Rethink required, billet bundles are too heavy

[openspaceman]

late into this, but lodgepole tips the scales at 39lb a cubic foot, its sometimes easier to work in old stuff cos its easier to picture a cubic foot than a cubic mtr when your looking at a bit of wood

 

I see I made a mistake, bark looked norway spruce on the one with the pickaroon in it. Whorls on earlier picture more pine looking. Going back to the original post I see Lodgepole is stated.

 

so 0.5m3 stacked billet at 70% stacking=0.35m3 solid. 0.39 basic density gives 137kg od.

 

197kg of water associated with this in a green bundle looks around 334kg and at 15% mc wwb should weigh 161kg, at least the final figure seems to agree.

[difflock]

Logs had been sitting "in the round" from early Spring cutting, readings were in the middle 20's mostly, with the obviously wet ones in the bottom in the 40's.

Giving my wet=250kg figure.

PS

"Crane scales" simply was the term I found used to describe a set of scales suspended from a crane, when internet searching for such an item.

Surprisingly expensive, especially for the higher tonnage ones.

The set I purchased goes up to 500kg if I recall.

PPS

Yes to grip the billet bundles "end on" so as to minimize distortion from the grapple squeezing/distorting the round.

So unless I buy or fabricate a better/more suitable grapple, since the small one I am using is not particularly good at gripping the bundles as they can relatively easily squash and distort off the round and therefore fall out.

Therefore better to grip "end on" = no distortion.

An old block grab might actually suit, Hmmmm?

[_tc]

What about a bail spike for end on lifting?

[frets1]

nice set up:thumbup:

I would love to do billets, but all my arb waste is small and knotty!

smaller bundles makes sense I guess. piles should be more stable to.

ibc containers for me next I think.

keep the pics coming....great ideas.

good luck, thanks for sharing.

[difflock]

What about a bail spike for end on lifting?

 

erm, well, oh, um,

 

far far too simple an straightforward an idea to ever work:blushing:

 

Seriously though, I would have probably thought that getting the bundles OFF the spike ud be the difficulty.

 

I definately need a better way of

(i) measuring an marking my 1.0m lengths

(ii) having the logs presented at waist height for ease of cutting.

Hence my plans for a log deck I suppose.

I will end up with some kind of Heath-Robinson firewood processer set-up:lol: before I am finished:lol:.

I, on reflection, Should prob have spent wot I spent on the 3PH Baker sawmill on a store-bought firewood processor and simply reckoned the too-good to cut up for firewood Sitka Spruce . . . were actually the perfect feed-stock for a store bought firewood processor.

And the product thereof easily saleabe for cash.

SIGH!!

[_tc]

Sorry Difflock, it's not often I look at something and an answer pops immediately into my head. Back to the drawing board for a more complicated over thought solution.

[Logan]

erm, well, oh, um,

 

far far too simple an straightforward an idea to ever work:blushing:

 

Seriously though, I would have probably thought that getting the bundles OFF the spike ud be the difficulty.

 

I definately need a better way of

(i) measuring an marking my 1.0m lengths

(ii) having the logs presented at waist height for ease of cutting.

Hence my plans for a log deck I suppose.

I will end up with some kind of Heath-Robinson firewood processer set-up:lol: before I am finished:lol:.

I, on reflection, Should prob have spent wot I spent on the 3PH Baker sawmill on a store-bought firewood processor and simply reckoned the too-good to cut up for firewood Sitka Spruce . . . were actually the perfect feed-stock for a store bought firewood processor.

And the product thereof easily saleabe for cash.

SIGH!!

 

yo difflock, you mirror my thoughts exactly. I am in the billet world, and most of us wonder why. For me it's because I have plenty of tree covered mud but no barns, breeze or security of any type. So have to stick with billets.

 

If you find answers to the marking for cutting I would love to hear it. Have tried guessing (wasteful) attachment on chainsaw (clumsy) a stick (backache retrieving it all the time) 2nd person with stick (great but expensive) and forest tapemeasure. The fastest output was 2 people sharing the stick and saw with me on grab laying logs down and piling up for splitting after. Could get 25 tons sawn in the morning and then swap to splitting. Cheers, John.

[rowan lee]

I definately need a better way of

measuring an marking my 1.0m lengths

 

If you find answers to the marking for cutting I would love to hear it. Have tried guessing (wasteful) attachment on chainsaw (clumsy) a stick (backache retrieving it all the time) 2nd person with stick (great but expensive) and forest tapemeasure.

 

That made me chuckle Logan, I have tried all that as well. measuring sticks that always went missing, countless bending, sore back. For now Im just stuck with simple estimation. I count up in short of 10inch steps along the stem with the bar, at count four I cut. Works well when Im fresh, after 200 cuts though There are always a few buggers that need toppign when it gets to the splitter. We'll leave this in the capable hands of Marcus to fix.

[Logan]

I dream of building a bar slash saw, or whatever they call them, with the hydraulic butt gate...

 

CSI | DL-4400 Slasher Saw

 

Seems to work well in super straight pole length timber. How would it manage in bendy old hardwood? Ha.

[renewablejohn]

yo difflock, you mirror my thoughts exactly. I am in the billet world, and most of us wonder why. For me it's because I have plenty of tree covered mud but no barns, breeze or security of any type. So have to stick with billets.

 

If you find answers to the marking for cutting I would love to hear it. Have tried guessing (wasteful) attachment on chainsaw (clumsy) a stick (backache retrieving it all the time) 2nd person with stick (great but expensive) and forest tapemeasure. The fastest output was 2 people sharing the stick and saw with me on grab laying logs down and piling up for splitting after. Could get 25 tons sawn in the morning and then swap to splitting. Cheers, John.

 

I just use the chainsaw. Place tip of chain on sawn end rotate saw 180 degree on handle where tip touches log again is cut off point. All billets cut to same length. Vary length by using different bar length.