# I need help designing a bandsaw to cut coconuts in 1/2



## jeffersonpope (Aug 3, 2011)

I'm trying to improve a process of cutting coconut in half. Currently this company in Mombasa Africa that makes coconut oil (Coast Coconut Farms) uses 8 employees cutting 7000 coconuts per day by the holding the coconut in one hand while hitting it with a machete. 
Considering their safety I was thinking of a bandsaw that could be auto fed though a pipe letting gravity push the coconut through the blade. The only thing the employee would do now is feed the pipe with coconuts hen pick them up as they fall. 

I'm hopping to get any feedback from anyone that could improve this idea or know how I could design and build this band saw coconut cutter.

This company is a humanitarian project to create jobs and improve lives in Mombasa, Kenya.


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## Gary Beasley (Jan 21, 2009)

In that case it may be more useful to make a guillotine type cutter that the nut can be dropped into and the blade dropped with a long handle. It would spare the need for electric power which might be a stumbling block when upgrading from any hand powered operation.


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## Gary Beasley (Jan 21, 2009)

In the case of having a good electric supply the bandsaw could be set up with a waterwheel type carriage that the nuts can be dropped into and rotated into the path of the blade. the nuts would then fall out at the bottom of the revolution into a chute for collection. The wheel would need to be powered with a reduction drive to control the cutting speed. A free rotation could cause a rapid bind and broken blade.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Gary Beasley said:


> In that case it may be more useful to make a guillotine type cutter that the nut can be dropped into and the blade dropped with a long handle. It would spare the need for electric power which might be a stumbling block when upgrading from any hand powered operation.


Great minds... That was the first thing that came to mind for me too. If a machete works so will that. Less likely to get a bunch of shell shards with a guillotine too...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

First thing that popped into my mind with the band saw was the oil in the nut will let the blade slide off the rubber track on the wheels.


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## jaxonquad (Jan 26, 2011)

jiju1943 said:


> First thing that popped into my mind with the band saw was the oil in the nut will let the blade slide off the rubber track on the wheels.


Im not sure there's any difference, but what about a meat cutters BS? May track the same IDK, but I'm sure it is easier to clean. Why not try some type of sled rather than dropping the cnuts onto the blade? That's my .02


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## bzguy (Jul 11, 2011)

Here in Belize they use the machete method and also one that appears much safer?
They simply mount a short wide knife blade or any similar home-made object on a bench, pointed up, protruding 1&1/2" to 2" or so.
They swing the coconuts down grasped at oval end, pointed-end down.
One swing pierces it with 6-8" of coconut between hand and blade for safety.
Then a simple 2-handed twist pries it open along longitudinal grain easily.
No electric, low-budget, can be mastered in short time.


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