Metal detection in wood

[DAPPH]

Have any of you electronic minded guys ever made a decent metal detector that can span a 8 inch wide plank about 2 inches thick for staples , nails , bits of nails , bits of bolts and steel shot ?
Or
Can any of you recommend from personal experience such a beast .

Just discovered it's costing £26 or so a pop for a pair of blades for our planer /thicknesser that is being used to sort out old reclaimed timbers .

I'm hoping to make such a sensor to pick up ferrous and other metals , so if the timber is passed over the equipment it will bring on a light ( for the deaf guys ) and sound off a noisy screamer or squeaker.

 

[Erie Fred]

On my neighbors sileage chopper, not only did it light up in the tractor, is automatically dis-engaged the electric feed clutch.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Have any of you electronic minded guys ever made a decent metal detector that can span a 8 inch wide plank about 2 inches thick for staples , nails , bits of nails , bits of bolts and steel shot ?
Or
Can any of you recommend from personal experience such a beast .

Just discovered it's costing £26 or so a pop for a pair of blades for our planer /thicknesser that is being used to sort out old reclaimed timbers .

I'm hoping to make such a sensor to pick up ferrous and other metals , so if the timber is passed over the equipment it will bring on a light ( for the deaf guys ) and sound off a noisy screamer or squeaker.

Stuff and pipe finder?

 

[zzr1200]

From my experience the quickest way to find a piece of metal in wood is to put new blades on

So So True

 

[frank horton]

u can buy a decent wand ......bit like the long airport sort.....
paid £40 for mine saves me that ten time over.....
now if in doupt I use a combined metal-wood blade .........

 

[8ob]

Its going to easier to use standard metal detecting gear incorporated into a non metallic structure, pass/precheck timber through that. Cant see how you could incorporate a metal detector in a great lump of iron like a planer/thicknesser.

Bob

 

[Other Daniel]

Its going to easier to use standard metal detecting gear incorporated into a non metallic structure, pass/precheck timber through that. Cant see how you could incorporate a metal detector in a great lump of iron like a planer/thicknesser.

Bob

Very good point.

 

[Kerelise]

On some catering auctions , fairly big pass through metal detectors for food come up - look big enough to handle x-section of rail way sleepers, dunno how much they go for though?

 

[Erie Fred]

Its going to easier to use standard metal detecting gear incorporated into a non metallic structure, pass/precheck timber through that. Cant see how you could incorporate a metal detector in a great lump of iron like a planer/thicknesser.

Bob

Plus you would want it a few feet ahead of the planer so you have time to shut it down.

 

[Anguz]

Normal metal detector, and a trestle to rest the wood on ?

 

[rtcosic]

On some catering auctions , fairly big pass through metal detectors for food come up - look big enough to handle x-section of rail way sleepers, dunno how much they go for though?

Brother-in-law has just such a machine in his 'might be useful one day' collection.

We are visiting tomorrow.

I'll check the diameter of the chute.

It's in Northamptonshire though.

 

[brightspark]

From my experience the quickest way to find a piece of metal in wood is to put new blades on

same here with auger bits 1st drill and go through a nail 9 quid up the swanny

 

[brightspark]

factor in the price of new blades when selling the wood

 

[skotl]

factor in the price of new blades when selling the wood

Or just say "...plus £40 if you leave nails in the wood"

 

[DaveB]

Can you change the planer blade carrier to have small blades like carbide machine tool inserts, a chipped blade then means turning or changing an insert so still machine downtime but if the inserts are cheaper and last for 4 metal strikes ?

 

[minimutly]

Plus you would want it a few feet ahead of the planer so you have time to shut it down.

Well no - you just shut the drive that pulls the wood in - unless its manual, in which case you have to have a siren, light, buzzer, whatever. I reckon you will need to make a pre table ahead of the main body - certainly do-able once you have the right shaped pickup coils

 

[Erie Fred]

Well no - you just shut the drive that pulls the wood in - unless its manual, in which case you have to have a siren, light, buzzer, whatever. I reckon you will need to make a pre table ahead of the main body - certainly do-able once you have the right shaped pickup coils

.....and just how fast is that wood advancing in ? I've run wood planers before in shop class, and I own one.

Try watching the machine, maybe even put some chalk marks on the wood to represent a piece of steel.

See just how fast & attentive the operator has to be to shut down in time.

Usually they get it started, and then turn back to the pile to get another board ready.

 

[minimutly]

So, auto feed then? Should be plenty of spare time to stop it automatically - I get your point about manual feed though, and any extra for coils would also need some extra for wood support.
Have you seen a forage harvester go at a row - they stop instantly, saved millions of pounds in damage over the years no doubt.

 

[julianthegypsy]

Its going to easier to use standard metal detecting gear incorporated into a non metallic structure, pass/precheck timber through that. Cant see how you could incorporate a metal detector in a great lump of iron like a planer/thicknesser.

Bob

Have you seen the size of a forage harvester?. The detector normally throws the feed into reverse these days as far as I remember too.

 

[rtcosic]

150mm throat so probably too small for your purposes.