Help Welding Log Splitter

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Hi GuysIm building a log splitter at school, its going to have a 5" bore ram and make approximately 26 tonne of splitting force.The H beam in 8" and about 12mm thick, the plate where the ram attaches is 25mm thick. (I can attach a photo if anyone needs)so here is my question, in an ideal world what stick welder (in terms of amperage ect.) and rod combination would best suit welding these two pieces together?Sorry for the simple question, but i dont want have this break mid-log.Thanks in advance.
Reply:I just built one a few years ago for my brother-n-law. He splits nothing but oak. I used 1/8“ 7018, ran it around 120-amps. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Any stick welder that can handle 3.2 or 4mm (1/8 or 5/32) 7018's
Reply:7018 is your friend for this project. 3/32 or 1/8JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Get a 180amp minimum Dc stick welder, and 1/8" and 5/32" 7018......115-135amps for the 1/8, and 160-180amps for the 5/32"....IMOJust a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:I built a splitter many years ago for my brother very similar to yours, he lived in another state and all he had was a 230 amp miller buz box to weld it together. He lived way out in the country and the closest welding supply place was 100 miles away. I precut all the pieces at my work shop and drove 10 hours to his place to weld them up. The only rods he had on hand when I arrived were 1/8 6013 so I welded everything up with what he had. The last time we talked the splitter was still going and all the 6013 welds were doing fine.I agree with Cep, 7018 rods are a better choice for a job like this if you have a DC welder. Iv'e never liked the 7018 AC rods.Good luck!
Reply:Definitely a 7018 project. But when you're tack welding parts you'll want either 6010 or 6011 since they are easy to restrike unlike 7018. Once the parts are tacked up go back in with 7018 for the bead.My "collection":Homemade Stick WelderVictor O/A TorchAC 225Ideal Arc 250HF 90 Amp Flux CoreHF Mig 170Solar 2020 Plasma CutterPower i-Mig 140EHarris O/A torchHF Dual Mig 131140STAlpha Tig 200x
Reply:Originally Posted by Iain PDefinitely a 7018 project. But when you're tack welding parts you'll want either 6010 or 6011 since they are easy to restrike unlike 7018. Once the parts are tacked up go back in with 7018 for the bead.
Reply:So I can just run a multipass weld with all 1/8" 7018? Should I run the first pass with a 6011 or similar? The timber being split is Australian hardwood so it's likely we will use all 26 tonne of force.
Reply:Originally Posted by CRN13Should I run the first pass with a 6011 or similar? The timber being split is Australian hardwood so it's likely we will use all 26 tonne of force.
Reply:I've never used 6010 or 11 to tack up a joint to be welded with 7018. I use 7018 to tack and weld.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by CRN13Hi GuysIm building a log splitter at school, its going to have a 5" bore ram and make approximately 26 tonne of splitting force.The H beam in 8" and about 12mm thick, the plate where the ram attaches is 25mm thick. (I can attach a photo if anyone needs)so here is my question, in an ideal world what stick welder (in terms of amperage ect.) and rod combination would best suit welding these two pieces together?Sorry for the simple question, but i dont want have this break mid-log.Thanks in advance.
Reply:The beam, refered aus as a UC (universal column) is 8x8" and has a weight to length ratio of 46.5 kg/m
Reply:Originally Posted by CRN13The beam, refered aus as a UC (universal column) is 8x8" and has a weight to length ratio of 46.5 kg/m
Reply:Originally Posted by Willie BThat's a monster cylinder! A 5" ram is over19 square inches of cross section. Hit that with a modest 2000 lbs of hydraulic pressure, you're at almost 20 tons of force trying to rip itself apart. You aren't being absolutely detailed about your beam but I am concerned about twisting it. I built a 12 ton, and a 15 ton. I used two I beams side by side, and capped them with a plate offering a slide which the ram grips with layered flat stock. Yours is a monster, and unless your pump is very high volume, it'll be very slow. Your cylinder holds 3.57 gallons in a 24" stroke. Out, and back will take 2/3 of a minute with an 11 GPM pump. I'd opt for a 3.5, or 4" cylinder, as big a two stage pump as you can afford, and a ten HP engine. The terrible blocks will still need some working around the edges, but there's nothing you can't split. Where I live, Elm was the worst to split. I've split 3' diameter blocks with a 3.5" cylinder. Oh, I welded them with an old AC stick welder, and 1109 rod, (the farm store sold 1109 for many years until I discovered they were reading it upside down.) 5/32 worked well. I can't remember amperage, but hot is good. You want good wetting of filler and workpiece.
