Further thoughts on my branch logger (Remet CNC R120)

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, spandit said:

The length is a bit short

How consistent and what length?

[spandit]

2 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

How consistent and what length?

It varies depending on thickness but about 4" long

[openspaceman]

48 minutes ago, spandit said:

It varies depending on thickness but about 4" long

I wondered about this from comments I had seen elsewhere, I'm guessing because the larger diameter stems get gripped earlier but severed at the same spot that they are longer than thinner ones.

 

Never having seen one working close up I also assume that the way one can pull a length back and the feed stops that it is the momentum that keeps the stem moving as the wood is severed before the next chunk is gripped. This is probably a safety feature??

 

Back in the mid 70s Hyatt Adams had the first chunker I saw working at an APF show. One held the  length of wood and pushed it through a cutout in a rotating disc. The first thing that hit the wood was a spike that split it  then the blade in the cutout severed the wood, one then rotated the wood and pushed it against a stop  for the next cut, if you got it right each piece cut off was split in 4. It was faster than sawing but not as fast as this remet, length could be set by the stop and it was consistent. About the same time a friend in Wales had a stanley log processor which was a log shear and splitter combined but it was also relatively slow.

 

I wish I had a more engineering bent as I would like to have a machine  with the attributes of speed and no sawdust but consistent  longer length. Bigger diameter drive wheels and a more positive feed would allow a branch stripper to sit in front. Safety would become an issue.

[spandit]

It's not momentum that keeps it going - it gets pulled in by the blades. It'll suck through most stuff but if you hold it, it just gets cut and there's nothing for the blades to grip. It's best if you launch the logs in a bit, though, rather than waiting for them to be caught

 

Here's a typical sized log:

 

 

 

[openspaceman]

15 hours ago, spandit said:

It'll suck through most stuff but if you hold it, it just gets cut and there's nothing for the blades to grip

This is something I do not understand; as wood is strong in tension it must mean the front bit of log is completely severed before the blade has contacted the next, otherwise it would be ripped out of your hand.

 

This means it fails safe and no need for an emergency stop bar as on a chipper.

 

Going for a pair of larger diameter cutting wheels to increase the log length would lose this feature as the next log would only be part cut as the front one was severed.

[spandit]

All I'm saying is that there aren't separate feed rollers and once a log is cut, there's a tiny window before the blades next hit. Easier to demonstrate than explain

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, spandit said:

All I'm saying is that there aren't separate feed rollers and once a log is cut, there's a tiny window before the blades next hit. Easier to demonstrate than explain

Yes I realise no feed rollers and you have answered that the feed doesn't grab because of that small "window". As I said this is effectively a safety aid.

 

Love to see a demo some time.

[spandit]

On 24/11/2024 at 14:57, openspaceman said:

Yes I realise no feed rollers and you have answered that the feed doesn't grab because of that small "window". As I said this is effectively a safety aid.

 

Love to see a demo some time.

 

Your wish is my command. Hopefully shows a better view of how the cutting action works: