Just thought we could share some ideas on what we use to help make our favorite lifestyle easier... This is a pry bar/chop stick I made, works great to help slide big rounds around or cut strings down in the split. A few other tools, measure stick in the middle has holes spaced about 2" apart with screw for wood length. Small wooden platform built from 2×8 and 2 pieces of decking boards underneath. It is a shade higher than foot of splitter, makes getting bigger pieces on splitter easy. Metal platform that we use for the big rounds.
The pictures show most of the equipment we use, especially the first picture which shows atv, trailer, saw, measuring stick, log tongs, cant hook, pickeroon and wire basket for holding gas, oil, tools and water. Below is the tractor with FEL and trailer, although we don't use this trailer much. And of course the splitter plus milk crate and hot seat. Well, gloves and ear protection too.
Lots off great tools you have there. I too use a long breaker bar to help bust open big splits and make it easier to move them around. I like the idea of the boards in front of the splitter foot.
Great thread! I'd say next to my chainsaws & axe, my hookaroon and my tire are my most valued tools. The tamper bar is a great idea for when I'm wedging out the big stuff. Never would have thought of that but just added it to my arsenal. Thanks for the tip!
I had one of those, but about 4 inches wider. Was originally for scraping chicken chit off of concrete floors where it got really caked on bad sometimes. I ruined it scraping bark off of pine logs. Bent in just about the same spot as that one. I have some solid bars but at 4 feet they're a bit heavy.
I think that blade is 3/8×3 or 1/2×3. When we pressed the 1 1/2" pipe flat to weld it, that's how the bend got there. Actually worked out great as it creates an offset. It is pretty heavy, but that helps in chopping, I have used it to debark logs some. That's a workout...
Great idea to share labour saving inventions. I will attach a video of my log holder and holding table I designed and detailed plans if anyone is interested. My favourite back saving tool is my Fiskars hookaroon.
I was a great fan of Fiskars axes and use the X27 for all my splitting but I am finding lately that splitting knotty pine the edge goes very quickly. Even after about 20 minutes the edge starts to not only get dull but actually really dinted. Never had this problem with ash which is considered a hardwood. Edging again with a file and stone is very time consuming - anybody got any ideas?
The bar is very useful and the cant hook is old. I know I used it when we had our Mobile Dimension sawmill in 1980...we also had a 5' hook, but the handle rotted, I bought a 4' cant hook, but the hook on it wouldn't grab the big logs securely, I swapped the hook from the 5 footer, works well now.
Is it the same axe you were using on the ash? If not, it could be the metal is not as good. You could also change to a steeper/wider angle on the blade. Another thing is even though pine is considered a softwood, the knots are extremely hard, that's where the resin is concentrated. Down here in the South, we have old growth pine stumps called fat lighter. It is HARD. Really tough on a saw chain.
I'm sure it's come up in a thread somewhere...but how do you like that Yutrax trailer? I'm considering one...but it's a lot more $$$ than another one I'm considering.
This hatcharoon has been a life saver. I won’t work without it. It’ll pick up a 100lb round. The flat part of the blade that’s left acts as a release fulcrum. Just smack the handle down and it pops out. One of my most useful tools. Handle did come apart because they used a strong rubber to hold them in. I got all the rubber off and used JB weld to put it back on.
I use the x27 all the time, though not on pine, no problems with it. You have nails or wire in that pine? Makes no sense to me that it goes dull on softwood.
I don’t have a Fiskers of any sort. It’s possible the metal was just case hardened which if I remember my terminology correctly means just the outer surface is hardened. Once you sharpen it enough you’ll get to the softer core. I know none of this as fact. Just seen it happen on tools over the years. Mason hammers and cartridge reloading dies mostly.
There is no metal or stone embedded in the wood but there are knots in the pine that creep deep into the wood and the axe just bounces off.
That is excellent! I'm a tire trick/hand splitter guy myself and that is one of the best processing inventions I've seen in some time. Great work!