The chainsaw is a universal unit. It is quite powerful in relation to its small dimensions. Thanks to the membrane base and sealed fuel supply system, the chainsaw can operate in different positions. With its help, you can collect firewood, cut various wood materials, fell trees and maintain your garden area. The versatility of the equipment is also ensured by the ability to use various auxiliary devices. The bark beetle and bark beetle attachments for chainsaws are very popular.
Purpose of the nozzle
The name itself - corder - positions the attachment as a device for removing bark from whole tree trunks. This is a labor-intensive operation. Previously, it was carried out manually using an ax, a scraper in the form of a sharp blade with two handles, or a bayonet shovel cut into a rectangle and sharpened.
Debarker does this job easily, quickly and efficiently.
But this is not its only purpose. With its help, recesses and grooves are quickly and accurately made in logs for planting the upper tier of crowns during the construction of log houses.
The corroder is also used for rough jointing and leveling of any wood surfaces.
A separate area of opportunities that the use of a debarker opens up is:
- wooden architecture;
- sculptures made from solid logs;
- landscape design elements;
- any non-standard products of the most bizarre shapes.
All this can be done with one device, without a numerous set of axes, cutters, chisels, jointers and other hand tools.
Why is debarking done?
Here are the main reasons why bark is removed from wood:
- rid the wood of soft layers that do not have the required strength and rigidity;
- protect wood from pests (various bugs) and diseases, the pathogens of which live in various layers of the bark;
- In any way, use the layers of bark separately from the wood.
In the first case, it is enough to remove the cork and bast , because the thickness of these layers is quite large and can affect the performance properties of the lumber.
In the second case, it is also necessary to remove the cambium , because it is in it that pests lay eggs and various pathogens of wood diseases live.
In the third case, it all depends on what layer of bark is needed and for what purposes it will be used in the future.
Design and principle of operation of the device
The corder attachment consists of the following main parts:
- pulley for the drive belt;
- drive belt;
- bracket with working head.
There are many types of working heads:
- narrow, large diameter;
- wide, smaller in diameter;
- with open fastening of knives (cutters);
- with a closed mount, like electric planers;
- with and without a table for limiting and adjusting the gripping depth;
- with figured cutters of different profiles for different purposes.
They are united by a common design principle. Essentially, it is a shaft on two bearings in carriages with a pulley. The same as for electric planers. The difference is in the size, shape of the shaft and knives (mills) and methods of attaching them.
Installation of the nozzle
It is recommended to install the corroder attachment on a chainsaw in the following sequence:
- The bar and saw chain are removed.
- The saw chain drive sprocket is removed.
- In its place is a pulley under the belt.
- A bracket with a working head is placed in place of the tire. The grooves for its fastening are identical in size to the grooves of the tire.
- The drive belt is tensioned in the same way as a chain is tensioned.
- The nuts securing the tire (bracket) are finally tightened.
The operating modes of the debarker and the saw chain are similar. Only instead of a gear driving the saw chain, here a pulley drives the drive belt. The belt transmits torque to the working head with cutters.
Belt tension is as important as chain tension. A loose belt will slip and overheat due to friction. It may come off the pulleys. An overtightened belt makes it difficult for the engine to operate and heats up more. As a result, it stretches and can quickly fail, becoming thin and excessively long.
Oil is not poured into the oil reservoir to lubricate the chain. The belt must remain dry. Otherwise it will slip on the pulleys. And the oil can ruin the structure of the belt, it will swell, become soft and collapse.
At idle speed, the debarker head should not rotate, nor should the saw chain. The speed is regulated by pressing the gas handle.
Features of operating a homemade corrender
In order for a homemade product to last as long as possible, it must be used and maintained correctly.
To do this, the operator must:
- constantly monitor the amount and condition of the lubricant inside the clutch - without it, the feeder will regularly overheat;
- promptly clean the working part of the nozzle from sawdust and bark particles;
- When cracks and burrs form on the surface of the cylindrical head, its outer surface must be carefully ground.
