building a firewood processer

[J_J]

JJ what do you mean use a solnoid valve.Do I install before the bank of valves .JJ is it possible to draw a schematic for me.There is three hyd motors for conveyers ,one motor for the saw,one cylinder for lowering and raising the saw,one cylinder for the clamp to hold logs down .the log splitter can run off a seperate pump but would like to run off the same one as the processer does

AKKAMAAN, Is right, you probably will need at least three pumps. There are too many things going on. The conveyer hyd motor is the only hyd motor that will run all the time. The log position motor only runs momentary to position the log. The log splitter could be automatic if a sensor is installed to detect a log. The clamping cyl is only used to clamp the log. The log lift is only used to load the log in the chute.

The hyd saw could be a circular saw driven by a hyd motor, or a hyd chainsaw. The circular saw should be running all the time to keep the rpm's up. The hyd chainsaw can start up in an instant, and is only used for the full cut. You could also run the circular saw off the PTO shaft. Some of the processors have a log stop at the end to set the log for say 16 in cuts or 24 in cuts. That will take another cyl and valve.

Is the wood processor PTO driven, or separate engine?

You will need a large reservoir with fan to cool the hyd fluid.

Solenoid valves could be used as selector valves to select different cyl for different jobs. For instance, with solenoid off, the log lift valve could be used. Flip the switch, and the same valve would operate the wedge. Those are two intermittent operations.

You should really think this thing carefully in order to save time and money, and parts.

 

[ihuntbear]

JJ I bought some saw parts from DANZCO.Have you ever talked to Ed.No personality.If you call him for some info on some part he has he won't answer your question unless you buy the part.Unbelievable..He has a block that controls the saw but won't sell it to me because I didn't buy the saw from him.the saw I have is the same saw he sells.I'm not knocking him down but he is very independant.Thats why I'm asking you hydraulic gurus.I know you guys have the answers I'm looking for.Like I said I'm to far into it to stop now

 

[ihuntbear]

glastron23 if I manually lowered the saw by hand with some type of handle would it be easier to get this thing working? is that where you had all the problems? everything looks so easy watching utube vids.put the log in place saw starts then lowers to cut the log

 

[J_J]

The one video I saw, the operator raised a lever that pivoted the saw, and he controlled the pressure on the cut by listening to the saw sounds. He could even put a pressure gage on the saw to monitor the pressure. Some of the hyd saws are open center , and work when you pull the trigger. If you add a solenoid valve and switch before the saw, then lock down the trigger, you can set it so the hyd chain saw comes on when you raise the lever to cut the log.

ihuntbear

I have been in a similar situation, where a manufacture would not sell a part because I did not purchase the machine from him. He just lost a sale, and I probably would not buy from him after that.
There are a lot of stupid people out there.

 

[ihuntbear]

JJ I could even hook the solenoid to a car door light switch to activate the solenoid.When the saw starts to come down the saw motor is powered up or put a trigger on the lever.
if I use a solenoid , would it hurt the motor with the sudden on and off of flow ?

 

[glastron23]

First of all, i see you are in New Brunswick??? where /// i'm outside of Fredericton
We had several problems on the saw lowering. the first was that we are running 5 gpm @ 2200 psi on a 6 spool valve bank.
spool 1 is empty
spool 2 runs the splitter wedge up and down,
spool 3 runs the wood advance motor
spool 4 runs the the saw/log clamp (these go through a sequence valve, clamp is lowered to the wood-pressure raises to 500psi then activates the saw cylinder to lower---- finish the cut, raise the saw up till it hits the stop --- pressure raises to 500 psi then the clamp releases)
spool 5 runs the log lift cylinders
spool 6 is empty
the problem is that you only need 1/2 gal and 500 psi to run the saw cylinder because we need to lower the saw slowly and under control, at first we feathered the valve but this only created a near deadhead condition due to the extreme amount of feathering required. we had to install a flow/pressure circuit in the saw lower hose to control it. this helped a lot.
It's not the pressure on the saw cylinder you need to monitor, it's the hydraulic oil pressure that the saw motor is using, if the wood is soft, the chain is sharp and you aren't pushing the blade too much then the pressure will be very low. But hit a few rocks, a good chunk of rock maple and push it too fast you will stall the saw---bend a chain bar--- brake the saw mount....LOL been there ... after a while you can learn to use it by the sound.
as far as the saw motor (parker F11) we installed rotary motor control valve and a bypass valve. the rotary valve is used to stop/start the saw chain and the bypass is plumbed just before the motor on the pressure side, when the saw is returned to the stow position it comes in contact with the bypass and shuts off the saw (directs the oil to tank) when the saw is lowered the bypass is closed and the oil goes the the saw motor
for the chain oiler we used a small bore air cylinder, when the saw is stroked up , the air cylinder draws oil from the chain oil tank through a check valve (5psi) into the base of the cylinder . when the saw to lowered the oil is forced through another check valve (5psi) up to the bar via a flow control valve . there is another check valve (65 psi) tee'd into this circuit that acts as a pressure relief.
i will post pics later .. Jim

 

[glastron23]

pics of unit

 

[ihuntbear]

i live in moncton.Nice looking processer

 

[glastron23]

Bear... you have 2 really good shops there... Hydro Static and TRC ..

 

[ihuntbear]

ya i know I've been dealing with maritime hydraulics.They are the ones that told me to use one motor spool for the saw and one cylinder spool with a regulater on the cylinder to drop the saw.He said no matter what size log i put threw it the cylinder should come down the same speed.This is starting to give me a headeach.I kind of like the idea that JJ said.Use a solenoid for the saw with some kind of button on the lever to start and a valve for the cylinder