CA1084814A - Hydraulic wood splitter - Google Patents
Hydraulic wood splitterInfo
- Publication number
- CA1084814A CA1084814A CA304,807A CA304807A CA1084814A CA 1084814 A CA1084814 A CA 1084814A CA 304807 A CA304807 A CA 304807A CA 1084814 A CA1084814 A CA 1084814A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ram
- crosshead
- movement
- machine according
- upright
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B27—WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL
- B27L—REMOVING BARK OR VESTIGES OF BRANCHES; SPLITTING WOOD; MANUFACTURE OF VENEER, WOODEN STICKS, WOOD SHAVINGS, WOOD FIBRES OR WOOD POWDER
- B27L7/00—Arrangements for splitting wood
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A machine for carrying out operations in which a tool is forced against a supported workpiece has a frame comprising a base and a pair of laterally spaced uprights secured to and extending upwardly from the base, each upright having a vertically extending groove facing the other upright.
A crosshead extends between the uprights with opposite ends received in the grooves for vertical movement therein. A
beam is pivotally mounted between its ends at the top of one of the uprights for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the distance between the uprights, the beam having one end above the crosshead and pivotally connected thereto and an opposite end laterally outward of the upright upon which the beam is pivoted. A fluid pressure operated double-acting ram has an upper end pivotally connected to the opposite end of the beam, and a lower end pivotally connected to a lower part of the frame. The ram is extensible by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in one direction with consequent downward movement of the crosshead and is also contractable by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in the opposite direction with consequent upward move-ment of the crosshead. The crosshead carries a tool for carrying out an operation on a workpiece supported on the base when the ram is extended to cause downward movement of the crosshear and the tool.
A machine for carrying out operations in which a tool is forced against a supported workpiece has a frame comprising a base and a pair of laterally spaced uprights secured to and extending upwardly from the base, each upright having a vertically extending groove facing the other upright.
A crosshead extends between the uprights with opposite ends received in the grooves for vertical movement therein. A
beam is pivotally mounted between its ends at the top of one of the uprights for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the distance between the uprights, the beam having one end above the crosshead and pivotally connected thereto and an opposite end laterally outward of the upright upon which the beam is pivoted. A fluid pressure operated double-acting ram has an upper end pivotally connected to the opposite end of the beam, and a lower end pivotally connected to a lower part of the frame. The ram is extensible by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in one direction with consequent downward movement of the crosshead and is also contractable by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in the opposite direction with consequent upward move-ment of the crosshead. The crosshead carries a tool for carrying out an operation on a workpiece supported on the base when the ram is extended to cause downward movement of the crosshear and the tool.
Description
10~4814 This invention relates to machines for splitting wood and carrying out other operations in which a tool is forced against a supported workpiece.
It is an object of the invention to provide a versatile machine which is capahle of carrying out a variety of such operations.
According to the invention, a machine has a frame comprising a base and a pair of laterally spaced uprights secured to and extending upwardly from the base, each upright having a vertically extending groove facing the other upright, with a crosshead extending between the uprights with opposite ends received in the grooves for vertical movement therein. A
beam is pivotally mounted between its ends at the top of one of the uprights for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the distance between the uprights, the beam having one end above the crosshead and pivotally connected thereto and an opposite end laterally outward of the upright upon which the beam is pivoted. A fluid pressure operated double-acting ram has an upper end pivotally connected to the opposite end of the beam, and a lower end pivotally connected to a lower part of the frame. The ram is extensible by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in one direction with consequent downward movement of the crosshead, and is also contractable by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in the opposite direction with Consequent upward movement of the crosshead. The cross head carries tool means for carrying out an operation on an article supported on the base when the ram is extended to cause downward movement of the crosshead and the tool means.
The tool means may for example be a wood splitting or cutting tool, or may be a tool suitable for pipe bending, metal -- 1 -- :
~e r~ I ;
8~4 forming or wine pressing. Advantageously, the tool means is connected to the crosshead in a readily detachable manner.
One end of the beam may be pivotally connected to the crosshead by a link directly pivotally connected at one end to the crosshead and directly pivotally connected at an opposite end to the beam. The upper end of the ram may be directly pivotally connected to the opposite end of the beam.
The frame may also include a horizontal upper member extending between and secured to the upper ends of the uprights.
The machine may also include valve means connectable to a source of fluid under pressure and connected to the ram, the valve means being manually operable to cause fluid to be supplied to the ram in a ram extending manner and to cause fluid under pressure to be supplied to the ram in a ram con-tracting manner.
The machine may also include lower limit means res-ponsive to movement of the crosshead to a predetermined lower position to halt lowering movement of the crosshead by causing flow of fluid under pressure to the ram in a ram extending manner to cease. The lower limit means may comprise a flexible inelastic mamber secured at an upper end to a laterally outward portion of the beam and at a lower end to an actuating member associated with the valve means. The valve means may have a manually operable control handle having a neutral position and a ram extending position, the actuating means being operated by the flexible member, when the cross-head reaches the predetermined lower position, to return the control handle by engagement therewith from the ram extending position to the neutral position.
