I meet Ray and Doug a few years ago in Topeka. Ray asked me questions about woodgas that left me with the impression I was being checked out to see if I was a doer or a talker. After a long conversation he told me about the sawdust gasifier he made to sit behind the cab of a truck. There’s no doubt in my mind about him and Doug being doers. I wouldn’t play poker with them cause I don’t think they would ever bluff.
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NO dought about the sawdust gasifier here. Its a good learning experiance for the doers, been there a thousand times, best too learn from others experiance when i can as much as posible. I try not too bring up too many dumb questains.Thanks for supporting Drive on wood. Its been a great hobby too learn.
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Thanks for the thoughts and yes sir Mr. Wayne solar collectors are up and running all over the show me state and all is well. Most call these solar collectors “brush” ;~) They spend money to clear it and burn it to white powdery ash.
But not everyone. Thanks to you and Raymond and Mike and Steve and others too numerous to count, too many gone missing too soon.
Coast to coast to coast, Gulf coast to Left coast to East coast and back in a single trip was one of the best “show me” 's ever.
Huge thanks for the works!
Almost anyone could power a Tesla with a genset for 20 years for free while turning wood into charcoal. Using just what was demonstrated at Mother Earth News in Topeka in 2015.
But blueberries and aluminum cans might work better if only someone could figure it out :~) If only… Cuz who needs to look at sumpin that actually works when sumpin better may be on the horizon? Hoping all figure out what they need to in their time.
All the best to you and yours this holiday season!
Yours,
~doug
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Ahhh. To many thought-tracks to respond to individually.
Bear this in mind . . .
Arborists engine driven put-in-all chippers are purpose designed to do one thing: reduce down that tree limbs, with all the green foliage for in-truck hauling away for dumping out somewhere else. Good-by, and done. NOT made to make woody fuel stocks!
Big horizontal drum grinders are made to drop whole machine torn up tree stumps, top-sections and trunk rot-sections and grind-shred them down for not–hauling away. But to be spread out as ground cover. left to rot in. Came from there. Stays there.
The same grind-shred and leave in-place done by an actual in-place stump grinder.
NEITHER set up to make woody fuel stocks!
There are now many different systems worldwide that are set up to reduce down trees, brush to 80-90% usable gasifier capable wood fuel stocks.
These have all been highlighted and discussed here on the DOW.
Search thew Magnifying Glass top tool bar Search.
Find the small personal use Northern California one that you feed de-leafed, de-needles brush and branched into to make your “chunks”.
Fine the actually in-use “Rebak” style pinch-blade chunks makers.
Find the different made-up hay-bailer converted chunk makers.
Find the Finnish brand whole log gasifer chips makers.
Look. See. The actual forces found needed to generate and contain for wood reduction. NOT about shear hp/kW power-in! This is found to be minuscule compared to the heavy constructions needed to contain the wood reduction forces needed.
See what has been proven to be needed and then “turn my wood stove split into woodgasifier chunks in the back of my pick-up truck” will be seen as ridiculous.
And sawdust for mobile applications?
As was said, low, low energy density. I bow to Mr Risler.
And sounds like he will not expose himself to the internet jabber-speculation.
Sawdust for stationary systems, sure. I’ve seen three ways. Talked about them. Read back.
I will say more on the actually social problem occurring here on my own topic start (subject to peer criticism/review) when child care duties give me time to set it up an respond to the ass-chewings.
Call it maybe: Chasing Numbers. Or maybe: The Folly of Chasing Numbers.
S.U.
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Helo steeve U Lots of good poInts you have there being tree farmer wize you are. As far as saw dust for moble i would have too agree, just too low dencity per space needed.And as you say rediculas about makeing saw dust on demand is likely truth. Cause i aint seen no low watt wood chipper or sawdust grinder lately. The other negitive i see would be a big problem is maintaining a large enough charbed, Any body can burn sawdust and maybe drive a while, Though without maintaining a large enough charbed’ tar will be made. Gess i am anwering my own Questains. Merry christmas too DOW i am enjoying my “HAVE WOOD WILL TRAVEL” Design gasifier running on chunk wood.Thanks.DOW.
