I would look for a old hay baler. There are plenty of examples here of how you can use the gearbox on those for a good chunker. Often you can find a junk one cheap.
Not very many on my side of the mountain hay fields are all east of the cascade crest. Axles are pretty plentiful iv got plans drawn up already on how to build it
There was talk about biomass not being feasable as a carbon capture medium, or just as a plain energent. I dont know…
Its preety much exactly a year since l cut this jungle down. There used to be a grain feald here but was last cleared in '91. Since then, native growth overtook the land.
Since all the trees needed to grow from seed, and probably not on the first year, the trees are ofcorse not 30 years old. And yet, l managed to get around 20m3 of useable wood from this space here
2500m2, quarter of a hectare. Around half a acre l belive?
But now, with rootstock established, l have no dubt l can get the same amount in 5 to 10 years.
Now some fast math. There is around a hundred pounds of charcoal produced from each cubic meter of this wood.
Now, thats a tone of charcoal/carbon produced in this area over a period of 5 to 10 years. May not sound like much of a good deal but think of it… There is preety much zero input in this. The species are all native, self seeding. No fertiliser. No planting. No soil management. Just harvest every few years, then forget about it again. Plus, l have a feeling this copiced wood will be excelent since it all preety much densed it self 10 times after cuting down the mother tree, shuld produce excelent long and straight trees, ideal for biomass and yes, chunking too How is that not a good deal???
There is a science to cutting wood off old rootstock which somehow was lost when people came to America. I read about it when I was studying masonary heaters. The author of the book I was reading I forget which one now said he served in WWII and was shocked to see how well that system worked first hand. I remember it because it seemed like the oddest thing to be shocked by while fighting a war.
But yes if you do it correctly those established roots will keep making a surprising amount of new wood for you.
Find a old hay bailer that has a good fly wheel gear box.
Bob
Impressive work to do that on your own. We had a similar situation when we bought a landplot. We tried to clean it a sustainable way, no big machinery. It took forever. After a year we asked a farmer from our village, and in less then a day everything was clean and flat…
Last year my flail mower got a broken axis and since we needed the small Kubota for woodsuply we let it. All the trees start popping up again the same as your place. Not for long anyway, the mower is fixed and up and running. But I had the same thoughts. I plan to do this with willow, really fast but light.
Dan,
Our local library has (still has I hope), a book of lost arts and crafts. One of those is coppicing. Others are hedgerow maintainers, wheelwrights, hurdle makers, rake and shovel makers, handle makers, coopers, tinsmiths, etc. Only a page or two on each, enough to give you the basics. Everything old is new again. Roy Underhill will have his day again soon!
Guess I’ll need to wait til winter to start coppicing. I’ve been doing it on accident with the scrubby trees around the buildings
Iv broke a few blades, but not cutting wood. Over the years of doing fabrication automotive and diesel work iv had a lot of grinding wheels flap wheels and cutoff wheels blow up. I’m very grateful to God above I haven’t lost any fingers or worse. Lots of eye injury’s, cut knuckles, the one I am notorious for is getting complacent when cleaning metal and ending up with a 4 1/2" heavy wire wheel wound up in my sweatshirt pocket ripped the pocket off several times and just feels wonderfully when it grabs your stomach hair . But as far as wood working goes iv had several alder, cottonwood and maple trees barber chair on me over the years. Been lucky on those to. Now I wrap chain and binder top and bottom of my Humboldt on them before I lay it down. Slightest bend can set it off, or a gust of wind. Tree service and logging is dangerose no 2 ways about it. Last cottonwood job I did I had a 200 footer hang on the stump as I tried to throw it down the hill. Breeze stood it up into my back cut and me and my cutting partner spent a good 10 minutes frantically bangin every wedge we had into that tree levering it over. Tickling the face cut trying to coax it over easy. Stood it up probably 20ft at the top and it stayed there. Few seconds later the breeze died and that thing LAUNCHED off the stump like a whip! The butt was at least 15 feet from the stump when it touched down, still vertical. Get a little shot of adrenaline just thinking about that tree
Use the grinder in your left hand, the disk won’t crash in your face. I always use ear/ breath protection no glasses unless I have to cut in a difficult position. If you cut with your right hand you need a full face protection. You don’t want a piece of the disk to take out your cheek or somewhere on your head. Disks are really thin nowadays. Look at the date, if old the can explode out of nothing.
I always figured I was provided with a left hand just to provide symmetry for the right. Somehow I got it to fret a guitar and play a saxophone and accordion but other than that it has been pretty much useless. I’m guessing you have motorcycle leathers Marcus. Sounds like they should be your work clothes.
That left hand is a joke, my grandpa and my dad were both Lefty’s and tried to teach me to do everything left handed till about 7 years old my dad realized when I was shooting my bow I was leaning over to use my right eye. They probably thought I was a little slow everything I did was clumsy, till I showed I was right handed. You could cut off the left and beat me with it for how useful it is to me haha. But I’m always wearing eye and ear pro now
Grandson chunking.
- Grandpa, this is so much fun!
Pay was tiny pancakes with strawwberry jam and wipped cream.
Walter looks like he is enjoying himself
Now that’s my kind of payment! I remember in my younger days I used to buck hay locally for all farmers around my grandpa and at the end of the day the community would do a feast for everyone involved. Was great times and the best of food when every grandma in half the county pulled out all the family recipes!!!
Me too
Me too
Ha, Walter has the same teddy bear as my son. The only difference is, he is turning fifteen in september and I think he is still sleeping with it.
Lot of labor for a project I havnt even finished yet