custom firewood processors

[name_mike]

I am considering putting together a custom firewood processor which will cut and split logs to 1m in length to feed a biomass boiler.

 

Does anyone have any experience of custom processors.

 

Can you recommend someone who supplies custom processors?

[Acg128]

He doesn't supply them but I think stubby on here is selling one.. I've got first dibs tho!

[difflock]

I suspect they may be insurmountable problems with the concept, due to the ratio of the 1.0m length to split diminsion of say 100mm/150mm.

One would need very carefully selected timber to allow it to be AUTOMATICALLY reliably split to these diminsions. i.e. will there be knots?

Or one will simply get a pile of misshapen lumps and kindling.

The other issue is the length of the logs being fed into the splitter.

3m to 5m I guess, is it really worth it for 2 to 4 cuts?

Better use a fast manually operated splitter, with a well thought out set-up and mechanical handling at both ends.

When I split my 1.0m billet lengths I am constantly assessing where best to split, this after cutting out the worst of the knots.

And it is still very difficult to get reasonably regular sections to efficiently stack.

btw.

I do appreciate you may have a supply of German/French type straight Beech logs, as opposed to my Shitty knotty/bent/twisted Lodgepole Pine.

[timberluver]

Difflock is right. If you are getting 3m lengths then 2 cuts and you have your 1m length. I have a Rabaud F13 splitter that can split 1.15m lenghts. I split the billets and tie them off in 1m3 bundles as I split them and it makes them easy to handle and store. It would be as quick to do it that way as try to make a processor to cut and split at this length. A standard processor will cut and split up to 500mm lengths anyway, so is it really worth the effort/expense??

[name_mike]

Its still very early days so I don't have any fixed Ideas yet.

 

I will have a 180kw biomass boiler so I need approx 90 tonnes of fresh felled timber a year.

 

My main goal is to minimise the manual handling and effort required in logging and splitting this amount of wood. As I'm signing on to the commercial RHI I know I'll be doing this for the next 20 years so Its worth some investment at the start if its saves me months of hard labour over the 20 year period.

[difflock]

(i) What is your timber source?

(ii) Is it likely to be secure over the 20 years?

(iii)What is the max recommended size for your 180kw/hr boiler (& I know for my wee boiler one requires to be fairly rigid about size, smaller is definately better)

(iv) Is there potential to source forestry "rounds" of the 100 to 150mm dia, season for longer, and burn unsplit?

Because I am guessing that 100 tonne per year is unsustainable unless sourced from commercial Conifer forestry

(v) If this is possible consider simply cutting to length and bundling in nom 1.0 m3 round bundles strapped with Polyprop, for stacking to season and ease of onward handling.

I could see the advantage in mechanising that particular operation.

Offload artic timber truck straight into racking and no manual/hands on contact.

need more details to offer any useful advice though.

I am significently better at "imagining" than doing.

Marcus