Coming up to the winter month's people begin to think of wood for their open fires or stoves, but may not relish the thought of hard labour in splitting firewood with an axe. In the past few years the pain in splitting firewood has been replaced with the introduction of electric log splitters, petrol engine machines and for bigger operations there are tractor driven machines available.
Electric log splitters are a powerful machine which can split firewood the same as a knife going through butter. Basically the machine consists of an electric motor which drives a hydraulic pump and this in turn extends a double acting hydraulic ram with a wedged axe like tool at the end of the ram. When a log of wood is placed against the stop end of the frame and pressure is applied via the hydraulic pump with hand lever controls to the ram, it splits the wood in the same way as if you were using an axe but with tons of pressure.
Electric log splitters are an ideal piece of machinery for the average householder whose logs may average around one foot in diameter and up to two foot in length. When purchasing an electric log splitter there are a few things you might want to keep in mind. The first thing you should consider is what wood are you likely to be using for firewood. Depending in what country you live in where you source your fire wood would be a good starting point.
If you intend using soft wood the tons of pressure required would not be as high as if you were splitting hardwoods and the lesser the tons the cheaper the price. On the other hand you would be better going for a machine slighter more powerful than what you require as a machine with a small motor may be under too much stress and therefore the life span may also be reduced.
Another point you would want to keep in mind is the safety aspects of the machine. Some of the more powerful machines have fast acting rams which may not be suitable for someone with little experience. On some machines the control leavers require both hands to be used to operate the machine which is an excellent safety device in that both hands are out of harm's way during the operation. An electric log splitter is an excellent tool to have in your garage that makes light work of firewood requirements for the winter season.