Reply:Originally Posted by Willie BThat's a monster cylinder! A 5" ram is over19 square inches of cross section. Hit that with a modest 2000 lbs of hydraulic pressure, you're at almost 20 tons of force trying to rip itself apart. You aren't being absolutely detailed about your beam but I am concerned about twisting it. I built a 12 ton, and a 15 ton. I used two I beams side by side, and capped them with a plate offering a slide which the ram grips with layered flat stock. Yours is a monster, and unless your pump is very high volume, it'll be very slow. Your cylinder holds 3.57 gallons in a 24" stroke. Out, and back will take 2/3 of a minute with an 11 GPM pump. I'd opt for a 3.5, or 4" cylinder, as big a two stage pump as you can afford, and a ten HP engine. The terrible blocks will still need some working around the edges, but there's nothing you can't split. Where I live, Elm was the worst to split. I've split 3' diameter blocks with a 3.5" cylinder. Oh, I welded them with an old AC stick welder, and 1109 rod, (the farm store sold 1109 for many years until I discovered they were reading it upside down.) 5/32 worked well. I can't remember amperage, but hot is good. You want good wetting of filler and workpiece.
Reply:the ram is probably overkill, but it will only push as hard as it needs to to split the log so.....hopefully it will be fine.Besides, overkill is under-rated. Picture shows progress as of now. Any of the high strength welds have not yet been attempted.
Reply:Like filling the bathtub to wash dishes, it takes a long time. A two stage pump will speed the flow at low pressure. We rarely see giant blocks of firewood. Typical blocks are 16" or smaller. A faster cycle time makes a pile faster. Consider a four way wedge with that monster. In the early seventies people were building splitters with dumptruck  cylinders and pumps. They were painfully slow. I like a 10 or 11 inch tall wedge. that exerts a lot of leverage on the moving slide. Compare it to a sticky drawer on a dresser. I'd put the wedge stationary at the end of the beam, and reinforce the top slab with plate to reinforce the wedge. The moving push piece can be less tall 8". Tilt it forward at the top, and put some cold high profile beads on it to give grip preventing slipping. Diamond plate might work. Here, the available pumps will go to 3000 PSI, A 19.6 sq in piston at 3000 LBS will exert 29 Tons of force. Should a nasty 150 LB crotch piece spit upward toward you, it'll take your head off. I have pictures to prove a 20 lb piece makes a mess of you at half that force. The X rays showed 6 cracks radiating out from the hole my nose should have been attached to. The nose was ripped away from my face at the top. You have to look close to see the scar now. Put a frame over the rod end of the cylinder to catch it if the slide breaks, and it flies up.Never let someone else operate the valve, never touch the end grain of a block of wood. That thing scares me.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Originally Posted by kctgbReading 6011 up side down is hilarious, the best laugh Iv'e had all week.
Reply:Originally Posted by CRN13Hi GuysIm building a log splitter at school, its going to have a 5" bore ram and make approximately 26 tonne of splitting force.The H beam in 8" and about 12mm thick, the plate where the ram attaches is 25mm thick. (I can attach a photo if anyone needs)so here is my question, in an ideal world what stick welder (in terms of amperage ect.) and rod combination would best suit welding these two pieces together?Sorry for the simple question, but i dont want have this break mid-log.Thanks in advance.
Reply:Mine has an 8 by 12 beam with a 4" cylinder x 30" stroke, current engine is a 7.5 HP with a dual speed 16gpm pump. I short cycle mine quite often as I don't run the engine at full rpm. It was welded together back in the mid 80's with 6011 and 6013 on an old Lincoln 185 Buzz Box. If I can pick it up with the back or skid steer, I can split it!
Reply:I had a 3.5" on the first one. With 11 GPM two stage pump, and an eight horse second hand in 1982. Cycle time was reasonable, but the used engine, vertical shaft Briggs leaked a tiny bit around the top crank seal. It always had a film of oil on the points. It was necessary to take the guard off each use, and wipe the points off. I got tired and set out to replace the engine. A series of used ones failed to be a perfect match. I bought a new one. I discovered it came with no gas tank, recoil starter, electric starter, or fuel pump. Buying a gas tank, I learned special head bolts were needed. Buying these I learned the exhaust would blow on my leg! About then, a friend came along. He said he knew a guy who had bought out the hydraulic inventory of a splitter manufacturer. He had new 22 GPM PTO pumps cheap! Now it has wheels, a trailer coupler, and is equipped with three point hitch. The PTO tractor pump is fast!  There is nothing it won't split!The other I built was built of new components. It had 4" x 24", 16 GPM 2 stage and 10 HP. The owner moved away years ago, I've lost contact.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Originally Posted by Willie BNow it has wheels, a trailer coupler, and is equipped with three point hitch. The PTO tractor pump is fast!  There is nothing it won't split!