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Harry Home owner Bio-Mizer Sawdust Dryer.

Started by Jeff, October 23, 2008, 05:07:36 PM

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Jeff

We need to invent one. Bio-Mizer users will need one. I need one. :D

I need to figure out how to dry sawdust for the Bio-mizer. I need to come up with something that I can build, and run, in a residential type setting. Many of you know my neighborhood. I need to come up with something that I could feed say a pickup load of sawdust at a time through, and be able to bag it on the other side.  The drying and bagging would need to take place within a day for that amount of sawdust, and it needs to be dried CHEAP in order to be of any value.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

metalspinner

What about running it over with a snow blower a couple of times.  Just flying through the air might dry it just enough?
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

beenthere

Do you have some moisture content numbers that you are shoot'n for, to have "dry" sawdust?  ???

Then when known, seems the relative humidity that gets that moisture content can be calculated, as well the temperature that you will need to dry the sawdust. That temp. would then be what needs to be under control in the process, as the sawdust is moved (i.e. blower, auger, mechanical lift and gravity fall) around in that drying "chamber".  A dry kiln of sorts.

There are production operations (like wood processing plants making windows or furniture) that moisture has to be added during the winter months so the air isn't too dry. If this drying apparatus that stirs up the sawdust could be fixed in your pickup, so you just drive in and park at one of these plants, let it run until dry as it adds moisture to their 'room'.  Possibly a solution to trying to do something in the middle of winter in the outdoors. Cold air is high relative humidity, and very slow, if any, drying will occur.  I know, that is a bit 'far fetched', but it crossed my mind.   :) :)

Just a heated garage would be helpful...maybe need to open that living room back up... ;D
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

WH_Conley

I kinda thought about a piece of road tile, the kind with the ridges that spiral from one end to the other, set it on rollers so it will turn. Build a fire in the middle and hook an electric motor so it will turn slow. Poor mans rotary dryer.
Bill

zopi

cyclone separator dust collector, with a warm air intake..heated, obviously, with the output of the Biomizer....you'd likely not want to start with very wet material though.

Prolly get one from an old feed mill or granary...there are some big buggers out there.
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

thecfarm

This should really be a job in the summer months.Could capture the sun for some heat.Some box fans just blowing across it in the summer months when the sun is out would help it.Just dry a little on the top.Would need some greenhouse plastic over it.Would not take much to build a frame for a pickup load of sawdust.To bad you can't get sawdust from a furniture business.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

tyb525

Get some 55 gal drums and mount them on their side so they will spin, punch small holes in the sides or cover big holes with screen. Fill them with sawdust and build a small fire under them (maybe with charcoal so there isn't alot of flame?), hook up a small motor to them using pulleys. (or spin them by hand)
I don't know if that would work, but it seems like it might.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Jeff

I think there are probably lots of ways to do it, but the challenge is to do it cheaply and without a lot of effort. I've got a supply of very dry sawdust but it wont last real long. There may be another supply, but I dont know how dry it is. Or weather it will burn. I have bags of sawdast that were green 3 months ago, it still wont burn right. Maybe its the type of bag its in, I dont know, but it sure seems like it would be dry. Are all grain bags alike?  Maybe the ones I have dont allow drying.  I dont use the Bio-Mizer bags as they are so narrow they are about impossible to fill.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

zopi

Quote from: tyb525 on October 23, 2008, 09:14:28 PM
Get some 55 gal drums and mount them on their side so they will spin, punch small holes in the sides or cover big holes with screen. Fill them with sawdust and build a small fire under them (maybe with charcoal so there isn't alot of flame?), hook up a small motor to them using pulleys. (or spin them by hand)
I don't know if that would work, but it seems like it might.

Good idea!...kind of like a rock tumbler!....take that one step farther, use black poly barrels that will
screw shut..bore 3 or 4 inch hole in top, lay them on a pair of driven rollers, and run it in the sun,
maybe put the whole works in it's own little solar shack, and enclosure much like a solar kiln,
but with the black barrel as collector...it'd likely be slow though...but when you are not drying
dust, you can use it for a solar clothes dryer...<GRIN>
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

Gary_C

You might be able to dry it sufficiently with one of those tumble mixers like the farmers use to mix their feed rations. There were some small mixers made that you might be able to find used at some farm equipment dealers or just make your own.

Maybe all you would need to do is fluff the sawdust up for a short time and break up the clumps and it would lose enough moisture to burn. Might be worth a try.

Or you could try the clothes dryer, preferably when no one else was home.  ;D ;D
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

tyb525

I think all of it would go to the lint trap  :o
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Jeff

The dilemma here is not to put more energy into this then what its worth. The whole idea of burning the sawdust in a bio-mizer is to utilize an abundant renewable and economical fuel. Burning more fuel to dry sawdust, including wood, sorta defeats the purpose. I might as well just burn wood.

