# Other handy uses for a hydraulic wood splitter?



## motoguy (Nov 12, 2015)

Just curious if any of you use your hydraulic wood splitter for non-wood splitting purposes.  If so, what are those purposes?  How good does it work?  Mechanical press?  Popping beads to change tires?  

I'm just curious to see what ingenuity is out there, and what "I never thought of that!" things people do with their hydro splitter.


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## BrotherBart (Nov 12, 2015)

Went to use it to break a tire bead one time. The block of wood I was using under the wedge popped out and the dang wedge cut the rim. Never again.


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## notshubby (Nov 12, 2015)

I made a set if dies for my old splitter years ago to assist me when forging bigger stock when I was blacksmithing. or when I was doing pattern welded or Damascus billets. now I have a dedicated press for that.


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## jaoneill (Nov 12, 2015)

We have used ours any number of times over the years to straighten, or bend, when repairing farm equipment. Latest was last winter when I straightened a bent 3-point hitch drawbar that had been abused. Usually requires making up a jig of some sort but it is very effective when parts are too cumbersome to put on the press in the shop or for repairs in the field.


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## Isaac Carlson (Nov 13, 2015)

I have used mine a few times for various things as posted up there ^.  The weirdest was trying to split a beef in half.....don't ask.


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## CrufflerJJ (Nov 13, 2015)

Isaac Carlson said:


> I have used mine a few times for various things as posted up there ^.  The weirdest was trying to split a beef in half.....don't ask.



Sounds messy...very messy.


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## DoubleB (Nov 13, 2015)

My uncle fit a blank over the wedge to crush bins of aluminum cans.  

That sure wouldn't be worth my while, though.


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## gzecc (Nov 13, 2015)

I once saw one specifically built to be used for multiple purposes. Like any other piece of equipment they usually have a very specific function and there is always a compromise.


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## motoguy (Nov 13, 2015)

I'm just curious.  I just purchased a DHT 35T unit w/ 4 way wedge.  That's closer to a SS than I'd like to be, but I just don't think the SS is best for my needs.


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## Jags (Nov 13, 2015)

I have used mine as a vice for resizing too long logs or branches.  Clamp one end with the wedge, fire up the saw and bingo - makes for a nice and sturdy holder for that occasional resize.

One bead break on a lawn mower tire - not very handy.

A small form press brake for heavy steel (like putting a 90 degree bend in 1.5 x 1/2" bar stock).

And used to threaten an old boyfriend of the youngest daughter.  It had to do with squishing squishy parts.


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## BobUrban (Nov 13, 2015)

Like Notshubby said I have seen them used as a press for setting welds for pattern welding in the forge  - I use a press when I do mine but it would be simple to convert my spitter to a press in the fab shop


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## Whitepine2 (Nov 16, 2015)

Used mine to press a shaft from a very large cable pulley on my saw mill about a 2 inch shaft. This was a 6 inch piston
and pushed hard,when done found a set nut that locked it on that I didn't loosing up bad on me.


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## Whitepine2 (Nov 16, 2015)

I also used it to crush tire rims to remove tire and junk the rims works fine for that.


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## DodgyNomad (Nov 17, 2015)

I split engine blocks with mine to take into the recycler.  It's tough on the wedge, but I straighten it out every so often.  Saves my back from lifting big blocks into my truck.


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## BrotherBart (Nov 17, 2015)

DodgyNomad said:


> I split engine blocks with mine to take into the recycler.  It's tough on the wedge, but I straighten it out every so often.  Saves my back from lifting big blocks into my truck.


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## DodgyNomad (Nov 17, 2015)

BrotherBart said:


>


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## jebatty (Nov 17, 2015)

I made a die and then tried to press sawdust into pellets or chunks for burning, not enough compression force to get the sawdust to bind. Might work if a binder was added.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 17, 2015)

I've used mine to split wood . . . seems to do a pretty good job.


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## Whitepine2 (Nov 17, 2015)

DodgyNomad said:


> I split engine blocks with mine to take into the recycler.  It's tough on the wedge, but I straighten it out every so often.  Saves my back from lifting big blocks into my truck.


