Anyone use a small electric chipper, the ~$120 1.5" rated kind?

[gellfex]

I've been making chips of my peach prunings on the bandsaw, and it's tiresome. I'm in the city so no one around here has a "real" chipper to borrow, so I was looking at the many models selling for around $120. Anyone have experience with one of these? How big chips does it make? I've been making cubes around 3/8-1/2 for my Masterbuilt cold smoke generator.

 

[dave schiller]

I have a gas powered chipper/shredder with a 5 hp motor and it sometimes struggles to chip certain woods. The size of the chips is determined by how large the openings are in the screen. I glanced at the HF chipper and my gut reaction is that it won't do what you want. For the cost of the chipper and a heavy duty (really heavy) extension cord, you can buy a lot of chips or pellets.

The HF chipper and similar others will make mulch like this:

Not anywhere close to the size you've been cutting manually. Chippers that produce really big chips are large commercial units with engines up to 1000 hp.

 

[gellfex]

Thanks, but the unit I found for $50 used has good reviews that seem better than that. No references to shredding rather than chipping. I'm gonna risk it and see what I get. If it can just chop my grapevine prunings to usable smoker size I'll be ahead of the game.

 

[dave schiller]

For $50, you can't go wrong. Just be aware that there are chippers and there are shredders. Some combine both operations. If you're buying a used unit, see if you can try it out to see if it does what you want.

 

[gellfex]

For $50, you can't go wrong.

That was my impression. The wife picked it up for me last night on her way home from visiting her mom, as it was a 1.5 hrs away but close to her route. I'll give it a workout and report. There were some pics posted in reviews that looked like usable chips. I've seen chips for sale that are much large than I was making, I wonder if they burn slower, I need 3 loads for a 4 hr smoke.

 

[dave schiller]

What brand is it? My curiosity is rising.

 

[gellfex]

It's a Sunjoe CJ601E. So I ran through a 3/4" grape branch, and it looks great. I then took a piece of 2" seasoned peach, split it on the bandsaw, and put it in. I learned some stuff immediately. One was my pieces were too short to control the feed, another was that loose "chunks" were liable to jam the chipper. It seems the peach came out smaller chips than than the grape, but it's much denser and more brittle to begin with.

I'm thinking green peach wood would come out more like the grape. I had read comments to the effect that the unit works better on green wood. I have some partially downed still green branches on the trees (bad storm) that I'll take down and see how it goes. I'll have to figure out some way to season the chips, perhaps a box with 1/4" mesh on the bottom so air can circulate up through.

 

[dave schiller]

If those chips are the correct size and shape for your smoker, then you got a great deal. I've learned that my medium size chipper/shredder will just suck 3" dia green wood in, but dry stuff is a lot harder. Dry dogwood is next to impossible. So stay with the green stuff and keep the blades sharp.

 

[gellfex]

I guess I'll find out how well they work. I suspect these small chunks will burn really fast in the cold smoke generator. I've never actually bought any commercially available chips for this unit, so I don't have anything to compare it to except that it's supposed to go up to 4 hrs between fillings. Maybe a major mod to enlarge the hopper tower would be in order, and perhaps see what could be done to reduce airflow and the burn rate.

This week I'm going to try a batch of porgies over grape from this chipper, did them for the 1st time over peach last month and they were great!

 

[chopsaw]

Looks good to me . I like the small chips like that . I use the 12 " anmts and mix the chips with pellets . Works great .
If the ones you made burn to fast , maybe a mix with a bag of store bought would work ?

 

[gellfex]

Dave, how do you dry/season your green chips? I'm thinking a milk crate lined with nylon window screen mesh. I wish I had a covered porch to leave it on so the wind could help the circulation.

Chopsaw: buying anything kinda defeats the "self reliant mountain man" myth I'm working on here! I want to burn only my own wood in my high tech electric smoker.:rolleyes:

 

[chopsaw]

I missed the mountain man part I guess . My thoughts were 1 bag store bought mixed in with your chips ,

 

[dave schiller]

gell, I don't use chips as I have a stick burner offset smoker. Sorry if I implied that I used them. As for drying them, you have the right idea about ventilation. Window screen mesh MAY be a bit too restrictive for good air flow. Consider using something coarser, spread them out as thin as possible and use a small fan to move air. Maybe put a floodlight on them or put them on top of your water heater for warmth. They shouldn't take nearly as long as firewood size wood. I think some combination of spreading, air movement and warmth will work. Luck.

 

[gellfex]

Thanks Dave, I thought you used your chipper to make smoker feed. Drying will take some thought, I have a rental property with a steam boiler in the basement and it's always hot as hell down there. Maybe that would be the place, hot and dry, perhaps with a small fan. Another idea would be to take 2 steel mesh "home office" size trash cans and stick them together to make kind of a barrel than be rolled to mix them up like those compost barrels.

 

[dave schiller]

Now you have the right idea. Hot, dry, and ventilation is the key.

 

[gellfex]

Thought I'd give a report on my findings. The seasoned peach worked great in my cold smoke generator! it was also my 1st time putting it on a dimmer, so I think it could have been even lower, I got about 2.5 hrs out of a load, a little more than my bandsawed wood with much less effort. I found that if I bandsawed a 2.5" diameter branch into eighths like a pie, the chipper could handle it pretty well. I've not yet tried green wood.

FWIW, I would not be surprised if this stuff worked well in a AMPS too.