Is there such a thing as a hand-operated wood chipper? I want to chip up some plants and branches before I put them in the compost, but I don’t really want to use a gas or electric powered machine to do this -that kind of goes against the whole green theme. Does such a thing exist or am I hearkening back to pioneer times?

I couldn't find any "People powered" chippers, but I did find several diesel powered chippers and I'm thinking that, if you used biodiesel to fuel one, you'd be reaching a good a compromise between labor saved and your wish to reduce your footprint.

i have not heard of such a thing but im sure i could build you one. maybe you could buy an gas or electric one and have it converted over to people power. thats what i would do if i where to build one. now you just watch and see if somebody dosent build one now. thats what happens to me when i get a good idea somebody else builds it. ha ha

Here's one that has stood the test of time:

I think this one might be a hybrid. It's diesel powered, but capable of processing wood and people.

Har har, DG. I don't want wood splinters everywhere in the yard, and that doesn't work so well for mulching leaves, you know? I've been considering a people chipper, but I think my neighbors might get suspicious...

Don't think there was much call for wood chips in the days of the pioneers, so no tool for the purpose was ever made.Hmm. Form a circle of wagons and then put down a cosy mulch of woodchips in the middle? Well, it would stop the kids hurting themselves when they fall.

Best we can do over on this side of the water is a manual log-splitting machine (and that's hard work!)

he he DG that one will work too maybe get two one for each hand

Burn the brush. Use the ashes in place of lime.

Or if you want to be as green as possible, compost the the brush, after cutting it up into one inch pieces.

IMHO, hoping to find a hand powered chipper in order to help "save the planet" i.e "reduce the use of carbon fuels" is certainly welcome. It will help provide me more available fuel for my race days and all the other gas guzzlers that require hi-octane gas.

If you want to go green, there are much easier ways to save energy than trying to find a hand powered chipper.

If you want to add to your post count, try posting questions such as;

Why are tennis ball fuzzy?

What is the difference between freezing rain, sleet, and snow?

Is Freebird the best Country Rock song of all times?

What percentage of avalanches are caused by humans?

If I use a hand powered chipper/mulcher how much am I contributing to reduce global warming?

I've got a chipper/shredder but seem to be taking all of the debris to the dump.

I know.. I know... bad answer. It has something to do with the hours in a day.

A hand held one??? That may take HOURS to deal with branches with 2 inch width. Donchathink?

NCcichlid, maybe you didn't mean to come off as rudely as you sounded, but damn.

Thank you for your suggestions but please understand, we have laws here which prohibit open burning of brush. Also, I AM composting. I want to help the process along by chipping up the items into smaller pieces. That is my whole point.

What makes you think I am not already doing the "much easier ways to save energy"? I'm simply trying to add another item to my list.
"Or if you want to be as green as possible, compost the the brush, after cutting it up into one inch pieces." Nccichlid, that is exactly why I would like to find a hand-cranked chipper!

My question was pretty simple. "Is there such a thing as a hand-operated wood chipper?" If you have any useful information for me about obtaining something like this, please let me know. If not, that's fine, too. But there are easier ways to add to your post count than adding unhelpful sarcastic comments.

Sometimes I don't know why I even bother asking genuine questions.

you could get an electric chipper then buy a battery then a converter to convert 12 volts dc into 110 volts ac and then to keep the battery charged up you could get a couple solar panels to keep eveything going. its a bit pricy but it will work. then all you need is sunlight.
for the battery you would want a deep cycle onewith as much amp power as you can get

I looked at electric wood chippers this morning for Elexina, dodge. I dismissed the idea because she had specifically said she wanted a hand operated chipper.
I'm no engineer, but I can't for the life of me see how a person would be able to produce enough power to reduce even small branches to wood chips.
Anyway, I did save the page for you on electric chippers, this morning, Elexina:

Amazon

Thanks for the info, guys. Oooh, solar powered woodchipper, now there's an idea!!
I guess electric would be friendlier than gas, at least. I just have one cherry tree and a mess of seedum, it's not like I live on a forested brushy lot where I have to deal with trees and stumps and stuff. Hmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by Elexina:
...My question was pretty simple. "Is there such a thing as a hand-operated wood chipper?" If you have any useful information for me about obtaining something like this, please let me know...

Then to answer your question, the answer is; NO, nobody makes a hand-operated wood chipper.

If you would like to know of some alternatives to managing brush so it can be composted, I'll be happy to contribute.

quote:

Originally posted by NCcichlid:
Then to answer your question, the answer is; NO, nobody makes a hand-operated wood chipper.

Ah, thank you.

quote:

If you would like to know of some alternatives to managing brush so it can be composted, I'll be happy to contribute.

Yes, please do share.

I guess we didn't learn how to share in kindergarten...