Slabwood Chopper Saw

[slohand]

Just something we cooked up to make firewood out of slabs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_zPS-Z1HLM

[sdunston]

Nice setup, now all you need in a bundler a you can sell it for $7 a bag to the city folk to burn in there fireplaces 8)
Sam

[r.man]

Nice rig. How is it controlled?

[weisyboy]

nice looking rig mate, did you build it yourself.

[Bibbyman]

 



We've got a good sized jump saw we use to cut stuff to length.  But it don't have a nifty feed system like your design.  We've cut firewood out of scrap parts when cutting up good parts.  Just let the scrap fall in a box at the end of the rollers.  But we've not used it to just cut firewood even though I've thought about it.

[ladylake]

Nice but I'd like it to be faster.     Steve

[slohand]

Weisy... Yes we built this ourselves mostly out of stuff in our boneyard and a few other items. Made the basic structure out of heavy timbers because steel is so expensive and hey... we're in the wood business.

R. Man. The main functions are controlled by two limit switchs. The belt cannot advance the slab for cutting unless the saw is 'home' and tripping a NO limit switch. The slab conveyor belt advances slab moving the hinged plate and tripping another limit switch which activates a solinoid valve allowing air into cylinder which causes the saw to start off... simultaneously stopping belt. After cut off the hinged plate drops straight again activating the reverse solinoid and sending the saw back home again.

The hinge plate limit switch is a two step type (NO and NC in one unit). As noted the saw mounted on a carriage is air activated to move back and forth.

We have flow control valves on both ends of cylinder air infeed because the thing just goes ridiculously fast if not controlled. It would tear itself to pieces real quick. Five second cycle is fast enough for me.

So if you get a headache trying to figure this out, so do I. This is the basic workings though there are other things which are tricky such as holding the slab for cutting all the way to the short end. Ended up a fair little project.

[r.man]

Thanks Slohand, no headache I count this sort of thing as fun.