U. S. A. Cross Country trip

I am not sure if this is true for wood going to Canada and back, but I think building lumber that has been heat treated (kiln dried) with an HT stamp on it can cross the border. Anyone who could speak from experience on that? Its probably not a very economical solution, but a load of dry 2x4s and a circular saw might get you enough chunks to get across and to the next resupply point. It would probably raise less eyebrows at the border, too.

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Actually, all you need is a drivers license and a birth certificate or a passport.

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None of that will be a problem we all have U.S. passports.

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I think I can confirm that. We had a little course at work a few years ago about that, they were quite particular about dunnage lumber for international shipping being HT stamped.

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This afternoon I wanted to see what I could do with an old small circular saw and some junk lumber so I could get an idea for chunking some wood for Jakob on his trip next year. So I got to sawing, and I had two pieces of old lumber each 2x8 inch and probably 6 feet long. After chunking into pieces probably 3x2x2 inches, I filled up a garbage can and weighed it. It came out to just under 35 pounds without the garbage can. In about 10-15 minutes I finished.


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Perfect! Now use your hatchet to chop these into finger sized pieces. (Do not hold the wood with your fingers while you chop, else you get bloody finger tips.) Put them in a TLUD stove, boil a pot of potatoes, make a dozen hard-boiled eggs, and some hot water. When the flames go out, you will have only glowing charcoal in the stove, which is dumped out into a container with an air-tight lid. Lacking that, dump it into a pail of water, and then dry the charcoal out later by laying it on a sidewalk or hunk of tin in the hot sun. Save this charcoal. All Gasifiers need charcoal. They either make it on the fly, or in the case of the Simple-Fire, just use it as is.

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What do you have to have to prove that wood has been heat treated?

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Thanks Tyler I processed wood that way for a long time It works. I will keep you in mind as planning progresses and let you know if we can make it that way.

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Thanks Jakob, it’s good for when I make a gasifier eventually as well.

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Let me know if you happen to be coming through Colorado. I would love to meet you. And we have a bunch of wood you can have.
Rindert

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I think it will need a stamp that reads “HT.” Kiln dried lumber will have this on it along with the grade stamp and the name of the mill, etc. Not all lumber is kiln dried, but its by no means hard to find.

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Rindert, that is great! We did not realize you were in CO. Not sure why not snce it’s easy to read. Do you have a chunker/processor of some kind?

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No chunker, at this point I have an electric chainsaw, hatchet other small tools. But if I know when you are coming I can have some ready for you. I suppose harder, denser wood is better? I have some ash and elm probably about a ton. And about two tons more of cotton wood, pine, russian olive and other yard tree wood I don’t know the names of. A friend also has a downed elm that I think I could get just for asking. We get a lot of very dry weather here in Colorado, so naturally most of this wood is very dry. Let me know.
Rindert

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Rindert, Your’s would be a very welcome stop. Just perfect along the route and distance from Wichita.

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Jacob
sounds like a lot of fun! Pray that i can clean up my act here. Theoretically , I could have wood and a place to camp May the Lord give me the energy and the skill
God Bless
Larry

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Hey Larry,
Glad to hear from you again. Looks like you survived our Chicago sightseeing tour :smile:

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Dear JO

It was great hanging out with you guys. I am excited about Jacob and family coming to my place. I have a lot of clean up to do!

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Its not easy!! You need to be certified by the USDA and have a time temp recording of the batch of wood you are hauling.For pallets it is 133 deg for 1/2 hour in the thickest part of the pallet., for fire wood it is longer and higher I believe.
If the wood chunks have no bark and no ash or pine then the USDA may give you a certificate that would make it acceptable to move, boiler fuel chunks or chips are in a different category that lumber though.

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I think, if you are really going into Canada, You should expect to unload all fuel wood and vacuum the dust and any bark chunks. Then obtain processed wood in Canada and proceed on that until you are ready to come back across repeating the purge and vac. Yes, you will need help, and a letter from someone important about the significant environmental demonstration mission you are on would help. I would bring a portfolio of information and photos documenting the modern history of driving on wood gas. You may have to educate the officials. One heck of an adventure awaits and may the force (and God) be with you! :open_mouth:

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Would I have to clean the char out of the Fire tube, and clean out the ash?

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