The machine may further include upper limit means responsive to movement of the crosshead to a predetermined upper iO~4814 position to halt rising movement of the crosshead by causing flow of fluid to the ram in a ram contracting manner to cease.
The upper limit means may include a rod slidably mounted on the upright upon which the crosshead is mounted, the rod having an upper end engageable by a portion of the beam laterally outwardly of the upright, when the crosshead reaches the pre-determined position, to cause downward movement of the rod, the downward movement of the rod causing flow of fluid to the rame in a ram contracting manner to cease. The downward move-ment of the rod may cause movement of the handle from a ram contracting position to the neutral position.
Advantageously, the frame is mounted on wheels to enable the machine to be readily moved from one site to another, and the machine may be provided with a hitch arrangement extend-ing forwardly from the frame so that the machine can be hitched to a suitable vehicle for transportation purposes.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of wood splitter in accord-ance with one embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the wood splitter, Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side view on an enlarged scale showing upper and lower limit means, Figure 4 is a front view of a wood cutting tool assembly, and Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower part of the wood cutting tool assembly.
Referring to the drawings, a wood splitting machine has a vertical frame 12 comprising a transverse lower hori-zontal member 14, a pair of uprights 16, 18 extending upwardly 81~
from opposite ends of the lower frame member 14, and a trans-verse upper horizontal member 20 extending between the upper ends of the uprights 16, 18. The :Lower and upper frame memhers 14, 20 and the uprights 16, 18 are each of metal beam con-struction and are welded to one another at the corners of the frame 12 to provide a rigid vertical rectangular frame.
The frame 12 is supported on wheels 22, 24 at laterally opposite sides of the frame, the wheels being mounted on axles 26, 28 projecting from opposite ends of the lower frame member 14. A hitch arrangement 30 includes three hitch arms 32, 34, 36 extending forwardly from the lower frame member 14. The hitch arm 34 extends directly forwardly from the centre of the lower frame member 14, and the hitch arms 32, 36 extend in converging directions from adjacent opposite ends of the lower frame member 14 to meet the centre hitch arm 34 partway along its length. The forward end of the centre hitch arm 34 carries a hitch coupling 38. As shown, the outer hitch arms 32, 36 are of angled construction and the central hitch arm 34 is of pipe-like construction. The frame 12 also includes a horizontal rectanguLar platform 40 mounted on the lower frame member 14 and extending forwardly and rearwardly therefrom.
Vertical thin-like stiffeners 32 extend forwardly and rearwardly from the lower frame member 14 to provide support for the forward and rear portions of the platform 40.
Front and rear telescopic stabilizing legs 44, 46 are suspended from the centre hitch arm 34 and the rear of the platform 40. The legs 44, 46 can be manually extended to ground engaging lengths to provide support when the wood splitter is in use. Thus, the wood splitter can readily be moved from one site to another, with the legs 44, 46 retracted, by attaching the hitch coupling 38 to a suitable vehicle.
-` ~0~34814 The laterally inner surfaces of the uprights 16, 18 are provided with guides 48, 50 which have vertieally extending grooves, and a crosshead 52 is mounted in the frame 12 with its opposite ends engaged in the grooves of the guides 48, 50 so that the crosshead can move vertically in the frame. A
beam 54 is pivotally mounted at its midpoint in a bracket 56 at the top of the upright 18, the beam 54 being mounted on a pin 58 carried by the bracket 56, so that the beam 54 can pivot about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the distance between the uprights 16, 18.
One end of the beam 54 is located above the cross-head 52 and is pivotally connected thereto by a link 60 directly pivotally connected to the beam 54 by a pin 62 and directly pivotally connected to the crosshead 52 by a pin 64 midway along the length of the crosshead 52. The link 60 passes through a slot-like aperture (not shown) in the upper frame member 20. The opposite end of the beam 54 is located laterally outwardly of the frame 12 and is directly pivotally eonnected by a pin 66 to the piston rod 68 of a double-acting hydraulie ram 70 of conventional piston and cylinder eonstrue-tion. The opposite end of the ram 70 is directly pivotally connected to a lower part of the frame by a pin 72 in a lug 74 seeured to an extension of the lower frame member 14 between the upright 18 and the wheel 24. A wood splitting wedge 75 projects downwardly from a central position on the erosshead 52 and is seeured thereto in a readily detachable manner by a bolt 77.
A hydraulie control valve 76 is mounted on the up-right 18 and is connected to opposite ends of the cylinder 78 of the ram 70 by hoses 80, 82. The control valve 76 is also connectable to a souree of fluid under pressure which ~84814 may be mounted on the wood splitter or which may for example be mounted on another vehicle such as a tractor. ~1hen the source of fluid under pressure is mounted on the wood splitter, it may for example be a hydraulic pump which can be driven by the power take-off shaft of the tractor. In any event, the nature of the required connections between the source of fluid under pressure and the control valve will be clearly apparent to a person skilled in the art and need not be described here in detail.
