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Grinding Slabs

Started by Bodger, November 03, 2007, 05:31:07 PM

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Bodger

I'm about to move to a new and improved (better access for log trucks) commericial site, not as close to the house but better for business.  One downside is not being able to burn the slabs without causing a problem for the neighbors.  About 80% will be pine..(the hardwood I can cut to length and sell for firewood)I have a good market for shavings from the moulder but shaver flakers are cost probhibitive (too expensive).  What are you doing with your slabs?  Grinding them?  What are you using?  I have thought about a portable grinder that could service several mills in the area but I'm not sure how big it would have to be.  Thanks for the help in advance, I'd hate to run out and buy something that will not do the job. 
Work's fine for killing time but it's a shaky way to make a living.

solodan

I am in the same situation my self. I buck the larger slabs into firewood right off the mill. Then I split it later on the spliter. Why not cut the larger slabs to firewood.?There should be a market for softwood firewood, it just brings in less. I think that a small 8" chipper could chip most everything that would not be going to firewood. Most of the 6"or 8" chippers will chip a 6" or 8" diameter stick or a 10"or 12" slab.

Ron Wenrich

We're an automated mill, so we turn ours into chips.  But, there are several options for the smaller operator.

I have seen guys turn it into shavings.  There are automated shavers out there that you can put slabs or logs into.  I've seen them with short, 4' boxes.  One guy used to do the aromatics and take them to pet shops.  He got more for the shavings then he did for the lumber.

Another option is to use a hog.  That will turn the material into either mulch or animal bedding. 

You could use a small chipper to turn it into chips.  A used unit is pretty cheap, but you have to have slabs that are only a certain width. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Sawyerfortyish

I had the same problem except I can saw 4-5000 ft in an afternoon without pushing to hard to do so then the next day 3-4 hours was spent sawing and moving slabs out of the way. I bought a Rotochopper mulch grinder set it up inline with the mill and have a vibratrating conveyor feeding it out of the mill. I gained at least 3 hours more a day to saw and eliminated a liability. People would bring there kids to pickup slabwood and while they were loading the kids would climb the log piles :o. Now when spring rolls around I don't have a big mess of slabs nobody wants. I grind everything and even sweep the floor throw it in the conveyor and sell it. I get 18.00 a yard and sell everything I make every spring. Buying the grinder was a big investment to get going but with time saved and being able to sell all my waste it payed for itself in about 3 years. One of the biggest problems today that closes many mills is enviremental issues. When you can sell your waste you got that problem beat.

Kansas

We have a grinder come in twice a year and grind all our slab wood, logs we hit metal in, logs we wont ever cut, etc. We have had several different type grinders come in, but the outfit that does it now comes in with a hogzilla. They bring their own excavator type grapple and big wheel loader. They do a double grind. It costs around 3.50 a cubic yard. We either retail it out for 16.00 a cubic yard, or another company arranges to sell it wholesale, and we get paid for loading it. The main thing is, it keeps the log yard cleaned up from bad logs and keeps the slash pile down. The last year or so, we have put our sawdust in with the slabs to grind, doesnt seem to hurt a thing. I wouldnt want to own a grinder, they look very high maintence to me.

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