Picked up a 12" pulley, 2 1/2" pulley and a shaft/bearing and a large belt. Will try to get pics up. Wish I had a square tubing bender to bend the outside bars but....
Firewood Bundler? Build - Pics Added
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ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
What else are you using to gear down? Mine is maybe 20rpm. I can check if it helps.
Just using the pic I posted as a guide. I am using an old 3/4 horse 120 volt motor that was on a homemade air compressor, I am using the large pulley that went to pump, coupled with the small 2 1/2" pulley on a shaft. Then have the new 12" pulley the will be attached to the arm and rotating asm.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
If my math is righ, it's going to be 300rpm or so. Seems darn fast! Maybe a reostat for the motor? Get it down to 500ish rpm from 1810.
Mine has a gearbox then pulley reduction.
Mine has a gearbox then pulley reduction.
I was at an wood auction sale on Wednesday night and at the last second had a smart thought and dropped a bid on this. I need a spare motor for my wood elevator but thought it might work good for a wrapper too. $35 one bid. They said it was a finger sander. Bought the carts too for $10 a piece, they will be piled up with junk in no time.
The season has started here. I bundled up seven today, nine logs to the bundle--extra sized because it was St Patrick's Day. Sold three in less than an hour. One of the buyers bought me a green beer for a tip.
That 1/2 Hp Leeson motor alone is worth about $150 or more these days--quiet and dependable.
awesome motor find!! perhaps the op could use a pwm to regulate the rpm, along with the gear reduction. pwm's work better than a dimmer switch cause they don't let the motor heat up near as much.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191813542262?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191813542262?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Yooperforeman
ArboristSite Operative
This is the way I make bundles...pretty cheap and easy.
Bravo! Very similar to my method. Nice big bundles. Anything larger and they can't carry them, especially the ladies, and they are at least half the market, maybe more.
I'm using slightly thinner orange bailing twine and threading the short length of garden hose section between the wraps to serve as a handle. That allows getting by with one length of twine between and I can get by with one length for wrapping and one final cut. It's a great hobby.
I also found that my sawbuck also works as a pretty good temporary holder.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
How many per hr can you do? I do about 80-90 bundles/hr. 100 bundles to a cord.
Yooperforeman
ArboristSite Operative
I'm getting 35-40 bundles per face cord,takes 0ne and a half hours per face cord.Last year with two racks at stores,I sold 420 bundles,this year I'm planning to hit 500+
If you are still looking...We bag the same way with round barrel and the mesh bags...I just re-ordered from jumbobag.com for about $200 per thousand (21 x32") and about the same price for the 15x25"....plus delivery ...we can fit about 1.4 to 1.5 cu ft of 18" firewood in the big bag....so it comes out to about 90 bags per cord...but we sell at state parks for more than $11.50 per bag....with 24 hour sales....Spring Break and good weather means we sell a bunch
what kind of bundler do you have?
Thanks for the heads up on the bags also....
I got a start on building the base and mounting the motor and first set of pulleys. I am waiting on an axle spindle, will be using an old trailer hub, as I had it laying around with good bearings and seal. Still playing around with how I will attach hub and spindle to frame. Will try post pics tonight.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Are you factoring in cutting and splitting too?
I'm not, hard to fully say, I'd guess a good 3-4 hrs a cord from standing tree to bundle. Right now lot of time spent skidding, skid trail almost a mile.
Yooperforeman
ArboristSite Operative
No,I'm talking about just bundling.I cut and split 10 face cord ahead of time then I can go full bore bundling.
+1. Not to mention, many times I do not start with a standing tree. And, even standing dead trees need their rounds to be dried further before you can bundle their splits.
Want to make a lot of customers mad at you? Bundle up green splits and sell them green bundles that hiss at them like snakes when they try to light a fire.
Base and motor...
plate is 18" x 18" with 12" width for wood
this is the back mocked, waiting on spindle, that will be welded to backside of 18x18 plate. then I am going to weld a 3/4" bolt 3-4" long to the end of the spindle and run that thru a bearing mounted to the frame out the back. The arm will be welded to an old rim I am going to bolt to the hub. Going to plasma cut inner rim out.
12" pulley
plate is 18" x 18" with 12" width for wood
this is the back mocked, waiting on spindle, that will be welded to backside of 18x18 plate. then I am going to weld a 3/4" bolt 3-4" long to the end of the spindle and run that thru a bearing mounted to the frame out the back. The arm will be welded to an old rim I am going to bolt to the hub. Going to plasma cut inner rim out.
12" pulley
Going to drop motor off at local motor shop and have em go thru it, has a loose cooling fan and bearings a little dry. I got a foot pedal control on order from Harbor freight, $14 or so. Once spindle is welded and in place, I am going to build the front log support. Got a couple no flat 10" handcart wheels on order too.
