How to make a log splitting stand: 2 quick and simple DIY techniques

How to make a log splitting stand using an old car tyre

Many of us have an old car tyre or two kicking around the yard or garage making the place look untidy. Well, the robust and shock-absorbent properties of car tyres make them perfect for this project.

You will need:

• 1 x car tyre
• Tape measure
• 1 x length of 4 x 4 (at least four times the diameter of the tyre)
• 1 x length of 2 x 6 (at least twice the diameter of the tyre)
• 1 x length of 2 x 3 (at least twice the diameter of the tyre)
• Drill with half inch socket set
• 1 x 6 inch drill bit (quarter inch diameter)
• 4 x half inch lug bolts and washers
• Pack of 2.5 inch screws

Step-by-step guide:

1. Measure the diameter of your car tyre
2. Cut four lengths of 4 x 4 to the same diameter as your car tyre
3. Cut two lengths of 2 x 6 to the same diameter as your car tyre
4. Cut two lengths of 2 x 3 to the same diameter as your car tyre
5. Lay out a simple square frame using the 4 x 4. Overlap the lengths at the corners
6. Drill through the corners using the 6 inch bit and secure the frame using the lug bolts and washers
7. Lay the lengths of 2 x 3 across the frame (just inside the lug nuts)
8. Lay the lengths of 2 x 6 across the frame (just inside the lengths of 2×3)
9. Adjust the spacing to make the gaps even and secure with the 2.5 inch screws
10. Place the tyre on top of the frame and secure it in place using the 2.5 inch screws.

The next time you chop wood, you can put the logs inside the tyre and they will stay in place long enough for you to turn them into firewood.

How to make a log splitting stand using just timber logs and a chain

If you don’t have an old tyre, our next step-by-step guide on how to make a log splitting stand requires little more than a chainsaw and a heavy duty chain.

You will need:

• 5 x lengths of timber log (or a recently felled small-diameter tree)
• Chainsaw
• Saw horse
• 1 x length of heavy duty chain

Step-by-step guide:

1. Using a chainsaw and saw horse, cut your tree into five lengths of timber log, each around three feet long
2. Supporting one log on your saw horse, cut a notch on one end with your chainsaw. This should be three quarters of an inch deep and roughly as wide as your chain
3. Repeat step 2 on the other end of the log
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 on a second log
5. Loosely place the other three logs next to each other on the ground. These will form your base
6. Wrap the chain around the two notched logs, guiding it through the notches. Adjust the length of the chain to leave sufficient gap for the logs you will be chopping
7. Place the chained logs on top of, and at right angles to, the three base logs

And that’s it. The chained logs will stop the chopped logs from escaping while the base logs will ensure you don’t compress the chopped logs into the ground.

Now you know how to make a log splitting stand, we recommend setting aside a slot in your calendar to make one. These stands really don’t take much skill or effort to make, but they will transform your wood-chopping experience for the better.

Is it time you stopped manually splitting logs?

Splitting logs with an axe is good exercise and the most economic way to make firewood from your timber. But if manual log splitting – even with the help of a stand – is causing you chronic pain, it may be worth considering the alternatives.

Contact Us Today

Kneebone Trees offer a convenient, on-site log splitting service, so contact us today. With our heavy duty log splitter and professionally trained operator, we can quickly and safely turn your logs into firewood, saving your back without making too big a dent in your bank balance.