Do-it-yourself branch chopper, diagrams of garden crushers for the dacha

The branches left behind after tree trimming are quite an inconvenient waste. Piled up in a heap, they take up a lot of space, and you can’t put the branches into the oven right away; it takes a long time to chop them with an ax. Making a fire and just burning it in the garden is a shame. A suitable option for a thrifty owner is to make a branch chopper with your own hands to process them into wood chips. And there will be a use for it - even burn it in a cauldron, or use it for compost. We are interested in the designs of homemade crushers, since the prices of factory units are not comparable with the volumes of wood processing in an ordinary private sector.

Main components of a garden shredder

To independently assemble a grass and branch chopper (shredder) at home, you must first understand the structure of the mechanism, as well as the principle of its operation. This will help you assemble the equipment correctly and, if necessary, make changes to its design.

A homemade unit, designed for grinding mown grass and sawn branches up to several centimeters thick, has the following main structural components:

engine;
knives mounted on the working shaft;
frame (usually metal);
protective casing;
a box designed to receive cut vegetation;
starting system.

The equipment itself can be made stationary or mobile. To create the latter option, you will additionally need wheels, as well as a handle. To make the frame, use metal corners or ready-made frames from workbenches. Boxes for processed vegetation are made from plastic buckets, tin, and bags. The protective casing around the knives should be thick and durable enough so as not to quickly wear out from the impact of grinding vegetation.

When processing plant debris, crushed pieces may fly out of the opening through which it is fed. Therefore, the neck is covered with a lid or simply with a cloth, for example, a bag.

The operation of the chopper is that rotation from the motor shaft is transmitted directly to the knives or through a chain/belt drive. The vegetation chopped by the blades enters the box. In this case, the final product is immediately ready for use.

According to the principle of operation, some homemade shredders are comparable to a meat grinder (they draw in and then grind organic matter), while others are comparable to a coffee grinder.

Varieties of engines for assembling homemade products

Electric and gasoline engines removed from unused equipment are used as a drive for homemade products. Each of these two options has its own advantages and disadvantages. Models with an internal combustion engine are more convenient in that their operation does not require a nearby power supply. But in general, they are more expensive and have a more complex design than their counterparts equipped with an electric motor. Therefore, it is easier to make electrical equipment, and also more compact.

The maximum thickness of cut branches that a branch chipper can grind depends on the power of the electric motor installed on it and the characteristics of the knives.

Models with a motor up to 1.5 kW are capable of grinding sticks up to 20 mm in diameter. They are designed for low intensity work.
If an electric motor of 3 to 4 kW is installed, then such units can chop branches up to 40 mm thick.
More powerful electric motors (over 4 kW) are used to make a shredder for wood with a diameter of 7-15 cm.

The drive of the last category is equipped with equipment if it is necessary to constantly perform large volumes of work associated with the processing of waste of various thicknesses.

To create a homemade shredder, you can use electric motors from an angle grinder, washing machine, or trimmer. They must be adapted to work from a stationary network with a voltage of 220 V. In order to grind material as thick as possible at home, it is recommended to equip the shredder with an electric motor of 1500 rpm with a power of about 3.5 kW. This parameter for internal combustion engines corresponds to 5-6 horsepower.

Motor from an old washing machine

Preparation of material and frame

When manufacturing wood chippers, a lot of costs are required. If you find the material on the farm, you can save a lot on creating a shredder. The following types of metal may be suitable for making a frame:

Equal-flanged single corner, the width of which is 50-63 mm.
2 welded corners in a 35 mm box.
Profile 4 by 4 cm.
Channel, the number of which can be from 6.5 to 10.
Round pipes with a diameter from 32 to 48 mm.

The electric motor is mounted on a steel sheet, the thickness of which is 10 mm, and the dimensions correspond to the distance between the holes on the edge.

There are 2 ways to tighten the belt:

The holes for mounting the engine are made oblong. They must be secured with bolts.
The slab is placed on hinges on one side and on studs on the other. This allows you to tighten the belt with the weight of the engine.

