grinding scraps

[paul case]

is anyone grinding their own scraps for mulch? i wondered how this worked. i have a neighbor with a 3pt tractor mounted chipper for sale.since i am cutting some pallet boards i get a lot of small barky slabs and cut off ends that dont really make very wonderful firewood. is there money to be made grinding this stuff? pc

[nas]

I chip my edging strips and small slabs in a PTO mounted chipper.  I don't have any trouble moving them and could sell more if I wanted to.

Nick

[r.man]

I think the new rule for products is if you bag it someone will buy it. Chips, bark, sawdust, kindling, firewood, pinecones are all bagged and sold in stores near me. I also recently saw pails of small to medium burls for sale to carvers and turners. A local forestry company also recently had an auction of odd logs and pieces that artists would buy to make unique furniture or pure art works. Value added is the name of the survival game. You should also check out the recent thread on firewood bundling.

[paul case]

thanks for the replies,
nick,
what kind model make size is your chipper? do you chip oak or softwoods? do you bag your stuff or sell it bulk?
r.man'
i did see that thread .i cut my slabs into firewood and sell it bulk . people buy it and pay me well. now i have began cutting pallet stock and the edging stuff may drive down the quality of my firewood. i want to produce products that pay me well and that makes the buyer happy as well.  pc

[nas]

I have a Wallenstein BXM42 and will take up to 4"x10" material.  I only chip cedar but have done hardwoods through it with no problems.  It is a chipper/mulcher so I can send the chips back through the mulcher for a finer mulch






Chips



Mulch
I only sell bulk right now but plan to sell in bags this summer.  My kids will have the job of filling bags. 8)

Nick

[r.man]

Paul, I think there are at least two solutions to your concern about the edgings. 1) Bundle or bag like sizes so that the customer can choose based on their need. Or 2) If the overall percentage of smalls is not large in any one bundle then it should not be a problem. The second solution might be more of a headache for you since it would involve distributing your smaller sizes amongst the larger. Both sound doable and speaking personally I would prefer to have some small stuff mixed in with a bundle of wood for starting the fire.

[Magicman]

Here's a pile of slabs that you can practice on.   



That pile is over 6' high.

[bandmiller2]

I may be mistaken but their are two different machines,a chipper cuts course chips,you need a hog [grinder] for the mulch.Is their any reason why scrap run through a hog wouldn't make good animal bedding ?? Frank C.

[paul case]

MM,
that pile looks about like the 4 bundles that i cut up in 18'' pieces and sell for $120.load them with the bucket on my tractor and deliver them with a dumptruck.this is a good sideline with the sawmill.

frank,
im not sure but most dont shoot for animal bedding around here. im not far from the bagging plant that bags mulch and sells to walmart. some of the neighbor mills have a big grinder/hog? and they sell bulk mulch to the bagging plant. pc

[Kansas]

I would try and run some of your slab wood through the chipper before you buy it. I once was going to rent one that an equipment dealer had and tried to run some through. It didn't make a good product. The smaller drier pieces would shatter and go through in too big of pieces. I also had a guy from the local power company bring by a chipper and grind a little bit for his own use. That made a pretty nice product.

[Planman1954]

A question that has not been addressed is moisture content. Since I've begun sawing myself during the past year, the left over slabs I accumulate quickly are put to only a limited use around our place. If I could indeed have some way of chipping (inexpensively) and the ability to bag the stuff, isn't there a problem of moisture in the bagged chips? Doesn't green material KILL plants? I know all you guys have the answer! And also, where do you get bags, and how do you seal them? Basic questions, I know. Just curious.

[paul case]

the bags can be bought for about 40cents each on uline.com. can be tied with twist ties or hog ring.
i am thinking more about cutting campfire wood bundles. i think i will look around for a local buyer.the small scraps could be shrink wrapped very cheaply and would be more ideal for a short use of a camp fire.plus no extra new equipment to buy. but just being able to do it is not the most important thing. i have to have a market for it that pays with some quantity. maybe i need to go talk to the guys that are bagging that mulch. i will let you know what i  find out.
plannman,
i think you are on to something. my green oak lumber stacked up will make green mold in less than 2 weeks. maybe the bags need to breathe a little? innoculant? i bet theres something to it i just dont know.pc

[Magicman]

Pine slabs have no value here.  Oak is too plentiful for firewood.  The customer will simply torch the pile.  Or leave it to rot  ???   

[paul case]

i had just a few pine slabs that set out here and got dry. i didnt want to put them in my firewood cause they were bug killed.burned some trash with them and the trash was still burning when the slabs had already burned up. 20 minutes tops to burn up about a pickup load.   pc

[bandmiller2]

Back when the world was young,mulch was bark mulch from sawmill debarkers, piled and allowed to go through a couple of heats to cure so it wouldn't burn plants.Today it can be almost any waste wood ground up and dye colored some even use old buildings ground up.I would think green wet material would heat if the pile had any size to it.Frank C.

[ElectricAl]

Paul,

We sell slabs and edgings in full length bundles for fire wood. We also grind slabs and edgings in a horizontal grinder that we hire and sell the mulch.

Dry slabs and edgings are hard to chip in a drum or disk unit. The chipper makes too many spears and the retail consumer will complain. 

For us the best profit comes from selling Oak firewood and mixed species Hardwood Mulch.


In our area a horizontal grinder will cost $500 an hour and you get the fun of feeding it.
The more horse power it has the more you have to hustle.

[paul case]

firewood is a big deal for me too. i currently get $120 for about 4 bundles of slabs cut 18'' or firewood length, delivered,dumped on the ground. makes about 4 rick. im just looking for new options to increase profits .pc