Home built hydraulic FEL mounted hedge cutter

[mark in portugal]

Thanks;
It's all for fun, if it works then that's a nice bonus.

 

[ptsg]

I did the same mistake as you Mark. Cut a piece of chrome rod on the saw, only to almost ruin a perfectly good and expensive blade. I'm still mad everything I think about it.

 

[mark in portugal]

Those blades can be sharpened, most can anyway.
Some seem to have alternating square and round tooth tips and they say they can't be sharpened.

There are no sharpening shops near me, so a couple of times I took my dull blades and bits with me when I had to go to Amsterdam for work, and had them done at the shop I knew there.
But last time I went, the old guy was gone. There is no tool sharpening service for that city!
Tools are sent to a shop near Rotterdam and it takes a couple of weeks, too slow to get them retuned before my flight back to Portugal.
Searching online, I found a shop up near Porto who said I could mail them my blades, but I haven't done so yet.

I used to get the drysaw blades ground 3 or 4 times before there wasn't enough material left. He would braze on new tips if one or two were broken, but after that it was cheaper to buy another blade.

Careful use means less tip breakage. Stock slip in the clamp on miter cuts kills them dead.

I want to make a heavy bench version like yours one day, because I can't afford a decent water cooled tungsten blade saw.
My buddy had one, I really liked it. Wonderful stock holding vice, accurate miters, smooth cuts, and reasonably quiet.

 

[ptsg]

Mine broke some of the teeth and lost some of the others. I don't think there is much hope for that one.

You may want to invest on a blade grinding machine that I saw on OLX the other day. Not sure if I can find the ad again. It was pretty pricey too, something like €2500 or thereabouts.

If it was now, I would probably build the same style of saw, but with a bandsaw blade instead of the circular blade. I think it would be cheaper to replace the bandsaw blade versus the circular blade, would be quieter and less messy.

Something along these lines. Well, exactly like this:

 

[mark in portugal]

I have little cash and less space!
Maybe someday both will improve.

 

[MasseyFerg231]

some pictures of it assembled;
Except the big cylinder is taken out in this one, I don't remember why.
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The hydraulic supply. The wheel has to come off to get at it.
The wheel is heavy.


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cutter head with motor + all;

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The valve block ready for action.

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electric control box mounts on the rops.

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I interrupt the supply to the FEL, send it up the the hedgecutter, and back. When the hedge cutter is off, the quick couplers fit together so it works like before.

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You tube video of it working at that time;

That is awesome. I admire your skills to think of that and then to fabricate / build it from old pieces/parts!! I am sure that first run was very satisfying.

 

[mark in portugal]

Thanks; it did work on the first run, but it took a few revisions to get it to where I'm reasonably happy with it.

 

[suncoast]

Absolutely amazing. Should patent. Could market this to county maintenance and private. Worth a few thousand I might imagine. Good job. Very technical and precise. Gene

 

[Xfaxman]

 

[mark in portugal]

Thanks; there's nothing new in there to patent, but it's a fun idea.

This machine is only able to cut up to about 1", and then only if it's still green. The concept could be beefed up, but will always have an upper limit.
On the plus side, it makes a very neat cut compared to the shedding that flail mowers do.