Slab racks and designs thereof.

[Bibbyman]

One reason some societies remained nomadic was because they didn't want to deal with the waste that build up if they staid in one place very long.    It was just easer to pick up and move and leave it all behind.

smiley_smelly_skunk

Mobile millers have that advantage.  They saw and then pull out – normally leaving the sawdust and slabs for the customer to clean up.  But if you saw very much in one place very long, slabs and sawdust begin to cover you up.  You've got to move them somewhere.

For years we dropped out slabs and sawdust out the back door until we had a big pile and then we'd  spend a day forking up the slabs and moving them some place else and then we'd put the bucket on the tractor and scoop out the sawdust.

We got a good handle on the sawdust by installing a blower and about 50' of pipe.  This takes care of getting 90% or more of the dust away from us.

We are now using the farm tractor with loader and forks to stack slabs onto.  When it's full,  we take it to the slab pile located about 100 yards from the mill. 

For the edgings,  we have built a rack out of wood to pitch them into.  When it's full, we'll use the Terex or tractor to lift out the edgings and haul them to the slab pile.

As it is now,  the amount of slabs we can move at one time is limited by how many we can manage loose on the forks.

I'm rethinking how we collect and move the slabs.  I'm thinking of building or getting built a couple of metal slab racks.  The difference being,  I'm thinking we could store up maybe twice the volume and then lift the rack and all out and take it to the slab pile and then dump the slabs from the rack.

Anyone out there have metal slab racks?   

What did you use for material?  Pipe? Square tube, Chanel iron?

How well do they hold up to rough handling – i.e. forking under one edge and tumping the over?

[Frank_Pender]

My device is similar to a bucket for a loader.  I use forks for the device.  I place the larger slabes in the unit and when it is full, it is designed where I can cut five times and have 1/4 of a cord.  The device dumps easily.   If I am going to use the slabs for my Taylors, I make only two cuts with the chainsaw.


I will try and dig up some pictures of the device for cutting the slabs. 

[Captain]

I would also love to see any pictures that anybody has.  I have been thinking of making a metal slab rack that will be used to contain slabs whan they come off the mill, and a place to cut them to aprropriate length and likely band them for easy handling to the Central boiler with the forks.  Just a dream I'm having....(the Central boiler too....)

Captain

[Brad_S.]

Captain, you already have a first class slab holder!
I use the Majaco grapple trailer (which can't hold a candle to your Wheeler) as a slab bunker. I can either then take it out back and unload it, deliver it to where ever it's going, or take it over by the Taylor stove and  hold a bundle slightly off the ground while cutting to length with a chain saw.

Bibbyman, maybe it's time to start thinking grinder?

[Bibbyman]

Bibbyman, maybe it's time to start thinking grinder?

A grinder would be nice but then you'd still have to feed it and do something with the chips - even if you have a market for them. 

We had Bush-Hog bring out a small PTO grinder to try out.  It wouldn't cut it.  Need a pretty big investment to get into one that would.

Back to the racks!!

[Captain]

You're right Brad, but I'm thinking of bundling out of the rack for handling with the loader forks and stacking for storage, precut lengths for the Central Boiler.  Truth be told, my established slab pile would probably get moved and restacked with the Wheeler  ;)  I have a dream of becoming dilligent and stacking/cutting slabs as they are produced by  the sawmill.  :

So again. back to Bibby's idea, the slab rack would either have to be just narrower than my longest chainsaw bar, or maybe just narrow enough so I can cut the slabs from both sides....also need to get that metal bander....

[Jeff]

When we had chipper break downs, we would have to pull slabs. In our mill they add up fast. You can get a pile of slabs equivilant in size to a 1000 bf of lumber in 20 minutes.  We haave a lumber cart with channel iron upright corners. The lumber piler stacks into it, building the stack with the wider slabs, flat out. once the stack is to the top of the uprights, two steel 3/4 bands are used to band it up, then it is siply lifted out of its "crib" and can be carried anywhere with the fork truck. It can be picked up later to bring back in and chip, it can be saved in this form if its hardwood to sell as firewood and easily loaded on a trailer, it can moved later to an area where it can be grabbed with a loader truck grapple to either load on a truck and haul away, or stuffed in a visiting tub grinder.  Its in a neat package that can be mananged easily once you decide a use.  Just dumping slabs in a huge pile limits future uses to just a couple, and probably none of which could be profitable.

