muddstopper
Veteran Member
what is the big flyswatter looking thing for. I notice the operator has to stick it out towards the log stop on every cut.
Firewood processor help
- Thread starter jonix
- Start date
- Views: 31440
muddstopper
Veteran Member
I think your machine is working pretty well. I see you are using the harvester bar and chain. Saw speed still seems a little slow, but it is keeping up with the splitter. A little to much walking back and forth between the operator station and the splitting galley for me. If you dont do anything else to the machine, I think I would concentrate on on making sure the wood fell into the splitter straight so you dont have to keep straighting out wood to be split. That move alone would probably increase output by a factor of 2.
Wild Bill the 2nd
Gold Member
I agree, it looks to be working well. Your saw looks to be faster than ours which has 22hp running it. Unfortunately, we can stall out our saw fairly easily. I I only remember you stalling the saw once.
I think it would be great to have wood that drops into the splitter trough correctly each time. It looked like it dropped straight at least 3/4 of the time. Unfortunately the shape of some pieces make them problematic. I have seen a few commercially produced offset processors similar to yours in operation and they all have that issue. I think the offset design has a better percentage than an inline setup (at least ours) where the wood drops straight down into the splitter.
Set up a video camera to record an hour or so of running and then review all of the pieces that don't drop straight. Record the cause of each misaligned piece. If you find that logs often hit something or there is something that can be re-engineered to provide better results then do it. Some of it you just need to live with.
What I would do is move the controls to the other side of the machine right next to the splitter. Where they are now makes it easy to work with getting logs onto the infeed section but I would think you have to deal with log placement in the splitter a lot more often than loading logs. Or since you have electrical controls for running the machine put a second set of controls for the most needed functions by the splitter so that it can be run from either location.
I think it would be great to have wood that drops into the splitter trough correctly each time. It looked like it dropped straight at least 3/4 of the time. Unfortunately the shape of some pieces make them problematic. I have seen a few commercially produced offset processors similar to yours in operation and they all have that issue. I think the offset design has a better percentage than an inline setup (at least ours) where the wood drops straight down into the splitter.
Set up a video camera to record an hour or so of running and then review all of the pieces that don't drop straight. Record the cause of each misaligned piece. If you find that logs often hit something or there is something that can be re-engineered to provide better results then do it. Some of it you just need to live with.
What I would do is move the controls to the other side of the machine right next to the splitter. Where they are now makes it easy to work with getting logs onto the infeed section but I would think you have to deal with log placement in the splitter a lot more often than loading logs. Or since you have electrical controls for running the machine put a second set of controls for the most needed functions by the splitter so that it can be run from either location.
Wild Bill the 2nd
Gold Member
Jonix, What does the cylinder at the end of the log advance do for you? Does it sense the log or act as a log stop for you? I see many processors out there with them but have never figured it out. Does it help to keep the log straight after it is cut? I'm sure I will feel like an idiot for asking once I receive the answer, but, I am prepared for that.
muddstopper
Veteran Member
Wild bill, I am going to answer your question about the cyl. I am pretty sure it is there to stop the log and make sure each cut is the same length. It doesnt hold the log in place while it is being cut. If you noticed, once the log is in place and the saw starts to cut, that cyl retracts out of the way so it doesnt interfer with the round falling into the splitting trough.
Wild Bill the 2nd
Gold Member
I was thinking he had the sensor for that but as he mentioned the sensor is having issues on dark woods.
I saw the cylinder retract but didn't know if it was still meant to guide the log if it got crooked.
Makes sense. I don't think we need anything that complex on ours. A hanging rod or chain works for us. Thanks
I saw the cylinder retract but didn't know if it was still meant to guide the log if it got crooked.
Makes sense. I don't think we need anything that complex on ours. A hanging rod or chain works for us. Thanks
muddstopper
Veteran Member
I have seen those stops on a lot of processors. I guess if your trying for automation and max production, they would take the guess work out of log placement. Like you, I will probably go with a hanging rod or chain.
I asked a question about your saw motor in your thread.
I asked a question about your saw motor in your thread.
Yes, it is working nice..I am thinking on buying someking of joystick control in order to work on the side of the splitter too, i agree, to much walking back and forth for the operator..with nice big round and heavy wood, 99% of the logs drops straight into the splitter chamber..the most commom problems are small diameters, knocks, and acummulated wood trash..eucalyptus make lots of waste bark, and definitly, thats the number one cause for this problem..
The saw is keeping up with the splitter when it is workingwith 10/12 inches diameters..when cutting big logs the splitter wait to much..i figure out that a 3/8 pitch needs less pressure to do the work in the same time..I'm working with a 3300 PSI relief on the saw and 150 PSI on the saw cylinder..the 3/8 pitch only needs 2200 PSI to work with this configuration, the .404 shtil RMHS chain stalls once on a while ..one of this days i am gonna try the Oregon 18H chain..has a .404 pitch, but is less "large" than this stilh chain I am working with..The chain speed is poor, about 3000 ft/min..that what I have, for now..
Bill, the cylinder at the end of the log advance is to secure the correct cut lenght..even so, the machine needs to "know" when the log is there, that why there is a photocell in the top ot the cut chamber..this photocell tells the log infeed movement to stop..the real existing reason for that cylinder, is that the photocell have delay times, and i need same lenght wood for bagging..once in a while that cylinder helps straithing logs in the infeed, since the infeed still running 1 or 2 seconds after the logs hit the cylinder stopper, but i don´t thing there is the point..
The saw is keeping up with the splitter when it is workingwith 10/12 inches diameters..when cutting big logs the splitter wait to much..i figure out that a 3/8 pitch needs less pressure to do the work in the same time..I'm working with a 3300 PSI relief on the saw and 150 PSI on the saw cylinder..the 3/8 pitch only needs 2200 PSI to work with this configuration, the .404 shtil RMHS chain stalls once on a while ..one of this days i am gonna try the Oregon 18H chain..has a .404 pitch, but is less "large" than this stilh chain I am working with..The chain speed is poor, about 3000 ft/min..that what I have, for now..
Bill, the cylinder at the end of the log advance is to secure the correct cut lenght..even so, the machine needs to "know" when the log is there, that why there is a photocell in the top ot the cut chamber..this photocell tells the log infeed movement to stop..the real existing reason for that cylinder, is that the photocell have delay times, and i need same lenght wood for bagging..once in a while that cylinder helps straithing logs in the infeed, since the infeed still running 1 or 2 seconds after the logs hit the cylinder stopper, but i don´t thing there is the point..
muddstopper
Veteran Member
I did notice the larger rounds seemed to fall a little better than the smaller stuff. Got a side market for you, might not pay off, but its just a suggestion. I too noticed all the loose bark. What if you installed a debarker to strip the logs of bark before it goes on the processor. Bark mulch is a pretty big market around here. You strip the bark, take your other splitter scraps, and run it all thru a chipper to reduce size, load it on a trailer and sell it for landscape mulch. That would certainly get rid of a bunch of your trash, and maybe put a few coins in your pocket. You will have to run the numbers to see if it would pay for itself.