Another undercutter.

[Ironman]

Originally Posted by LKeithR

Is the forklift new--to you at least? And the press? I don't remember you having them when I was there last...

I got the press at the same time as the press brake. I had to rebuild both of them. The scribbling on the top was where the Enerpac label was before painting, as I foolishly assumed I'd get labels from Enerpac. They don't make that unit any more. I think it was a 100 ton, but the pump I have will give me 45 ton. Milomilo gave me a 10,000psi pump (which is Enerpac's favourite number), but I have yet to find a need to boost the power.

EDIT.
Oh, yeah Keith, now I remember. You were the guy that found me a piece of Induction hardened T&G stock because I had to replace the ram. Old age is a bugger

[LKeithR]

When I first saw the pics I thought: "Hmmm, that looks new." But now that you've refreshed my memory (sorta like a slap upside the head ) I remember the details from the past...

[toprecycler]

Originally Posted by Ironman

Yes, that's right. I learned a bit from my failures.
I sharpened the blade on the mill with a 1/2" corncob endmill, and then took the last grooves out with an angle grinder so things will slide well.
I never thought of using a grader cutting edge, but I used a strip of 11mm T1 steel for the first one and it pulled hard, which is why I tried the vibrating deal on version 2. The narrow blade uses less hp to do the job, for sure.
Bill, yer right, the leg will swing away.

Keith, No, I had the forklift a while and I posted about it here. It was an electric and I converted to gas and hydraulic drive. Sometime befor 2009 when I built the new shop, cause the conversion was done in the old schoolhouse.

And this morning I was doing some housekeeping on the laptop, saving a copy of some files to flash drives, and I found a video of “under cutter “ I had saved for some reason. It was a short video of your version of the vibration deal, when it broke during the test run. Heard the start of an expression when things go awry.


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[randydupree]

Interesting project,i love home built tools.

[Ironman]

Well, it's another rainy day so I completed the rest of the metalwork on this. Next, check for berries and paint it.

[arizonian]

Originally Posted by Ironman

Well, it's another rainy day so I completed the rest of the metalwork on this. Next, check for berries and paint it.

Berries! I hate berries. That said, I've been helping my BIL build his new 6' fence to keep his new dog in and using flux core wire because I ain't fighting the porosity of MIG welding outside. Not much worse for berries than flux core, but it gets the job done, no matter the wind.

[digr]

Looks great! Did you keep your old tractor?

[Ironman]

No, I sold it. I have enough stuff around here.

[camdigger]

A well built accessory.

Out of curiosity, does anyone use a tow behind under cutter? I am thinking about something like the Noble blade cultivators built in… wait for it, Nobleford, Ab. https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep...u.aspx?id=8251

They used a shallow wide (8-10’)blade set to run 4-6” deep to till fields as an alternative to conventional plowing. A fore runner to the more recent chisel plow/deep tillage cultivator. Popular in places mostly rock free. Very unpopular in rocky areas.

Prototypes used straight blades. Later models sometimes used Vee blades that needed less power than straight blades. They had to be carefully set to run level, otherwise, they act like a Vee trencher digging trenches and throwing up ridges.

[Ironman]

Originally Posted by camdigger

A well built accessory.

Out of curiosity, does anyone use a tow behind under cutter? I am thinking about something like the Noble blade cultivators built in… wait for it, Nobleford, Ab. https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep...u.aspx?id=8251

Not me, but a neighbor who is dead now, tried it. He had a tractor with no 3pt hitch, and I don't know what kind of fabricator he was. He said they could not keep the blade down. Had a barrel of water for weight, he said.
There are reasons for that, and you need about 15 degree angle on the blade to achieve this. The top link on a 3pt hitch is ideal for adjusting this angle.

We dig a trench at the start of the row at the depth we want to go, drop the blade into it, and start off. In theory, you should be able to sink the blade to depth in 10ft advance before the start of the row. I just do it my way, works for me.
I think a pull behind should work if done right. If the blade was a foot wide the weight of dirt would tend to push it down, for one thing.

Next project...next year, is a winder to pick up the landscape mats we use, instead of rolling up by hand.