Slab saw and firewood processor in the same machine?

[lt70guy]

I've been looking for some time now an all in one machine to cut our slabwood from the sawmill and a firewood processor for our scrap or rejected logs.  Basically what I am looking for is a firewood processor that is conveyor fed instead of a chain feed.  A retractable splitting head would be best as well so when you were processing slab it could be bypassed.  I really like the shearing processors.  This type of cutting would fly through slabwood and would eliminate sharpening since slabwood and even logs from a logging opereration are often covered in mud from skidding.  Has anyone seen such a machine????

[Ron Wenrich]

Cornell used to make a automated slab saw.  Theirs had a flat belt, but there was no way to split the slabs once they were cut.  They fell out of favor in many markets mainly due to all the thin stuff that mills produce. 

I have seen a couple of homemade processors that have used flat belts.  Very labor intensive compared to the newer processors.  They would run a flat belt with metal paddles on them.  That would allow them to bring in roundwood, and I imagine that would allow slabwood to be run in.

I run a processor that had a circle saw.  Morbark made it.  The saw had inserted carbide teeth.  They lasted a long time, even in dirty logs.  Their splitter had a dump that you could toss stuff before it went through the splitter.  I don't know if you could convert one of those over to a flat belt, but it may fit the ticket. 

[Magicman]

Welcome, lt70guy, to the Forestry Forum.   

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

and Welcome to The Forum LT70 Guy  ;) ;D 8) 8)

there use to be an mechanical auto firewood processor built down here from the 40s to the 60s that was designed to run behind hardwood sawmills to process offcuts and heart cants up to 12x12" it was all gear driven it would advance the belt then the saw would swing over cutting stuff into roughly 12" lengths it also had a weighted car tyre to hold lite stuff down  then a 2' drop down into the outfeed conveyer  Ive used two at two mills I worked at and they did a reasonable job but they where a dangerous machine if you went putting your hands anywhere where they where not meant to be thats why they got banned in the 80s i think   ;)

Theres no reason you could not fabricate something up with timed electric motor for the feed and the saw swing running say a 30 to 36 inch insert saw though and Pendu also build a nice looking auto  firewood slap processor for about the $28k mark  Mate

Regards Chris

[lt70guy]

Yes, I have seen slabsaws and they work fine but we have a lot of rejected logs as well.  Just have not seen an all-in-one system for both slab and logs.  Most of our rejected logs are small (under 16").  Most of the larger mills chip material like this but its so far to the nearest buyer of chips thats its more profitable for us to convert this material to firewood instead.