The control valve 76 is manually operable by means of a handle 84 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 82 carried by the housing 86 of the control valve 76, the lower end of the handle 84 being pivotally connected to the end of a valve member 88 which protrudes from the valve housing 86. Figure
It is an object of the invention to provide a versatile machine which is capahle of carrying out a variety of such operations.
According to the invention, a machine has a frame comprising a base and a pair of laterally spaced uprights secured to and extending upwardly from the base, each upright having a vertically extending groove facing the other upright, with a crosshead extending between the uprights with opposite ends received in the grooves for vertical movement therein. A
beam is pivotally mounted between its ends at the top of one of the uprights for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the distance between the uprights, the beam having one end above the crosshead and pivotally connected thereto and an opposite end laterally outward of the upright upon which the beam is pivoted. A fluid pressure operated double-acting ram has an upper end pivotally connected to the opposite end of the beam, and a lower end pivotally connected to a lower part of the frame. The ram is extensible by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in one direction with consequent downward movement of the crosshead, and is also contractable by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in the opposite direction with Consequent upward movement of the crosshead. The cross head carries tool means for carrying out an operation on an article supported on the base when the ram is extended to cause downward movement of the crosshead and the tool means.
The tool means may for example be a wood splitting or cutting tool, or may be a tool suitable for pipe bending, metal -- 1 -- :
~e r~ I ;
8~4 forming or wine pressing. Advantageously, the tool means is connected to the crosshead in a readily detachable manner.
One end of the beam may be pivotally connected to the crosshead by a link directly pivotally connected at one end to the crosshead and directly pivotally connected at an opposite end to the beam. The upper end of the ram may be directly pivotally connected to the opposite end of the beam.
The frame may also include a horizontal upper member extending between and secured to the upper ends of the uprights.
The machine may also include valve means connectable to a source of fluid under pressure and connected to the ram, the valve means being manually operable to cause fluid to be supplied to the ram in a ram extending manner and to cause fluid under pressure to be supplied to the ram in a ram con-tracting manner.
The machine may also include lower limit means res-ponsive to movement of the crosshead to a predetermined lower position to halt lowering movement of the crosshead by causing flow of fluid under pressure to the ram in a ram extending manner to cease. The lower limit means may comprise a flexible inelastic mamber secured at an upper end to a laterally outward portion of the beam and at a lower end to an actuating member associated with the valve means. The valve means may have a manually operable control handle having a neutral position and a ram extending position, the actuating means being operated by the flexible member, when the cross-head reaches the predetermined lower position, to return the control handle by engagement therewith from the ram extending position to the neutral position.
The machine may further include upper limit means responsive to movement of the crosshead to a predetermined upper iO~4814 position to halt rising movement of the crosshead by causing flow of fluid to the ram in a ram contracting manner to cease.
The upper limit means may include a rod slidably mounted on the upright upon which the crosshead is mounted, the rod having an upper end engageable by a portion of the beam laterally outwardly of the upright, when the crosshead reaches the pre-determined position, to cause downward movement of the rod, the downward movement of the rod causing flow of fluid to the rame in a ram contracting manner to cease. The downward move-ment of the rod may cause movement of the handle from a ram contracting position to the neutral position.
Advantageously, the frame is mounted on wheels to enable the machine to be readily moved from one site to another, and the machine may be provided with a hitch arrangement extend-ing forwardly from the frame so that the machine can be hitched to a suitable vehicle for transportation purposes.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of wood splitter in accord-ance with one embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the wood splitter, Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side view on an enlarged scale showing upper and lower limit means, Figure 4 is a front view of a wood cutting tool assembly, and Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower part of the wood cutting tool assembly.
Referring to the drawings, a wood splitting machine has a vertical frame 12 comprising a transverse lower hori-zontal member 14, a pair of uprights 16, 18 extending upwardly 81~
from opposite ends of the lower frame member 14, and a trans-verse upper horizontal member 20 extending between the upper ends of the uprights 16, 18. The :Lower and upper frame memhers 14, 20 and the uprights 16, 18 are each of metal beam con-struction and are welded to one another at the corners of the frame 12 to provide a rigid vertical rectangular frame.
The frame 12 is supported on wheels 22, 24 at laterally opposite sides of the frame, the wheels being mounted on axles 26, 28 projecting from opposite ends of the lower frame member 14. A hitch arrangement 30 includes three hitch arms 32, 34, 36 extending forwardly from the lower frame member 14. The hitch arm 34 extends directly forwardly from the centre of the lower frame member 14, and the hitch arms 32, 36 extend in converging directions from adjacent opposite ends of the lower frame member 14 to meet the centre hitch arm 34 partway along its length. The forward end of the centre hitch arm 34 carries a hitch coupling 38. As shown, the outer hitch arms 32, 36 are of angled construction and the central hitch arm 34 is of pipe-like construction. The frame 12 also includes a horizontal rectanguLar platform 40 mounted on the lower frame member 14 and extending forwardly and rearwardly therefrom.