It is best to store a homemade coroder on a shelf in a warm, dry room. This will protect the device from rust and chemicals.
What chainsaws is it suitable for?
You cannot buy any attachment - a corroder and put it on any chainsaw. The likelihood that the attachment will fit a specific chainsaw with such a choice “without looking” is negligible.
This is due to the fact that the seats for the drive sprockets of different brands of chainsaws differ in size and shape of the engagement relief. They may differ even for chainsaws of the same brand, but different models.
The main criterion when choosing a bark beetle: the seating dimensions of the nozzle drive pulley must be completely identical to these dimensions of the gear. Otherwise, even with a slight difference in fit, the pulley simply cannot be put in place.
There are also problems that a user may encounter when purchasing an attachment, even one specially made to fit the dimensions of a specific chainsaw model. This is removing the drive sprocket. On some models this is easy. It is enough to remove the retaining ring and remove the sprocket by hand.
On others, it is removed together with the clutch drum, because the unit is made as a single unit - the drum body and the sprocket are inseparable. For such options, the pulley must also be integral with the clutch drum, and sold as such.
But the main problem is that on some chainsaws, removing the drive sprocket together with the clutch drum or separately is very difficult. Sometimes the use of special pullers is required.
This means that it will also be difficult to install the pulley. And then remove it and replace the sprocket when you need to cut.
Then each transition from mode to mode will be equal in effort and time to a repair of average complexity. And after dozens of such operations, the landing sites and the units themselves can be deformed (flared).
What is bark?
The bark is the outer layers of wood, that is:
- cambium;
- bast;
- traffic jam
The cambium is the place where the thickness of branches or trunk increases. It is from the cambium that all layers of wood, including bark, are formed.
Every autumn, part of this layer is transformed, losing the ability to intensively pass juices and increase in size, turning into annual rings, and with the onset of spring it begins to grow vigorously, increasing the diameter of the trunk or branch.
that have lost the ability to grow turn into sapwood , and the fastest growing ones, located on the outside, into bast , that is, a flexible and durable layer of bark that allows a large volume of tree sap to pass through it.
In terms of its structure, cambium is a soft and fragile fiber, therefore it cannot be classified as wood.
Bast is also not very strong, because it consists of growing, and therefore flexible and elastic fibers.
Every year, the outer cells of the phloem die off , turning into what everyone is used to calling bark, but a more correct name is cork . That is, a light and relatively strong outer part of the wood, the main purpose of which is to protect the bast and cambium.
The cork has preserved the channels necessary for sap flow, but the juice does not enter this layer, so the humidity of the cork in the dry months is the same, regardless of the time of year .
Every year, several layers of bast turn into cork, causing its thickness to increase. This layer is in contact with the atmosphere, so it absorbs all substances that enter the air.
In addition, it is through the cork that various bugs penetrate into the wood, feeding on tree sap and settling in the cambium layer. Cork has a layered structure and, when bent, breaks and is divided into layers corresponding to the annual growth of the cambium.
Which chainsaws are best to use the attachment with?
Installation and dismantling of attachments and saw accessories is easy and quick on Stihl chainsaws. The retaining ring and sprocket are removed and the pulley is placed under the belt. The length of the shaft extension allows this to be done.
The pulley is noticeably wider than the chain sprocket, but it fits quite well. Apparently this is not a coincidence. Most likely, the German designers were ahead of the rest of the planet this time and designed such easy replaceability in advance. But the fact is that such a simple replacement option is not available on all chainsaws of other brands.
In addition to the compatibility of the pulley with the fit, pay attention to the dimensions, weight and power of the chainsaw. It is optimal to use chainsaws with a power of 2-3 kW and a weight of no more than 5 kg.
The milling head does not require much power when operating. High speeds are important, which will be provided by a chainsaw of any power (8-12 thousand rpm). Household electric planers and surface planers, which solve similar problems, have similar power, in the range of 1.5-2.5 kW and lower speeds.
