The main task of a wood chipper is to chop wood into chips, with a certain shape and size, so that this material is suitable for a particular application.
Therefore, the requirements for wood chips, and therefore for wood chippers, which are often called shredders or machines for chopping wood, depend on the subsequent use of this material.
In this article (GK) we talked about all the possible ways to use wood chips, as well as the requirements for chopped wood. And in the article (Chip crushers) we talked about the relationship between the type of chopper and the characteristics of the chips.
Why are homemade shredders made?
The main reason for making homemade wood chippers is that the machines available in stores are too expensive
In addition, in addition to the cost of the shredder itself, the buyer often has to spend money on its delivery , which also increases the final price.
Therefore, making a homemade machine is justified only if the total costs turn out to be noticeably lower than when purchasing in a store or directly from the manufacturer.
What type of homemade shredder to choose, and how to make it?
On the Internet you can find and get free drawings with dimensions and descriptions of various homemade wood chip cutters, but most of them are theoretical fabrications .
There is nothing wrong with this, but the best criterion of truth is practice, so you need to look at the actual operation of such products and read reviews about the operation of these devices presented on various forums.
Many wood chippers are effectively used for shredding paper, rubber and other materials, because the principle of operation is completely unchanged - the device chops or cuts the material, turning it into small particles.
Therefore, we have prepared links to topics related to the manufacture and use of homemade shredders of various types:
- Forumhouse;
- Forest Industry Forums;
- Artisan;
- Metal forum.
Rotary hammer
The most versatile and easiest to manufacture is the rotary hammer grinder.
This type of machine shreds any wood waste that appears either as a result of machine processing of industrial wood, or after pruning the garden.
conditions must be met :
- the size of the crushed material must be smaller than the size of the receiving window;
- there should be no large clods of earth, cement or metal fragments on the wood;
- To obtain clean chips, it is necessary to use debarked wood.
Drum
Making a drum chopper is difficult because it is quite difficult to find a drum of the right size.
If you take a cutter from a jointer, it will only produce very fine chips.
This is due to the fact that the jointer cutter is initially designed for a very high rotation speed, due to which its inertia is sufficient to cut knots or twisted fibers.
To increase the size of waste, it is necessary to reduce the rotation speed hundreds of times , which means increasing the torque applied to the cutter by the same amount. As a result, the inertia of the cutter will not participate in chopping the wood, which means that an even greater increase in torque will be required.
When the cutter rotates at such a speed, the knives will not cut, but crush the wood, which will require enormous power.
The application of such a force cannot be transmitted using belts, and the gear drive will experience enormous loads .
Indeed, in addition to the teeth of the gears, the joints of the shafts and gears are also subject to loads. If they are made by milling (monolithic), then they will turn out to be huge, but if you use splined and, especially, keyed fixation, then there is a high probability that the gears will turn on the shaft. Especially if you have to chop thick wood.
In addition, the jointing drum (mill) is designed for action along the fibers , where there is much less resistance to the movement of the knife, and in a wood chipper the main mode will be action across the grain with enormous resistance to the wood.
Therefore, a jointer requires a cutter diameter that is 3–5 times smaller than for a grinding machine . It is also necessary to increase the distance between the knives, which will allow thicker chips to be made.
Another significant disadvantage of a jointing drum rotating at high speed is that even with vertical feeding, when the wood falls under its own weight, the thickness of the chips does not exceed a fraction of a mm .
At a shaft rotation speed of 3000 rpm, the knives pass through chopped branches and other waste 200 times per second, that is, the interval between knife impacts is 0.005 s.
How far will the branch have time to travel, given that each blow of the knife pushes it upward a little? Therefore, for drum chippers, the optimal shaft rotation speed is 100–300 rpm , with 2–3 knives installed on the shaft.
That is, even at maximum speed and the number of knives, a maximum of 15 blows will pass per second, and with minimum settings 3-4 blows per minute.
Disk
This chopper consists of several saw blades mounted on a common shaft and separated by washers. In this case, the width of the chips is equal to the distance between the disks . In theory, everything is simple, but there is not a single video on the Internet showing the operation of such a wood chipper.
On some forums, users talked about their experiences with such a device, and all the reviews were negative.
According to them, such a chipper has very little productivity , and the inter-disk space quickly becomes clogged, which is why it has to be cleaned several times a day.
Shredder
This type of wood chipper is designed for coarse chopping of wood that contains nails and other small metal fragments. In industrial single-shaft devices, it is based on a cast drum of large diameter, on which knives are secured by soldering or bolts.
In twin-shaft shredders, instead of a cast drum, a hexagonal shaft is made, onto which gear attachments are put.
Moreover, the width of the nozzles and the space between them is selected so that the free space on one shaft exceeds the width of the nozzle of the other shaft by a fraction of a mm.
Thanks to such precision manufacturing, both shafts operate on the principle of scissors and effectively cut crushed chips.
to make such shafts yourself , and custom-made ones with such precision, and even from hard steel alloys, will cost more than a purchased shaft assembly for a chip cutter.
Indeed, in industrial production, knives and the spacers separating them are made by stamping, but in manual production, at best, they will have to be milled from a sheet.
If the master does not undertake such work, then he will first have to make matrices for casting, then cast from tool steel and forge, and then mill to bring it to the desired shape. Moreover, each part will have to be made separately, which is why the total cost of such a shaft will be hundreds of thousands of rubles .
Some forums post videos of homemade shredders made from powerful gears or equipped with two matched shafts made from steel angles and homemade knives (sharpened springs).
How much such knives made from car springs will cost you will depend on the conditions under which you get them.
Such devices even chop quite thick branches, but the output is not wood chips, but stumps , the thickness of which is equal to the thickness of the branch, and the length is 5–10 cm.
Such chopped wood can only be used as fuel chips, provided that the boiler feed auger is designed to work with such material.
Where can I get parts and materials?
Since one of the reasons for making your own shredder is the desire to save money, it is very important to reduce costs on parts and materials.
Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap collection points, as well as various enterprises that have old equipment on their balance sheets, can help with this. Woodworking businesses and workshops can also help, especially those that have recently upgraded their equipment.
To make the frame of a rotary hammer machine, you can use a steel angle or channel , and not necessarily a new one, the main thing is that the metal is not damaged by rust.
The machine body, also known as the protective casing around the rotary hammer mechanism, as well as the protective casing around the belt or chain drive, can be made from sheet metal with a thickness of 0.8–2.5 mm.
The same metal is suitable for making the receiving casing. This metal can be cut from the body of some cars, as well as from various fences and decks.
The electric motor can be removed from an old machine or various electrical equipment . He may need to replace the bearings, but this will cost less than buying a new electric motor of the required power.
There you can also select pulleys of the required size, as well as the electrical equipment necessary to start and operate the engine.
To make the rotor, you can use either sheet steel or a flywheel from a car engine . However, in this case it will be necessary to insert and weld the hammer chopper shaft into it.
A spring from a passenger car is well suited for making knives. An experienced blacksmith will be able to give it the desired shape and properly harden it, so that the knife will not only be sharp, but also durable.
If you have an unnecessary or temporarily idle walk-behind tractor, you can remove the motor from it. This will make the wood chipper more mobile, especially if you put it on a trailer for a car.
If the motor is equipped with a power take-off shaft (PTO), then you can connect the wood chipper to it without disassembling the walk-behind tractor.
It is undesirable to use a chainsaw engine due to insufficient power, the only exception being gasoline engines with a volume of 60 cm3 or more.
The disadvantage of a chainsaw motor is that it can only be connected to the chopper shaft through a chain drive, so it is quite difficult to find a suitable chain and sprocket for the shaft.
Electric motors from an angle grinder, an electric planer, a circular saw and other hand tools are not suitable for creating a normal chopper, but from them, based on the same drawings, you can make a small-sized wood chopper with your own hands, that is, a wood chipper designed for chopping thin branches.
It differs from a normal chip cutter in size and operating principle. In such a homemade branch chopper, the wood is crushed by a gear with knives, which chops the branches into pieces 0.5–3 cm long, that is, you cannot get normal wood chips with it, but it is suitable for recycling branches.
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Source
Where can I get drawings with dimensions?
On some forums (particularly those given in this article), users offer ready-made drawings of a rotary drum wood chip cutter for the production of wood chips for wood concrete or smoking for a small fee, but they can also be found for free.
In addition, a person who understands plumbing work at the level of an experienced student and has mastered drawing at the school level will be able to draw up a drawing independently , taking into account the features of the available material.
Therefore, anyone who knows how to make a windpick or wood chip cutter for the further production of wood concrete or other use of the wood chips they make with their own hands, and is confident that they are able to assemble such a device themselves, will be able to make a drawing of it without any problems.
Moreover, the manufacture of parts and general installation of a homemade wood chip cutter according to a drawing is much easier than without it, even if there is a supporting video.
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How to use shredded wood?
The use of wood chips depends on its size and shape. The rotary hammer machine produces chips that can be used in any way .
If
you remove the sieve , that is, turn off the hammer grinding, then the wood chips will become unsuitable for the production of wood concrete , but they are suitable for any other application.
This is one of the reasons why rotary hammer chippers are so popular, because they combine :
- simplicity of design;
- high productivity;
- low manufacturing cost;
- The chips obtained with their help are universal and suitable for any application.
Conclusion
To make your own wood chip cutter you will need :
- understanding of the principles of operation of a particular device;
- accessible element base;
- ability to work with metal.
This article will help you not only choose the type of wood chip cutter to make yourself, but also reduce the overall cost of its production thanks to the use of materials that can be purchased tens of times cheaper than new ones.
After all, the main reason for making chip cutters yourself is the inability to buy a ready-made device due to the high price.
Felting tools.
Good day, dear friends!
Today I want to talk about wonderful tools for felting. All felters already know them, of course, but still. I worked for everyone myself, I saw how they work, and I hope that future owners will not be let down in their work.
Very convenient for felting shoes in combination with rolling, and for felting felt products in a roll. Handmade! Smooth, beautiful, and most importantly, durable!
2. The felting sheet will be an indispensable assistant when felting slippers, mittens, and felt boots. The round side helps to flatten the toes, and the flat side helps to straighten the heels. Excellent for internal felling. Handmade from natural wood by the same craftsman and varnished for durability.
My daughter felt the slippers, she liked everything. My husband, of course, reacted with humor to the form of rolling
.
3.Rolling pin.
A felting rolling pin is perfect for better felting of the product. Suitable for felting slippers and felt boots. Handmade from wood and varnished for durability. There are handles on both sides for the convenience of the felting process. When rolling inside the shoe, roll it on top with a rolling pin. It fell perfectly!
Eh, I need to make one like this for the kitchen, just a flat one. Thing.
4.And flat irons. Made by another master. The quality is also excellent. The men have golden hands.
The felting iron is made of an elite type of black alder wood. The handle is removable. Covered with two layers of water-repellent varnish. The iron is convenient thanks to the handle, especially for those who have pain in their hands. Necessary for felting shoes and clothes.
I liked working with a pen more, it’s somehow more convenient. But again, whoever likes it more!)))
Happy Palm Sunday and upcoming Easter to everyone.
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