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Though people mite appreciate this one .
S-80 unit in action .
Enjoy.
Shrappy 
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Howdy folks .
I’m interested to know if anyone can help me with access to these links at the beginning of this topic post ?
Just trying to get a better understanding of the s-80 unit itself.
Sadly , as I’ve discover from almost 2 weeks of continual reading , a lot of the older posts links and pictures don’t allow access or appear when I’m reading them.
Is there access to more links or downloads in the library if I buy a membership ?
I’m mostly looking to be able to supply fuel to a small generator ( 13hp / 4000 watt unit ) for in case of power outages etc .
Three topics have sparked my interest most ,
@freedombiomass S-80 resurrection post here .
@Pelletpower S-80 plans post.
And @k_vanlooken Gilmore style charcoal unit ( wow , read that post start to finish , could not let it go , but sadly , earlier pics didn’t show at my end 
)
I guess the thing that fascinates me most with the S-80 (once I saw bot the resurrection and tractor videos ) is how compact this unit is . After reading Missouri PDF , I couldn’t work how it could be related to the s-80 , but then figured based on model numbers , they were scaled up or down (to some degree) at the hopper body , , the S-80 being 8 inches ? at the hopper ?
The other side of this unit , is we have at least 3 wood production sawmills within half an hours drive of us , all wanting to be rid of their sawdust , so , easy low cost fuel for want of a term is available.
As much as I love the simplicity of Koen’s unit , , most our available charcoal is for BBQ use . And living in suburbia, , , carrying out charcoal making process could raise alarm bells !
Cheers in Advance for help etc.
Shrappy
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Hi Shrappy
I like that tractor. Anyway, I live in suburbia too, and I make charcoal, and I manage to deal with my neighbors. My advice is - don’t keep secrets, tell anyone who will listen exactly what you are doing and why. My neighbors like me well enough, actually some of them sort of root for me in a small way. I have been careful to make as little smoke as possible. I started by making little camp stoves out of coffee cans. Ask me anything.
Rindert
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Shrappy, I am in the same boat, sawdust everywhere, please come and pick it up! I have been reading for more then two years now, installed a woodgas boiler for heating the house, build a gridtied generator etc etc. Coming 20 hours short every day with work and projects. Main goal is heating the house for free and making electricity as a bonus. Heating is no problem, several ways to do that efficient. But I really want that bonus and that is a very tricky part. As a total newbee I start to get the idea what is happening in a gasifier ( took me two years, I am just as stupid as I look) and decided it is the best choice to step over to the dark side. Gary Gilmore is very detailed in every step. Start here and you wont get disappointed. Koen is very dedicated and I think he started from Gary’s ideas.
To start with sawdust? Not me, it will end up as another unfinished project. Charcoal is easy and might be easy enough for me. From there I can step over to sawdust.
And if someone is selling or knows someone selling a S-80, please let me know. It is for my own use, not stealing another mans idea.
Update on my steps, after playing little Hitler three times and gased myself it is time to move the genset outside the shop. Finish the controls, fix a heat exchanger and finally start with woodgas.
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Hi Shrappy , do you heat your home with wood at all ? if you do then 100% build a Simple Fire , to get started , the lack of operator interference when running a stationary system will make it a more enjoyable hands off experience when making power .
Use the embers from heating your house before refilling fire and use that charcoal to fuel your gasifier , failing that there are many ways to make smoke free charcoal on a scale that will work for you .
Dave
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Cheers for the info @r_wesseling .
Yeah , I live 200 meters from the fire station , , of which I’m a member . And all to often we’re called out for Smoke In Area which usually to some guy using his controlled incinerator. Which he’s entitled to ( as long as it not a No Burn time of year ) .
So yeah , I’m very mindful of creating continual smoke .
Shrappy
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I’m hearing ya @Pelletpower about the Gilmore unit as a starter project . I’m gathering a few bit to do just that on a small motor I have , just for the sake of “Look At This” kinda deal.
Right now , lots of access for big piles of sawdust , and yes , in time this mite change , however , how this for a line of thinking .
