The Know - Recycling - Garden Shredders

About

the know is a space for gathering to view, discuss, or create culture (with a lowercase "c").
in the "lobby", you can sit and read, relax and have a refreshment, look around on the internet, or meet a new friend.

our focus is on local and independent movies, theatre, performance, and "otherstream" music. but we also like ecclectic cinematic treats, quasi-academic film studies, experimentation, and a little goofing around.

the know's events are usually "all-ages", as we won't usually be serving alcohol (with the exception of a rare special event such as an art opening).

send us your ideas and suggestions. let us know if you have an event in mind (maybe something you made) or something else to share.

and, thank you for joining us on this adventure. we hope we can offer you a little something different, fun, useful, or interesting in your daily routine.

Location

2026 ne alberta in lovely portland, oregon

you can send us email at
info[at]theknow.info
the phone-robot is down these days (to everyone's delight)
no phone just yet

snail mail can go to
the know
2026 ne alberta
portland or 97211 usa

you can also sign up for our mailing list.

Choose the right garden shredder

What to do with branches from the size of your shrubs and hedges? They clutter your garden and are difficult to transport! The solution ? The crusher ! It makes it possible to reduce this plant waste by 60 to 80%. And once reduced to chips, this wood is easily bagged for recycling green waste, or better it joins the compost or makes an excellent mulch to protect plants from the cold of winter

The selection criteria related to plants and the gardener

The plants to grind

Cleaning of beds, pruning of hedges, roses and other shrubs ... the mulcher will not have the same characteristics depending on the work carried out in the garden. Power and cutting system vary depending on whether you are mulching foliage or branches. Target your needs to target your shredder.

Green and tender plants
You have a small garden, without a large shrub and no large pruning work to be done before winter. So you mainly need to shred: flexible leaves and branches, but also small plant waste such as wilted flowers, wilted vegetable plants, dead leaves.
Choose a conventional shredder with a blade cutting system or a turntable. A power of 2000 W will allow you to cut branches up to 35 mm in diameter.

Soft and medium-sized branches of wood
You have a slightly larger garden, where large shrubs, a beautiful hedge and middle-aged conifers grow. The pruning work is already more substantial and you need to shred branches up to 40 mm in diameter. Opt for a powerful electric shredder (2200 to 2500W for a torque of 600Nm to 650Nm), with a blade system with a knife-holder rotor, and a funnel chute for passing large branches.

Hardwood branches, large in diameter
You have a large garden, almost a park with large trees, dense hedges of several years, and an orchard with old fruit trees. Carry your choice on a cutter rotor grinder capable of grinding branches 45mm in diameter. On the power side, favor a powerful electric motor (2800W).

User comfort

The grinder is an easy to use device. Turn it on and pass the roughly trimmed and delimbed vegetables through the chute. You collect them at the exit in the form of wooden cutters.

Moving the shredder
A shredder with wheels and a reasonable weight for you (10 to 30 kg depending on the model) can more easily be brought close to the branches you have just cut.

Pass the branches through the shredder

The supply chute is the tube located at the top of the mill. The narrower and taller it is, the safer it is, but the more the branch should be straight and well cleaned of all foliage.
The funnel-shaped models save you time. They allow you to grind more plants at the same time, especially less prepared branches, which have kept their leaves. To this is added an automatic training of the plants in the device avoiding you to push them yourself by hand: less effort and more safety!

Pick up at the outlet of the crusher

If the model does not have a built-in collection box, remember to extend a tarpaulin under the discharge chute. Moreover, the more it is vertical, the less it risks becoming engorged. Thus, the new models of shredder with integrated tank no longer present this risk.

A noise level to take into account

Grinders are noisy devices. Their use generates a noise level of 90 to more than 100 dB depending on the model. This is the same noise level as a lawn mower or an electric chainsaw in use. Cutter rotor mills are the least noisy due to their cutting system, reaching around 88dB.
It is therefore strongly recommended to wear hearing protection: headphones, earplugs, etc.

Security
The shredder manufacturers have made their device very safe: circuit breaker in the event of jamming, suitable pusher, funnel chute, automatic plant drive, etc. However, these safety elements do not exempt you from personal protection: noise-canceling headphones, protective glasses in the event of projection, etc. (See the paragraph on safety advice)

Selection criteria related to the shredder

The grinding system

The two main cutting systems for shredders offered by the manufacturers are the blade turntable shredder and the knife-holder rotor shredder.

The rotary blade shredder

The principle of the blade cutting system consists of a plate supporting reversible knives (which increases its service life). The motor rotates this plate at high speed: 3650 rpm at Bosch thanks to its fast Powerdrive motor coupled to an additional gear. The system remains noisy, but allows very fine grinding of branches from 30 to 40mm in diameter. In the event of a jam, the release is done manually, by accessing the turntable.

The knife holder rotor crusher

This is a toothed wheel which drives and cuts into small rings the branches 40mm in diameter, or even 45mm for a high torque of gears. The motor turns this rotor at 41 rpm. Slower, the engine is quieter. In the event of blockage, it is enough to reverse the direction of rotation of the wheel to bring out the engaged branch.

Other cutting systems

The turbine system : a cutting system with profiled funnel which practically prevents any blockage.
Grinding by mobile flail : the branch is first sucked up by a large pre-grinding blade to be then cut more finely by 12 mobile flails.
Engine power and gear torque
Opt for a shredder with a powerful electric motor (2800W) if you have a large fleet where the use of the shredder is very frequent during the year. Electric shredder models can reach a cutting capacity of 45mm, thanks to an innovative cutting system: the turbine system (see above).
For gardens with a more reasonable surface area, the 2000-2200W electric motor will be the most suitable for autumn work, with only a few uses per year.
The higher the torque, the higher the cutting capacity. Thus, a gear torque of 12Nm overcomes a small diameter of branches (35 mm), while a torque of 650Nm grinds branches of 4cm in diameter without concern.

