homemade wood post incisor

[trashyman]

Anyone made their own wood post incisor? Pics? Bonus points for something hydraulic driven.

 

[WillyBoy]

Is this for teeth in your mouth . . . maybe not? Something on a tractor bucket? Some kind of device that goes into the hole on a split rail fence post and pulls it out? Incisor, molar, bicuspid?
A wood post incisor puts small cuts in the southern yellow pine before pressure treatment to ensure enough chemical gets into the wood.

 

[trashyman]

Is this for teeth in your mouth . . . maybe not? Something on a tractor bucket? Some kind of device that goes into the hole on a split rail fence post and pulls it out? Incisor, molar, bicuspid?

A hydraulic driven molar or bicuspid?? I would just use a chain to pull out a fence post or the thumb on an excavator.

A wood post incisor puts small cuts in the southern yellow pine before pressure treatment to ensure enough chemical gets into the wood.

Winner. Lots of ingenious people out there. Thought someone may have built their own and would share a few pics.

 

[mike93lx]

Are you trying to treat lumber you have sawn and dried?

 

[Stuart in MN]

I was puzzled about what an incisor could be, thanks for the explanation. I'm thinking you'd need a couple cylinders with blades or teeth mounted on them, mounted in a frame and driven by a motor. Feed the lumber in between the cylinders, and they make the cuts as they pull the lumber through. Coming up with the cylinders would probably be the hardest part.

 

[trashyman]

Are you trying to treat lumber you have sawn and dried?

Yes

 

[mike93lx]

Yes

That sounds interesting. Any idea how deep you need to incise?

How much are you trying to do?

 

[Shiftless]

I looked up the process used commercially to make PT lumber.

Key details about the pressure treatment process:

• Methodology: A typical treatment involves an initial vacuum to remove air, followed by flooding the tank with preservatives and applying 140–150 psi for several hours.
• Alternative Pressure: Some methods may use 160 pounds of pressure to ensure maximum saturation.
• Final Stage: After pressure application, a final vacuum is often used to remove excess chemical from the surface.
• Moisture Content: Because of this intense, liquid-based process, new pressure-treated wood is usually very wet and heavy, often requiring time to dry out before use.
  

Modern pressure-treated wood generally uses copper-based preservatives to prevent rot and decay.

 

[trashyman]

That sounds interesting. Any idea how deep you need to incise?

How much are you trying to do?

Thinking 3/8". 100s of posts. I have a tank with and apparatus that will fully submerge at least 20 at a time. Still brainstorming on the building of the incising part of it.

 

[trashyman]

I looked up the process used commercially to make PT lumber.

Key details about the pressure treatment process:

• Methodology: A typical treatment involves an initial vacuum to remove air, followed by flooding the tank with preservatives and applying 140–150 psi for several hours.
• Alternative Pressure: Some methods may use 160 pounds of pressure to ensure maximum saturation.
• Final Stage: After pressure application, a final vacuum is often used to remove excess chemical from the surface.
• Moisture Content: Because of this intense, liquid-based process, new pressure-treated wood is usually very wet and heavy, often requiring time to dry out before use.

Modern pressure-treated wood generally uses copper-based preservatives to prevent rot and decay.

going to use copper napthenate. The posts have to outlive me. I'm 50.

 

[mike93lx]

Thinking 3/8". 100s of posts. I have a tank with and apparatus that will fully submerge at least 20 at a time. Still brainstorming on the building of the incising part of it.

Wow, that's legit.

Have a skid steer or tractor? Wonder if you could make a spiked track/wheel and just driver over them

 

[txvwnut]

Look at the infeed roller design on commercial wood chippers, that should give a basic idea of how it would look. Where the wood chipper uses a segmented type roller to grab the stock an incisor uses what looks like saw blades put on backwards.

 

[mike93lx]

Look at the infeed roller design on commercial wood chippers, that should give a basic idea of how it would look. Where the wood chipper uses a segmented type roller to grab the stock an incisor uses what looks like saw blades put on backwards.

