked: I am just saying that type of a splitter is not safe for ME to use. Not for an extended period of time. My router, tablesaw, and bandsaw are dangerous too, but when I am using them I am very focused, and when the distance from the blade to my fingers get short, I use push sticks! And they are not tools I am standing around for hours wrestling with half split wood, getting tired and inattentive with. That is all I am saying.:thumbsup:

James K0UA

 

[TomSeller]

The air powered one is so fast that an errant bump of the lever while your hands are in front of the ram would result in a serious injury. At least with hydraulics the ram is moving slow and you can react.

 

[Sodo]

please look at the video again at 24 seconds. Please advise me that his fingers are 16 inches or more away from Danger.

yep I bet he didn't do that until he was more experienced with the machine. Maybe a half hour into it after he learned the machine's habits he tried that. Its those little tidbits what gets all the attention on the interweb, gets 1.5Million views.

I'd extend that table a little bigger to have more to brace against and then they could prestack more wood on it. Also swipe a larger pile of wood off into a 4' x 4' bin and fork it away. Wheel speed looks about right not too fast, not too slow, it's not flippin' stuff at the operator and it has enough delay to load the next round safely. Sorry I like this splitter. I wonder how many years it's been tested?

My cabin is small and doesn't require a lot of wood to so this is not for me. I like the quiet, and the exercise of splitting with a maul, which i am CERTAIN is more dangerous, not for my fingers but for my shins and back. If I was heating a house then the added speed would be useful.

I do like old stuff & old mechanisms, with simple principles. It doesn't leak, no rams to rust, hoses to break and nobody's gonna steal it. Doesn't look like you can move it to the wood you have to bring all the wood to it. I wonder if he uses such short rounds because the narrow anvil doesn't split 16s or 18s well. Might need some wings on the anvil.

The air powered one is so fast that an errant bump of the lever while your hands are in front of the ram would result in a serious injury. At least with hydraulics the ram is moving slow and you can react.

Yeah I didn't like that one. Also it scattered the wood, lotsa picking up, and could fly where you dont want it to go. Compressed air is dicey.

 

[sixdogs]

The point of risk taking in life is to NOT take the big risk but to insure against it. For a careful person to have $25 deductible on their homeowner's insurance isn't cost effective. Better to buy $2000 deductible and with the savings self insure against that $2000 potential loss that isn't likely to occur. . That risk taking makes sense because your odds of a catastrophic loss are small. The odds of an accident with a chain saw are great, but it is a relatively known commodity and one can pretty much know the risks. The spinning splitter, on the other hand has a series of variables in there of things that can go wrong that you don't expect. A chain saw might, or rather will kick back if you do the wrong stuff with it. Hopefully the brake takes over. If you get cut you are going to get cut.

Make a mistake with that whirring splitter and you have that big risk of unknown dimension. Easily a finger could get lost or an artery could easily get severed. I'm not saying it can't happen with a chain saw but it seems the odds of a truly disabling injury are far greater with the splitter. I take all sorts of risks but they are risks that, based on my evaluation of risk versus reward give me a pretty good odds of success.

If that whirring splitter works for you, fine. Do it. Our skill levels may be vastly different. I just don't think I'm quick enough to justify the potential risk and for the small gain of a pile of split wood can't financially justify it. Just my two cents here.