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Large chainsaw recomendations.


name_mike
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poshe 360 +log deck

splitmater 30

manitou 1235

john deere tractor wit crane and front linkage

oh and a bobcat skidsteer to load splitmaster

and i only cut about 500 tons a year300 for me and 200 for cutomers

 

How do you find the splitmaster 30? This is the splitter I intend to use. I know a couple of people hiring them out or depending how things go I may purchase one.

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The split master is good for making billets but not logs, if you want meter long billets its a great machine, if you want 8" logs then she's not what you want. Your big boiler probably takes a reasonable length though, and for around a grand you can get a wee PTO circular saw that will buzz the billets into logs for the stoves. But don't use the split master for rings as they will fall over or fall off and generally it will be a PITA.

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The split master is good for making billets but not logs, if you want meter long billets its a great machine, if you want 8" logs then she's not what you want. Your big boiler probably takes a reasonable length though, and for around a grand you can get a wee PTO circular saw that will buzz the billets into logs for the stoves. But don't use the split master for rings as they will fall over or fall off and generally it will be a PITA.

 

The boilers take 1m long billets so the split master is perfect for this. We have a smaller splitter too but we'll probably get a circular saw as you suggest and cut the billets down with that as and when they are needed.

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we went down the route of the 2.4m posch splitter, you can get guides to bridge between the channel and the splitting blade for short logs, we tend to split the bigger rings on this 25"+ split into 4 and then finish them on a vertical.

 

theres a video from about 7 years ago when we were experimenting with it.

 

 

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we went down the route of the 2.4m posch splitter, you can get guides to bridge between the channel and the splitting blade for short logs, we tend to split the bigger rings on this 25"+ split into 4 and then finish them on a vertical.

 

theres a video from about 7 years ago when we were experimenting with it.

 

 

what does the bottle of irnbru do for the splitter?

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I'm in a similar situation to you regarding your setup but with about a quarter of the throughput of wood needed (must be the double glazing :biggrin:) and we've been doing it for a year.

 

I can't really comment on the chainsaw question as there are others way more qualified but I've got some comments on the process.

 

We processed about 40 tonnes with family labour and it took us around 5-6 days. It's hard physical graft and I already know next year will be harder to convince them to help, plus with the best will in the world I doubt we will process at the same speed as someone being paid to do it - whip cracking is hard to impossible.

 

I also struggled with making sure they were safe and watching them with eyes in the back of my head. I've seen too many injuries through carelessness and chainsaws frankly scare the crap out of me. I'm confident I can manage wood processing safely myself but bring in a set of people with less experience and it raises the risks exponentially.

 

I spent more time thinking and watching them while I was handling a chainsaw (no one else is allowed to even pick it up), and that inevitably reduces my effectiveness and focus on the job and increases my own personal risk.

 

People also do not know just how dangerous powered machinery is. They get desensitised to the danger through repetitive use. So I tell my sister that the person operating the splitter is the only one who can place the wood on the splitter because only they can know where their hands are at all times, and she must never touch the wood to pick it up, then I see her later forgetting and helping. It happens.

 

I'm painting an overly bleak picture as I think we did a good job and were safe and more importantly got safer as we progressed, but it is a tense time and not a funtime family activity.

 

It sounds like you are spending a lot of time thinking about the process which is exactly what we did.

 

My main learnings mirror what a lot have already said: Handle wood as little as possible, use a lift / front end loader to place the cord wood onto your choice of processor, use gravity to help move it (we use a ramp from the end of the processor that runs down at a very shallow angle to the bed of the splitter - easy to drag the round wood along it without it rolling too much). Try and process as close as possible to the wood store stacking area. Use stillages if you can to move the wood around the site and end up next to the boiler. I'm really pleased we bought a decent splitter that will last and I know will handle a lot.

 

I'm not sure how you are planning on seasoning but 100 tonnes will take up a very big area if you want it to dry with lots of air movement through it. The best advice I ever received was try and have two years supply and forget about it, by the time you use it, it will be perfect. So that's 200 tonnes storage space...