[Ron Wenrich]

When we were running a handmill, we used a metal rack.  Ours was built to handle a cord of wood.  What we used were old log bunks that we put on our trailers.

A log bunk would be made from a piece of I-beam that would go across a trailer.  Pipe would go up each side, to a height of about 5-6'.  I think it was 6" pipe.

When we used them for slab bunks, we welded a couple of pieces of metal to them so they were 6' apart.  That made it easy to put in 8' material.

We would just band the bundles up, then take them out.  We sold them for $20/bundle many years ago.  The only problem is that the bands will loosen up when the wood dries.  We sold all our production on about 500 Mbf.

Edging strips get to be a little harder to sell.  We used to burn those at times.  But, normally, we put that in the slab bundle and told people it was kindling.  Worked pretty good.

[Bibbyman]

When we were running a handmill, we used a metal rack.  Ours was built to handle a cord of wood.  What we used were old log bunks that we put on our trailers.

A log bunk would be made from a piece of I-beam that would go across a trailer.  Pipe would go up each side, to a height of about 5-6'.  I think it was 6" pipe.

AH-HA! That reminds me...!  Chris has an old log truck parked behind our barn!  It is really a flat bed truck with bunks like you describe bolted to the bed.  I can't use them as is, but they'll provide some material.

What is done with the slabs after they're moved is another topic.  But in the winter time we cut up a lot of them into firewood with our Blockbuster processor.  In the summer time, they tend to go up in smoke.

I'd be nice for someone to come out with a machine that eats them up as they come off the mill and spits them out somewhere else in some marketable form like firewood.  But it'd have to be low enough cost that a little guy could afford it.

[mike_van]

I use about most low-tech, cheapest rack out there - 2x6's bolted together in a "C" shape, 42" wide & high, when it's full, I tie the bundle in two places with that yellow 1/4" nylon rope, lift it out with the grapple-claws on the front of the tractor,  and save all the bundles for winter.  I used to burn most all the softwoods just to be rid of it, but since I started making syrup 6 years ago, they go in the evaporator.   30+ years ago, J&J Log & Lumber had a large mill a half mile up the road from me, their slab pile would get to be the size of 3 or 4 LARGE houses - Then they'ed burn it - It would be daylight at midnight at  least the first night.   

[red]

Tub grinder is the ultimate  and the mulch is not so much a profit but another byproduct

www.chomper.net    makes  an  interesting wood processer  but only takes

                                 14 inch wide boards

we try to cut slabs 4 ft long so they are easier to handle and easier to go away in someones pickup truck,station wagon ,trailer


big wooden pallets like 8ft long are ok  and much better then forks

kitchen countertops are delivered  on large pallets

no real good answers
good luck
RED

[Bro. Noble]

We use metal racks made out of 2X4 tubing.  They are 42" wide (a little wider at the top so when banded the slabs come out easier) 4' high and are filled sith 8' slabs.  We keep a rack by the bandmill,  one by the edger,  and one by the scragg mill.  When we get 16 bundles (a semi load)  they go to a charcoal kiln for $15 a bundle.  They have held up well.  We tried wooden racks before and they didn't ;)

We use two bands,  one about 20" from each end.  If we want to cut one up for firewood,  we put an extra band in the middle and cut them while on the forks------letting the wood drop right on the woodpile.

[ElectricAl]

Our Slab Holder is made from 3" C channel.  There are feet on the bottom so the whole holder can be moved with forks. Also, there are cross rails to support the slabs so the bundle can be lifted out after banding. They are pretty rugged and can be dumped if needed.



I cut the slabs to 36" long while in the holder, then dump what does not fall out. Each holder stores 12-15 hunders pounds of product. We use about 300 units per year for heat.  The rest is sold for firewood or ground into mulch.

[dewwood]

Bibbyman,

I have a couple of used parts racks that have worked well for me.  If you can find anything like this or fabricate something similar it should work for you.  They are somewhat similar to some of the other replies posted.  The slant on the back makes it easy to pick the whole bundle out of the rack.

