Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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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