And now for Something COMPLETELY Different...

Discuss non-crawler related issues here (keep it sane, please)
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CuttingEdge
2010 crawler
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Location: Maine

And now for Something COMPLETELY Different...

Post by CuttingEdge » Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:13 pm

It sounds like a bad joke; two pieces of flat bar, a hinge, and spring all walk into a workshop and...

But in all seriousness, I wanted a new splitting axe to split my wood up for my pot bellied stove. I wanted to build my own axe because I hate spending money, and honestly there was nothing good out there. The lever type of axe has a unique design, but it has some fatal flaws and I could see how I could avoid those flaws, make a simple axe with what I had kicking around the house, and have one of the best splitting axes made to date. It is a tall order, the axe has been around since...well...Caveman days.

This is an axe ANYONE with a mere amount of welding skills can build, with materials they have kicking around the house, and for no money. Mine cost $0 dollars! It also took around 3 hours to build.

The axe works differently then most axes, the handle is off-set from the head of the axe so that as it strikes the block of wood, it immediately flips sideways. This uses kinetic energy, along with leverage to drive the wood apart. This is pretty basic for a lever axe, but my new axe differs from leverage axes in that mine is welded to a hinge. This means that as the wood is struck, the twisting force acts upon the hinge and leaves the handle firm in your hands...NO BLISTERS and no need for gloves either!! But my axe also has a spring, so that as the wood is struck the Spring automatically returns the axe head back to near vertical for another strike. It does all this in a fraction of a second. Trust me when I say this, NO ONE is surprised it works more than me!

This is my first prototype so it could be refined to look better, and I might down the road. Here are some pictures, but in the first picture showing my gathered up materials, I never needed the railroad spike to build it; anyone see an axe in that pile of material? :-)

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I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

dtoots1
350 crawler
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 8:54 am
Location: akron, ohio

Re: And now for Something COMPLETELY Different...

Post by dtoots1 » Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:40 pm

apparently...necessity is the mother of invention....amazing and well thought out

keep on keeping on!

Ray III
2010 crawler
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Location: Troy, NY

Re: And now for Something COMPLETELY Different...

Post by Ray III » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:21 am

That is a very interesting concept. My dad once had a splitter that had spring loaded cams embedded in the blade.

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amos
1010 crawler
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Re: And now for Something COMPLETELY Different...

Post by amos » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:32 am

Cool idea. Seen guys wrap a trucker type rubber bungee cord around logs before splitting and then simply move around during splitting instead of bending over time after time to pick up split pieces for more splits.Saves your back.
Amos
Pushin hard or diggin deep life is good.
What's ahead is what matters. What's behind is already done.
A fool of a man is he who doesn't ask questions...
God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason...

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