Bundling Slabs

[Larry]

I've made up my mind I'm going to bundle and band my slabs.  I can sell to the charcoal plant, mulchers, and wood burners.  Its not legal to burn slabs in Arkansas.  Last winter I got tired of slab buyers piddling and making messes.  Wouldn't bother me a bit to drop a slab bundle into there truck and send them on there way.

I sat up a crib at the end of a roller conveyor to hold slabs.  I could put steel banding down before I even start to fill the crib.  That would make it easy to band them.







The mill drags back the slab and drops it in front of me.  While the mill saws the next board I give the slab a stiff push and it shoots down the roller table into the crib.  I have to walk it a few steps first, but no heavy lifting.  I can't keep up with the mill on cedar but with oak there is no lost time.

My method works ok until slabs start to get near even with the rollers.  I would like to build a bit bigger bundle.  I was thinking about elevating the roller table a foot or so and putting a power roller in.  Something similar to a pineapple roller some old edgers used.  I have gear motors and electricity.

Before I reinvent the wheel thought I would ask the members if they have a better way.  I tried pushing slabs off to the side but that didn't work well for me.  From the looks of the yard at the charcoal plant there must be a lot of mills bundling slabs.  Why I've even seen trucks from as far away as Missouri coming down here. :D

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

I've heard poly banding works well and is cheaper than steel banding...

Herb

[Peter Drouin]

I gave up on selling slabs, to much of a pane in you know. I chip all my slabs,off the back of the one ton and in to the 12" morbark :D and sell by the load. doing ok with sales. thats what works for me

[ladylake]

Larry  Put another cross member on the bottom higher than the one you have, easy to get banding under and also your forks.  Steve

[Beavertooth]

Larry,
  You could make your slab bin wider to get more slabs in without getting so high. Probably a good idea to weld yourself one up out of metal so it with last if you keep bundling slabs.
                                                           craig

[paul case]

I have been bundling slabs and selling them for a year or more now. I actually had to start making my bundles a bit smaller so my loader could pick them up. I use poly banding with buckles. They work real well. Here is my slab rack.


  

 
I use 2 of them and sometimes I have to push them down off the bundle after I lift it  up.  1 bundle will pretty well incenerate an old stump if it sets around a while first.

If you would buy a chipper I would give you my slabs to chip or pay you to do it if you can find a market for the chips.  ;D PC

[Jim_Rogers]

I gave up on selling slabs, to much of a pane in you know. I chip all my slabs,off the back of the one ton and in to the 12" morbark :D and sell by the load. doing ok with sales. thats what works for me

What are you getting per yard?

And who is buying them? home owners, landscapers?

Jim Rogers

[Peter Drouin]

Hi Jim,I sell them to mostly to homeowners, they landscape with them, there all natural wood no chemicals and people like that. I get 50.00 a load thats 104 cf, a one ton load del within 10 miles from me . or 1.00 a loaded mile. or  I could sell them to the power plant up the road for 28.00 a ton . its just easier to get rid of chips then slabs. I use them too they look great. then people ask where I get them :D :D I tell them I make them then they want some too :D :D

[hackberry jake]

You have to use steel bands if they're going to the charcoal plant.

[Ironwood]

depending on how tight you want them to stay, I have bundled and then used the big yellow ratchet tiedowns THEN use the banding. It gives you ALOT more tightening ability (especially if you "tussle them a bit with the loader before going to the banding).

Ironwood

[Brucer]

I sell my bundles for firewood.

The first version of my first racks was made from lumber,  much like Larry's. They were 40" wide inside the uprights and about 30" high. That gave a cross-section of about 8 sq ft, so an 8' bundle was half a cord. Problem -- as soon as you lifted the slabs out of the rack, the bundle would get very loose.

For the second version I modified the same racks, making them 24" inside the uprights. I also added 10" long 45 degree braces between the bottom cross member and the uprights. That basically gave me the bottom 2/3 of an octagon. By piling the slabs higher in the center I had an approximately 24" round bundle. These didn't get nearly as loose when you lifted them out of the rack. An 8' bundle was about 1/5 of a cord. People liked them much better because they were easier to saw.

The third version was the same racks, but with heavy duty poly banding (the stuff Bailey's sells). I could get the bands much tighter and they would stretch. No more loose bundles. I also recycle the bands, getting 5 or 6 uses out of each one. A lot of customers like that.

The final version has the same configuration but is made from 1-1/2" square steel tubing with a 1/8" wall. I designed them so I can roll them over on their sides after they are banded (note -- I saw Douglas-Fir, not Oak ;)) That way I can empty the racks a couple of times without having to fetch the loader.

I use three racks -- one each for 8' and 10' lengths, and one for 12' and over. Any slabs 16' and up are cut into shorter lengths.

[Larry]

Peter, I think chipping is the way to go.  The mulch places seem to sell it quite well.  Just had a new one move to town.  I did look at a chipper but really don't want another machine to maintain.

As Jake posted bands have to be what the buyer will accept.  Most want steel.