For a simple homemade wood chipper for heating, you will need 20-25 attachment washers with a diameter of 2 cm and circular saws with carbide tips. This will help create a work area 8cm wide. By removing or adding slabs, you can easily reduce or expand it.

Types of cutting attachments used

Homemade products, like factory units, are equipped with cutting attachments of various types:

disc (with three blades);

milling-turbine (universal).

The first type is flat blades. When they rotate, they grind plant debris. If you have to process branches, then such blades quickly become dull. Milling knives are a cutting shaft in the form of gears from circular saws. They grind dry waste from branches and grass well, and clog the cutters with wet waste. Milling-turbine cutting attachments can cope with thick and undried branches, but making them yourself is difficult.

At home, knives from lawn mowers or made from wood saws are often used.

It should be taken into account that the degree of processing of plant waste directly depends on the installed cutting attachments. The output is pieces of branches from 10 cm long or shavings or dust.

Garden shredder from washing machine

An old Soviet-made washing machine with a metal body is a technique that contains almost all the necessary parts for assembling a garden shredder. You only need knives with fasteners, as well as an extension cord.

To make a cutting attachment, you can use an old wood saw.

Tools you will need:

angle grinder;
pliers;
spanners;
screwdriver;
electric drill;
hammer;
tape measure with marker.

The washing machine motor has a small power (different models have different power), which is indicated in the instructions for the household appliance or on the electric motor plate. Due to the fact that its value usually does not exceed 500 watts, with the help of the created unit it will be possible to grind only straw or grass.

A shredder from a washing machine is made like this.

The body of the machine is cut to height so that it is convenient to work with the unit.
At the bottom side, a rectangular hole is cut in it with a grinder, 20 cm wide and 7 cm high, intended for throwing out ground plants.
Around the slot, a kind of casing is made of tin, which will direct the herbal mass into the collection container, while preventing it from scattering to the sides.
They make legs.
Attach the body to the stand.
2 holes with a diameter of 7 mm are drilled on the electric motor shaft. Then a threaded bushing is placed on it, as well as holes at the end more than 5 cm long, securing it with bolts.
An electric motor is secured under the bottom of the box using studs and nuts.
Inside the casing, knives are secured to a sleeve, placing them above the grass ejection hole or at the same level with it.
The box is attached by welding or bolts to the stand.

The result will be a technique similar to the one shown in the photo below.

The start button will come from a converted washing machine. You just need to make sure to connect the extension cord of sufficient length.

The design and operation of a grass cutter from a modern washing machine is shown in the video

Homemade grass grinder from a grinder

A grass grinder made from a grinder is a fairly simple and quickly implemented option. To implement the project, you will need to stock up on the following parts and materials:

steel corners;
metal container (regular boiling);
homemade or ready-made knives (for example, from a lawn mower);
fasteners;
sheet metal.

Tools you will need:

electric drill;
welding machine and electrodes for it;
an angle grinder to cut corners;
spanners.

To assemble a shredder with your own hands based on an angle grinder, capable of grinding not only grass, but also branches up to 4 cm thick, it is recommended to use a power tool with a power of over 3 kW.

The creation of a grinding unit is carried out in the following sequence:

cut the corners into pieces with a grinder;
a frame resembling a chair is welded from them;
weld a shelf from a piece of sheet metal;
attach the grinder to the made frame (on the stand) with clamps, placing its shaft towards the top;
cut a hole about 10 by 10 cm in the side of the boil-out;
a sleeve, for example, made of tin, is attached to the slot, through which the ground plant mass will be dispensed from the container;
make a hole in the center at the bottom of the boil;
install the container on the angle grinder shaft and attach it with bolts or self-tapping screws to the metal frame;
Place the knife or disc on the angle grinder.

The result will be the design shown in the photo below.

The dimensions of the corners are selected individually to make it convenient to handle the mechanism.

It should be remembered that the frame must be stable. The safety of working with the device will depend on this.

