Building hydraulic wood splitter from scratch. Fabricating the press slide that connects to the hydraulic cylinder rod and presses logs through the 2,4 or 6way wedge (still need to be fabricated). This slide consists of mild steel and Hardox steel. Hardox is used on the bottom retainer strips that keep the slide on the edges on the splitter body. Drilling the holes was surprisingly easy, however, the last three holes were a nightmare dulling the drill bits faster I could sharpen them. The rest of the slide is made of mild steel and equipped with grease fittings in strategic places to keep the slide greased up and in good shape. The edges welded to the body are also made from Hardox and I welded them in small 5 cm/2" increments and cooled the work piece down regularly to keep the warping to minimal. I placed the dedicated log splitter spool valve on top of the cylinder but this placement may change due to user ergonomics which I can only test while actually using the splitter. Then there's the Audi 80/90 rear beam axle, all rusted and not wanting to come apart. But there's nothing you can't solve with a hammer and chisel and lots of rust penetrating oil. I salvaged the hubs and mounting plates. It would've been easier to just shorten the damn beam axle itself and use it but I had to make the drums turn around again. The bearings are shot for highway use but I'll clean'em and grease'em up real good and they'll serve this wood splitter for years to come. I made a clean tube frame for the axle and temporarily tack welded it to the splitter to get a feel for the height and working position. I might chop stuff off and weld on again. :)

My log splitter build series:    • Log Splitter Build  

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Welding equipment borrowed from Spetselektroodi AS, Estonia:
Fronius TransSteel 2700 welder
Optrel Crystal 2.0 Welding Helmet
Hypertherm Powermax 45 XP plasma cutter