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WorkshopFromScratch’s homemade woodchipper is an intriguing metalworking project, but Hackaday’s feature is a video showcase—not a set of plans or a validated design. It reports a 1.5 kW gearmotor, C45 steel blades and a heavy steel frame, while leaving out the drawings, operating limits and safety information needed to reproduce the machine responsibly.
What the WorkshopFromScratch build includes
In an August 8, 2023 feature, Dave Rowntree of Hackaday covered a woodchipper build by the Polish YouTube channel WorkshopFromScratch. The video reportedly shows sheet metal being plasma-cut, feed and discharge guides being built, angled box-section welded into the structure, and a cart assembled for the machine. The article does not identify the equipment models used.
Drive and frame
The feature reports that the builder used an available 1.5 kW gearmotor. Rowntree describes a gearmotor as suitable for a machine that needs torque rather than very high speed; the feature does not give the motor’s model, speed, torque rating or other specifications. The frame appears to use steel at least 1/4 inch thick, but that is the author’s visual estimate, not a confirmed specification.
Blades and feed arrangement
The blades are described as thick C45 steel. They had not been hardened when the article was published, though hardening was planned; Rowntree notes that doing this may be difficult in a home workshop. The feature also describes a bottom roller between removable guides, intended to help feed material and reduce jamming. It does not report a test confirming that the arrangement self-feeds or avoids jams.
#1 Best Overall
- Smooth Discharge: This electric wood chipper features a 21:1 reduction ratio and an anti-jamming design to ensure a smooth flow of shredded material from the discharge chute.
- Great Cutting Performance: This wood chipper, powered by a robust 15-amp motor with a maximum speed of 4000RPM, features SK5 high-hardness rust-resistant dual-edge blades, ensuring it effectively shreds sticks and branches up to 1.8” in diameter.
- Materials to Avoid: To keep the optimal performance of your wood chipper, please do not feed it with leaves, old roots, bamboo, dry hay or straw, or frozen branches. These materials may cause clogging or damage the blades.
- Durable and Affordable: This wood chipper is designed for yard work and is more budget-friendly than traditional gas-powered models. It features IPX4 waterproofing and a dent-resistant polypropylene housing, ensuring reliability and durability—ideal for all your gardening needs.
- Easy Maintenance: Key replacement parts for wear and tear are available at the YERYORK Amazon store. Once received, you can easily replace them following the user manual while the machine is powered off, ensuring your work schedule isn’t delayed.
Is the feature enough to build the machine?
No. The feature documents a project, but does not provide complete drawings, a bill of materials or enough specifications to reproduce the machine as a defined design. In particular, it does not state blade geometry, motor details beyond power, throughput, operating limits or guarding requirements. It also reports no safety testing. Those omissions mean readers cannot infer a safe or compatible set of parts from the article.
For a construction or shop setting, treat the video as a look at fabrication choices—not as build instructions. A woodchipper combines powered feed components and cutting blades, so the missing design and safety details matter. Do not rely on the visual estimate of frame thickness, the planned blade hardening, or the intended feed behavior as proof that a copy will perform safely.
Rank #2
- C30 LITE Wood Chipper Gas Powered combined with Bigger 11.8 inch Cutting Rotor than other Mini similar chippers that provides more stable speed and the latest durability upgrade high-speed steel blades, equipped with powerful recoil starting 7HP 212cc Horizontal 4-stroke Single Cylinder OHV Engine with reliable quality and superior performance, makes chipping easy with 3600 RPM MAX speed.
- This Mini Wood Chipper Shredder Mulcher is more emphasis on service life, more lightweight and durable. Small but still excellent core functions make more fast, easy and efficient chipping and less required space. Capable of high volume Chipping/Shredding/Mulching with a Reduction Ratio of 15:1 up to 3" MAX branches, limbs and debris. Compact design gives you portable move and store.
- Built with newly upgraded reinforcement of welding and metal, come with constantly improved manual and instructions to make easier to assemble and start. Unique Designed Check Windows for faster blades replacement; Large Extended Feeding hopper makes it easier to feed big branches with twigs; Highly desirable Vertical Extended Discharge Chute with Adjustable Discharge Guide to deliver accurate debris discharge, with an angled range of 90°-145°degrees.