Vertical thin-like stiffeners 32 extend forwardly and rearwardly from the lower frame member 14 to provide support for the forward and rear portions of the platform 40.
Front and rear telescopic stabilizing legs 44, 46 are suspended from the centre hitch arm 34 and the rear of the platform 40. The legs 44, 46 can be manually extended to ground engaging lengths to provide support when the wood splitter is in use. Thus, the wood splitter can readily be moved from one site to another, with the legs 44, 46 retracted, by attaching the hitch coupling 38 to a suitable vehicle.
-` ~0~34814 The laterally inner surfaces of the uprights 16, 18 are provided with guides 48, 50 which have vertieally extending grooves, and a crosshead 52 is mounted in the frame 12 with its opposite ends engaged in the grooves of the guides 48, 50 so that the crosshead can move vertically in the frame. A
beam 54 is pivotally mounted at its midpoint in a bracket 56 at the top of the upright 18, the beam 54 being mounted on a pin 58 carried by the bracket 56, so that the beam 54 can pivot about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the distance between the uprights 16, 18.
One end of the beam 54 is located above the cross-head 52 and is pivotally connected thereto by a link 60 directly pivotally connected to the beam 54 by a pin 62 and directly pivotally connected to the crosshead 52 by a pin 64 midway along the length of the crosshead 52. The link 60 passes through a slot-like aperture (not shown) in the upper frame member 20. The opposite end of the beam 54 is located laterally outwardly of the frame 12 and is directly pivotally eonnected by a pin 66 to the piston rod 68 of a double-acting hydraulie ram 70 of conventional piston and cylinder eonstrue-tion. The opposite end of the ram 70 is directly pivotally connected to a lower part of the frame by a pin 72 in a lug 74 seeured to an extension of the lower frame member 14 between the upright 18 and the wheel 24. A wood splitting wedge 75 projects downwardly from a central position on the erosshead 52 and is seeured thereto in a readily detachable manner by a bolt 77.
A hydraulie control valve 76 is mounted on the up-right 18 and is connected to opposite ends of the cylinder 78 of the ram 70 by hoses 80, 82. The control valve 76 is also connectable to a souree of fluid under pressure which ~84814 may be mounted on the wood splitter or which may for example be mounted on another vehicle such as a tractor. ~1hen the source of fluid under pressure is mounted on the wood splitter, it may for example be a hydraulic pump which can be driven by the power take-off shaft of the tractor. In any event, the nature of the required connections between the source of fluid under pressure and the control valve will be clearly apparent to a person skilled in the art and need not be described here in detail.
The control valve 76 is manually operable by means of a handle 84 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 82 carried by the housing 86 of the control valve 76, the lower end of the handle 84 being pivotally connected to the end of a valve member 88 which protrudes from the valve housing 86. Figure
2 shows the valve handle 84 in a neutral position, that is to say in a position in which fluid under pressure is not supplied to either hose 80 or hose 82. Angular movement of the upper part of the handle 84 from the neutral position away from the frame 12 moves the valve member 88 inwardly into the valve ~
20 housing 86, and such movement of the valve member 88 causes ;
fluid under pressure to be supplied to the hose 82 to cause the ram 72 to extend, with fluid from the other end of the ; ram being returned to the control valve 76 through hose 80 in known manner. Extension of the ram 70 causes the piston rod 68 to pivot the beam 54 in an anticlockwise direction in Figure l, thereby forcing the link 60 and crosshead 52 down-wardly.
Conversely, angular movement of the upper part of the handle 84 away from the neutral position towards the frame 12 moves the valve member 88 in an outwards direction from the valve housing 86, and such movement of the valve member 88 causes fluid under pressure to be supplied to the 4~
hose 80 to cause the ram 70 to contract, with the fluid from the other end of the ram being returned to the control valve 76 through hose 82 in known manner. Contraction of the ram 70 causes the piston rod 68 to pivot the beam 54 in a clockwise direction, thereby pulling the link 60 and crosshead 52 up-wardly. The control valve 76 is of known constructions and the nature of its operation is well known to a person skilled in the art.
Lower and upper limit means are provided to auto-matical~y halt the movement of the crosshead by the ram 70 when the crosshead 52 reaches predetermined upper and lower positions. For the sake of clarity, such limit means has been omitted from Figures 1 and 2, and is shown in diagrammatic manner in Figure 3. The lower limit means includes a flexible inelastic member in the form of a chain 90 secured at its upper end to the beam 54 at a position laterally outwardly from the pivot pin 58 and at its lower end to an actuating member 92. The actuating member 92 is in the form of a bar pivotally mounted near the one end on the upright 18 by a 20 pin 96. At this end, a pair of centralizing springs 98, 100 are secured to the actuating bar 92, one spring 98 being secured between the bar 92 and a position 102 on the upright t 18 higher than the bar 92, and the other spring 100 being secured between the bar 92 and a position 104 on the upright 18 below the bar 92, in such a manner that the springs 98, 100 bias the actuating bar 92 towards a horizontal position.
