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Bicycle powered kinetic log splitter?

 
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Any bicycle machine aficionados have any clue where one might find info on a bicycle powered kinetic log splitter? Or any bicycle powered log splitter that has a proven track record of being effective for splitting anything of reasonable diameter?
A small 6-8inch log could not only be burned whole but could be split easily enough with an axe or maul...  not really warranting the need for a splitter, but something bigger may require a suitable amount of force
Just thought permies community may know something, heres ti hoping
 
gardener
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Great question.
I have seen a simple peddle powered power hammer.

I know Harbor Freight sells a hand pumped log splitter which could be crafted to run on pedal power.

 
Devon Olsen
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That was similar to my thoughts on the idea
 
Devon Olsen
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Do you know where one could find a pedal powered hammer?
 
pollinator
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Here's a foot pump style spliter from Amazon.ca
Foot pump power!

If I were to construct a bike powered splitter, I would use the bike to raise a very heavy cutting head straight up in the air (within a framework tower), and have a trip cam at the top of the tower to allow gravity to send the cutting head down onto the log.
Best would be if the head could be reattached without having to hop off the bike each time.

This video may have something to inspire thought?
 
Devon Olsen
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That has me thinking that would be a good way to do it... a guide to hold the head in place with a single direction drive to lift it and perhaps a spring or crossbow inspired source of tension so that it is released at the top of the guide with additional downward pressure... of course at a certain point this project likely gets more expensive and complicated to outcompete a kinetic splitter that's already on the market, so it becomes a question of how important a pedal powered machine is
Though I think something of a pedal powered crossbow with a splitter replacing the bolt could deliver the necessary power and kinetic energy to effectively split wood
 
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Has anyone seen augur-type splitters before? I saw this Macguyvered deathtrap that bolted onto a tractor wheel that looked terrifying, but what it effectively did was bore lengthwise through a length of knotty and not-easily-split wood, splitting off mostly even quarter lengths.

Working with a bicycle, I would think that something like that might be more appropriate, unless you're going to build a guillotine-style splitter, with a bicycle acting to crank the splitter to the top of its run.

I mean, what could be easier? It's still the same wedge mechanics, only twisted around a rotating axis. The log gets clamped in place, the augur bit does its thing, and voila, split logs ready to stack or burn.

-CK
 
William Bronson
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Devon Olsen wrote:Do you know where one could find a pedal powered hammer?







 
William Bronson
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This is the harbor freight hydraulic log splitter.
If you could connect the ends of a pair of pedals to the lever arms  with a set of drive rods, you could easily power this thing.
Loading and unloading would require stopping or a helper.
I might start with typical geared bike.
I would elevate the rear wheel, remove the tire and using cast concrete, add weight to it.
Then I would use an inverted front fork to hold a tricycle wheel.
The drive rods would connect to the trike pedals, the trike would connect to the bike via a pulley belt.
The lack of a way to engage or disengage the flywheel from the work is a sever flaw.

It occurs to me that a pedal powered air pump might allow for us to store  air pressure to use with a pneumatic ram, making it easier for one person to split wood.
Pedal, build up air pressure, split wood.
Other air tools could also benefit.
Now to find a manual air pump that can build sufficient psi to power a pnumatic ram...
67090_W3.jpg
Harbor Freight Hydrolic Log Splitter
Harbor Freight Hydrolic Log Splitter
 
Devon Olsen
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I would think augers style might work, but how much torque would one need? Can a bicycle achieve this?
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Here's your pedal-powered wood splitter and electricity generator and water pump and grain mill and apple sauce maker and....

http://pedal-power.com/products/big-rig
 
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