[Faron]

Bib- our slab rack is just a couple of cross ties with holes drilled in them to hold pieces of pipe.  I think the holes are about 7' apart.  When we get it loaded, we band it and put it on our truck to be hauled out and dumped.  We have a pair of 9' fork extensions that fit on our forklift.  By making the rack 7' wide, usually the banded bundle isn't more than 8' by the time we get it loaded.  We also usually cut the thickest parts of the slabs into firewood as we go, and stack that separately.  We are toying with the idea of getting a heavy radial arm saw (16" or bigger) or other cutoff saw and a conveyer and cutting everything into firewood.  We would have to run the firewood up on a truck and dump it pretty often.

[AusLJW]

I made a slab rack out of 2inch  box section .  Open ended U shaped frames bolted onto a sturdy timber frame.  Slabs and offcuts thrown straight in.  When full steel banded so they can lifted out with forklift.  The trick I learned was to make 3 frames.  One for heavier firewood material.  One for small ouffcuts for the burn pile (don't bother with straps) and one spare for when one is full at the wrong moment.
I can sell the firewood bundles if I seperate out the small stuff.
Keep thinking of chipping the smaller stuff but the economics are less than clear-cut.
Only pile things up loose if you don't intend to do anything else but burn them.
Regards

AusLJW

[WH_Conley]

Like the previous post said, unbanded burn, banded cost money.

I have gave away slabs for years, this year they are for sale. A lot of people don't come back now. :( The ones that do are the ones that offered to pay anyhow.

[farmerdoug]

I have a firewood pile as long as my greenhouses and as high as I can stack it of cut wood from the woods.  But I am always getting people that stop and ask if they can have my slab wood.  I just look at them and then my fire pile and ask them what they think.  Some actually figure since I have all of that good wood I should be happy to get rid of the slabs. :

Farmerdoug

[bandmiller2]

I'am just a small time generator,but I cut everything and feed it to my outside furnace.I built what is essentially a large long sawhorse,when I'am done milling take a chainsaw with a long bar and cut to legnth.Be carefull with steel,as sure as sunrise your going to clip it with your chainsaw sometime.Mine is made of oak with countersunk bolts.Frank C.

[Bibbyman]

We had some people come and haul off slabs in the heat of August.  We stockpiled about three tractor trailer loads in late fall and early summer anticipating a lot of interest in slabs this winter.  They cleaned them up before it started to get cold and have kept them clean ever since. 

The last two weeks we've not sawn much because of the bad weather.  We've had a lot of calls wanting slabs.  We've only had a couple of PU loads and they only lasted an hour or so after they were made.

Ironically, we've only sold a couple 3-4 cords of firewood to two customers.

[farmerdoug]

At $50/face cord the firewood sales have been slow around here too.  I guess people are getting their own firewood but like I told a tree guy that I deal with just wait until the wood runs out mid winter.

[dad2nine]

Bibby this may be wrong but we give away our slabs and edging. It seems to work out pretty well they bring their trailers and we pile slabs and edging up on the ground and scoop it up with a bobcat, we drive over about 30 feet and dump it on their trailer. When a trailer is full we move it out to the pad and wheel in another.

[Bibbyman]

Even years and years ago the one local mill charged $15/bundle for slabs.

We occasionally a customer will leave a trailer and we'll fill it as we saw.  We still offbear slabs on the forks of our 4660 and then dump them on their trailer or truck.  But most don't have a trailer or extra truck to leave.  The ones that do say it's good idea but seldom take advantage of it. 

We have one slab hound that uses a lot of slab say they're going to buy another trailer so they can leave one here to be loaded while they use off the other one.  The deck of their trailer has chainsaw marks all over it.

I always feel the $10/PU load is not for the wood.  It's for the interruption.

[WH_Conley]

Bibby hit the nail square on the head. I gave slabs away for years, selling them this year. I still have people come and cut them off the pile in the summer, when I really need to get rid of them. Now I charge $10.00 a bundle. This put a stop to the people that show at the first of the month, get out of the truck with a beer in their hand and want me to stop work to load them. I figure this gained me about 2 hrs production by them not coming back. At the price I charge the ones that come back are paying for is my time away from the saw.