Pedal-powered mulcher: the chopping mechanism
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- See other videos on this project: • Pedal-powered mulcher:...
• Pedal-powered mulcher:...
• Pedal-powered mulcher:...
I've been wanting to build this since at least 2016. I've spent more time on it since fall 2019 and have finally reached this first stage. I've never built a cutting/processing mechanism before, only added pedal drives to existing devices, so this is a pleasant result. Now I have something more concrete to work from.
If you have any questions, please ask. There's lots of detail I haven't included in the vid, just to keep it flowing and reasonably shortish, so really, feel free to bug me about what you're missing.
A few clarifications:
The device at the very end is my grain mill, not a preview of the actual mulcher.
A surface grinder would have greatly simplified the blade flattening, but this was more fun, and within my budget.
Thanks to Rocky Feroe for requesting this contraption, Christiane Moquin for putting the bug in my ear years ago, Fabian Jennings for making my flat blades possible, and David Woods for letting me learn with his forge a few months ago, and work with it later this year.
Check out my channel for other things I've built.
Cheers.
Jan
Jan it was a pleasure to see your video and especially listen to your narration. Your tinkering and its product are beautiful.
Jan this is incredible! So nice to see you today, thanks for letting me know about this project, I'll be following along!
Thanks, Leila!
This baby is coming to Riverdale! Can’’t wait. Thanks for a great video
Still on it, Rocky, even with the busy garden season upon us... Read my replies above for an update.
Cheers.
Jan
I love this idea! I cant wait to see how you'll build the multiple people version!
I'm aiming for three riders (two kids, one teen/adult) on an array that can separate from the chopping mechanism for storage.
Jan! This is so awesome. I love all of your jigs and tools and hacks. Can't wait to see the finished product. Will you make more of these? I'm interested :) (Molly's sis).
Hi Margot,
Thanks for the feedback and interest. If this works, I wouldn't mind making more, but lets first see how this ends up.
Cheers.
Jan
Hi Jan, cool video as always! Been a long time since we played Irish tunes together; fun times. I hope you're doing well!
Hmmmm? Brian?
@@janprzysiezniak7563 Good to hear from you! Crazy times eh?
@@green_dog8960 Hey! I wrote you at your work. Dja get it? Let's email.
hi JAn! I am a friend of Sally's. nice work on thinking things through. I tinker and design machines as well. would be cool to meet up some time. :)
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the comment. I'd love to see what you build!
Cheers.
Jan
I wonder what kind of gearing/torque is necessary for handling branches 1-2” in diameter. I’m excited to see what you come up with. I would think power is preferable to speed.
Good question. While this is going to be a garden mulcher, not a wood chipper, it will encounter stuff in the 1-2" range, like sunflower stalks. These are pithy rather than woody, so will be easier than wood to chop. I'm just now setting up and testing the gearing mechanism around the bike frame. It will be slow, sharp, and powerful, good at dealing with various dry, wet, chippy, and fibrous material. A ratio of 3:1 (48T:16T) can cut a 1/2" twig with some small effort from an adult arm, and probably quite easily with leg power. Three riders will ace this, so I can probably up this ratio, maybe double it and get sunflowers chopped easily. The blade is currently driven by a thicker one-speed bicycle chain. With a higher ratio, I'd go with a heavy-duty BMX chain in the last step. Setting up gear shifting will be tricky with the geometry of this setup, and might involve a weird derailleur chimera. Further, once the flywheel is built and chained into the "chop unit", I'll make another video. After that, the 3-rider pedal drive awaits...