- Always operate according to directions outlined in the user manual, always wear the appropriate hand and eye protection; Can be used to aid in fire prevention and building firebreaks; EPA/CARB Certified. Use for Forestry, Gardens, Landscaping or Green Waste Recycling to chip tree branches/limbs, shred brush, mulch leaves on branches (not for loose leaves) and corn stocks; DO NOT use for: fresh greens, pine cones, palm branches (fronds will jam), petrified wood or vines.
- Fuel w/ 87+ unleaded gasoline (NO ETHANOL recommended). Max capacity: [Fuel 0.73 gal/2.8L] & [Oil 0.13 gal/0.5L]. ENGINE OIL NOT INCLUDED.1-Year Warranty by EFCUT After Product Registration against machine construction(except blades etc. consumables). In case you meet any questions, please feel free to send a message to EFCUT Customer Support, EFCUT will provide prompt support for you.
What the project is—and is not
The build demonstrates a maker’s approach to fabricating a woodchipper from steel components, including a geared drive and a roller-based feed concept. It may be useful as inspiration for viewers interested in metalworking or machinery design. It is not a complete plan set, a performance-tested recommendation, or a safety-certified design.
Source: Dave Rowntree, “No Need To Buy A Woodchipper – Build One!”, Hackaday, August 8, 2023.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- EFFORTLESS ELECTRIC START - C40E features a premium E-Start system, allowing you to ignite the powerful 9HP engine with a simple turn of a key. Especially helpful for cold starts and frequent stop-and-go jobs, making every use smoother and quicker.
- STRONGER 9HP ENGINE - Equipped with a robust 9HP 274CC Heavy Duty engine, the EFCUT C40E wood chipper gas powered ensures Faster Wood Chipping, efficiently shredding more piles of branches in less time, quickly getting your job done.
- 4 INCH MAX CAPACITY - With a 15.9" Larger Flywheel than other brands, and longer blades crafted entirely from high-speed steel, this wood chipper shredder gas powered, shreds thicker wood up to 4 inch diameter faster and cuts more branches at once. Less downtime, more efficiency.
- MULCH MADE EASY - this wood chipper shredder mulcher easily transforms wood waste into valuable mulch with a 15: 1 reduction ratio, effortlessly reducing 15 piles to 1. Simplify the disposal of your sticks, brushes, branches, and other garden debris.
- EASY TO USE - Starting with straightforward assembly, the C40E mulcher chipper shredder features a spacious feeding hopper for easy wood loading, saving you effort; the precise adjustment discharge chute allows you to direct wood chips anywhere you want with ease.
Rank #3
- EFFFICIENT PERFORMANCE - This Mini Wood Chipper Shredder Mulcher design has a Reduction Ratio of 15:1, capable of high volume Chipping/Shredding/Mulching via the Large Extended Feeing Chute for upto 3" MAX branches, limbs and garden debris
- UNIQUE DESIGN - Built to be compact and lighter than other steel chippers, this design has a highly desirable Vertical Extended Discharge Chute with Adjustable Discharge Guide to deliver accurate debris discharge, with a angled range of 90°-145° degrees
- POWERFUL - This Chippers powerful recoil starting 7HP Horizontal 4-stroke Single Cylinder OHV Gas Powered Engine, handles up to 3" diameter wood without a problem; Fuel w/ 87+ unleaded gasoline (NO ETHANOL recommended), 0.7 gallons Max capacity
- SAFETY - Always operate according to directions outlined in the user manual, always wear the appropriate hand and eye protection (ENGINE OIL NOT INCLUDED); Can be used to aid in fire prevention and building firebreaks; This machine is EPA/CARB Certified
- BEST APPLICATION Use for Forestry, Gardens, Landscaping or Green Waste Recycling to chip tree branches/limbs, shred brush, mulch leaves and corn stocks; DO NOT use for: fresh greens, pine cones, palm branches (fronds will jam), petrified wood or vines
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
