My neighbor is a welder by trade and has extensive experience with electrical and hydraulics. We are thinking about building a wood processor this summer. I will buy materials, he will build it and we will (hope to) have one heck of a machine to share. Any input from you guys would be great. Brands to model after, chain saw or circ blade, key components, diff ways of log handling to consider etc? We are fairly capable in designing this I think but input never hurts anyone. Since I am unfamiliar with manufacturers and Google search gives so many results I am looking to see if anyone has any hands on experience or knowledge on brands I can research to borrow ideas from. The hope is that we can construct a machine that will take almost any size log length and circumference. Key factors for our build as follows. 1. We want it to be towable if possible since we plan on sharing it. 2. As fully automated as possible. 3. Conveyor to pile is a must. 4. Reliable (of course!) 5. 1 man operation (2nd man would load logs with tractor while other man stays with processor so there is never processing down time during re load of logs) 6. Beer on tap...OK number 6 is just perfect world thinking. But hey, shoot for the moon right? Thanks all! Mark
There was a cool video posted on here by a guy in europe awhile back of his home made machine. It wass cool. Keep us updated as it goes. I think there cool as all get out.
Good luck but I would weigh the costs of all material vs. a broken/used unit that you can fix up and improve upon. Starting from scratch can be tough.
These guys have some spiffy stuff, including your converyors etc. Firewood Processor | Hydraulic Firewood Processors | Timberwolf Corp.
My best advice is to go to a local dealer who has processors and take a million pictures of the pumps and motor tags. It will allow you to coordinate the engine to the motors and hydraulics and also will allow you to see clearance issues. The link below is for a just the saw, but will take out a lot of design build time. I do not have any experience with these guys aside from seeing a few positive reviews on another site. I was going down this same path a few years ago, but it became cost prohibitive unless I sold 100 cords per year. Good luck and keep us updated. Firewood Processor
Along the lines I mentioned above, you are not that far from the Canadian border, look for parts or used units north of the border and enjoy an extra 40 cents on your dollar
I'd be interested in what you come up with. I want a splitter also, the processor part is out because all the round we get no one else can cut, hence won't fix into a processor. This bad boy will only handle a 22" log, way to small.
If you are looking to handle 36 inch logs, I'd build a separate splitter that would split the logs down to working size before loading into the processor you build or buy. Because if you build the thing heavy enough to handle that, you are steeping into a whole new arena of pricing. Bar saw is the only option. You'll find out, you'll have to file the chain regularly. Can't sharpen a circular blade while on the processor. Honestly, unless you have access to the raw steel material for free, you can't build them as cheap as you can buy them. I'd find a used machine and, spend my time building a splitter for the large rounds in log length. Good luck and God Bless
Good point. We are going into this as open minded as possible. We are farmers so we never say no to any idea or attempt at one lol