The opposite end of the actuating bar 92 carries a cam roller 106 engaging the side of the handle 84 remote from the valve housing 86. When the actuating bar 92 is in the horizontal position, the cam roller 106 engages thehandle 84 at the level of its pivotal connection to the valve housing 86.
8:~4 The lower limit means includes a rod 108 mounted in brackets 110 on the upright 18 for vertical sliding movement.
The rod 108 has an angled extension 112 at its lower end which is engaged with the upper surface of the actuating bar 92 near its attachment to the chain 90. The upper end of the rod 108 is located just below the beam 34 near its attachment to the upper end of the chain 90.
When the handle 84 is pulled in a direction away from the upright 18, the ram 70 is caused to extend, as pre-viously described, pivoting the beam 54 with consequent down-ward movement of the crosshead 52. Just before the crosshead 52 has reached the predetermined ]ower limit of travel, the chain 90 becomes taut, with the result that a further small amount of movement of the beam 54 pulls the chain 90 upwardly which in turn pivots the actuating bar 92 upwardly. With such movement, the cam roller 106 moves up the handle 84, forcing it back to its neutral position, with the result that the actuating member 88 of the control valve 76 returns to its neutral position, cutting off further flow of fluid under pressure to the ram 70 and halting travel of the crosshead 52. The force which the cam roller 106 applies to the handle 84 is great enough to overcome an average manual force hold-ing the handle 84 in the crosshead lowering position. If desired, the chain 90 may be connected in an adjustable manner to the beam 54 or to the actuating bar 92 in order that the , predetermined lower limit of travel of the crosshead 52 can be adjusted.
When the handle 84 is subsequently pushed in towards the upright 18, the ram 70 is caused to contract, as previously described, pivoting the beam 54 with consequent upward movement of the crosshead 52. Just before the crosshead 52 reaches the 1~4~
predetermined upper limit of travel, the beam 54 engages the upper end of the rod 108. A small further amount of movement of the heam 54 pushes the rod 108 downwardly, which in turn pivots the actuating bar 92 downwaxdly. With such movement, the cam roller 106 pivots the valve handle 84 back to its neutral position with the result that the valve member 88 returns to its neutral position, cutting off further flow of fluid under pressure to the ram 70 and halting travel of the crosshead 52. Again, the force which the cam roller 106 applies to the handle 84 is great enough to overcome an aver-age manual force holding the handle 84 in a crosshead raising position. If desired, the upper end of the rod 108 may be provided with an adjustment screw 112 to enable the predeter-mined upper limit of travel of the crosshead 52 to be adjusted.
Thus, the crosshead 52 can be raised and lowered by operation of the valve handle 84, and the lower and upper limit means can be set to ensure that travel of the crosshead 52 ceases at adjustable predetermined lower and upper posi-tions.
As previously mentioned, a wood splitting wedge 75 is detachably secured to the underside of the crosshead 52.
In use of the wood splitter, wood can easily be split by posi-tioning the wood on the platform 40, with the crosshead 52 in the raised position, and operating the handle 84 to cause downward movement of the crosshead 52 and penetration of the wood by the splitting wedge 75. Depending of course on the actual fluid pressure used and the dimensions of the various moving parts of the machine, the wedge 75 can be caused to engage the wood with a very considerable force. A typical source of fluid under pressure would supply fluid at a pres-sure of the order of 2,000 pounds per square inch. With a 10~81~
machine of the kind described, and using such a fluid pressure, the wood splitter can apply a force of about 15 tons to the wood. The frame 12 is extremely sturdy, and can be made to withstand a wood splitting force of up to about 30 tons if desired.
It will be apparent that a frame construction of the machine enables wood of relatively large size to be inserted into the frame 12. For example, the frame may be of such a size that wood up to 4 feet in diameter can readily be split.
As indicated earlier, the splitting wedge 75 is readily detachable from the crosshead 52, and other tool attachments may be substituted. Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, a platelike knife 114 with an inclined cutting edge 116 can be detachably secured to the crosshead 52 by means of the bolt 77, the knife 114 being provided with an aper-tured lug 118 for this purpose. In use, the knife 114 co-operates with a cutting block 120 with a V-shaped upper surface 122 and a slot 124 into which the knife edge can pass. The cutting block 120 has a vertical guide channel 126 at one side with a roller 128 near its upper end. The knife 114 has a ribbed side edge 130 shaped to be slidably received in the guide channel 116 and engaged by roller 128 when the knife 114 descends. The cutting block 120 is readily detach-ably secured to the platform 40 by bolts (not shown).
The described construction of knife 114 and cutting block 120 provides a very effective arrangement for cutting wood placed on the cutting block 120.
