wood chipper/shredder

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 15 Jun 2012, 13:47

It's one of the things on my list of things I sometimes consider buying, rather than my must have now list, so unless I see an opportunity I can't miss, I'm not rushing out to buy one at the moment!

lurker · Post by **lurker** » 29 Jun 2012, 10:16

I have a small electric one & it can only handle a few small straight twigs @ a time its pretty useless so I don't bother with it as was taking hrs just to get a few trugs full of wood chip

I think its one of thoose things that you have to pay alot to get a decent one unless you find a second hand bargin

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 29 Jun 2012, 10:35

Even second-hand can be a whack of money: http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/gardenequipment/3452864

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 29 Jun 2012, 12:36

I just can't see the point of a shredder.

featherstick · Post by **featherstick** » 29 Jun 2012, 14:22

You sound like you've a chip on your shoulder.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 29 Jun 2012, 14:28

featherstick wrote:You sound like you've a chip on your shoulder.

No, but I've no doubt he's an axe to grind.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 29 Jun 2012, 15:19

If I can chip in here (

), I'd find one useful at the moment to help deal with all the brash and assorted stuff that needs clearing in my wood. I'd also like to shred all the weeds, brambles and small stuff that needs clearing. I'd use the chippings for paths, and compost the rest. It would speed up the composting to produce something useful quicker. Once it's all sorted I'd hope to manage the land so I don't need one, but at the rate I'm going at the moment without one, I'm not sure I'll ever get there.

bealers · Post by **bealers** » 02 Jul 2012, 18:56

This winter - my first at trying to revive a derelict coppice - my test area of ~ 1/2 an acre took me around 2 weeks to clear on my own with 3/4 of time being spent hacking up brash with a billhook. I piled up as much brash as I could to create habitat and corridors but as it's already rammed full of windblown trees and is generally very overgrown there was only so much I could do with it and ended up spending a couple of days burning the excess.

I did hire a Woodwolf a few years ago and it was a beast. It converted a huge amount of brash, some pretty sizeable limbs too, into chippings in a day. So, this thread piqued my interest somewhat.

@steve your bargain chipper you've said it's got a 5HP engine. How does that translate into ability to eat wood? What sort of diameter branch are we talking?

I'd totally discounted getting a chipper because I thought they were a few £k minimum, but if smaller ones are in this sort of ballpark and are actually useful then I may have to reconsider.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 02 Jul 2012, 21:13

bealers wrote:This winter - my first at trying to revive a derelict coppice - my test area of ~ 1/2 an acre took me around 2 weeks to clear on my own with 3/4 of time being spent hacking up brash with a billhook. I piled up as much brash as I could to create habitat and corridors but as it's already rammed full of windblown trees and is generally very overgrown there was only so much I could do with it and ended up spending a couple of days burning the excess.

I did hire a Woodwolf a few years ago and it was a beast. It converted a huge amount of brash, some pretty sizeable limbs too, into chippings in a day. So, this thread piqued my interest somewhat.

@steve your bargain chipper you've said it's got a 5HP engine. How does that translate into ability to eat wood? What sort of diameter branch are we talking?

I'd totally discounted getting a chipper because I thought they were a few £k minimum, but if smaller ones are in this sort of ballpark and are actually useful then I may have to reconsider.

It says it will take up to three inches in diameter. But, in truth, it can only really handle up to 2 inches diameter.

But, that's OK, because anything over an inch in diameter gets sawn up and goes into my bags of firewood that I sell in the winter at £3.50 per sack These sacks contain about 90% full size logs and the smaller stuff gets mixed in at a 10% ratio. Anything under an inch goes through the chipper and gets turned into mulch for flower and shrub borders that I sell on to my gardening customers during the summer at a £1.50 a sack

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 02 Jul 2012, 22:45

How big's a sack? [/Yorkshirewoman]

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 02 Jul 2012, 23:37

RenewableCandy wrote:How big's a sack? [/Yorkshirewoman]

It's a standard builder's sack. About three foot tall and about one and a half to two foot cross sectional diameter when full.

PM me RC if you want any and I'll send you my contact details. As you know I live in York. I can either deliver or you or your partner can call by anytime to pick up. I keep it all at the bottom of my back garden. I've got around 80 sacks down there at the moment. Obviously a slightly better deal is offered the more sacks are purchased at any one time.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 03 Jul 2012, 12:52

stevecook172001 wrote:But, that's OK, because anything over an inch in diameter gets sawn up and goes into my bags of firewood that I sell in the winter at £3.50 per sack These sacks contain about 90% full size logs and the smaller stuff gets mixed in at a 10% ratio. Anything under an inch goes through the chipper and gets turned into mulch for flower and shrub borders that I sell on to my gardening customers during the summer at a £1.50 a sack

That's what I would regard as perfectly sensible for a business. An individual using such a machine should really not chip anything over half an inch maximum as it has more value as firewood, unless you're desperate for some ground cover material.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 04 Jul 2012, 13:49

emordnilap wrote:
stevecook172001 wrote:But, that's OK, because anything over an inch in diameter gets sawn up and goes into my bags of firewood that I sell in the winter at £3.50 per sack These sacks contain about 90% full size logs and the smaller stuff gets mixed in at a 10% ratio. Anything under an inch goes through the chipper and gets turned into mulch for flower and shrub borders that I sell on to my gardening customers during the summer at a £1.50 a sack
That's what I would regard as perfectly sensible for a business. An individual using such a machine should really not chip anything over half an inch maximum as it has more value as firewood, unless you're desperate for some ground cover material.

I suppose having wood in short supply changes your cut off line but I find that cutting up anything less then two inches in diameter for stove wood takes more time and labor then gets returned to me in heat. The old area of a circle formula comes into play where halving the diameter gives one quarter the volume. When I get up near the top of a tree I do cut a few three footers to throw into the sugar wood pile but anything small enough so you can close thumb to forefinger around it just gets left to rot back into the soil and recycled to the trees.

BritDownUnder · Post by **BritDownUnder** » 16 Jul 2012, 10:03

I bought a 2400 watt electric chipper for use in Australia. They are very big over here probably because the wood doesn't rot as quickly as in the UK. Mine will take 40mm diameter pieces and has been of great use. It has been very good for clearing useless brush wood that has accumulated in the garden and returning carbon to the soil. I did consider burning the better quality chips but decided against as they were difficult to dry properly without spreading out and covering the whole garden and driveway. In the end if it can be chipped then I do so and if it is too thick it is cut for firewood.

Post by **adam2** » 16 Jul 2012, 10:13

I can see the merit in chopping up very small branches into useful wood chips for mulching and ground cover.
However anything over an inch in diameter is probably better used as firewood, and over 2 inches definatly worth use as fire wood.

Larger logs are desireable for a long burning fire, but small stuff is fine for kindling and for when a fire is only wanted briefly.