A major reason for coming up with a drying solution is the shear amount of dry sawdust you need to start with. If I burn, say 5 or 6 grain bags full a day, over 6 months , thats a whole lot of bags of sawdust. Storing a couple hundred is doable, but if it takes months to dry, well, you can see the potential problem.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

pigman

Since the house air will be dry with the heat on, just dump the saw dust on the living room floor and let the dogs play in it.  The dogs will love it and the saw dust will dry real quick. Don't tell Tammy about my idea. ::)
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

Gary_C

Why does some sawdust not burn? Is it because it clumps together and does not feed into the Biomizer or because it will not ignite with all the moisture present?

I would think it would dry somewhat in the hopper near the burner as long as it is fluffed up enough. Maybe if you just mixed it up good before you put it in the hopper or blow some compressed air into the sawdust would be enough.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

tyb525

Can't you burn other stuff, like leaves or grass in it?
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Jeff

It doesn't burn because of the moisture content. It needs to be less then 30%

It should burn any fuel that can be converted to bio dust. fine enough to suspend in an air flow.  I think ground up leaves would work great, and I got about 6 inches of leaves to fall yet. The problem is you have to collect them, then find a way to grind them up fine enough to use.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jeff

I'm thinking about investing in one of those hand held gas powered leaf blower/vacuums that will suck up leaves and mulch them and bag them.  Menards has one on sale for $119. If they mulch small enough they will burn in the Bio-Mizer.  Worth a shot as many leafs as I have.

Another piece of news is that Bio-Mizer will be announcing some new news on the big unit in the coming days . The larger commercial unit will burn 60% moisture content AND chips.

I'm confident that they will get some of the issues like fuel variances and such for the smaller one like I have figured out. I'm hoping throwing ideas around here might even be of some help in that process.  :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

zopi

Hmm...farmers hereabouts dry peanuts by the trailerload, the trailers have a port on back where they back them under a shed and hook a duct to them..blow air through the 'nuts and they dry...maybe something similar but made with a barrel or something. or a bottom dump hopper
where you can bag directly from the hopper...i'm bored at work, can't you tell?
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

Jeff

With fine, bandmill sawdust. You would have to figure out how to blow air through it, and not carry it out with the airflow, if you use screens, then how do you keep them from plugging and stopping the drying airflow?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Radar67

I dried sand on window screens. Lay the sand out, let the air work for a half hour, then shake the screen. Repeat as needed until it was all dry.

Maybe something like that on a larger scale with a motor on a timer to shake the screen. Cover it all with glass like a solar kiln to help increase the temps and speed the process.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Jeff

With sand, your drying the exterior of the particles, with sawdust, you are trying to dry the interior. Not to say it won't work, it might. :) But there would be quite a difference.

Things to take into consideration is that you have to aquire the sawdust, load the sawdust in the dryer, remove the sawdust from the dryer, repackage the dust for storage. All lots of added steps. The perfect solution would be a dryer that feeds directly into the bio-mizer and can dry at the same rate that the bio-mizer will consume.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Radar67

From the posts on the forum, the Bio mizer would produce enough extra heat to heat a tunnel or chamber so to speak.

At ground level, have a hopper to load the "wet" sawdust into. At the bottom of the hopper, a conveyor (similar to firewood processors, but smaller) catches the dust as it gravity feeds out of the hopper. The conveyor runs through the chamber (a piece of galvanized culvert maybe) to the Bio Mizer hopper. The heat in the chamber dries the dust (thickness could be controled by limiting the height of drop from the wet hopper) as it passes through on the conveyor.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

beenthere

Quote from: Jeff on October 24, 2008, 11:41:26 AM
I'm thinking about investing in one of those hand held gas powered leaf blower/vacuums that will suck up leaves and mulch them and bag them.  Menards has one on sale for $119. If they mulch small enough they will burn in the Bio-Mizer.  Worth a shot as many leafs as I have.
..........

I'd suggest seeing one "in action" before investing the bucks. Or be sure you can return it used. But, a good experiment to learn more may be worth it.  :) :)

I doubt it will do much to a leaf, other than beat it up a bit.

Was one on craigslist the other day for $15. Had set for a year and he couldn't get it started.  ::) ::)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Jeff

This mulcher is supposed to be a 10 to 1 reduction in volume. Were talking dry leaves.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

DanG

My Dad and I used to grind oak leaves for the gardens with an old mulcher/chipper with about a 5hp engine on it.  It would take about 3 trips through that to get it fine enough for the Biomizer.

I like Zopi and Radar's ideas on using the Biomizer itself for the heat source.  You would need to keep the sawdust moving, like in the tumbler, with hot air blowing through it to dry it efficiently, I would think.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

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