Had an uncle and his friend that picked up small engines from landfill and the two old fellers would split the blocks and remove the steel and iron from the aluminum and sell at junk yard. They did well filling 55 gal.barrel drums of aluminum to sell.


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## DodgyNomad (Nov 18, 2015)

Sounds like a lot of work.  Why not add a screen and bucket to catch the oil pouring out for re-use too?  I still recycle, but I think I lose money on it now.


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## CenterTree (Nov 18, 2015)

I once used mine to split PINE.


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## English BoB (Nov 20, 2015)

Id like to use mine to rekindle the crush I had on my ex wife and her lawyer

bob


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## Fred Wright (Nov 21, 2015)

I've used the splitter to break the bead on lawn buggy tires. It's an iffy practice and probably not very safe.


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## Kenster (Jan 4, 2016)

I use mine as a vice to hold longer bucks so I can cut them down to size.  I've also used it to shorten bucks when I don't have my saw with me.  I just line up the edge of the wedge where I want to make the cut and and pull the handle.  35 tons seems to always do the job.


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## Born2burn (Jan 7, 2016)

I have a homemade splitter with some attachments, a pipe can press can crush cans into a long solid pipe block, I have a hardened steel wedge so I can shear steel stock, bend stock, take tires off rims by smashing the rim, shear tires into smaller pieces and lastly I shear a computer that was not working right, just for fun and many other things I have not tried.


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## Jazzberry (Jan 8, 2016)

Can crusher sounds interesting. Make a steel box with a slip on masher. Could be very cool. Garbage compactor for rural areas could be really cool.


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## Blowingsmokeupyourchimney (Jan 19, 2016)

I got hard up and had to push out UV joints on a drive line. The factory didn't want them to be replaceable but after pushing them out, I had to spot weld them in, didn't have the snap ring grove in the drive line.


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## bboulier (Feb 22, 2016)

Manual tools are fine for pecans and walnuts, but a log splitter is especially useful for macadamia and Brazil nuts.


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## jetsam (Feb 23, 2016)

jebatty said:


> I made a die and then tried to press sawdust into pellets or chunks for burning, not enough compression force to get the sawdust to bind. Might work if a binder was added.



Thanks, I asked in a different thread if anyone had tried this, but nobody had.

How many tons is your splitter?


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## jebatty (Feb 24, 2016)

Old splitter and don't know. But has never failed to split any round I've thrown at it.


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## Jags (Feb 24, 2016)

Creating pellets from biomass requires pressure and heat that a typical log splitter isn't going to create.


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## CountryBoy19 (Feb 25, 2016)

jetsam said:


> Thanks, I asked in a different thread if anyone had tried this, but nobody had.
> 
> How many tons is your splitter?


The critical thing is pressure. Log splitters apply a specific force, pressure is a measure of force per area (pounds per square inch, aka PSI). If you're trying to make 10" squares with a 35 ton log splitter you're only applying 700 psi to the sawdust. But if you're trying to make a single round pellet that have a cross-sectional area of .1 square inch you're applying 700,000 psi to the sawdust.

I'm sure pellets can be made on a log-splitter, the heat will develop from friction and compression, the force is limited by the logsplitter so you have to adjust the size of the pellet/block to get the right PRESSURE on the sawdust.


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## Jags (Feb 25, 2016)

Why do I have this picture in my head of some dude wearing thick glasses counting..."One pellet, two pellets, three...:


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## jetsam (Feb 25, 2016)

Jags said:


> Why do I have this picture in my head of some dude wearing thick glasses counting..."One pellet, two pellets, three...:



My new single-pellet mold will not be a big hit amongst people with 30 second cycle times. 

"Earl,  hurry UP! It's COLD in here! "
"Coming,  halfway done with the next pellet already..."


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## Sprinter (Mar 4, 2016)

firefighterjake said:


> I've used mine to split wood . . . seems to do a pretty good job.


Dang, I gotta try that some time!


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