Adjusting wood chip size?

Egon · May 13, 2004

Nomad:

Perfect opportunity to put that there new superefficient mower balde design into operation. Just think of the savings, finish mulcher mower and woodchipper all in one machine for the price of one.

Egon

nomad · May 14, 2004

( 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. )

and if the part to be casted doesn't require any core (sand core, core box, etc) such as in that flywheel of chipper, it will be much easier to cast. Also, you do not have to make a wooden or aluminum pattern to cast a part or two. Just use the part itself, melt the iron and pour it into the sand. Thats all. Taylortractornut, such forums need people like you who can speak their minds without hesitating the engineers and without hesitating the folks who scare "some sellers" off the threads and make "them" keep silence by warning them "we don't buy your products if you do this, that, etc." I am not a coward who will fear the Bird.

DIYGuy · May 14, 2004

Whats wrong with the 6" for small stuff? I routinely feed a bundle of 1" and less through mine. Makes short work of it.

As for smaller chips, the only way is to slow down the feed roller with a slightly larger pulley on the gear box and a slightly smaller pulley on the flywheel shaft.

I haven't tried to source these myself. I imagine it will take a little bit of searching.

FWIW

Villengineer · May 14, 2004

Wow, I'm impressed. It's pretty rare to find someone that has the facilities to cast iron or steel parts at home. The tools necessary to do this aren't exactly available at Sears. After all you need a furnace capable of a minimum of 2100deg F. Not to disagree with you, but unless you're simply copying an exsiting part, how can it be less time consuming? Even a rough mold and pattern take quite a bit of time to make.
For a flywheel, I shouldn't have mentioned a weldment becasue it wouldn't be the easiest way to make it. A burnout would be the easiest way. Any way you get the rough part, it would have to be machined anyway.

Villengineer · May 14, 2004

( Also, you do not have to make a wooden or aluminum pattern to cast a part or two. Just use the part itself, melt the iron and pour it into the sand. Thats all )
First, again like I stated in my other post to Taylortractornut, unless you're copying an exsiting part you at least need a pattern. Since you are supposedly creating a new flywheel from scratch, you need a at least a pretty accurate pattern or you will be spending A LOT of time on a lathe or a mill. If you don't know why this will be necessary, you'd better find out less you hurt/kill yourself or forbid someone else. Plus I'm glad to see that you are so well equiped to have the furnace and equipment necessary to melt, handle, and pour 60-100 lbs of steel or iron.

Henro · May 14, 2004

Wow, I'm impressed. It's pretty rare to find someone that has the facilities to cast iron or steel parts at home. 

Rare yes, but unheard of, no.

Like anything else, if the tools/process is available, then using it is not all that difficult. I built a simple setup for sand casting aluminum that I melted in a home made furnace, a few years ago. I could have went a step further and built what is needed for melting brass or even cast iron/steel.

People do this at home. It is not rocket science. It can be dangerous. And it takes a special interest to make it happen. But people can and do do it at home.

That being said, if one were not into doing these things already, to consider casting something would be foolish, as the investment in time and effort to get set up to be able to do it would be so great as to make it impractical.

Like anything else, if you have the tools availble you tend to use them. Personally I would have no reason to doubt someone if they said they could cast something of aluminum/brass/cast iron/steel at home. Because I know it can be done.

A wooden pattern for something like a flywheel is a simple turning job on a lathe.

I don't think it would be a big deal at all, IF the equipment is already there waiting to be used...

Villengineer · May 14, 2004

Out of curiosity, those of you who do have the equipment available at home, how much can you melt and pour?

Taylortractornut · May 14, 2004

Right now I can melt 3 to 4 quarts of aluminum in my small home built foundry and my steel foundry has done a 2 gallon pour before the transformer went out that was my fault I had it wired for 203 3 phase instead of 230 that i run in my shop. THe steel gets expensive because of the hard to find carbon electrodes to melt it are difficult to find. Im gonna use another transformer out of a spare 3 phase welder to revive it. To do most of my casting work i use lost foam and lost wax casting. I have an endless supply of syrofoam so thats why I use foam. Ill make a pattern on the Grizzly mini mill in the foam then pack in the box with the sand and dump the molten metal in it and presto chango i have a part. Just saw off the sprue.
I may not pursue the steel casting too much because of the cost to buy the electrodes. Im thinking of building my own chipper but i want to use my pattern torch and cut a 2 foot disc out of a piece of 3 inch plate and bolt some industrial cipper blades to it inside a large 1.5 inch plate housing.

Villengineer · May 14, 2004

It sounds like you've got a really nice set-up. The ability to melt and pour over a hundred pounds of steel could come in pretty handy. It's a good thing you have 3PH or your power bill would be keeping pace with the electrodes.

nomad · May 15, 2004

Well, I am not casting at my home. I am making the wooden pattern at a small wood workshop of a friend and have many friends who have small (or big) foundries. I use their facilities when they are casting their parts.