It will also be readily apparent that the described machine may be converted for other uses. For example, suitable tool attachments may be detachably secured to the crosshead 10848~4 52 for pipe being, metal forming and wine pressing. The machine can be adapted to function as a wine press by securing a suitable plunger to the crosshead 52 and positioning a wine receptacle on the platform 40.
Other embodiments within the scope of the invention 1- will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims.
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20 housing 86, and such movement of the valve member 88 causes ;
fluid under pressure to be supplied to the hose 82 to cause the ram 72 to extend, with fluid from the other end of the ; ram being returned to the control valve 76 through hose 80 in known manner. Extension of the ram 70 causes the piston rod 68 to pivot the beam 54 in an anticlockwise direction in Figure l, thereby forcing the link 60 and crosshead 52 down-wardly.
Conversely, angular movement of the upper part of the handle 84 away from the neutral position towards the frame 12 moves the valve member 88 in an outwards direction from the valve housing 86, and such movement of the valve member 88 causes fluid under pressure to be supplied to the 4~
hose 80 to cause the ram 70 to contract, with the fluid from the other end of the ram being returned to the control valve 76 through hose 82 in known manner. Contraction of the ram 70 causes the piston rod 68 to pivot the beam 54 in a clockwise direction, thereby pulling the link 60 and crosshead 52 up-wardly. The control valve 76 is of known constructions and the nature of its operation is well known to a person skilled in the art.
Lower and upper limit means are provided to auto-matical~y halt the movement of the crosshead by the ram 70 when the crosshead 52 reaches predetermined upper and lower positions. For the sake of clarity, such limit means has been omitted from Figures 1 and 2, and is shown in diagrammatic manner in Figure 3. The lower limit means includes a flexible inelastic member in the form of a chain 90 secured at its upper end to the beam 54 at a position laterally outwardly from the pivot pin 58 and at its lower end to an actuating member 92. The actuating member 92 is in the form of a bar pivotally mounted near the one end on the upright 18 by a 20 pin 96. At this end, a pair of centralizing springs 98, 100 are secured to the actuating bar 92, one spring 98 being secured between the bar 92 and a position 102 on the upright t 18 higher than the bar 92, and the other spring 100 being secured between the bar 92 and a position 104 on the upright 18 below the bar 92, in such a manner that the springs 98, 100 bias the actuating bar 92 towards a horizontal position.
The opposite end of the actuating bar 92 carries a cam roller 106 engaging the side of the handle 84 remote from the valve housing 86. When the actuating bar 92 is in the horizontal position, the cam roller 106 engages thehandle 84 at the level of its pivotal connection to the valve housing 86.
8:~4 The lower limit means includes a rod 108 mounted in brackets 110 on the upright 18 for vertical sliding movement.
The rod 108 has an angled extension 112 at its lower end which is engaged with the upper surface of the actuating bar 92 near its attachment to the chain 90. The upper end of the rod 108 is located just below the beam 34 near its attachment to the upper end of the chain 90.
When the handle 84 is pulled in a direction away from the upright 18, the ram 70 is caused to extend, as pre-viously described, pivoting the beam 54 with consequent down-ward movement of the crosshead 52. Just before the crosshead 52 has reached the predetermined ]ower limit of travel, the chain 90 becomes taut, with the result that a further small amount of movement of the beam 54 pulls the chain 90 upwardly which in turn pivots the actuating bar 92 upwardly. With such movement, the cam roller 106 moves up the handle 84, forcing it back to its neutral position, with the result that the actuating member 88 of the control valve 76 returns to its neutral position, cutting off further flow of fluid under pressure to the ram 70 and halting travel of the crosshead 52. The force which the cam roller 106 applies to the handle 84 is great enough to overcome an average manual force hold-ing the handle 84 in the crosshead lowering position. If desired, the chain 90 may be connected in an adjustable manner to the beam 54 or to the actuating bar 92 in order that the , predetermined lower limit of travel of the crosshead 52 can be adjusted.
When the handle 84 is subsequently pushed in towards the upright 18, the ram 70 is caused to contract, as previously described, pivoting the beam 54 with consequent upward movement of the crosshead 52. Just before the crosshead 52 reaches the 1~4~
predetermined upper limit of travel, the beam 54 engages the upper end of the rod 108. A small further amount of movement of the heam 54 pushes the rod 108 downwardly, which in turn pivots the actuating bar 92 downwaxdly. With such movement, the cam roller 106 pivots the valve handle 84 back to its neutral position with the result that the valve member 88 returns to its neutral position, cutting off further flow of fluid under pressure to the ram 70 and halting travel of the crosshead 52. Again, the force which the cam roller 106 applies to the handle 84 is great enough to overcome an aver-age manual force holding the handle 84 in a crosshead raising position. If desired, the upper end of the rod 108 may be provided with an adjustment screw 112 to enable the predeter-mined upper limit of travel of the crosshead 52 to be adjusted.
