Adjusting wood chip size?

[markie61]

Good point - that would work. It would probably be easiest to mess with the gearbox pulley if you can find the correct shaft size or can machine one yourself.

Mark

 

[nomad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I just read about using wood chips as a fertilizer )</font>

Wood chips (from trimmed tree branches) are true natural "organic" fertilizer. Tree, say cherry or vegetable, farmers must know this well. When it's said "organic fertilizer" to an average farmer he/she thinks only it's a fertilizer like feather meal (made of chicken feathers, etc). But these are animal related fertilizers. Although protein in such fertilizers is much percentage (60-80%) they aren't real organic fertilizers. Real organic fertilizers are made from the plants (trees, vegetables, etc) themselves. So, wood chip we obtain from our wood chipper is real organic fertilizer. This is why I purchased this wood chipper from a long distance, China.

Indeed, this is a great tool and the price is very good.
However, I have another small problem. In our fruit (cherry, strawbery, etc) town, we only try to get rid of small diameter trimmed branches (less than 1" diameter) and the size of this chipper (6") is unnecessarily too big for my need. Now, I am working on a home-built project for my need and designing a smaller machine with a smaller cast disc, with a different feeding mechanism. Will take 1 month to complete it - (modelling, casting, etc) - Will show you the picture when it's complete. Now, some of you may claim smaller (say 1") disc won't cut the wood. Why do you think so? Villengineer, I know you like/enjoy to talk/discuss/debate with me and guess you are one of those who think so?

 

[Egon]

Ah Nomad; why spend a month designing a chipper when they be all kinds out on the market that have proven themselves. Attached is a picture of a quick adjust infinetlyvariable size/rate chipper that will probably outlast the forest.

Egon

 

[Villengineer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Now, some of you may claim smaller (say 1") disc won't cut the wood. Why do you think so? Villengineer, I know you like/enjoy to talk/discuss/debate with me and guess you are one of those who think so? )</font>
I've got no idea what will or will not work. Using wood chips for fertilizer is unheard around here except maybe in some homeowners garden. Simply isn't cost effective or beneficial enough to use on a large scale. Brush normally is either turned into mulch, burned, or landfilled. I have seen wood chips used to help fill swampy areas and in small areas I've seen them tilled in to help aerate our clay sub-soil.
I would say that another form of plant matter is used far more commonly as fertilizer, manure. It doesn't get much more organic than that.
Here are my suggestions to get smaller chips: First, try feeding the chips back through the machine. Even the large industrial chippers will accept small pieces and chew them up. Second, send you chipper back and buy a smaller size that you really need.
However, I don't think you want practical advice because as far as your chipper is concerned, personally I think you are mis-leading the members of the forum a little. I think you bought the chipper to reverse-engineer it. My hypothesis is that you are free-lancing again and using the forum for a little free R & D. Why else would you be talking about castings? A weldment would be the far more economical way to produce a single unit.

 

[nomad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My hypothesis is that you are free-lancing again and using the forum for a little free R & D. Why else would you be talking about castings? A weldment would be the far more economical way to produce a single unit. )</font>

My new flywheel design is going to be different, smaller size and faster speed. Current weight of the flywheel of that 6" chipper is about 30LB. This is too much for my need. 10-15LB will be enough for me. So, casting this smaller disc won't be a big cost as I can also make my own casting pattern, etc (using the tools of furniture workshop of my friend here.) Ps: Villengineer, btw, I see you have 60-70 posts only and half of these posts are a reply to my posts. Wondering why so. Are you really from Village or really Engineer?

 

[markie61]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Current weight of the flywheel of that 6" chipper is about 30LB )</font>

Try 150-200+lbs for the flywheel! The disc is easily 2+feet in diameter and 2 inches thick. 50lb barbell weights are about 1 foot in diameter and an inch thick for reference.

Mark

 

[nomad]

Sorry - I made a mistake. We use SI measurement systems here and I sometimes convert units from SI to LB-IN by multiplying KG by 2 to find LB approximately. Above, I "divided" and this is my mistake. True weight of flywheel is about 60 kg and this corresponds to more than 120 LB. Mine will be 50-60 LB with about 1" think and 1' diameter instead of 1 1/4" thickness 2' diameter. So, my flywheel speed should be doubled if I need to cut the "same" woods. But I am planning to cut smaller diameter woods.

 

[Villengineer]

The reason so many of my posts follow yours is because yours tend to be full of mis-information. Including suggestions that could result in people getting hurt or killed.

 

[nomad]

None of my posts has even a little mis-information.
Mines are very informative, enlightening, educational, and of course dangerous - especially for those like you liking going offff-topic. Back to topic.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Village Engineer I often cast single parts in my home shop to avoid time consuming milling and other machine works and a heck of a lot of welding. We also compost tree chips to make our own topsoil at a landfill we operate We do add manure to the mix as well.