Hi Folks.
I was wondering if any body had come up with a way of turning sawdust and the like into logs suitable for a wood burning stove. I know you can by big industrial machines for this job but has anybody come up with a home version?
The 11 bags of thicknesser droppings are starting to look unsightly.
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Glynn
Replies
Dear Guy,
I have never attempted what you are suggesting, although I have occasionally burned dust and shaving with exciting results. I'll be interested to see what others suggest. I don't suppose that simply mixing the stuff with Napalm would be all that feasible.
Best,
John
I tell you what if you try it you can let me know!
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I think the answer to this has something to do with a car jack a length of metal tube and some fantastic welding.
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Glynn
Dear Guy,
For that "natural" crackle log, some black powder could be mixed in as well.Best,JohnAt least it wouldn't be a struggle to light.
Yea Thanks John
Now how do you make a big #### machine like that in the link above out of house hold parts?
Glynn
Dear Mike,
That might be a stretch, but I am thinking that if I had a steam shovel, a 1920's washing machine and a crate of surplus airplane parts. All typically attainable around the house. That would be a good first step. I'll have to look through my bomb shelter and see if I have any extra Napalm, though....................Best,John
All
I bet Norm could do it.
Glynn.
Dear Glynn,
I'm sure he could, but he would have the Delta "Dust and Shavings, Log Making Machine"- Machine, or DSLMMM for short, where you feed scrap metal into one end and it spits out the log making machines out the other. What sport is there in that? What I am really looking for is a machine that I can feed rock embedded stumps into one end and it then spits out finished Windsor chairs out the other. Now that would be useful.Best,John
Ladies and gentlemen, Boys and girls !!!!!
It is with grate pleasure I introduce to you.
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The Briquette Pooper (Version 1) (probable Version 1 of a hole lot more).
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He’s what I’m talking about.
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Yea Baby.
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All made from items found lying around the (I used the term loosely) Garden.
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Glynn.<!----><!---->
Dear Glynn,
Well, OK, if you want to be a sissy about it.....................I am kidding, of course. That is pretty neat. What do you use a binder? What holds it all together, or do you just mash it in dry? I wonder if a little vegetable oil would work, or diesel fuel........... there's always gasoline..................Best,John
Edited 10/21/2007 12:32 pm ET by Jmartinsky
John, John, John.
What holds it together is me; very carefully!
And if I’m lucky I can get nearly, what 40% up to the house and into the fire.
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It’s supposed to stick from the heat from the pressure causing the resins to bind.
But I think I need a larger jack. Anyway I’m on version 3.75 now and patents are pending.
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Tar might be a good binder.
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Glynn
What about out dated shellac, varnish or poly as a binder?Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Dear Bruce.
I normally use that kind of stuff on my best projects.
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I think using any kind of binder at best is going to be very messy and if you take Johns advice just down right deadly.
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Here’s an action shot of the Briquette Pooper V3.75
I can’t give too much away but I thick I need a thinner tube<!----><!---->
I had to cut the pipe to get the log out.
Fine dust holds a lot better then thicknesser droppings.
The logs I’ve made have been heating my lounge for the last few hours.
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Glynn.<!----><!---->
Nice set up.
Some 30 odd years ago,while I was in the boy scouts We did pretty much the same thing, except we use wax as a binder, the logs were sliced up and use as fire starters.
The wax starts easily and the saw dust burns for a surprisingly long time.
Good luck on your experiments, Please let us know how the hole thing turns out?
C.A.G.
Curtis
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Question.
What sort of pressure did you use?
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I’m thinking of throwing a small amount of cash at this and have been trying to find out how much pressure is actually needed to bind shavings with out additives but I’m having a whole lot of trouble.
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I can get a bottle jack with 8 ton pressure but I don’t know if that’s enough or even if it’s suitable. A bottle jack takes time to pump up and I don’t know if a faster force is going to heat the shavings up enough or even if that’s what is needed.
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I don’t know much about this subject full stop.
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Glynn
Now when We did this, It was about 30yrs ago Now. (Long before people started selling pressed logs and such.)
What we did was much simpler than what you are doing. we melted wax in a double boiler and added wood chips and saw dust into the wax while stirring, until it was solid. and then we packed the wax and wood into a cardboard tube.( old toilet paper tubes) we used wooden dowels to press the wood inside the tubes.(hand pressure only no equipment,other than kids jumping up and down .) once compressed we let the hole thing cool. then after. we would cut the tube and all into small 1" pieces and use them for starter. I once tried to light a hole tube and it burned easily, and lasted a long time.( but I have no idea on how long it realy lasted, But I did get my merrit badge, Thats all I was realy looking for at that time.)
I'm sorry I cant remember any more about it. but it was a very simple experiment.
Good luck on your venture! I hope everything works out well for you. ;-)C.A.G.
Just like last time you cannot keep your ideas to yourself!
I hope you survive this time round, but will keep mum until the day has gone.
Dear Mufti.
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It’s not a case of keeping the thing to myself it’s just this system hasn’t been passed by <!----><!----><!---->Brussels<!----><!----> yet.
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Glynn.
News Flash
HRH Gordon Brown is thinking of implementing a new “Pooper Tax”.
Edited 10/21/2007 1:38 pm ET by Guy Forks
I saw something like you describe years ago. An old hot water heater, or at least that's what it looked like was used to burn sawdust. The sawdust was dumped and then packed into the heater and around a 4" steel pipe,flue I imagine.
This was in a small machine shop in the dead of the winter. The sawdust I was told was given away free from an adjoining shop that was closed the day I was there.
The heat output was quite surprising, with an assist from a small box fan the shop was warm all over.My guess the shop was 15x25 and no insulation in the walls.
Owner said he got the idea from a magazine.
mike
Hi Mike
I just want the logs for our lounge fire and to get rid of the stuff.
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I’ve just looked in a supplier’s catalogue to see some specs and they don’t give any anymore.
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Glynn
google with "briquetting press"
Here you go:
http://www.briquetting.com/mas_holz.php
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