Wood supply

Yes the chain for ripping is sharpened at 15 degrees not the normal 30 to 35. But it still isn’t much fun.

3 Likes

Wider spacing from cutter tooth to cutter tooth too.
Takes more space to clear the l-o-n-g strands cuts out of the kurf.
S.U.

7 Likes

That all makes perfect sense now that you say it. I liked this video. Are these Amish, or maybe Mormon?

7 Likes

Amish, I think. They have some missions in Belize, they helped re-build after hurricane Mitch in 1962, then remained in the area (I am an information junkie, and the internet is my addiction):grin:

6 Likes

Amish in northern Indiana were not allowed to ride on air filled tires. Goshen Indiana down by Argos had big swap meets on Saturday, where they bartered and sold their goods. Haven’t been there in 50 years. Don’t know if it is as big a deal as back then. Tourist from Mi., Ind. and Oh use to come. For the tourist ( like me ), the day was topped off with a meal at The Essin Haus (spell ? ) Family style chicken cooked by true Amish. Hmmm! TomC

6 Likes

It is still a tourist trap and flea market for all I know. I haven’t been in at least 20 years. My mom and her friends go. But the family style dinner rocks it is definitely memorable.

4 Likes

In Belize they will be Mennonite, probably with links to Manitoba.

7 Likes

That would be my guess as well but it is just a guess on my part.

2 Likes

In Northern Indiana they have Amish who are traditional Amish-- speak German live in modest homes with no curtains or electricity and use horses for work and transportation.

Young people who want to break from the Amish become Mennonites. Not sure what all their religion involves, other than they were able to drive cars, as long as they were “black”.

Thanks Sean for kind of and update on Goshen. I always liked the hardware store there that handled wood cooking stoves, heating furnaces ( not furnaces but those that sat in the living room-- old age) and lanterns and chimneys for lanterns, plus other interesting stuff. Often thought on Saturday of our Argos meet, it might be interesting for some of the ladies to take a drive over there. ( leave enough ladies at Argos to fix lunch for us hehe)
TomC

3 Likes

The flea market and most of the antiquing activity is in Shipshewana, Indiana now. The Essenhaus is in Middlebury. Also much Amish activity in Grabill, Indiana, Berne, Indiana, Reading, Michigan, Archbold, Ohio, and many other places. Yes, very touristy. I haven’t been up to Shipshewana in many years. The Amish and the Mennonites are doing great around here. Some are my neighbors. They have their own economy and are happy to sell to anyone with cash. Amish in some areas are allowed to run stationary engines for running sawmills, pumping water, powering a hay-baler, etc. Big Amish farms have a generator quietly running in some out-of- the way area for running milking machines, etc. The biggest thing is to be self-sufficient.

6 Likes

You are correct, Mike. I was talking about “Shipsee”. Did you just know this or did you get it from that “junky habit” on the internet?? hehehe TomC

3 Likes

No, I have actually been there. Shipshewana, Grabill, Berne, Middlebury, Nappanee, Lagrange, Archbold, Reading, I have not eaten at the Essenhaus. Buggies are a constant thing to watch for when driving, went around one this morning taking my son to work. I have been to an Amish sawmill powered by an old farm tractor engine in a frame without wheels, near Reading, Michigan. That was the first time I saw Amish using chain-saws. They still moved the harvest with horses and wagon. I went to an Amish farm to buy some produce, and there was an exhaust pipe coming out of the barn roof “putting” away. The internet is an addiction, yes, but I have dozens of Amish family farms a short bike ride from here. I don’t want to give up my modern life, but they are doing some things right. :relaxed:

8 Likes

Hey Mike, if you went through Lagrange 65 years ago you could have crossed into Michigan and met me in Sturgis. I would not give up my life either, but in many ways I do envy them and I think there are a few on this group who are trying to emanate them. One more story then I’ll quit reminiscing. I went to an Amish auction and they had several refrigeration units off from semi-trailers. I asked about them and was told they bought them for the diesel engines to run stuff; saw mill, generator, well, and even a horse drawn hay baler with a diesel engine. Sorry guys, I will stick to the subject. TomC

6 Likes

Hi everyone, sometimes there is a wood supply right in front you it will work great for gasification.
In the area where I live we have orchards apple, cherry, pear, peach, apricot trees. They all need pruning every year. Years ago they grew the trees bigger and the fruit needed the limbs propped up because of the heavy fruit would break the limbs from the weight. This kind of orcharding practices are not done the trees are smaller and more of them. The big long orchard ladders are not longer used.
This leave all of those wood pole props laying in piles every where.
There are hundreds of these piles though out the area just turning gray. I went down to the corner of the cherry orchard and loaded my truck up with some of these poles. 2"×2", 3"×2", poles 3" dia., most of them 10’ to 12’ long. The pile has been sitting there 25 years and most of the wood was still good, just gray.


Here are some of the short broken ones

They chunked up good.

The way my truck is driving so good this pile and what I have bag so far is probably a week worth of driving, lol.
Bob

12 Likes

Very nice Bob your actual turning a waste into something useful and it is also helping clean up.

4 Likes

Hi Bob,
Its sort of hard to see that old NH baler used that way. But I guess it wasn’t going to be used for anything else. Is there a video of it in operation?
Rindert

2 Likes

chunker working Great, Good thing too know how too build operate and drive off petro,good feeling driveing capabilitys alternate energys. In some ways wood gas operating, reminds me of my first german pedal bike, it was built like a german tank, once i got learned how too ride that bike,it was easy. Keep SWEM.

5 Likes

Hi Rindert, yes look up. Bob’s Wood Chunker.
I show the building of it and operation. It has surpassed what I thought it would do. Processing wood for the gasifier is easy , still some sweat involved but it’s all good.
Bob

3 Likes

If you haven’t asked, a lot of times they have issues getting rid of the limbs as well. Even if you can’t chunk it, it makes good charcoal.

4 Likes

I will have to go down and take a picture of the wood pile of limbs below the orchard, it has double in size the pass few years. The orchard is 15 acres of cherry. Most of the orchard burn their wood prunings yearly. I would guess there is 10 years worth of DOW every day for me to process, and more coming every year. If they ever burn it, there will be a huge pile of charcoal to do charcoal gasification.
Bob

5 Likes