Welding a cap on a splitting wedge

[balmerchris]

My bahco splitting wedge has taken a serious battering in some large oak rounds lately and is mushrooming badly.

So I took it into the workshop and ground the edges down on the linisher. I had to remove a lot of material to get rid of all the cracks. Should I weld a bit of mild steel bar onto the top or build up with weld? Or just use it till its too short and replace?

 

[brightspark]

use as it is now u have ground it back

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Next time if you hold the wedge upside down over an anvil with the mushroomed bit overhanging the edge and give it a smart blow downwards the lip will break off, works on cold chisels as well. It saves having to cut off the overhang.

 

[Spark plug]

As brightspark says just keep useing it and keep removing the mushroom as you go until it's too short.

If you tried welding it you could end up with prices brakeing off and hitting you.

 

[balmerchris]

As brightspark says just keep useing it and keep removing the mushroom as you go until it's too short.

If you tried welding it you could end up with prices brakeing off and hitting you.

Yeah think I'll do that, was worried about bits braking off. Just thought I would try to make it last a bit longer because the wedges were £28 a piece! And I am only half way through the big pile of oak rounds.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Yeah think I'll do that, was worried about bits braking off. Just thought I would try to make it last a bit longer because the wedges were £28 a piece! And I am only half way through the big pile of oak rounds.

I don't think the Bahco ones are any better than the unbranded ones, they all mushroom over. You can make a large wooden mallet out of a hardwood log round to whack the wedge with but they don't last long.

 

[Migmac]

That looks more like a lifting wedge than a splitting one to me.

 

[brightspark]

when the head mushrooms well over do as said in post 3. knock them off from underneath and they will fly off in small chunks as the head of the metal has spread then grind the edges smooth . its not 2 bad on the splitting wedge but there lethal on chissels and splinter off

 

[roofman]

That looks more like a lifting wedge than a splitting one to me.

nah..has a groove like a knife for plunging and not getting stuck

 

[Bill Edwards]

It's not something you should rush to weld, and if you do I think you'd be best with a 312 dissimilar rod as there's a good chance anything 'normal' would crack.

If it was mine I'd keep cleaning it up until it's too short to use, then I'd weld a fresh piece of metal on top of it to give it another inch or two, then when that's gone replace again.

 

[balmerchris]

That looks more like a lifting wedge than a splitting one to me.

What's a lifting wedge?

 

[MattF]

Would it not be feasible to drill a 1" hole in the end and fit a replaceable slug, with a shank to locate/hold it in the hole? A couple of hits would spread the shank slightly, if it was a gnats over length, wedging it in there, else one could drill through the side of the wedge and pin/secure the shank. Similar to the method of fitting replaceable mallet faces.

 

[Bill Edwards]

That's not a bad thought, provided it isn't too hard to drill into - I assume there will some hardening on it.

 

[Migmac]

What's a lifting wedge?

It's a wedge you place in the back cut when your felling trees. You drive it in and forces the tree to fall over and can also be used to stop the tree leaning back and jamming the saw while you cut.

 

[Hitch]

Just grind off the burr every so often before the mushroom gets out of hand.

The same as you (should) do on all or your other chisels and punches...

 

[balmerchris]

Just grind off the burr every so often before the mushroom gets out of hand.

The same as you (should) do on all or your other chisels and punches...

Better get the grinder out again tomorrow then. Been splitting for an hour this evening and it's just as bad as it was this morning.
Your right though, it would be the wise thing to do.

 

[brightspark]

would u realy want to mess on altering and bodging a worn wedge for the cost of 13 quid http://www.tooled-up.com/product/ba...oductlisting&gclid=CPme8PPU_sYCFcfnwgodAMYNeg even if it wore down and u welded an extension on it u would have to let it cool slowly as it would harden it cooling 2 fast and make it brittle and snap. i know because ive done it

 

[balmerchris]

would u realy want to mess on altering and bodging a worn wedge for the cost of 13 quid http://www.tooled-up.com/product/ba...oductlisting&gclid=CPme8PPU_sYCFcfnwgodAMYNeg even if it wore down and u welded an extension on it u would have to let it cool slowly as it would harden it cooling 2 fast and make it brittle and snap. i know because ive done it

Bloody hell, I paid twice that from my local dick turpin tool supplies!
Your right I'll just use it till its too short and then replace.
Almost finished this batch anyway. Just splitting it into bits that I can lift up onto the hycrack log splitter.

Thanks all for the advice.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Better get the grinder out again tomorrow then. Been splitting for an hour this evening and it's just as bad as it was this morning.

Crikey, it's either as soft as fresh **** or you're some kind of machine with the hammer!

 

[balmerchris]

Crikey, it's either as soft as fresh **** or you're some kind of machine with the hammer!

Ha, sorry that pic is a bit misleading, that's the result of about an hour per night for 3 nights.