Pimps!

[coppice cutter]

Anyone made them or have tips for doing so?

 

The actual cutting of the sticks I have sussed, I just load up the sawhorse with the lengths and run the chainsaw down through each section leaving me with piles of roughly foot lengths between pencil and marker pen thickness which I use for kindling.

 

But I think I could get even more use out of it if I had it bundled and tied up as pimps. I've watched the "Pimps, faggots, and benders" video in the past (now removed from youtube not surprisingly!) but it concentrates more on the overall process than the actual bundling of the sticks.

 

I've plenty of used sisal twine as well so that's sorted too, just need to devise a handy way of squeezing the wee bundles until I tie them up.

[sandspider]

You could make a sort of vice thing (pimp clamp?) with two long sticks, tied together at the bottom - shove the loose sticks in, pack them down, pull the free ends of the long sticks to tighten it up, repeat... Or maybe use a ratchet strap to tighten, then secure with twine, take the strap off and use it on the next?

[openspaceman]

We retrieved my mate's dad's pimp clamp from the bonfire his sister threw it on. All the wood parts gone but the ironwork still exists. He used to do it with his dad as a Saturday job but it was basically a vertical vice which squeezed the bundle and then a wire tie was wrapped round.

 

If I were to try it I think I would go with two sticks with a chain between then, lay the wood on the chain, fold the sitcks over and tie the bundle.

[coppice cutter]

The relevant factor is that it has to be a split mechanism to allow you to tie in the middle.

 

If were just a case of squeezing the bundle then something like a V top and bottom would suffice but the centre has to be open to allow it to be tied.

[waterbuoy]

I like to keep things as simple as possible so....

 

How about using a couple (or more) of these?  Cheap as chips and simpler than ratchet straps - if bundling on a saw horse then just lie them on it first.

 

Tie Down Straps Metal Cam Buckle 25mm Webbing 1m - 5m Securing Luggage Trailer

WWW.EBAY.CO.UK

---

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tie Down Straps Metal Cam Buckle 25mm Webbing 1m - 5m...

 

[coppice cutter]

43 minutes ago, waterbuoy said:

I like to keep things as simple as possible so....

 

How about using a couple (or more) of these?  Cheap as chips and simpler than ratchet straps - if bundling on a saw horse then just lie them on it first.

 

Tie Down Straps Metal Cam Buckle 25mm Webbing 1m - 5m Securing Luggage Trailer

WWW.EBAY.CO.UK

---

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tie Down Straps Metal Cam Buckle 25mm Webbing 1m - 5m...

 

Use them every day for securing bikes on the bike lifts in the workshop, plus I actually sell them.

 

Much prefer them to the mini ratchet straps and despite what people say I've never had one, or known of one, to let go.

 

The saw horse I use though is about two foot deep and tapered so you're working with more stuff at a time than you'd be bundling to make the pimp. I compress it in the middle with a heavy duty ratchet strap which essentially wraps around it and pulls it down in to the vee of the saw horse.

 

Produces the sticks very quickly and effectively and usually I just put it in a pile for kindling, but I think having it in bundles would allow me to get even more use out of it. 

[Stere]

 

 

 

Binding faggots

WWW.MOT.BE

 

 

A woodmans grip can be made in a 5 minutes & works well     but the faggot  presses etc are better no doubt.

 

I think as starter make a few woodmans grips  to use on  long faggots then tying with twine then chainsaw the faggots into pimps.

 

 

 

 

Theres a common  near me thats unmanaged limestone pavement with hazel on it. It has   electric poles overhead. a couple a acres  are cut under the wires every few yrs for clearance

 

They    cut  the hazel stools off at waist height a few yrs ago,  all the of material  left to waste &  then they decided to dig up some stools with a  mini digger for some reason....and leave them lying all over tha place so its a complete mess now

 

Anyway enough  material was  left lying about for 1000's of pimps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Stere

[david lawrence]

How it can be done

not sure I would recommend it thou

[sandspider]

I use a Truncator to saw my kindling into short lengths. I don't tie them, I dump them into hessian sacks to hopefully dry - but you could possibly put a tie in each cup before putting the sticks in? Not sure they'd pack that tightly.

[openspaceman]

On 01/03/2023 at 11:07, openspaceman said:

We retrieved my mate's dad's pimp clamp from the bonfire his sister threw it on. All the wood parts gone but the ironwork still exists. He used to do it with his dad as a Saturday job but it was basically a vertical vice which squeezed the bundle and then a wire tie was wrapped round.

 

 

I dug out the photos of the pimp engine after we recovered it from the fire, as you can see it was bench mounted and foot operated.