Slabwood processing for firewood

Hackermatack · March 02, 2016, 08:37:51 AM

I burn most of my slab wood either for maple sugaring or if I have hardwood slabs to heat my home. I made a rack that does not work bad for cutting 3' slabs to feed the evaporator. What I would like to build is something similar to a old-fashioned cordwood saw except the circular blade would be replaced with one of my chainsaws. I think it would be a convenient way to work up my hardwood slabs into short lengths for stove wood. I have some ideas just wondering if anyone has done something similar?

r.man · March 02, 2016, 03:26:14 PM

I have seen a few videos with similar machines to this one, don't see why you couldn't use the saw vertically with a rocker table that was linked to the saw trigger. Might work best with a large electric chainsaw.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR7Gnw98E8o&ebc=ANyPxKo-6BWF5BVDEYemMG3wfDn7iI_GYX8LeC7Q7TqUtUT046d-Xoe74XTOI5AlWqYNTB165j3KWMOQZpokCfAy38e8f7Ibfg

Hackermatack · March 02, 2016, 04:29:13 PM

That looks like a pretty slick setup. A rocker table would be the ticket for slabs so several smaller ones could be cut at once. Wonder how they gas it up?

DDW_OR · March 02, 2016, 04:48:04 PM

have you seen this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUu1bKKO8Lc

Hackermatack · March 02, 2016, 05:34:41 PM

racks work pretty good but with slabwood it makes for a lot of handling. My goal is to have them drop from the saw into my tractor bucket. That way I can just empty the bucket into my wood trailer.

drobertson · March 02, 2016, 08:35:40 PM

How were you thinking on feeding the slabs into the saw zone? After watching the fire wood shoot out a few years ago I started having all sorts of ideas on a processor that uses a vertical dropping circular saw blade. The only question is will it be an auto feed conveyor, with a deck? Or just a few ran through by hand?

r.man · March 02, 2016, 09:27:07 PM

The fixed saw one looks too elaborate for my taste mostly in the mounting of the saw. I would hope for a quick insert or release so that the saw isn't committed long term. This would also solve the fueling problem. Another way would be to use an older top fueling saw. For the quick mount I can think of two or three easy ways to lock in a saw that would only require one or two bolts to be backed off. The rack looked good except it would be nice if the wood stayed in it after being cut. This would allow the whole rack to be dumped into a trailer with a tractor. The older I get the more I dislike picking things off the ground. One member had a dedicated wood cutting platform on a trailer. Loaded it with forks and the cut wood was then at the same basic height as the splitters.

DDW_OR · March 03, 2016, 02:19:14 AM

I have a Multitek 1610ez. slabs go on it, then up the conveyor into the pickup.
Firewood logs bigger than 16 inch go on the TK to be cut down, then on to the Multitek.

Here is a conveyor i have been looking at, 16 Foot Gas Powered Firewood Conveyor.
http://newriverfirewood.com/Power-Trust-Equipment-16-Foot-Gas-Powered-Firewood-Conveyor-PTE-5MCON02.htm?categoryId=-1

this could do the job of your tractor? maybe add a hopper?

Hackermatack · March 03, 2016, 04:55:29 AM

Quote from: drobertson on March 02, 2016, 08:35:40 PM
How were you thinking on feeding the slabs into the saw zone? After watching the fire wood shoot out a few years ago I started having all sorts of ideas on a processor that uses a vertical dropping circular saw blade. The only question is will it be an auto feed conveyor, with a deck? Or just a few ran through by hand?

I will definitely hand feed because I only process a couple of cord/year of short slabs to use in my stoves. We use a rack that works pretty well for 3' slabs to fuel the maple syrup evaporator. I am thinking now of hinging the far end of the bar and using it like a chop saw with perhaps a cable and weight arrangement to hold the saw up so slabs can be positioned under the bar. I think I can do it with just one pin to pull for removing the saw for fuel, Probably would have to dedicate a bar to the rig but not the whole saw. I have a 029 stihl that I don't use much anyway.

du6988 · March 03, 2016, 09:44:17 PM

This is the one I think would work well
.https://youtu.be/Y1Q9Q33yO3Q

thecfarm · March 04, 2016, 08:58:32 PM

du6988,welcome to the forum.

WOW,that was quick,but looks like only one stick at a time and can't really tell,but might have to almost hand feed it.

du6988 · March 07, 2016, 01:40:27 PM

Thank you. May not be the easiest to load, but I thought it might be a simple gadget to build.

yellowrosefarm · March 07, 2016, 03:35:45 PM

I find it easiest to just cut the slabs with a small chainsaw, then throw the pieces in the loader bucket. Most of the 16' oak slabs I deal with are just too darn heavy to move more than once.

Hackermatack · March 07, 2016, 04:14:30 PM

Quote from: yellowrosefarm on March 07, 2016, 03:35:45 PMMost of the 16' oak slabs I deal with are just too darn heavy to move more than once.

Pinch a few more short boards & 1 x 3's out of them they will be lighter. Sometimes I make short boards & 1 x 3 just so the slabs will be lighter. :D

r.man · March 07, 2016, 05:51:47 PM

I have seen a video of an automatic rocker saw that was cutting multiple slabs when they weren't too big.

yellowrosefarm · March 08, 2016, 08:35:41 PM

Quote from: Hackermatack on March 07, 2016, 04:14:30 PM
Quote from: yellowrosefarm on March 07, 2016, 03:35:45 PMMost of the 16' oak slabs I deal with are just too darn heavy to move more than once.

Pinch a few more short boards & 1 x 3's out of them they will be lighter. Sometimes I make short boards & 1 x 3 just so the slabs will be lighter. :D

That wouldn't help with the large butt flare logs around here. Slab will be wafer thin on one end and 6" thick on the other.

Hackermatack · March 09, 2016, 05:54:06 PM

If you take a slab that the saw runs out of the log at the 1/2 way point +- you should be able to get a flitch on the next cut that will yield a 6' long board. I sometimes have sold hardwood live edge flitches as short as 3', woodworkers with some imagination love them. I don't charge much but a couple bucks for what would have been firewood makes me happy.