Good idea...but it would be scary IMO...sometimes even with just painted steel you'll have an unevenly cut log try to come squirting out n get you...right in several vulnerable spots, depending on your height. Maybe the "splitting pad" could be steel, and the surrounding table area recessed a bit so plastic could be overlayed and still keep it flat/smooth.
I'll probably stick with wood , hickory, white oak , or hard maple are my choices for splitter tables. Years ago I built one out of sassafras and it was a little soft and being soft the rounds didn't slide well.
After operating my split fire 1165v for a couple dozen full cord of wood I wouldn’t want anything to do with a slippery work surface. As brenndatomu already mentioned if a split is a little off kilter it’s likely to slip out and bite ya. It’s really isn’t even necessary as the rounds tend to be much more easily maneuvered in the vertical orientation. Amiright Backwoods Savage
Even if you were right (and I’m not saying you are) would he admit it without caveats in public not a PM
That solves one problem...getting a high velocity split in the gut or chest isn't the best time either! For the most part though, as was mentioned, it's not hard to slide rounds around on the table, unless they are huge!
This is one big difference I've left alone in the past, but someone got on the forum (supposedly a new member and he was not speaking from experience. He was just repeating what someone else said) and threw out a big warning. He said it was not a question if someone got hit in the family area but it was a question of when. I did notice though that subject simply went away. I had answered him and stated that in my years of splitting wood I had never had a flying split come at me because the splits always went sideways. It is like splitting with axe or maul. You are behind the log and if something flies, it goes sideways. Another reason I never liked splitting horizontally like so many do. But each to his own.
But with the standup vertical splitters you usually have a smooth table surface you are splitting on, whereas on a H/V model the foot usually have some sort of "traction" to keep the log from squirting out directly at you...its not so much when the wood splits that it goes flying, its more that it can come out directly at you before it splits...I've had it happen a few times while using a table top model, but nothing that really got me. I noticed on Redneck new vertical 3165V Splitfire that it has "teeth" milled into the deck right under the knife...and, additionally it has a guard that can be clipped onto the front of the table to help protect you...which is fine as long as you aren't trying to split rounds that are bigger than the table...it becomes a major PITA if you are running large rounds. You can see it clipped onto the front of the table in the first few pics here... 3165V - Split-Fire
So I sent my daughter to the stihl dealer with a list to just hand to the parts guy. On it I asked for...... a couple packs each of 33RS and 33RM left and right cutters along with a few packs of presets.. Promptly get a call asking for what bar size... oh boy. I reply it's just loose cutters and yellow presets. Another call back......he says he has to know the driver count.......I say I guess that would be "1". Finally he opens the Stihl catalog to show her that it only comes in lengths and finds the lists for the individual fiddly bits. They used to be in trays behind the counter and now they don't know they exist.
Don't worry Keith. You're not alone, we have the same issues with counter people at the parts stores. Give them a part number and they still can't comprehend what we're looking for. Kinda sad and very frustrating.
Surprised he didn't ask if it was 4x4...the auto parts store would, when you go in for a radiator cap
Well, as stated before, I have split wood for many years and have had splits flying and they fly like shot from a cannon. Every one has gone sideways. I see no reason these stand up vertical splitters would be different. In fact I have had it happen 3 times already with the new splitter. No harm done. As for the guard on split-fire splitters, they come standard with that guard. The guard can easily be removed if you have some round that won't fit.
