Using my Christmas Present at last

I mentioned my Christmas present some time ago in this entry which was still in its box at that time.  A Holzspalter - a wood splitter, made in Germany. This present was included on my Christmas list as I hope to be able to supply my own wood for the woodburner and the open fire in the lounge.

It is quite heavy and has been getting in the way in the extension as it was so difficult to move in the box with one end much heavier than the other. Anyway, recently I was bored so I tried it for the first time.  Despite the weight, it is easily portable once out of the box as it has a couple of wheels which only touch the ground when you lift up the lighter end.  There's a small amount of assembly work (for which you need tools like spanners, but they provide a small Allen key). There was a slight issue with the assembly of it as the usually hyper-efficient Germans had made two mistakes - one was an incorrect machine screw (I found a spare in my grot box) and the other was that a pair of domed nuts could not be fitted as specified because the stud was too long to fit inside the dome; however, I was able to swap with a pair of stiff nuts used for the wheels as these were the same thread and the stub axle was a bit shorter.

The mains electric motor runs a hydraulic pump which sends a ram along a short track and forces the wood against a fixed splitter at the far end.  The whole thing has a very sturdy bed for the ram to slide on. Operation was quite straightforward, once you realise that the design for safety requires the simultaneous use of both hands, one on a button and the other on a lever, keeping your fingers out of harm's way.  The trick is to make sure that the splitter is against the right part of the wood - ideally it should be lined up radially where there might already be a small split.  Trying to split an inch off centre was a bit problematic until I got the idea. 

I was a bit suprised that the movement of the operating ram gently removed both manufacturer's sticky labels from where they were attached on either side of the bed.  These are the sort of thing that I, if a manufacturer, would want to ensure stayed on my products.

The results of a couple of hours work

We did a fair quantity of wood, but probably only about 40% of what I have from the old trees in the front garden.  Mind you, I know how much wood my two fires can burn, so lots is needed.  The cypress was the most difficult due to its diameter and we had to give in on some large bits, especially if there was a branch joint.  The ash was the most exciting, seeing a ten inch section of seven inch diameter wood suddenly split and both parts propelled forward by four or five feet.  I also had some buddleia, holly, elder and laurel - we couldn't work out which it was which smelled gently of lemon.  Some of my wood was cut before the front garden work last November, and was going quite hard - clearly the best time to split is when the wood is still fresh, so I ought to get on and do the rest soon.  My neighbour is going to do his driveway soon and so I have already put in a request for his wood (holly and dead yew, mostly). I'm still kicking myself for not asking for any of his old wavy glass when he had his front windows done by a certain large company - they just smashed everything and fitted brand new.  I'm not sure Conservation would be happy!

Jane's verdict: "How good to find a tool that even a woman can use". Just stand at the right end!