Place a bucket or other container under the pipe for dispensing chopped grass with branches while working with the unit so that the processed plants do not fly away.

The created device can be improved. To do this, you will need a grinder shaft attachment about 15 cm long with two knives: at the upper end and in the middle. The blades are separated by a mesh attached to the casing wall.

Self-production

First you need to create a drawing. The model is designed similarly to a meat grinder. The body, knives, motor, and fastenings must be correctly and carefully selected.

At every step you need to check the drawing.

For this you need:

Fifteen to twenty drive pin.
Bulgarian.
Bearings.
Engine.
Washers.
Nuts.
Welding machine.
Spray paint.
Up to twenty-five plastic washers.
Sheet of metal.
Metal pipe.

You will have to assemble them yourself.

An engine with an electric motor can only operate when there is a power source nearby. If the engine runs on diesel, it is more efficient, but it does not do without exhaust gases. Operation is possible only on the street. With electric power there are fewer problems for the environment.

Circular knives and cutters are found in factory models. Homemade equipment does not require complex cutters. A two-shaft mechanism is sufficient. Circular saws are the most convenient and easy to make. You need to make a knife seven to ten centimeters thick.

When selecting circular saws, you should choose saws with carbide teeth that are less dull.

The body is welded with your own hands: you need to carefully install an electric motor into a frame consisting of metal pipes. It is better for the structure to stand on wheels. The casing must be made of metal. It needs to be cleaned and painted. A pre-prepared drawing is needed.

On the axle, which consists of a stud, you must carefully install the discs with washers placed between them. There are one less washers than discs. Place the pulley on the pin. Place two bearings on the axle. Then you need to assemble the structure on the frame.

Grass cutter from trimmer

A garden shredder can be made using a gasoline or electric trimmer. In this case, the tool will work in an upside-down position. To create equipment designed to chop grass and thin twigs, you will need, in addition to a brush cutter with cutting attachments, the following materials:

plastic or metal container with a volume of at least 50 liters;
approximately 1 sq.m. steel mesh with small mesh size;
about 3 meters of metal tube (aluminum or steel) half an inch in diameter;
a piece of board or moisture-resistant chipboard, plywood of such width that the trimmer fits on it;
clamps that will attach the brush cutter to the wooden base;
self-tapping screws, bolts, nuts, washers;
wooden blocks (5 by 5 cm is enough).

To assemble a chopping mechanism from a trimmer, you will need to use the following tools and devices:

a screwdriver or screwdriver with bits;
electric drill with a set of drills for wood and metal;
an electric jigsaw with files for cutting metal or a manual equivalent;
hammer;
open-end or socket wrenches;
punch;
an anvil or a flat iron plate.

A punch is needed to make it convenient to drill holes with an electric drill. This tool is pointed at the point where the metal needs to be drilled. Then it is hit with a hammer. The drill does not slip out of the resulting recess when drilling a metal part.

Hole punch set

Preparatory activities

A grass cutter from a brush cutter is manufactured in a number of stages. Initially, they are prepared in a container where the grass and branches will be ground:

make markings on the bottom (along the perimeter) for four trapezoidal holes with rounded corners;
drill holes with a cross section of 1 cm in each drawn segment;
a jigsaw file is inserted into them and trapezoids are cut out;
process the cuts with a file or sandpaper;
a hole is drilled in the center of the bottom for the chopper shaft;
a circle is cut out of steel mesh with dimensions according to the diameter of the bottom;
using small scraps of boards or blocks, the prepared mesh fragment is secured to the container from below;
Legs for the container are made from metal tubes, attaching them to the tank with bolts.

The wooden pieces are fixed with self-tapping screws, twisting them from the inside of the tank into metal jumpers between the cut trapezoids. In this way, the mesh is securely attached to the bottom of the container.

The legs are made in the following way:

bend the tubes in a vice or using a pipe bender in the shape of the letter “P”;
the ends of future supports are flattened with a hammer;
2 holes are drilled into them on each side (6.5 or 8.5 mm cross-section);
fit the workpieces to the bottom of the container and mark the points of bolted connections;
drill according to the hole mark;
using bolts with washers and nuts, attach to the footrest casing.

