firewood shear

ALA2 · December 07, 2014, 09:30:50 PM

Hello all . Is there any rotating shear`s` for firewood like the Bilke , I have seen these on you tube and I like what I see , any one know of a U.S.A. builder for a machine like this. don't need a splitteras we burn mostly soft wood slabs. thanks al

beenthere · December 07, 2014, 09:52:23 PM

Can you give a better clue to what the "Bilke" is?

Sounds a bit like a "chunker"

Also, how is the Corley mill running?

r.man · December 07, 2014, 10:03:51 PM

If you might be interested in home made or commissioning one locally a wood chunker is basically the shear without a drive system for feeding the stock.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0VKvYB4xss

r.man · December 07, 2014, 10:12:30 PM

Here is a commercial model with the same type of shear but with a feed drive included.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdUFNqjcgLs

ALA2 · December 07, 2014, 10:30:36 PM

I have seen the chunker style and the Bilke brand is simmular the one with the power feed roller is nice . I am just not finding one imported or built hear. again lots of cool stuff on you tube, just not available hear. .

ALA2 · December 07, 2014, 10:35:45 PM

Beenthere sold the mill to a couple of guys up north ,they were going to build there house and a shed with it. trying to get the log skidder finished, always somthin thanks for the response all.

Cornishman · December 08, 2014, 01:28:51 AM

Quote from: ALA2 on December 07, 2014, 10:30:36 PM
I have seen the chunker style and the Bilke brand is simmular the one with the power feed roller is nice . I am just not finding one imported or built hear. again lots of cool stuff on you tube, just not available hear. .

People in the UK seem pleased with theirs. Various sizes available to take up to a few inches diameter. Must be quick for the smaller stuff.

r.man · December 08, 2014, 09:16:04 AM

Something new to me, looks common from Russia/Europe based on the number of videos offered and the fact that some of the machines look older. What a great way to produce cook stove wood from pole wood. I couldn't find the one I saw last night that was eating 8 footers like this one is doing with the threes.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwRwo04LrYA

ALA2 · December 08, 2014, 08:17:31 PM

I think something like that in front of the o.w.b. would fill er up in a hurry . thanks all

thecfarm · December 08, 2014, 08:43:38 PM

Now that's a way to get some wood done for the old cook stove!!!! Two men feeding it too.

bandmiller2 · December 08, 2014, 08:55:41 PM

The problem we have here is too many lawyers. Probibly for that small stuff an old buzz saw would be simpler and much cheaper. Frank C.

r.man · December 08, 2014, 08:56:04 PM

That small stuff that is normally so annoying to handle. When you get into a section with these machines people are processing limbs as well. Lots of stuff that would go through a chipper could be a viable revenue stream. The speed of that machine compared to anything else is amazing and I doubt it would be overly expensive to build or run.

bandmiller2 · December 09, 2014, 07:18:05 AM

Probibly if a fella found a large old punch press and made up shearing dies it would be dandy for stove wood. Still like I said its hard to beat a buzz saw for pecker poles. Frank C.

thecfarm · December 09, 2014, 07:30:42 AM

bandmiller2,did you watch that video??
They was feeding it wood and as soon as it gripped the wood they would turn away and grab another piece of wood. It would feed itself. A buzz saw you have to stay there and work the table. The one I grew up had a table that would pivot back and forth.
But I do know anything can be made to look and work good in 3-4 minutes too. ;D

beenthere · December 09, 2014, 10:24:50 AM

The chunker in the video is impressive to watch.
I can only think of the hand work that goes into collecting all that small wood that they are sending through that machine AND the hand work that will go into getting all those small chunks into a wood burner. Wonder if those chunks in the pile are picked up by hand? Or on a slab and shoveled up by a bucket?

But it is bio fuel, and a lot of lip service lately to us going to bio fuel from our wood in our future.

bandmiller2 · December 10, 2014, 08:15:16 AM

The classic "stove wood" is those pesky trees that grow into cleared fields and fence lines. The old Yankees killed two birds with one stone and used them for mama's cook stove. For a shear to last the long haul it would have to be built really HD. Sooner or later your going to get an old Elm crotch in there. The little chunks cut look like their headed for a wood gassifier or a little elfs stove. Frank C.

Small Slick · December 11, 2014, 12:15:21 AM

That thing would be the cats you know what on our land. The property was clear cut 15 years or so ago. We have thousands of tree clusters growing from the stumps that consist of 7-8 trees 3" diameter. I've been told we should cut down the trees and leave one good one to grow.

With that I could really make some wood for the cabin! John.

r.man · December 11, 2014, 04:22:07 PM

I watched videos where the machine was being fed long poles and branches. There was an OWB near me that burned a lot of branch wood, don't know how he got it in but if that machine was set up in front of the door you could process small wood right into it. Basically have a pile of what others would call waste, wouldn't be too bad to process or store long, and then through the machine directly into the stove.

bandmiller2 · December 11, 2014, 08:46:26 PM

The second video is very interesting, I'd like to see the guts of that machine. Very possibly it could be scaled up for full size chunks. Frank C.

ALA2 · December 13, 2014, 06:26:12 PM

Yes Frank c I wish they would show the drive on a few of these machines, I think I will base mine off of a 120 roller drive chain and have a large sprocket made 3.5 of 4 foot across then a small sprocket on a hydro drive motor maby 4 or 5 revs a min, and a fast infeed conveyor , we have accsess to all the soft wood slabs we can burn at about 15 dollars a full cord , they seem to burn well in the central o.w.b.
if some one could post a bilke s3 from u tube that would give some ideas thanks all for the input . al

bandmiller2 · December 14, 2014, 09:18:22 AM

ALA2, a shear for slabs would be a fairly easy machine to build. Stop by a local junkyard/recycling area most have a massive old shear to cut up metal to handy legnths. Could be copied with weldments. Frank C.

ALA2 · December 14, 2014, 04:37:32 PM

Thanks Mr frank C. that is a great place to start. al

r.man · December 14, 2014, 05:11:24 PM

Here you go Frank, not the best view but I would describe it as two sharpened paddle wheels that are set up so the tips of one paddle almost touch the tips of the other paddle, are rotating in opposite directions and are timed. I think the length of processed wood would depend on the radius of the paddle wheels but I am not sure why a variety of lengths are coming out of these machines, there must be factors involved that I don't know about. I do agree with you that the ideal would be to have the machine process a maximum length for a cook stove and then sort the underlength for gasification use.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAvncWtpYTo

Cornishman · December 14, 2014, 06:16:50 PM

r.man has it. I think the variety of lengths is due to when and how the piece is detached. If the cut goes all the way through, then the wood receives maximum speed of kick from the blades as they are at 90 deg to the wood. If the piece breaks early then the forward motion of the blades along the axis of the wood is slower, so a slower kick on the remaining wood, which gets left behind by the blades resulting in a shorter next piece.

bandmiller2 · December 14, 2014, 08:45:30 PM

Thanks r.man that's like a course chipper. I'd hate to see what would happen if a large piece of oak was thrown in, something would give I'am not sure which. Frank C.