Homemade Shingle Maker! (Log slicer / kindling machine..) 

I think this is the right idea. Like how you angle a plane diagonally while you’re cutting to make it cut smoother.

Yes! Plus maybe tilting the whole table 45° towards the side the angled blade would push the wood. This would largely prevent the logs from shifting crosswise.

Tim your blade needs to be on an angle like a head chopper guateen

I've seen the same video he referenced at the opening. While you're 100% right the blade should not be straight, and normally I would expect it to skew. But in the video the 1930s machine has a broad u shape rather than a skew. I think something like ¾inch/ 19mm further back in the center slowly back to full width of the blade at the edges. I can't prove it but I think the original builder did so too make the log self centering and self straightening along with easier cutting that a skewed blade provides.

You can see it at an Giulotine... 🤪

I think the bolt on the far end of the connecting rod doubles as a shear pin.

yes also if possible a kind of clutch on the eccentric might help for safety

I like what you’re doing as I watch I keep thinking about a roller mill for your charcoal. two heavy rollers specific distance apart as you feed the charcoal through the space. I use a device called grain mill for my home brewing. If you can make a bigger one could be made interesting

Good ones there! I’ll add a few of my own ideas! If you just add more logs to the thing, they’ll keep each other aligned. Adding an engaging/disengaging system would be helpful, so you can turn off the machine while keeping the wheel going. Maybe some sort of hook on the sled that hooks the drive arm to it, with a rope to hook the drive arm of on the backup stroke. Adding an angle to the lubricating surfaces of the sled, to force grease into it. Potentially adding some holes to the surfaces too, to be able to lubricate the machine while it’s moving.

My comments on the suggestions: 1. Agreed. IMO, the movement of the wood is the main issue. If it was pressed down in some way, it wouldn't flip as easy. 2. I don't think it'd make a big difference, it's mainly on the initial contact, but it couldn't hurt. 3. Absolutely, anchoring both the table and the wheel would result in iron violently ripping apart. 4. That's a great idea. It would slow down progress a bit, but it'd make it extremely powerful.

Check out those Eastonmade log splitters that have a rake to retrieve the log an drop it down ready for the next slice

I would advise a piece of spring-steel (still fairly flexy) holding something in-line with the log that keeps it upright as well as holding it in line. The front of whatever shape you build should angle up as to not catch on the blade when the log has been completely shaved off. Maybe an L bracket facing up ^ and the front that faces the blade would be tapered up ___\=====

Good ideas ! And a impressive build! Some ideas of improvement... Problem 1 :wood spinning Adjustable side bar that is pulled back by a handle an spring loads the wood side ways when let go. Problem 2 wood tipping up something that push the wood down and land on supports when wood is gone , to prevent It getting cut in the blade. Also the blade should ideally be flat on the upp side and grinded on th bottom side only , the cut depth is set by lowering the forward part of the stationary bottom plate. If you can find a blade from a big truck mounted wood shipper that can be used . They are flat on one side. When the blades get to worn the steel between the mounting slots and the cutting edge get narrow , and the blade gets scrapped. Mind that These machines spin very fast , so the centrifugal forces combined with the chock load on the blades when big logs are milled can be substantial. In your machine even a scrapped blade can work , no risk of flying blade going thru walls here. These roof shingle machines very dangerous, It's not a good idea to put hands an fingers even near where the blade works. Even if you dont get cut you can crush fingers and hands inbewen the log and the pusher plate. Any solution that means that you have to handle the log in the machine wit your hands when you have put it there is not a good solution. The fact that the operator is holding the log on a wood shingle machine is because they flip the log to regulate the wiht and the growth rings in the shingle, often they end upp with a triangle that's disregarded when it gets to small to handle safely. Also you don't want the "middel core "heart wood in the shingle to prevent cracks.

Excellent idea

One of my many regrets - I should have planted chestnuts as a child..

I don't think it's a good idea. Back when I was a child, mom brought home a similar veggie slicer machine. The hopper used to always get clogged for such designs. She wanted sliced almonds (for selling them commercially) and I remember it exploding rather than making slices. Almonds got caught in between the metal housing and the blade and due to extreme stress from the top, everything blew apart and the cast iron just broke. It was powered by a nice electric motor that had a similar eccentric design. It was reinforced and again used but again failed in a similar fashion. Eventually she left the idea and instead bought the rotating disc type slicer (of course that too broke at the pivot point). She eventually left the business idea.

Later model eventually had a very very thin bendable blade design. It looked flimsy and dangerous but sliced very good. Large scale model for wood I'm not sure. Hard woods would fail.

@@ErickBuildsStuff This blade is pretty thick and wood is pretty ease to shave off. As long as he keeps the blade sharp you should be able to pile on the logs to enough height to keep enough weight on it. Waxing the slider will also help. Adding wax block on either side of the of the fence will help to ensure that a slick movement happens all the time. You will need to keep enough weight on it and making a plate that sits in the hopper ( taper hopper so the plate does not hit the blade will make it easy to walk a way for a few moments.

Yep! And maybe some kind of weight to prevent the log from jumping around when it's almost done

A "plane " type of wood shingle machine does not cut along the grain if the grain doesn't happens to line up with the cutting plane. To get true along the grain split shingle a splitting knife has to be used. And then the singles get shaped with axe for last adjustment. When the shingle machines was invented the prices of wood roof shingle , dropped, but also the quality of them , decreasing the life span of the roof surface.

You can also tilt the push plate slightly downwards, so when the blade pushes the log against the plate, the log wants to slide down on the angled plate which should prevent it from tilting up.

The trouble is a clutch wouldn't be simple at all - unless you have a good idea for one?

@@wayoutwest-workshopstuff6299 well, the more I think about it I suppose you're right. The principle of having some sort of lever to press a pressure plate against a disc connected to the flywheel (or pressing a wheel against a spinning drum) seemed simple enough until I started thinking about all the additional moving parts this would involve. Nonetheless I still think it's a worthwhile feature to consider even with all the extra work involved, just because of how much it would improve the safety and performance of the machine.

as an Aussie I can say that Tim is definitely playing knifey-flywheelie with this

a shear bolt is a common "mechanical fuse" in 2 stage snow blowers. They are not the best solution because damage still can occur before the bolts shears. The ideal would be some kind of manual and automatic decoupling system with an adjustable overload that would disengage the moving blade assembly while allowing the wheel to continue to rotate.

Thanks, Joe - but these aren't split either, so they're something in between?

Great shot at english, mycket bra, tappered.

Indeed! It's actually 'tapered', I believe (not tappered). Updated now. Happy?

@@bjornek2 Oj va du är en kaxig liten skit.

Yes that might work, as long as nothing gets jammed in it. Thanks.

1 month later and it turns out this was the answer.