Pallet Enterprise contacted companies with grinding operations to ask what tips they could share with others in the industry.
We asked them to share any information, ideas, and tips related to improving production or efficiency in grinding operations — selection and sizing of a grinder, maintenance, feeding the grinder, and handling the finished product.
Below we share comments from key leaders at these companies. They represent some of the leading manufacturers of grinding equipment for the pallet and sawmill industries: Bandit, Cresswood, Rotochopper, Vecoplan and West Salem Machinery.
Meyer Inc.
Meyer Inc. is a pallet manufacturing company with a sawmill in South Sioux City, Nebraska. The company is equipped with a Rotochopper for grinding and coloring wood material to make colored mulch.
“The one thing I would say is…stay away from custom grinding,” said owner Scott Meyer. “Grinding is terribly expensive, and every time I tried to grind something for someone other than myself, I had problems with tramp material — usually metal.”
When a company uses a grinder in-house only for grinding its own wood material, it controls what goes in the machine, he added.
“I’m not sure how you could charge enough to pay for repairs if you don’t know what is going in the grinder.”
Penn Pallet
Penn Pallet in Saint Marys, Pennsylvania, has a cut-up line and manufactures new pallets and recycles pallets. It is equipped with three Vecoplan grinders that are used to grind residual material from producing new pallet lumber and scrap material from pallet recycling operations.
“Make sure you do your homework and see grinders in operation,” suggested general manager Doug Cunningham. Companies considering an investment in a grinder should observe the machine grinding the same type of material as the expected application and using the same type of screen. “Don’t just go by what you’re told,” added Cunningham. “Go out there and see the machines in operation.”
“We always take our head maintenance guys with us to see new machines running elsewhere,” said Cunningham, and get their input.
“We do the weekly routine maintenance, and we do it well, and we never skip it,” said Cunningham. “We really stick to that preventive maintenance schedule.” The company’s adherence to a good maintenance program likely contributes to the longevity of its grinding equipment, he suggested.
It’s important to choose a supplier that has the resources to provide technical support when needed, said Cunningham. He suggested dealing with major machinery manufacturers who participate in industry trade shows and exhibit at National Wooden Pallet & Container Association events.
Ghent Wood Products
Ghent Wood Products in Ghent, New York, located about 30 miles south of Albany, operates a softwood sawmill that manufactures siding, paneling, timbers, flooring, and other products, including glue-up and custom millwork. The company has a Bandit horizontal grinder for processing waste material from the mill and debris like log ends and rotten logs. The grinder, mounted on a trailer and stationed in the yard, is also used to re-grind bark mulch.
The company previously had a tub grinder for regrinding bark, noted owner Jeff Meltz. “The horizontal grinder is a lot more versatile,” he said. “For us, it works better. We can use it for a lot more things.”
A horizontal grinder may require more maintenance, suggested Meltz, “but it does more.”
“Depending on what you want to do,” he went on, a tub grinder is a good solution for re-grinding bark mulch. However, for grinding material like edgings, even logs, “a horizontal grinders is the one they’d want to get.”
Peter C. Herman Inc.
Peter C. Herman Inc. in Rochester, N.Y., manufactures new and recycled pallets and crates. The company uses a Cresswood machine for grinding scrap pallets and scrap used lumber. It also is used to grind chunks of wood material from resaw operations. The material is fed into the grinder via a vibrating conveyor. The grindings are sold for animal bedding.
The Cresswood machine performs every day. “Turn it on in the morning, turn it off at night,” said Matt Herman, a principal in the company. “We just push it through.”
“Everyone’s got their own different scenarios,” he noted, whether they are grinding residual material from sawmills, cut-up operations, or pallet recycling. There are plenty of grinders on the market that will serve those applications, suggested Herman.
The Cresswood machine has been a “convenient” solution, he said. “It’s quiet. You hardly hear it.”
Miller’s Wood Recycling
Miller’s Wood Specialties, a pallet recycling company in Cambridge City, Indiana, created another business unit, Miller’s Wood Recycling, to process scrap pallet lumber and other wood waste material into marketable grinding products. The company invested in a West Salem Machinery grinder for its grinding operations.
The company mainly grinds scrap material from pallet recycling operations and also grinds some scrap plywood, said Robert Miller, a member of the family that founded Miller’s Wood Specialties. Occasionally it grinds whole scrap pallets, although that is rare. The grinder runs about two days per week.
An excavator with a clamping thumb loads material to the horizontal grinder. Grindings are handled with a wheel loader.
The West Salem machine is equipped with hammers that are rotated or replaced periodically. Keeping maintenance points properly greased and replacing bearings as needed are two important factors for keeping the grinder running smoothly, Miller indicated. “Bearings and grease — that’s the lifeblood,” he said.
“Make sure to size the grinder for what you need,” suggested Miller. “Buying a grinder too small will put you behind on space and time. Buying a grinder too big will cost you more per cubic yard in the long run even though you’re not operating.” By sizing the grinder, he was referring to the machine’s volume, throughput or capacity.
“You want to buy something that does what you need and perhaps a little bit more…so you’re getting the most efficient price per cubic yard,” he added.
It may be hard to determine what size grinder a company may need without knowing the volume of wood material that will be processed on a regular basis, he acknowledged. Miller had a suggestion for getting a handle on that.
“Hire someone with a similar grinder that you’re considering buying,” he said. Contract their services for a week or more. That experience will help a company get a handle on the volume of material it has to grind and what capacity machine it needs.