After preparing the casing, in order to reduce the dimensions of the created mechanism, the following operations are performed:

disassemble the trimmer, disconnecting the motor, rod and cutting attachment from each other;
cut off a fragment approximately 20-40 centimeters long from the rod with the cable;
collect the lawn mower;
check the performance of the equipment.

Chopper assembly

If the trimmer works well after assembly, then it is used to create a grass grinder.

The motor of the brush cutter is attached to the board with clamps.
Fix the bar on a wooden base using clamps and a handle from a brush cutter.
Connect the cutting attachment to the end of the rod, previously inserted into the hole at the bottom of the casing.
They start the mechanism and test it in operation.

After these steps, you will get a unit, the photograph of which is presented below.

If the trimmer used to assemble the shredder is equipped with a gasoline engine, then the motor is placed on the base so that it is convenient to fill in fuel, start the device and regulate its operation (speed).

Cutting attachments are equipped with knives or fishing line - this depends on the thickness of the plant stems being chopped.

What else can a chopper be made from?

There are many different options for creating garden shredders with your own hands: from the simplest ones, which only allow you to grind grass, to more structurally complex, powerful units designed for wood up to 10 cm thick. Accordingly, the practical implementation of the plan will require different details, different amounts of time and money.

To assemble equipment for processing plant waste, in addition to the considered options for old or unnecessary tools or equipment, you can use the following devices:

drill or hammer drill;
an old working vacuum cleaner;
unnecessary electric saw;
motor from the pump;
gasoline or electric walk-behind tractor;
any electric motor of suitable power.

A drill with a hammer drill, if you use them to chop grass, you don’t need to redo it at all. It is enough to make only a nozzle with blades. The created device will work like a blender, grinding soft plant stems into a container in small portions.

How to make a branch chopper with your own hands: detailed master classes

A branch chopper (shredder) is a garden equipment used for crushing waste generated when mowing grass, pruning trees and shrubs.
It allows you to minimize hard physical labor when obtaining environmentally friendly organic fertilizer from plant mass. It is not difficult to make a branch chopper with your own hands. For its production, electric motors from a washing machine, trimmer, circular saw, tile cutter and other similar units are usually used.

The nuances of operating homemade equipment

A self-made shredder is essentially three in one: a chopper for branches, a straw cutter, and a mechanism for cutting grass. It helps to significantly facilitate household work associated with the disposal of plant waste, as well as feeding poultry and livestock.

If you have to process grass in small quantities, for example, for chickens, geese, ducks, then very simple devices that operate on human muscle power, for example, a hand pruner, are sufficient.

For homemade electrical equipment, it is recommended to install a separate differential circuit breaker to provide reliable protection against electric shock in case of unforeseen circumstances. In any case, when making a garden shredder yourself, you must follow safety regulations. It is also worth adhering to them during operation of the mechanism. Before working with equipment, it is recommended to wear goggles, suitable protective clothing and check that the structural elements are securely fastened. When creating a home-made unit, you should take into account the upcoming amount of work, as well as the nature of the vegetation being processed, in order to select an engine of the required power and the desired design of knives. This will allow the completed device to cope with the assigned tasks without any problems.

Device diagram

The drawing clearly illustrates the location of the parts and allows you to make your own crusher. You can make the drawing yourself or in AutoCAD. When making a drawing, you need to take into account the details that are discussed below.

First of all, it is important how the knives are positioned and what their cutting angle is. The shafts are located between the plates. Carefully install three or four knives in each shaft. The elements are fastened with bolts offset to the center of the shaft. There are four bearings for the shaft. Bearings are fixed on plates. Two gears assume synchronous movement. The belt drive will provide torsion. The distance between the shafts is determined by the size of the knives and the diameter of the raw materials.

Materials are purchased from markets and hardware stores. Self-production involves the use of a grinder and a welding machine. Manufacturing parts is the most difficult stage, requiring the most attention.