Thus, the crosshead 52 can be raised and lowered by operation of the valve handle 84, and the lower and upper limit means can be set to ensure that travel of the crosshead 52 ceases at adjustable predetermined lower and upper posi-tions.
As previously mentioned, a wood splitting wedge 75 is detachably secured to the underside of the crosshead 52.
In use of the wood splitter, wood can easily be split by posi-tioning the wood on the platform 40, with the crosshead 52 in the raised position, and operating the handle 84 to cause downward movement of the crosshead 52 and penetration of the wood by the splitting wedge 75. Depending of course on the actual fluid pressure used and the dimensions of the various moving parts of the machine, the wedge 75 can be caused to engage the wood with a very considerable force. A typical source of fluid under pressure would supply fluid at a pres-sure of the order of 2,000 pounds per square inch. With a 10~81~
machine of the kind described, and using such a fluid pressure, the wood splitter can apply a force of about 15 tons to the wood. The frame 12 is extremely sturdy, and can be made to withstand a wood splitting force of up to about 30 tons if desired.
It will be apparent that a frame construction of the machine enables wood of relatively large size to be inserted into the frame 12. For example, the frame may be of such a size that wood up to 4 feet in diameter can readily be split.
As indicated earlier, the splitting wedge 75 is readily detachable from the crosshead 52, and other tool attachments may be substituted. Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, a platelike knife 114 with an inclined cutting edge 116 can be detachably secured to the crosshead 52 by means of the bolt 77, the knife 114 being provided with an aper-tured lug 118 for this purpose. In use, the knife 114 co-operates with a cutting block 120 with a V-shaped upper surface 122 and a slot 124 into which the knife edge can pass. The cutting block 120 has a vertical guide channel 126 at one side with a roller 128 near its upper end. The knife 114 has a ribbed side edge 130 shaped to be slidably received in the guide channel 116 and engaged by roller 128 when the knife 114 descends. The cutting block 120 is readily detach-ably secured to the platform 40 by bolts (not shown).
The described construction of knife 114 and cutting block 120 provides a very effective arrangement for cutting wood placed on the cutting block 120.
It will also be readily apparent that the described machine may be converted for other uses. For example, suitable tool attachments may be detachably secured to the crosshead 10848~4 52 for pipe being, metal forming and wine pressing. The machine can be adapted to function as a wine press by securing a suitable plunger to the crosshead 52 and positioning a wine receptacle on the platform 40.
Other embodiments within the scope of the invention 1- will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims.
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Claims (16)
1. A machine for carrying out operations in which a tool is forced against a supported workpiece having a frame comprising a base and a pair of laterally spaced uprights secured to and extending upwardly from the base, each upright having a vertically extending groove facing the other upright, a crosshead extending between said uprights with opposite ends received in said grooves for vertical movement therein, a beam pivotally mounted between its ends at the top of one of the up-rights for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis perpendi-cular to the distance between said uprights, said beam having one end above said crosshead and pivotally connected thereto and an opposite end laterally outward of the upright upon which the beam is pivoted, a fluid pressure operated double-acting ram having an upper end pivotally connected to said opposite end of the beam, and a lower end pivotally connected to a lower part of the frame, said ram being extensible by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in one direction with consequent downward movement of the crosshead and also being contractable by fluid under pressure to cause pivoting of the beam in the opposite direction with consequent upward movement of the crosshead, and said crosshead carrying tool means for carrying out an operation on a workpiece sup-ported on the base when the ram is extended to cause down-ward movement of the crosshead and the tool means.
2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said one end of the beam is pivotally connected to the crosshead by a link directly pivotally connected at one end to the crosshead and directly pivotally connected at an opposite end to the beam.
3. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said upper end of said ram is directly pivotally connected to said oppo-site end of the beam.
4. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the tool means is connected to the crosshead in a readily detachable manner.
5. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the frame also includes a horizontal upper member extending between and secured to the upper ends of the uprights.
6. A machine according to claim 1 including valve means connectable to a source of fluid under pressure and connected to said ram, said valve means being manually operable to cause fluid to be supplied to the ram in a ram extending manner and to cause fluid under pressure to be supplied to the ram in a ram contracting manner.
7. A machine according to claim 6 including lower limit means responsive to movement of the crosshead to a predeter-mined lower position to halt lowering movement of the cross-head by causing flow of fluid under pressure to the ram in a ram extending manner to cease.
8. A machine according to claim 7 wherein said lower limit means comprises a flexible inelastic member secured at an upper end to a laterally outward portion of the beam and at a lower end to an actuating member associated with the valve means.
9. A machine according to claim 8 wherein said valve means has a manually operable control handle having a neutral position and a ram extending position, and said actuating means is operated by said flexible member, when the crosshead reaches the predetermined lower position, to return the con-trol handle by engagement therewith from the ram extending position to the neutral position.
