Sawdust Paper Log Press Project

[Christophe]

Lol, I hope Janic doesn't read this

Well otherwise the briquettes are very well agglomerated in the end, I moved about twenty of them by throwing them (gently) 50 cm, no worries...none broke or opened...

[Ahmed]

A small photo, as promised, of the slight change in location of the thrust arm bearing (sorry, it's blurry, but it allows us to see more closely):

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I kept the board which makes it possible to counterbalance the non-vertical resulting forces because as I moved back this upper bearing, the connecting rod is no longer parallel to the push rod and a more rigid solution would not be suitable. To see a later movement of the crosspiece on which the lever device rests...
Note that the ball bearing on the left is absolutely useless in this configuration. Also note that I recently had to replace part of the push rod, at the place where the greatest efforts are observed: the wear was notably increased by several not necessarily very inspired interventions which had leads to a localized crushing of the metal... Since this intervention, the function has been fully restored.

I am now working on the crusher project and in this photo you can see at the top the 40 cm useful length shaft equipped with its two bearings, the 60 mm diameter tool holder cylinder and two wooden positioning jigs which will be used when laying the knives (their thickness corresponds exactly to the spacing of the knives). The switchable magnet will be used to control the correct squareness. Below, my raw material from which the knives will be cut: old edger blades (the advantage being to have a tungsten carbide working end). I placed on this circular saw blade a wooden template which is used to obtain a uniform cutting line (from a reference point which is the hollow of the tooth, on the right). Between the shaft and the blade, we can see a knife that has just been cut: it is not yet cut to final length. A total of 12 knives are planned: six simple and six with transverse blades, arranged alternately, which will allow (unless it fails! ) to make a cross cut.

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[sicetaitsimple]

At the end of the day, I'm not sure I don't prefer manual shredding on winter evenings by the fire!
To be continued, I think I have roughly visualized it, but how do you intend to secure the knives to the cylinder? Not obvious from the dimensions?

[Ahmed]

I like designing machines, it's my weakness... I understand the poetry of manual shredding as you mention it, but that requires motivated participants, which is not (so) easy to find now! In addition, conviviality can be envisaged in other forms, fortunately.
The knife in its final form* will be less long than the raw cut one in the photo and it will simply be welded directly to the cylinder (with a spiral offset**) to the semi-auto.

*I will probably have to make a small jig for this cut to length, since I have to cut the base so that it adapts precisely to the circumference of the cylinder with a constant angle (which will be that of the radius).
** I'm going to do without DAO and settle for medieval methods that have proven themselves!

[sicetaitsimple]

I like designing machines, it's my weakness...

I understood well! Good luck for the future!

[Ahmed]

Thank you for your encouragement, I'm going to need it, but the hardest part is getting started, the initial impulse; this is because the initial choices largely derive the rest and the possible possibilities.
I have extensively studied all cardboard shredding systems beforehand, both amateur and professional models, and I know what the right configurations are. I made the choice of a single-shaft system, technically more within my reach, but this requires a revisited design of the cutting system, because what already exists in this option is really not very satisfactory.
In case of failure, a system with two superposed counter-rotating shafts, the upper one at high speed, the lower one at slow speed, would constitute a good alternative in terms of performance (in addition to ensuring the automatic advancement of the material , but this point does not appear to me to be so decisive).
I will keep you informed of the various adventures of the current project...

[GuyGadeboisTheBack]

I like designing machines, it's my weakness... I understand the poetry of manual shredding as you mention it, but that requires motivated participants, which is not (so) easy to find now!In addition, conviviality can be envisaged in other forms, fortunately.

It is true, but I could be wrong, that the crushing of paper, even if practiced collegially in a good mood, is far from appearing as exciting at first sight as that of grapes.

[sicetaitsimple]

I will keep you informed of the various adventures of the current project...

You can use the familial form for me!

[Ahmed]

The formality included those who read this thread without intervening...

PS: but I know you understood correctly!

[GuyGadeboisTheBack]

Ouuuuuuuuuuuu so there you go! Some local luminaries give him the nickname "Simplet". Taking up one of their fundamental values, I will dare to say "there is no smoke without fire", secular popular wisdom. So nothing is less certain that he could have understood.