Zine

the know also publishes an occasional (hopefully monthly) zine, know how.
this zine is a paper extension of the space itself. it is a calendar of events not only at the know, but also of small, independent film and productions elsewhere around town. it is a forum for diy film and theater. you might find articles on movies, acting, production, technology, or low-budget effects. there are rants and reviews and, of course, ridiculousness.

spaces, places, general collectives, artgroups

gracie's
gives love (and brunchy memories) group style sito
long running non-profit website dedicated to collaborative art and offering artists a place to display examples of their work. la palabra cafe-press
café and think-space created in honor of words, language, text, and ideas
liberty hall
community space with all the trimmings telegraph arts
art networking resource and all-around facilitator spare room
readings, hostings, word farmers
liminal group
portland-based performance and media ensemble the charm bracelet
exploration of creative film/video and multimedia work falling outside the scope of commercially driven environments 411 collective
space in se portland dedicated to the process of free improvisation
center for artistic research
portland techie inter-disciplinary art installations 2 gyrlz performative arts
2 gyrlz online zine
news, review, clues about portland underscene
lecture series
talks given the way "academics" should be itisness
part market, part theater, part school, all love! the new space
photo studio and venue for film, performance, and more
nocturnal
portland club and people-space with monthly video screenings artfo
non-commodification art-music-video-clubhouse-coop temporary services
making art even more confusing and enjoyable
movie, theater, filmic goodies
cinema project
supporting independent and experimental film lighthouse cinema
occasional screenings in the old fwc locale oregon department of kick ass
film and video in a kick ass way
peripheral produce
a portland-based screening/distribution network for experimental and underground film and video rodeo film co
films by matt mccormick kow films
the little film production house that could
portlandfilm.org
movie-making resources for the rose city consolidated works
film screenings at this seattle arts center hello! video
monthly video screening madness
the know
hey why not? the tiny picture club
super-8 filmmakers extraordinaire c-level
l.a.-area cooperative laboratory for filmmakers and more
cashiers du cinemart
excellent underground-film zine, great links b-independent
cult film, etc. flying focus video collective
activists using video as a tool for social change, voicing the voiceless.
hollywood theatre
beautiful, benevolent and dependable non-profit movie theatre on portland's east side.
community / people
city repair
activists interested in community-oriented, sustainable planning and merriment dignity village
portland's village for (formerly) homeless persons bianca
community spirit old-school style
pattern language
slowly rebuilding the world
zines, news, info
iprc.org
local independent publishing resource center portland indymedia
a collective of independent media organizations and hundreds of journalists offering grassroots, non-corporate coverage of news portland zine symposium
a diy education-focused conference in portland, on all zine-like
reading frenzy
an independently owned bookstore located in downtown portland featuring zines, comics and books kboo 90.7 fm
listener-sponsored, volunteer-powered, non-corporate community radio the organ
local arts publication that skirts the border of the above/under-ground scenes
microcosm publishing
equipment for revolution brainfag
comics and wacky personal experiments expertly executed. streetroots
Portland newspaper by homeless,"for those who can't afford free speech."
z.a.p.
based in seattle, the zine archive project exists to validate independent publications, to promote the perpetuation of the art form, and to champion freedom of speech and creative cultural evolution. stay free!
a nonprofit magazine examining commercialism and amerikan culture craig's list
a community message board for portland area
portland (or other) local-good-business
alberta food co-op
down the street, organic and well-stocked people's food co-op
an organic local natural food store stumptown coffee roasters
really great local coffee, good to workers, farmers, earth (maybe not your gut)
stumptown printers
firefly press + blackberry press = stumptown printers ; where all image and word on paper is done right
bikes not-cars
shift to bikes
portland shifts to bikes go by bicycle
an excellent suggestion! citybikes co-op
worker-owned southeast portland bike goodness
community cycling center
alberta bike co-op joy bicycle transportation alliance
advocacy for two-wheeledness portland critical mass
monthly bike ride, starts under burnside bridge each final friday at 5:30
chunk 666
half bike, half science, half insane mythology; all fun zoo bomb
gravity-fueled, two-wheeled street madness affecting bikes in portland and beyond center for appropriate transport
eugene bike advocacy
commute options
what? i dont have to drive an suv? think small
subverting automobile dominance car-free cities
ah, what a wonderful world it would be
recycling broyeur, technology reclamation
rebuilding center
used building materials in portland free geek
a portland organization that recycles technology and provides computers, education, job skills and internet access in exchange for community service. s.c.r.a.p.
why put stuff in a landfill when it can be used creatively?
access space
public lab in the uk that uses zero cost computers reclaimed from the trash and linux
"other" / misc / stuff!
big bang circus
all-in-one circus madness including clownarchy by pepto dizmal outside in
a social service agency serving low income adults and homeless youth bad corp
find out how you are funding your own oppression -- get the scoop on evil corporations and why they are so
the alt.portland guide
a low-budget guide to portland the portland cacophony society
a randomly gathered network of free-spirits seeking new adventures beyond the pale of mainstream society detritus.net
a web site about fine art and pop culture. lofty postmodern theory and grassroots resistance.
diggers.org
before there were hippies, there were diggers unliscensed therapist
the future of professionalism