Inertial/Kinetic Pecan Cracker Plans?

[Brian.Evans]

Hey guys. I'm trying to help out my dad. He and mom have a huge pecan tree that produced about 35 or 40 gallons last year and looks like it's going to beat that this year. He has a manual lever cracker, but he has it in his head that he wants to make a kinetic/inertial cracker. Neither one of us can find plans online. Can anyone help me out or point me in the right direction? It would really make him happy.

 

[EdT]

My uncle invented an impact nutcracker back in the '60's. For a couple of years it was the best selling item in the Sear's Christmas catalog. It looks like it's still being made by these guys http://www.homesteadharvest.com/inertia-nutcracker.html. As I recall, the key was in the angle of the two cones that touch the nutshell. They are arranged so that all the energy is transferred to the shell and the nut meat doesn't get crushed, or at least that was the theory. He had a patent on the method, but I imagine it's long since expired.

 

[Joe B.]

My uncle invented an impact nutcracker back in the '60's. For a couple of years it was the best selling item in the Sear's Christmas catalog. It looks like it's still being made by these guys http://www.homesteadharvest.com/inertia-nutcracker.html. As I recall, the key was in the angle of the two cones that touch the nutshell. They are arranged so that all the energy is transferred to the shell and the nut meat doesn't get crushed, or at least that was the theory. He had a patent on the method, but I imagine it's long since expired.

We had one of those growing up. Probably in the early 80s. (I grew up in California but grandma would send us bags of pecans every year.) I suspect we got it from the Sears Surplus store that I think mainly sold catalog returns.

 

[zkling]

This would be very simple to make, even unmotorized. Just a spring loaded plunger activated by a cylindrical end cam and pin rider to **** and release the plunger.