I don't think an infeed roller can apply anywhere near enough pressure for this. They are applying just enough force to introduce the material to a chipper blade

 

[trashyman]

Thats interesting about the chipper roller......my brain was thinking kinda along those lines about a roller with track shoe spikes drilled/tapped every inch or so all around it.

 

[tarbellb]

Interesting and fun project idea

If you are doing 100's, boy, speed or efficiency is going to be key

Big question: are the post Square or Round?

 

[trashyman]

Round. Speed not a worry as my time is free. Going to soak each batch for couple weeks prob

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm picturing a bunch of old school circular saw blades of different diameters, sharpen the blades, thread onto a hardened steel rod with spacers between. A push pull set of driven rubber wheels. Perhaps on the type of trailer axle that has rubber torsion springs? I leave the rest to you..

 

[txvwnut]

I don't think an infeed roller can apply anywhere near enough pressure for this. They are applying just enough force to introduce the material to a chipper blade

That's easy enough to overcome with some flow control valves and creative thinking.

 

[manwithtools]

What species of wood are the posts?

 

[pcmeiners]

Sorry but all I envisioned was George Washington's wooden teeth.

 

[trashyman]

What species of wood are the posts?

Coastal doug fir

 

[Copymutt]

Hire a beaver & program him for just taste it mode.

 

[manwithtools]

Coastal doug fir

I suspected as much. Incising for treatment is not done on SYP east of the Rockies. SYP accepts the treatment under pressure alone quite well.

 

[trashyman]

I suspected as much. Incising for treatment is not done on SYP east of the Rockies. SYP accepts the treatment under pressure alone quite well.

That would make this a lot easier for myself.

 

[KenC]

I have found that purchased lumber that was treated after drying has a much more deeper, more complete penetration, Of course it's all SYP in OK, but the difference is obvious, especially on 4" stuff.

Maybe instead of the incisor, a dryer kiln?

 

[mike93lx]

I have found that purchased lumber that was treated after drying has a much more deeper, more complete penetration, Of course it's all SYP in OK, but the difference is obvious, especially on 4" stuff.

Maybe instead of the incisor, a dryer kiln?

How do you know treatment was after drying?

I've only ever seen KDAT called out which is drying after treatment. It's much nicer to work with as it's considerably lighter and doesn't shrink as much

 

[KenC]

How do you know treatment was after drying?

I've only ever seen KDAT called out which is drying after treatment. It's much nicer to work with as it's considerably lighter and doesn't shrink as much

The info is in the stamp or tag on every board.

KDAT deck boards stay nicer looking for far longer.

 

[mike93lx]

The info is in the stamp or tag on every board.

KDAT deck boards stay nicer looking for far longer.

are you just comparing regular PT to KDAT?

I guess I always assumed that regular PT was dried then treated and KDAT adds another drying step after

 

[tarbellb]

Round post makes it a trickier perhaps

I'm envisioning a motor driven system that spins the log and pushes it through

Something like sprockets set at a angle, they would not only push and spin but also penetrate the wood.

Set a few up on a drive chain, small electric motor with infeed outfeed tables and go to work

 

[Smilodon]

Hire a beaver & program him for just taste it mode.

Dam, you stole my joke!

 

[trashyman]

Round post makes it a trickier perhaps

I'm envisioning a motor driven system that spins the log and pushes it through

Something like sprockets set at a angle, they would not only push and spin but also penetrate the wood.

Set a few up on a drive chain, small electric motor with infeed outfeed tables and go to work

This is VERY interesting to think about. An ever so slight upward and outward angle on the sprocket shaft to match the infeed rate as to not "push/pull" the sprocket. My initial thought was that the sprocket is too blunt. Maybe I could sharpen one to a point for better incisions or cut out a 1/2" steel circle, 6" diameter, 1" bore on a 1" shaft or so, with my track shoe spikes drilled/tapped every 3/4" around it. Now you got me thinking.

edit: air cylinders on each end of shaft so downward pressure could be adjusted by regulator.

 

[tarbellb]

Or just hang the motor drive cog on a pivot for adj pressure via weight/spring

I imagine a bicycle sprocket sized tooth would be perfect?

How many, what speed, and what angle will be the question