Jeff you lucky dog! In my book the chopper is the best firewood processing machine there is. Hope you got a good deal on it.
Gary in PA
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Hi Bill,
Your dang close with that bite. It’s a fire wood processor. It winches in a log cuts it with a shear then splits. No saw to sharpen. Someday this will be my woodgas powered saw or in this case shear. I almost fell over when I saw it. It’s been used a lot and looks like it will need a bit of work to get going but the auctioneer said that the owner said it was working a year ago. The forestry agency did a study of sheared firewood and said that it dried faster or at least that’s the story I read. Some day I’ll overhaul/rebuild it.
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Thanks Gary, I didn’t steal it but I could never build it for what I paid for it. I read that the man that built them died and no one took over the company.
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Oh, can’t wait to char some chompted firewood…
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Well, the new chomper, trailer, three propane tanks and snow plow made it home but not without a story.
The trailer is too big for the car but I’ll drive slow and I have a pinto hook that will slide into the receiver. Hey, why not put the heavey chomper on the trailer and save a trip. After all the tongue weight of the chomper is way more than the car can handle and I just spent $800 getting the rear end rebuilt last year. It’ll balance out on the trailer and I’ll drive slower yet.
It took an hour, fork lift and a 4wd tractor with high lift to get it loaded. No way can i tell the whole story… 
Way over loaded, lots of fog and down the road we go. Started to smell something but it seemed to go away. 2nd gear all the way at about 25 mph. Got home and smelled something for sure. Hmmm, above that cat converter lots of oil. Not tranny oil maybe engine oil. Wiped some off with rag, smelled a bit like the anti rust oil I get sprayed on. Maybe the cat converted melts that stuff going up hills… I hope. Checked the engine oil and it might be a bit low so, hey, I’ll add about half a quart and hook up the normal size trailer and dad and i will get the snow plow.
Down the road we go and about 3 miles from the auction house we disappear into the fog… Worse yet. Almost missed the big driveway. Could still smell something. Got loaded and back down the road we go. Made it home and looked under the car and oil was every were. Even the rear bumper and rear window… Well stupid, that’s me, didn’t put the oil cap back on… 
At the rate I’m going I will not have anything to drive to Argos…
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This was posted by Kelly on another list.
Organic Farming appears to be the big opportunity and there’s a long list of Claimed Uses for Wood Vinegar
Following are a few links to articles that you may find of interest.
History and Use of Wood Pyrolysis Liquids as Biocide and Plant Protection Product
Effect of wood vinegar on soil properties and plant growth
http://www.plantnutrifert.org/EN/abstract/abstract3253.shtml
The Use of Wood Vinegar In Reducing The Dependence On Agro-Chemicals
Effects of wood vinegar on the soil microbial characteristics
http://jocpr.com/vol6-iss3-2014/JCPR-2014-6-3-1254-1260.pdf
Kelly
–
Kelly Burnham
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I especially liked the wood vinegar paper.
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Need to get the Kemp on a trailer and up higher for a screen etc… Been thinking about building a trailer and all the material it would suck up. Well now, I was mowing to day and in the weeds I found an old auction score… 
Was thinking about using the tank to store hot heating water some day but now I’m thinking charcoal silo… It’s fiber glass.
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Hi Jeff
your twister you are able to produce coal cooked perfectly?
How big timber you are using?
Thierry
Hi Thierry,
The twister burned chopped switch grass. That was back in the day when I was trying to do something with switch grass. I used a leaf blower to blow the grass in to the burner. It did make grass charcoal. It was tricky to do and I do not recall the quality or quantity of char. Sawdust should work but tricky.
I had a short twister top that set on top of a barrel kiln like GaryG. It shortened the double cooker down to about one and a third in height. The barrel was cooled some, by the vortex, so the barrel might last longer. If I recall correctly the twister top burned up more of the charcoal and needed an electric fan.
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Looks like the end caps of a home heating propane tank. 
They will probably work good as cone kilns. surround with a sheet metal skirt air space at bottom like the Kon tiki.
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Hi Mike and Bruce,
I was thinking propane tank also but no. Something from a mill. I think steel mill. Something is delivered to the “mill” inside of some kind of container. And these things are part of the container. These two are 40 inches in diameter. Hope it is not radioactive! 
Always wanted a cone kiln so I hope this shape will work. I would like to make a continuous version. I also have a 2000 gallon tank that I could stand on end, cut a door in and have the cone inside a fire proof housing.
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Had some time to give it a try. Well almost, I was doing about three other things at the same time so could not devote the quality time it deserves.
Need to work on my start up skills but I honestly believe that this is a keeper! I think this will obsolete the barrel system for me.
Here is a short video.
Here is the 2000 gallon tank I want to house it in.
Till next time.
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Wow, now that’s what I call a storage tank. Fill that up and you will have plenty of fuel to run things on.
Bob
Hi Bob, I am planning on using the tank as a small fire proof cone kiln room. Insulate the cone from the outside elements. It would be nice to make it continuous but with the size of this cone I am not sure if it is necessary. Stand it up right, cut a door in the side of the tank, put the cone inside and weld an axle and tongue under it. Oh, a stack also. Put the heat shield around the cone and install some air intake pipes from the outside, just for kicked.
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Would it be airtight for cooling?
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For startup it is recommended to build a small “log cabin” stack to get things going. That works good for starting the fire down in the bottom of my curtain kiln barrel.
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Yes, air tight for cooling.
For the above first run I used a shovel to scoop out the red hot char and into an air tight 55 gallon drum. After every third scoop I stuck the end of the shovel In to the pond water to keep from damaging the wood handle.
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