# Thermal Usage Gasifier, Is Tar Or Cracked Tar Better?
**URL:** http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/thermal-usage-gasifier-is-tar-or-cracked-tar-better/1001
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [December 6, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/thermal-usage-gasifier-is-tar-or-cracked-tar-better/1001 "2013-12-06T18:48:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BrianHWA](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BrianHWA)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/thermal-usage-gasifier-is-tar-or-cracked-tar-better/1001/1 "2013-12-06T18:48:48Z")
I’m curious about making a super simple/cheap woodchip gasifier for the sole purpose of making hot burning gas, not running it through an engine. My thoughts are to make a small portible unit that could feed woodgas to either a propane stove burner or to 1/2 of a oxy-woodgas cutting torch.
I’ve heard that tarry gas will produce a more power in an engine, but would it actually burn hotter in a cutting torch vs fully cracking the tars into closer to engine-grade gas? I’m thinking that tarry gas may burn hotter overall, but not burn quick enough to be used for cutting/heating torch and just end up making a very long flare instead of the intended small concentrated torch.
If we think tarry gas will burn quick enough with oxygen to be effective, I would just be able to make a small FEMA unit to supply the needed burner gas.
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### Author:  [@Chris](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Chris)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/thermal-usage-gasifier-is-tar-or-cracked-tar-better/1001/2 "2013-12-06T19:19:19Z")
Unless you’re burning it right at the gasifier, any tar you make will plug up the works. That propane burner has fine passages, as does a cutting torch.
For a direct stove, the tar is not an issue. As soon as you try to pipe the gas somewhere, it has the potential to collect tar.
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### Author:  [@BrianHWA](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BrianHWA)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/thermal-usage-gasifier-is-tar-or-cracked-tar-better/1001/3 "2013-12-06T19:27:54Z")
I thought about that about 20 seconds after I hit the “save” (post) button… 😛
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### Author:  [@Patrick1](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Patrick1)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/thermal-usage-gasifier-is-tar-or-cracked-tar-better/1001/4 "2013-12-06T19:49:27Z")
Brian you would have to compress it some how to get it in to a torch to mix with oxygen as an oxy acet set, so your compressor would also gum up with tar!
Keep the ideas comming
Patrick
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### Author:  [@ray\_menke](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/ray_menke)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/thermal-usage-gasifier-is-tar-or-cracked-tar-better/1001/5 "2013-12-06T20:32:25Z")
Brian Ham, have you followed the work Agua Das did with his Dasifier? Here is a video where he is casting some bronze bells. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t08tj4NWUQY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t08tj4NWUQY)
He is using a refrigeration compressor as a high pressure air source, but I think I saw somewhere where he said it would work with a tall chimney. Here is another site showing some photos of a construction: [Dasifier - Dick's Foundry Adventures](https://sites.google.com/site/dicksfoundry/Home/dasifier)
Ray