Powerful chainsaws weigh heavier and are inconvenient to use with a debarker. They are less obedient in the hands, and fatigue sets in faster. They also use more fuel and are more expensive to operate.
Chainsaw winch for lifting and moving loads
Manufacturers offer this type of attachment for chainsaws, such as a winch. Used for lifting and moving heavy loads. An important condition when using such devices is their secure fixation. The nozzle is fixed to the ground using metal pins, which are often included in the package. They are often used in agriculture in conjunction with hand plows and hillers.
Nozzles are structures on a separate frame, which consist of a reel with a metal cable (usually 30 meters), and mounted on a shaft. The shaft is attached to the standard Stihl chainsaw sprocket (used for models MS 180, MS210, MS211, MS230 and MS250). Can also be used on instruments from other manufacturers by first installing the appropriate star.
The side where the winch is connected to the tool
The main technical parameter of the devices is traction force (nominal 400 kgf, maximum 600 kgf). One of the options for using a winch for a chainsaw is shown in the video below.
Interesting! The weight of objects lifted using a winch can be up to 500 kg.
How to make a device with your own hands
The most complex unit of the corder is the direct working part, a shaft on bearings with carriages and cutting knives (cutters). If desired, such products can be ordered from a metalworking company. It may cost more than a completely finished nozzle on sale.
It is difficult to guarantee the accuracy of tolerances in the bearing seating areas and weight balance to avoid vibration in piece production. As a result, the shaft can be eccentric in weight and vibrate strongly and even jump when operating at high speeds.
Bearings may become misaligned when seated in carriages, resulting in rapid failure.
You can use a ready-made unit from a broken electric planer: a shaft 100-140 mm wide and approximately the same diameter.
The second difficult part is a pulley for the belt, which fits exactly into the seat instead of the sprocket.
The driving and driven pulleys must have the same profile for the belt and be located strictly parallel, in the same axis, without distortions relative to each other’s planes.
The beginning of the mounting bracket, which is adjacent to the chainsaw in place of the tire, exactly repeats all its dimensions (width, thickness, length, position and dimensions of the grooves).
The bracket itself is made of a strong pipe or angle so that the belt does not bend it when tensioning and working.
As you can see, this seemingly simple product is quite difficult to manufacture. And it’s easier to buy a ready-made attachment - a coroder. The price for these products is from 2000 to 3200 rubles.
You can get an idea of how the debarker looks and works in this video:
But at the same time, you must make sure that the attachment and the specific chainsaw are compatible. It is better when the attachment is made exactly for a specific model of a particular brand of saw. This makes selection easier and guarantees compatibility.
Planer and jointer from a chainsaw and features of its use
A planer or jointer has a similar design to a corroder. This is a nozzle that is designed to plan off an excess layer of wood, which ultimately allows you to obtain even and smooth planes.
The nozzle has a simple design, and its cost starts from $60 (depending on the modification and design). It is equipped with a cylindrical drum (102 mm wide) with two knives, as well as a support frame that allows you to remove a certain layer of wood.
Attachments are available for chainsaws from Stihl (170-250, 260, 361), Carver, Husqvarna (137, 142, 236, 240) and other manufacturers. They fully replace hand planes, increasing labor productivity hundreds of times.
After processing the wood with a plane, its surface does not need to be sanded, which is also an additional advantage.
Chainsaw jointer at work
You can see how such attachments perform in operation in the video below. The video will allow you to decide whether to purchase a plane attachment for your chainsaw.
Having studied the most popular types of chainsaw attachments, you can draw the appropriate conclusions. The functionality of the tool can be expanded, and quite justifiably. After all, most of the attachments offered by manufacturers may be needed by any tool owner sooner or later. And they not only reduce physical stress, but also allow you to increase the speed of manipulations, as well as minimize the cost of purchasing full-fledged tools. Many people resort to making products on their own, but this will require a lot of time, and in addition, the safety of homemade devices will always be in doubt.