If getting some thing to run well on sawdust is a tuff challenge , and I get it sorted , does that then mean if I needed to run say Chunks or Charcoal , , , would the sawdust unit be easier to tune to those needs , , tune down for want of a term ?
I’m a visual kinda learner , mostly meaning , with a hint of an idea of how I see something working , I then can visually work a finished idea in my head before making the first cuts so to speak .
It fascinates me how compact the S-80unit is .
Cheers
Shrappy
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When I hear Sawdust I think of carpentry shop sawdust. Do you have a picture of the average sawdust you see?
Some people will think of chainsaw dust or even just super fine woodchips.
Sawdust and wood chips are very general terms because both have a big spectrum for size i.e.
Sawdust= Powder to 6mm chips/shavings
Woodchips= Animal Bedding to Forestry/powerline refuse
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Hi @d100f .
Yeah we have a small wood burner in our lounge , so could possibly sneak a small Can-Unit in there when it’s lit , , that however won’t be until late May early June . Our house is well positioned for Sola Gain Through our winter months , and we go through a lot less wood ( that we buy in ! ) than the usual homes in our quiet little village.
At this point in time , my main aim is to be able to run a small generator through power cuts etc , particularly for my workshop ( I do lite fabrication/Sheetmetal restoration work from home ) which is all single phase equipment.
More often than not , we get by in the house in times of long power cuts , , , but , , , stopping my income is a different story !
Cheers
Shrappy
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Hey @ForbiddenTuna .
It would most be of that from a Frame Making Shop or Timber Mill , so yeah , chainsaw dust would probably best describe its sizing.
Cabinet making shops have a very fine dust around these parts , and a great deal of this comes from Compressed Sheet with solvents in it , , , which could be of benefit , or not !
I’d describe the mill sawdust of being Corse , of the 6mm or less size as you mentioned .
Most the wood chip stuff from these same mills would need chunking down in size , , it’s often sold (at a low cost) as a garden covering , like that of bark .
Cheers
Shrappy
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The more dusty stuff I would maybe save for a stove. I’ve been wanting to make one of those barrel stoves where you compact sawdust save for a hollow center, light it and let it burn down to ashes. Heat for hours at a fairly constant rate. I haven’t fiddled with sawdust in a gasifier so I can’t really give any advice, the only things I’ve thought to use them for is dry toilets and batch heat stoves.
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Hi ShayneM,
On the Internet there are videos about sawdust stoves made from barrels.
The sawn dust is moistened and compressed filled with center removable form inside the barrel.
Then the burn in inside this center hollow controlled burning slowly outwards.
There was a fellow in Alaska USA who was gasifing and running small engines on this type of sawn dust system.
The purpose of these systems was not great absolute conversion numbers but turning a true mill waste into something useable.
I’ve seen video of the MGS S-80’s engine running. Never seen one being sawn dust reloaded . . . tamped-compressed maybe . . .
Regards
Steve Unruh
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Didnt get that one?!
The stove is working! I tried it and almost burned down a shet. Burns for a long long time. Lukily the kids were having a party and put out the fire:joy:
.
Sawdust is a beautiful material that screams for automation. Gasifying is rather difficult, otherwise there would be more info available on the internet?
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Our own @danny100348 Dan Moore has been building a similar stove for a while now, he gave me last year’ demo. Here is a 2016 video.
BTW: adverts come from evil G empire without my permission.
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JoepK, look at the out of the bag handful the video shows. It clumps. he has to fingers wiggle to get it to flow. Moistened.
The Alaska guy found he has to pre-moistened to get compressibility in his charge moulding.
THEN engine running he got better power from the “moistened” hydrogen contribution.
He only wanted to fuel small electrical generators. So the small reaction surfaces was adequate.
This fact; and the fact the Missouri guy Ray was running larger engine on his system says to me he was using a different system. M-a-y-b-e.
Ha! Me? If I wanted to be outside sourced sawdust dependent I’m go with a bank of three barrels. One Operating. One cooing into recharging. One pre-charged waiting to be put into producing.
Yep Jeop . . . automating sawdust will be an complex Big-System deal.
Small system . . . keep it KISS.
Steve Unruh
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