10. A machine according to claim 6 including upper limit means responsive to movement of the crosshead to a predetermined upper position to halt rising movement of the crosshead by causing flow of fluid to the ram in a ram contracting manner to cease.
11. A machine according to claim 10 wherein said upper limit means includes a rod slidably mounted on the upright upon which the crosshead is mounted, said rod having an upper end engageable by a portion of the beam laterally outwardly of the upright,when the crosshead reaches the predetermined upper position, to cause downward movement of the rod, said downward movement of the rod causing flow of fluid to the ram in a ram contracting manner to cease.
12. A machine according to claim 11 wherein said valve means has a manually operable control handle having a neutral position and a ram contracting position, and said downward movement of the rod causes movement of the control handle from the ram contracting position to the neutral position.
13. A machine according to claim 6 also including lower limit means responsive to movement of the crosshead to a pre-determined lower position to halt lowering movement of the crosshead by causing flow of fluid under pressure to the ram in a ram extending manner to cease, and upper limit means res-ponsive to movement of the crosshead to a predetermined upper position to halt rising movement of the crosshead by causing flow of fluid to the ram in a ram contracting manner to cease.
14. A machine according to claim 13 wherein said lower limit means comprises a flexible inelastic member secured at an upper end to a laterally portion of the beam and at a lower end to an actuating member associated with the valve means, said valve means has a manually operable control handle having a neutral position and a ram extending position, said actuating means is operated by said flexible member, when the crosshead reaches the predetermined lower position, to return the control handle by engagement therewith from the ram extending position to the neutral position, and said upper limit means includes a rod slidably mounted on the upright upon which the crosshead is mounted, the rod having an upper end engageable by a portion of the beam laterally outwardly of the upright, when the cross-head reaches a predetermined upper position, to cause downward movement of the rod, said downward movement of the rod causing flow of fluid to the ram in a ram contracting manner to cease.
15. A machine according to claim 14 wherein said manually operable control handle has a ram contracting position, and said downward movement of the rod operates said actuating means to return the control handle by engagement therewith from the ram contracting position to the neutral position.
16. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the frame is mounted on road wheels and a hitch assembly is connected to the frame to enable the machine to be coupled to a towing vehicle.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA304,807A CA1084814A (en) | 1978-06-05 | 1978-06-05 | Hydraulic wood splitter |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA304,807A CA1084814A (en) | 1978-06-05 | 1978-06-05 | Hydraulic wood splitter |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1084814A true CA1084814A (en) | 1980-09-02 |
Family
ID=4111626
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA304,807A Expired CA1084814A (en) | 1978-06-05 | 1978-06-05 | Hydraulic wood splitter |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1084814A (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4362194A (en) * | 1981-01-29 | 1982-12-07 | Lawson Jack O | Manually mobile firewood log splitter |
| US4782867A (en) * | 1988-01-11 | 1988-11-08 | Forsyth Norman W | Apparatus for splitting logs |
| AT388861B (en) * | 1984-08-23 | 1989-09-11 | Schnitzler Herwig | Agricultural machine for splitting timber, which can also be used for pressing fruit |
| EP0917940A2 (en) * | 1997-11-25 | 1999-05-26 | Thomas Bartlett Snell | Splitting machines |
| RU2772581C2 (en) * | 2017-11-10 | 2022-05-23 | ТАЙФУН ПЛАНИНА производньйа стройев д.о.о. | Firewood splitting machine with increased performance of hydraulic cylinder |
| US11370147B2 (en) | 2017-04-18 | 2022-06-28 | Tajfun Planina Proizvodnja Strojev D.O.O. | Platform with an autonomous powering engine for mounting onto a firewood splitting apparatus |
-
1978
- 1978-06-05 CA CA304,807A patent/CA1084814A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4362194A (en) * | 1981-01-29 | 1982-12-07 | Lawson Jack O | Manually mobile firewood log splitter |
| AT388861B (en) * | 1984-08-23 | 1989-09-11 | Schnitzler Herwig | Agricultural machine for splitting timber, which can also be used for pressing fruit |
| US4782867A (en) * | 1988-01-11 | 1988-11-08 | Forsyth Norman W | Apparatus for splitting logs |
| EP0917940A2 (en) * | 1997-11-25 | 1999-05-26 | Thomas Bartlett Snell | Splitting machines |
| EP0917940A3 (en) * | 1997-11-25 | 1999-12-08 | Thomas Bartlett Snell | Splitting machines |
| US6240913B1 (en) | 1997-11-25 | 2001-06-05 | Thomas Bartlett Snell | Splitting machines |
| US11370147B2 (en) | 2017-04-18 | 2022-06-28 | Tajfun Planina Proizvodnja Strojev D.O.O. | Platform with an autonomous powering engine for mounting onto a firewood splitting apparatus |
| RU2772581C2 (en) * | 2017-11-10 | 2022-05-23 | ТАЙФУН ПЛАНИНА производньйа стройев д.о.о. | Firewood splitting machine with increased performance of hydraulic cylinder |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |