Life goes on - Winter 2017

I wanted to tease my northern friends just a little with this video.

It is getting green again down south :grinning:

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Well that is only about 40 degrees warmer then here… It is still a winter wonder land here…

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Yes MG the shake and shingle buisiness has taken a lot if fingers off, you can see stubs on a lot of the old sawyers, usually from the shake bandsaw or the bevel saw for ridge cap. I even knew a guy named Ernie the hook who lost a whole hand on the splitter, he was still splitting shakes last i heard. Moclips is about 40 miles south of clearwater

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When you said it was 70, were you looking at the speedometer or thermometer?? One way I can’t imagine you driving that slow and the other way, I can’t imagine it being 70 outside the house TomC

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Hello Mr. Tom.

The speedometer on the ole truck doesn’t work any more.

Yesterday the temps were in the 60s but last week we set an all time record for February . 82-83 if I remember correctly ,

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I hear you talking about spring - grass, flowers and stuff. I checked the thermometer. Still negative numbers. No matter F or C.
To make sure I thought I’d take a look out the window.
Nope, no spring yet.

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It it keeps warming up like that you will have to move out in another month or so… humans don’t do well with the 100 plus… lol

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Strong hardwood mechanical chopper! All in one operation!

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That is the first home-built of that style I have seen. There has been a commercial product (videos online) using that corkscrew mechanism, but it was large, expensive, and had a maybe 100 HP gasoline engine driving it! Thanks for finding that video!
EDIT:
There are 3 videos on that YT channel, each one is Must-See-TV! Great ideas, machinery, work getting DONE! (IMHO) Link here, thanks Pierre!

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Most of it looks like perfect gasifier fuel. Is that what the Eastern European people using it for?

A genius machine.

It will be scaleable too. If smaller and with greater screw pitch it could be used like a rebak chunker. I like the self feeding characteristic. Using helical cutting the power required should be very even.

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do you think two similar helical screw and side by side ?

It could be done, but would be a much more demanding project. I believe they would then have to have opposite helices, the helices would have to be precise to mate or enmesh, and would need to be synchronized with gearing to counter rotate. I think the Russians got it right, just have one working against a fixed surface.

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I wonder about the energy used to break the wood in this way? per unit of shredded wood which type of shredder would be the most energy efficient, the stone model gelinas, the rebak, Wayne’s model …?

Probably difficult to know without testing in reality! :thinking:

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This method works with much bigger wood which is where I see the advantage of breaks up full logs other have to cut to size. Could be very useful with scrap trees.
As to power i suspect this one also uses more power binding against the fixed wall and ripping the wood. I am guessing there is a reason they use dry wood maybe green wood wouldn’t split as Well? My guess is that Wayn uses the least power as it is a more gradual cut across the wood the rebarker has to cut the entire width of the wood at once. So I would say it is in the middle energy wise. But that is just guessing.

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The wood in the video is green. If you look at it on a big screen there’s steam coming off the cutters, and major water running out the front.

I think a scissors action would be the most efficient, as Thierry envisions, 2 matched contra rotating cutters. But I expect the real difference would be small, as the wood is fracturing along the grain, relieving the cut as it goes .

And really, to get material to feed properly centered 3 cutters may be necessary, like an old school pencil sharpener.

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I was looking at the cracks on the outside of the log on a cellphone. :grin:

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First time I watched I thought it was dry logs too. They are squeezing major water out of the wood though, it will be dry in days after processing.

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Guys slow view this again.
I too was confused by the cured dried logs end grain splitting; versus the “squeezed-out” and “steaming-off” moisture. Look. They have a water hose constantly spraying onto the helix cutter. Cooling. Lubricating?
And that friction heat steaming off the helix gives an idea of the energy inputs needed to drive this whole log shaver.
At 4 minutes you are just seconds shown what looks to be a four cylinder diesel engine driving this.
The audio is very misleading giving you cutter sounds without the must be present running IC engine sounds.

This is operating with at least a 20 horsepower input needed. More likely 40-60 hp.
Still a great made-up machine.

Chips made are for I believe eastern European auger fed space heat making burners. Large buildings. “District” heating.
S.U.

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Thanks Steve. I would say even 60 hp is probably conservative. I have a 60 hp Allis Chalmers D17 and I don’t think it would like that much it might run it but I am betting 80 hp would be better if you value the motor. My Allis is gas and I know a diesel 4 cylinder would have more torque. I really will have to load this up on a bigger screen and watch it again.
Oh I am willing to bet you are right about cooling it. If there is enough friction to make steam you wouldn’t be that far from chips becoming fire.

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