DIY Log Splitter - Royer Blacksmithing

RuggedMade customer Zachary Royer of Royer Blacksmithing creates rounding hammers, ball peen hammers, axes, and tomahawks, both exceptional tools and works of art. His attention to quality and detail shines through. Here's how he describes his carving axes:

"I have here a nice carving ax with the head weighing about 1.75 pounds. I hand forge these from a block of 4140 steel. I punch the eye from both sides as I'm working the cheeks to give the eye a slight hourglass shape to help hold the handle tight. It’s hardened and tempered to about 54 Rockwell. I custom-made a leather sheath to protect the cutting edge. The handle is 18" overall and handles the ax nice and comfortably. I sand the handle then lightly burn it and give it multiple coats of linseed oil. It is held in with one wooden wedge, a steel wedge, and then soaked in glue to help hold it tight."

Now that's an artisan who's passionate about his trade. Be sure to look at the fine tools at Royer Blacksmithing.

More than a master craftsman, Zachary is also a certified DIY'er. He said he made his first hammer because he needed one. Zachary also needed a log splitter, so - no surprise - he made one. They built their log splitter with his brother at Zachary's workshop in Mishawaka, Indiana.

As part of the hydraulic system, Zachary chose two RuggedMade hydraulic cylinders - a log splitter cylinder to drive the push plate and a tie-rod cylinder to adjust the splitter wedge height. In keeping with his excellent sense of style, Zachary also applied a black coat of paint to the log splitter cylinder to match the machine's color scheme. We love that attention to detail!

Zachary and his brother cut and split wood to heat their homes. In addition, Zachary's brother also uses the split wood during the sugaring season to stoke up the all-important evaporator that boils sap into maple syrup.

Click on the links below to learn more about the hydraulic cylinders used on Zazchary's custom-built log splitter.