So… what’s the quick answer for making charcoal? …or do I go out and buy bag of charcoal?
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Yup, I agree that @chuckw’s tipped barrel is the best place to start. There are a bunch of other methods though.
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Size matters as well. Lots of information on the site about getting it broken down to fuel size and cleanliness is next to godliness. Check the three bars menu at the top of the page and click charcoal gasification.
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I have been reading this post for a few days now and 1 thing comes to mind , i don’t ever remember reading a post on how everyone goes about making there particular fuel types , whether it be wood chunks, chips, shreds, charcoal or whatever , i know that nearly everyone on there build threads do put up there processing machines or how they go about making there fuels , i just think it would be great if we could get it into one section , maybe the fuel processing for wood gas thread and charcoal processing together or separate even .
I am just learning to make wood chips / small chunks for my 15KW generator , that involved using up all the waste pallets we have in the area , and after a week of head scratching i think i have is sussed , I have a small petrol powered 15HP wood chipper/shredder that was good at chipping the wood pallet into almost fine dust ,so i have now altered it to produce what i am hope will run the power pallet gasifier , collecting the pallets and stripping them of nails and ripping the boards into 1 inch widths is pretty easy and fast compared to cutting up log wood and i can do it all with the aid of my charcoal gasifier or the solar electric jn summer ,and the wood chipper runs on tick over and so does not even need to be charcoaled just yet as the amount of fuel it uses to make what i have made so far is so minute it not worth bothering about just yet .
I will get someone to take a video of the machine running while i feed it so you can get an idea of what i am trying to do , in the mean time here are a few photo’s of the chips ,the feed stock and the machine .
Most of these chipper /mulchers are not designed to give this size chips and so my next mission is to get the fly blade even closer to the dead blade so it will produce a much cleaner cut and lessen the chances of bridging in the hopper
Dave
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hello rick, welcome in the forum, for me easiest charcoal making is burning twigs in a metal bath tub…i have made a topic of it, look on my profile…
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I used a couple of days to watch basically every reasonable video on DYI making of charcoal. There are lots. Understanding the principles and trying out yourself will yield something that fits your purpose. Buying commercially is probably not economically viable; you can buy diesel or gasoline with the same money (I suppose).
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If you only want to make a very small amount of charcoal you can make a very small TLUD. Here I show how I make charcoal for my bbq using two old coffee cans. TLUD stands for Top Lit Up Draft. You need to use DRY wood or it will smoke like crazy.
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QUESTION:
Are y’all saying I can simply run this gasifier on charcoal vs raw wood and eliminate the tar issues?
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You can run a gasifier on charcoal and it eliminates the tar issues if the tar is out of the char. Which we refer to as engine grade charcoal on this site.
If you just want to make a super small batch of char. I do it in a big old cookie tin with a few holes poked in it to let gas escape and throw it in a fire. Usually I do that for grapevine or willow since it keeps it separate and it is what artists use for drawing… 
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As an experiment; Yes
As gasifier system for engine: No you need to build a legitamate Charcoal unit.
If you want stupid simple slap it together in a day or two. Search the site for the Simple Fire.
If you want to build something more advanced then there is a good number of us now building downdraft units. Downdraft units have a more focused reaction process so they can tollerate some tar left in the charcoal. Plus they are better at cracking water.
Knowing what I know, I would start over and forget the FEMA. There is nothing to learn as you are just going to build a real machine now and that is when the real learning will begin. We will help you.
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Yes Rick.
But thats just for you to get you on the right track. Get the feet wet. If you are serious about it you will realy need a nother gasifier. FEMA is just crap on every level.
Or modify this one, thats also possible
Edit: l see Matt and l basicly made the same post simultaniously 
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Here is my contribrution for a downdraft charcoal. I am NOT suggesting you to build this. But it will serve as a guide to build something more robust. This along with additional input from others like adding Kristijan’s flute style nozzle system verses mine will put you on track to build something you will actually be able to use.
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgAyYl_AATk&t=16s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQv7DkMiH-A&t=2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQEJfgl5J9k&t=21s
This gasifier is the " My Buddy Can Build It Cheaper" model lol
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Ok, all I really want for now is to sustain a flare so I can feel like I accomplished something after all this. The FEMA is now reassembled and I believe my issue was the wood pellets clogging up the basket. I was going to chunk up some oak from my firewood pile, but if charcoal is better, it looks like a simple process to make a batch. I’ll do that, light it off, admire my beautiful flare, have an adult beverage and then contemplate my next move.
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Sounds like a excelent plan to me
Just remember that when it comes to charcoal, size does matter. You want what we call “engine grade’”. That is charcoal crushed and screened between 1/8" and 3/4".
Once you do get a flare, try spraing a bit of water directly on the fire. Then the extra hydrogen kicks the flame up a gear…
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Oh dont feel bad about your first unit. I think most of us had to scrap our first few units. You are futunate that you have us becuase your next build will more than likely be usable. Where a lot of us did not have this support group here and we built a number of units that ended up in the scrap pile.
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Hey Rick
We fail to ask if you have seen any of our videos of cranking up or flaring . I hardly ever flare but when I do it is just to show . From light off to flare should be less than 7-8 minutes and if it was a charcoal gasifier the time should be even less.
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Another day, another fail.
-Cleaned out the system from the disintegrated wood pellets.
- Opened up the burn basket holes for better air flow.
- Cut up wood chunks, got some burning and dumped them into the hopper.
-Tossed in chunks on top.
Same results as always. Smoke but no flare.
I surrender.
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Did you put any charcoal in it? I only heard the part of putting raw wood in it; is this correct?
It will not work with out charcoal.
You have to create the reduction zone. it will not work with out charcoal pre installed. The carbon in the charcoal at 1400* f and above is what reacts with the CO2 and H2O. The carbon rips out the Oxygen and combines with to create CO. The CO2 then also becomes CO and the H2O becomes CO and H2.
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The FEMA type gasifier caused me to give up the whole idea of gasification for many years.
I’d suggest pushing it into a corner and make a quick simple fire charcoal gasifier. I reused most of the parts of my FEMA gasifier but, with the experience I gained using a couple charcoal gasifiers, I could have probably gotten that first gasifier to at least somewhat work. One of the biggest problems I had was not using charcoal or not getting the bed of charcoal coals built up.
Following your experiences with this reminds me of the frustration I felt when that gasifier would fill the whole area with smoke but no good flare and never was able to run an engine from it.
I’m sure you can get this figured out at least good enough to get a flare if you don’t get discouraged and give up the whole woodgas (or charcoal gas) idea.
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