Life goes on - Summer 2021

Hey @KristijanL !
Time to step up a notch :smile: :smile: :smile:

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Power back on at 12:30 yesterday = 29 hrs off.
Ran my 5 kw generator about 16 hrs for refrigerator, coffee, TV, and lights on about 5 gallons of Dino fuel.
It is set up for woodgas but since I have procrastinated on the charcoal gasifier I can only run it through the truck system = too big to too little to be reliable.
The little Harbor Freight 2000 generator ran for 28 hours to keep my neighbor (hospice) going. Used no oil and burned about 2 gallons of gas. I have been very impressed with that 45 lb generator.

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Yep, that’s my plan as well Cody. Start small, but start. I first wanted to run an aquaponic greenhouse and all the grow lights off wood gas, generator charged batteries. Ended up seeing that that was not going to happen, at least any time soon, but everything happening around us right this minute says that soon is the priority. Now I have four 215 AH Duracell golf cart batteries tied to a Go Power 55 amp charger and a Giandel 1200 watt pure sine inverter. I don’t think I have 800 dollars in the thing right now and I am assured that I can keep the fan and pumps for my wood heater running and the fridge and small freezer. That would at least get me through our worst storms. The batteries were from Sam’s Club and were $89 bucks a piece. I’ll buy a couple more since my charger will allow a maximum of six batteries.

I guess this would be a good place to mention another purchase I made this summer. An 13 inch Ryobi benchtop planer. Works great. Actually all these planers work great as far as I can tell, including the HF one. The only real difference is how long they will work great. I had a Rigid one that I burned in the fire. I tried to get another when I bought this one but apparently they are all on a container ship out in the Pacific with a billion other products. The Ryobi was the only one in stock. Still, if you are sawing wood you really need a planer.

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I am pumped that I can still order logic converters. I wanted the Raspberry pi to talk to the Arduinos via the gpio pins instead of the USB ports. The wife brought out the Grove connector shields for wiring the motor controllers to the Arduinos. So most of the home robotics parts needed, have arrived.
I amazed at the cross over in development environments for building robotics/ home automation. The robot teams like First or Vex, all use python, java, Matlab, or C++. The IDEs are so advanced they correct your mistakes. The device libraries are everywhere too.
The boiler is installed in it’s new home. I was firing it yesterday, making steam. I attach the rolls of PEX, to the boiler and run steam through them, to straighten them out. Otherwise, the PEX can hurt you pretty bad if it could back up suddenly.
I marched around all day gathering iron pipe fittings. I bought tons of them, at the scrap scales in '08, and apparently scattered them out in the intervening decade. It’s fun getting reconnected with my junk.
I am amazed at the difference in work flow between plumbing in iron vs. PEX. It’s seemingly endless labor threading, filing, wire brushing, sealing, tightening, etc. vs cutting, installing a fitting and clamping a ring. I spend the majority of my time figuring out the fastest way to go from iron to PEX.
I am trying those lil 12vdc solar circulation pumps, to move the hot water around they run on a half dead battery. They come in this British “G” thread and needed adapters. It’s NPT just with no taper. I see that faucets come this way now too.
Once I get things plumbed in, and tested for leaks, I thought I would use automotive antifreeze.
I still have a bunch of details before installing the Arduino automation. There a few stainless exhaust pieces to add, and a over flow tank from the safety valve.
Anyhow, it is progressing tho

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I’m sure you have it all wrapped now Bruce but for anyone else, iron pipe to pex. Copper female to the pipe. Short section of copper pipe to solder on pex fitting. I’ve done one or two.

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Building up my chunking setup. Right now I’m starting with manual non machine assisted methods to have as a fallback. Using a good hatchet and sledge maul seems to be relatively quick. I might make a kindling froe to speed it up.

Right now for manual wood cutting I have a two man crosscut saw but I’ll be looking for a one man saw as well. I’d attempt to use my current crosscut but the thing is 6 feet long. I might have to persuade a friend to come out and help me cut down these logs so I can split them.

Once I use up this red oak my chunking will be easier since I’ll be coppicing, or at least that’s my plans. Extreme backup is my pines. Taking apart pallets is good for a really quick pinch but I wouldn’t toss these in a raw wood gasifier on pain of having nails clog my grate.

Edit: the pines i have are almost all Long leaf. I plan to harvest turpentine from them. My prior knowledge of distillation and still building will make that cheap.

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Nail soup will get you down the road in a pinch, I cut everything down to size and then hatchet split the nails out doesn’t take to awful long but thanks to @mggibb I know how fast you can generate fuel with a chunker and that is just the way to go. I was thinking when I build my chunker maybe have a leather or conveyor belt so it will slip and loop it over the tire on the truck. Woodgas powered wood chunking? Lots of flywheel effect and good belt slip I think it would process coppicing wood pretty easily. I think

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I do plan to build a chunker. I’m just having a hard time getting materials for that and finding either a good rear end from a truck or a square baler. I have two diffs right now, one looks like a Camaro LSD and the other looks like a mid sized diff. Both are the IRS style no full length axle.

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Here’s a picture of a conveyer I built for my chunker. Some where there’s a picture of it running, chunks going to corn crib to dry.

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I have been out of commission this week from minor surgery on my hand ( carpal tunnel syndrome )

Now Mrs. Keith has to feed the beast. :blush:

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Glad I have air mix adjustment on each side of the steering wheel.

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I pray to Yehovah for Lisa sake that your hand well heal up quickly Wayne, in His Words Name Yeshua, and for Yehovah Name sake be healed. You have a wonderful wife Wayne, you are truly a Blessed man.
Bob

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Thank you Wayne, I showed wife that pic as soon as I saw it :smile:
Hope you heal up fast so you don’t miss too much fun.

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Thanks Bob and JO.

I’m still driving just as much, just didn’t need as many lemon the first couple of days :smile:

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Yesterday because of doctors orders not to do any work I did a lot of running around in the wood burner taking wife here and there . Feed store , grocery store and Walmart . I waited in the truck while wife spent my money :blush:

In this time frame there were at least 100 people that was within 50 foot of the truck in plain sight . Of the said number there were about 25 -30 that walked within 6 foot of the truck and many being adult men . As I watched their eyes not a single one took a second glance at the truck.

I can understand women and children not looking up from their phones but for adult men I find this strange .

On another note it is wet and windy here today but I am trying to think of somewhere to go as I am burning and learning .

( burning and learning Marcus Norman )

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Wet and windy here as well Wayne, potential windstorm on the rise by the smell in the air. People call me crazy for that one by growing up in the rainforest you learn to recognize smells with weather patterns. Temperature and smell can mean rain storm, smell and gusting breezes a windstorm, smell and crisp breath snow on the mountain. I welcome it all as now I have the freedom to not worry about a gas station being out of power!!
I had several interested looks from people in the parade last night as they slowly drove by and a quick stop at the local minimart garnered a 15 minute conversation with a local that was very interested and impressed with my truck :grin:

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Old pictures from years ago .

Firing up old ford with leaf blower . It will get a fire going quick .

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Glow plug on flare pipe so I could show out at night while stopped in traffic . Controlled from the cab.

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Mr Wayne, does the glowplug ignite the gas??? I wuldnt of thod that…

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Yes

Plus 20 charterers

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I would bet you that if you did that in the parking lot at Wal-Mart people would notice your truck on dark cloudy days especially men and kids. I am surprised you don’t have that flaring setup feature in your book “Have Wood Will Travel”.
Bob

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Hello Mr. Bob .

Many years ago I would pay to see and hear a fireworks show . Now days I would pay not to hear and see them :smile:

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