Another tired woodgasser, reporting in.
13 hour day, ten new computers installed for a customer and covered 40 miles on woodgas. Guess which one makes me smile most? 
Here it is: peat for fuel, BBB,
Mr Wayne,
Are you going to the Arkansas Woodgas Meet? If you are going, and have two of the small barrels you would be willing to part with. I would like to purchase two of the small barrels and lids with lock rings. I only need the top section and lids on both. They are for access to the hopper and filter. I have been looking for two here in Arkansas since April with no luck. If you are not coming to the meet or have no barrels to part with, no problem.
Thanks either way.
Chris Thompson
Good Morning Chris,
As bad as I hate it I’m not going to be able to make the trip to out to Richard’s . I feel like I am letting Richard and the other wood gassers out that way down but I just can’t turn a loose right now. I will not go all into details but very strange year weather wise and farming have put me way behind. Also I usually have plenty of sawmill slabs for firewood but this year I had to quit sawing for the public so no slabs . ( looks like the wife might have to use green wood this year if I don’t get some wood cut quick) I had rather eat barbed wire as work on Sundays but it looks like I will be driving home with headlights on again today.
At one time I had plenty of the small barrels but haven’t found them lately. The gasifier I started on this summer I used bolted flange lids vs the drum lids .
Pictures here .
http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/waynes-94-ram-1500-4x4-318/850/100
Would have realy like to meet you and see Carl , Richard and the gang again.
BBB
Wayne, Thanks for the response. No problem. I have a small farm also. No matter which way I look, N, S, E or W, something is broken and I have to place priorities as to which to fix first. We will get together one of these days. I have a cousin in Cullman and will be coming that way soon. You have to do what has to be done. Take care and be safe.
Thanks
Chris T
October 1 is my favorite day of the year. It usually corresponds to that first cool morning I can walk outside, take a deep breath, and realize that we’ve survived another Texas summer. I believe the expected morning low on Sunday is supposed to be 48 - first time we’ve been below 50 since April 13th, and that was a rare late cool snap.
Texas really is a pleasant place to live 8 months out of the year - it’s those other 4 that are the killer.
Making an old tool into a new different tool. Also making a handle by hand from a fruit branch found on our property. Lots of plum wood shavings for smoking! Tool itself was previously an old Pulaski that I ground a fine edge on it to convert it into an Adze/Hatchet combo. My Adze head picture didn’t turn out so I’ll go take more pictures soon.
Brian, I have to say… that’s a really slow way to make gasifier fuel.
It’s only about 75% done since I was working with seasoned Plum wood (HARD STUFF!) which had a few small knots. The original branch was 4" diameter and I need the fat end (which wedges into the tool head) to be an oval slightly bigger than 3" by 2".
PS: That pile of shavings is the result of about 1.5 hours of carving but I needed to rehone my chisel edge twice in the process.
Hi Brian
We call it a Mattock.
Happy hoeing
Patrick
Patrick: You are correct that it is more accurately a “Mattock”. A “Pulaski” is specifically a Wildlands Firefighter’s tool to make fire breaks and as a result has a “fireaxe” head on the inline side.
My experience with such tools has always been with people calling them “Pulaskis”, regardless of which type it is. I heard the term from both Park Rangers doing trail building/maintainence and from Firefighters on SAR (Search And Rescue) missions.
My modified “MattAdze” has a MUCH sharper 90 degree edge than before and will be used for wood carving.
Practicing for my firetube fins and making a heat-sink/-transfer plate for my propane “fireplace” to help get heat into the house vs up the chimney.
I made it that far on a “full” bottle of shielding gas before it ran out. That makes 2 of the 5 tanks of shielding gas I’ve gotten this year were more or less empty when I got them. They were from 2 different companies, too. Well, there goes my plans for this bit of nice weather…
Brian
On your set up do you have a gauge that tells you the pressure on your tank or only the out put to the welder?
Mine has both so I can see how much gas I’m using in a welding session. It also tells me I have leak in my system I haven’t found yet. If memory is right my last tank was around 2000 psi when I put it on
Tom
Are you oogling my Hugeling? One of my side projects is a couple of small PermaCulture patches on our rented property. One of the schools of thought among PermaCulturists is called “HugelKulture”, which is building piled layered beds that mimic the layers of a forest floor. The bottom is rotting logs, next medium branches, next leaves, and finally straight compost with some compost mixed into the other layers to help break things down.
Today, I got some rotting logs, mostly Alder (a nitrogen fixer, fairly quick breakdown) and Maple, with some Fir mixed in and layed out my base layer. As you can see, I used my chainsaw to notch out one end of all the base layer logs and tie them together with a nested cross-log. I seeded the logs with Oyster Mushroom spawn to digest the cellulose, topped them with a bit of dry grass clippings, some compost juices, and then some Spruce branches that fell night before last.
Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to layer in some dried blackberry canes and other smaller branches from around the property.
I wish I had easy/legal access to some green/fresh Alder leaves for my leaf layer, as they are also very good for nitrogen fixing into the soil.
More later.
My progress can be followed with public access here http://www.permies.com/t/27957/gardening-beginners/Brian-Permie-Patch-Projects
Tom: No, my welder/gas regulator don’t have any sort of built in pressure meters to show how full they are.
Brian; Are you having “your” tanks refilled or are you taking in tanks for exchange. If they are refilling your tanks, it is possible that they fill them to fast and they heat up, but loose pressure by the time they cool down. I would highly recommend spending a couple of bucks and get a gauge you can use to measure the pressure after cool down and before the tank leaves the shop. If you are exchanging tanks I doubt if two different companies could be having light fill-ups. In both cases I have two recommendations to conserve gas. First, the high pressure tanks have a “double” sealing valve. You must open the valve ALL the way every time so gas won’t leak around the stem. Second, if you are not going to use your tank for say 15 minutes or so, shut the valve off. Screwing the valve all the way from full open to close and vice virsa is a pain but this will keep you from leaving it open over night or for extended lengths of time.
Picture 1: ALMOST THERE!
Picture 2: Got the handle on snuggly and ready to test. This is a BEFORE log picture.
Picture 3: I didn’t have the most optimal angle for a swing but it cut well and smoothly.
Picture 4: Side view.
Picture 5: The after damages.
Tom C.: I’m getting tank exchanges. The first time this happened, the guys at the shop swapped it out with free delivery. He said they fill their exchange tanks once a week and might do 500 in a lot. Sometime a valve doesn’t get openned during the fill or closed afterwards which leaves an empty tank being put into the “full” rack.
I will be investing in a pressure gauge for my unit/tanks.
Thought I’d share a few pictures of pressing apple juice and making applesauce, I guess we did about 45 gallons total. here’s a link to a video I posted on YouTube of making apple juice.
Hey Jonathan
Thanks for the video and pics.
I used to spend a week in Henderson county each October. When I came home I would always bring apples. Up your way they sure grow good!
Hey Wayne
We get our apples from justus Farm in Hendersonville, we have been getting them there for the last 10 years or so, it sure makes some good juice, we get a crate at a time about 22 bushels worth.
If you want some great apple juice just swing by our house.