Has anyone built a wood chipper. If so, could you pass on ideas on how to build it? Thanks.

Hi Rose I see that you want a plan for wood chipper that to me unless you have a proper shop as for lathe work cutting steel welding and the most important thing be able to do all these things well in my opinion BUY as its the way to go for unless your enginering is good you would never have good luck with it its not for homebuilt do it yourself if you are unable to buy, rent it its cheaper Phil

Have to agree, Phil. We purchased a 5hp gas chipper/shredder in 1987 and it still gets a regular workout every fall. It's a dog to start, so if I had to do it over, I'd buy one iwth a key starter, rather than the pull type. Check for the size of the throat for your branch chipping limitations.

Thanks for the suggestions. Any idea on prices or if they are easy to come by second hand? My husband is a welder and he's very handy at a lot of tasks but, I agree, some things are better purchased but thought I'd ask. He's willing to try it if it's "doable" and we could save some money.

Rose, Chippers are horrifically expensive.Try renting one first to see if you really do want one. I came across an article (I still have it somewhere) on a gardener who found a gentleman who built chipper/shredders from old gas lawnmowers. He istalled a hopper for the leaves etc. on the side next to the motor(metal cutting and welding required - check with a metal shop than can prefab a hopper for you) and also a metal tube next to the hopper for canes or branches. All this was built into a wagon than can be hauled around your garden. So if your husband is willing and wants a good project start looking for old gas mowers. The effort may be worth it. It all comes down to your needs. Make some drawings and good luck

Kvin. Thanks for the suggestions.

Hi Rose, I have a Troy-Built chipper/vac. that we bought several years ago. It only gets started up twice a year, it goes like a dream, and has never given a moments trouble. It wasn't too expensive - in the $600 -$700 range, and they had a deal where we could pay it off over a year. I highly recommend this little machine (it's the smallest of their line), and I really enjoy the vacuum feature - eliminates all that raking ! It will chip branches up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, which I find quite adequate. Hope this gives you a little more info. Gail