 

I've also not seen you mention the Biomass Suppliers List which you will need to register on. If you are a processing your own wood then as a self supplier, but if you are buying cordwood in you will need to register as a producer-trader and then "sell" your product to yourself on a quarterly basis. There is a lot of paperwork with the RHI scheme.

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I'm in a similar situation to you regarding your setup but with about a quarter of the throughput of wood needed (must be the double glazing :biggrin:) and we've been doing it for a year.

 

I can't really comment on the chainsaw question as there are others way more qualified but I've got some comments on the process.

 

We processed about 40 tonnes with family labour and it took us around 5-6 days. It's hard physical graft and I already know next year will be harder to convince them to help, plus with the best will in the world I doubt we will process at the same speed as someone being paid to do it - whip cracking is hard to impossible.

 

I also struggled with making sure they were safe and watching them with eyes in the back of my head. I've seen too many injuries through carelessness and chainsaws frankly scare the crap out of me. I'm confident I can manage wood processing safely myself but bring in a set of people with less experience and it raises the risks exponentially.

 

I spent more time thinking and watching them while I was handling a chainsaw (no one else is allowed to even pick it up), and that inevitably reduces my effectiveness and focus on the job and increases my own personal risk.

 

People also do not know just how dangerous powered machinery is. They get desensitised to the danger through repetitive use. So I tell my sister that the person operating the splitter is the only one who can place the wood on the splitter because only they can know where their hands are at all times, and she must never touch the wood to pick it up, then I see her later forgetting and helping. It happens.

 

I'm painting an overly bleak picture as I think we did a good job and were safe and more importantly got safer as we progressed, but it is a tense time and not a funtime family activity.

 

It sounds like you are spending a lot of time thinking about the process which is exactly what we did.

 

My main learnings mirror what a lot have already said: Handle wood as little as possible, use a lift / front end loader to place the cord wood onto your choice of processor, use gravity to help move it (we use a ramp from the end of the processor that runs down at a very shallow angle to the bed of the splitter - easy to drag the round wood along it without it rolling too much). Try and process as close as possible to the wood store stacking area. Use stillages if you can to move the wood around the site and end up next to the boiler. I'm really pleased we bought a decent splitter that will last and I know will handle a lot.

 

I'm not sure how you are planning on seasoning but 100 tonnes will take up a very big area if you want it to dry with lots of air movement through it. The best advice I ever received was try and have two years supply and forget about it, by the time you use it, it will be perfect. So that's 200 tonnes storage space...

 

I've also not seen you mention the Biomass Suppliers List which you will need to register on. If you are a processing your own wood then as a self supplier, but if you are buying cordwood in you will need to register as a producer-trader and then "sell" your product to yourself on a quarterly basis. There is a lot of paperwork with the RHI scheme.

 

Nice to here someone else in a similar position. As I said previously We're already producing our own fire wood and between us we have a lot of experience handling heavy machinery. We have a digger driver and two mechanical fitters. I was trained in a cardboard factory. You don't get any bigger wood processing machinery :-)

 

As for the BSL, i'm approved already. I was waiting for approval before I invested any money in either timber or equipment.

 

I plan to dry in large poly tunnel. I have one 20m x 8m which can handle 320m3. I've got space for another if needed too.

 

One oddity is that I have my boiler sited in the cellar so I'm planning to install a lift up and down to move the stillages in and out. I'm going to get a single post car lift and adapt it to suit my purpose.

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Nice to here someone else in a similar position. As I said previously We're already producing our own fire wood and between us we have a lot of experience handling heavy machinery. We have a digger driver and two mechanical fitters. I was trained in a cardboard factory. You don't get any bigger wood processing machinery :-)

 

As for the BSL, i'm approved already. I was waiting for approval before I invested any money in either timber or equipment.

 

I plan to dry in large poly tunnel. I have one 20m x 8m which can handle 320m3. I've got space for another if needed too.

 

One oddity is that I have my boiler sited in the cellar so I'm planning to install a lift up and down to move the stillages in and out. I'm going to get a single post car lift and adapt it to suit my purpose.

 

Sounds like you have a plan. Poly Tunnels are great for drying the wood. The lift sounds like an interesting project!

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