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Stove pellet making

Started by BKPine, July 10, 2009, 01:37:06 PM

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BKPine

Does anyone have detailed knowledge of making Pellets for pellet stoves....Personal use...

BK Pine

beenthere

Welcome to the forum.

I know it takes some expensive equipment with pressure cylinders and dies to extrude the material through. And moisture content and size of "chips" is important.

There is a member who was/has a blog looking at getting into pellet making. Might help you,

http://blog.sleepersriveralternative.com/?cat=21

as well as searching here to read more discussion from our past.

Would be interested in what you have in mind.  :)

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Brad_S.

Here is a pretty comprehensive thread on the subject.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,24134.0.html
I have always had an interest in the idea but doubt I will ever act on it.
It would be great to get an update on the experiments others are doing.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

BKPine

Thank you.  I have been viewing this forum for sometime, it is very interesting in the diffeent views. Ref the pellet making. I am looking at sawmilling and using the sawdust along with my shop chips and sawdust and making woodpellets. I think I could make enough to heat my house and possibly my new shop using a boiler type system.  There are some different type out there, electric and gas, for about 2500$ to 4500$ Again these are not for industry production.  I think this would work.  Everyone has a different thought on it..my quest is figure the best way to produce this by hearing others lesson learn...

BK Pine

beenthere

What are you thinking about for equipment to make pellets?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Peakebrook

BKPine

There are several makers of boilers that will burn sawdust and chips.  No drying or pelletizing is needed.  Alternative Heating Systems, Inc. is just one.

If you are only looking to burn your own biomass, don't waste the time or energy to pelletize it first. 

I am interested in burning sawdust and wood chips as well.  I have been waiting to see what Woodmizer comes out with in the way of co-generation.
WM LT40SH with Cat 51, JD 210, JD 280, JD 450G, Cat 311

BKPine

Beenthere,  I was looking at small portable models .  They run form 2500$ and up. I am starting up a sawmilling service and thought I could save the sawdust and make pellets to offset the cost of heating my shop. Where I am in the winters building outdoor furiture.

BK

Ron Wenrich

Here are plans for a sawdust stove:

http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/VITAHTML/SUBLEV/EN1/SAWDSTOV.HTM

Seems to me that you could build them for a lot less than the cost of a pellet maker.  Pellets will fall apart if the moisture content is too high or if the size of the dust is too big. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

shinnlinger

Are you familiar with the publication Farmshow?  It seems every issue there are two or three guys complaining that the pellet maker they bought doesn't work.  They did a review of two or three brands a few issues back and their results were not great either.  From what I read there, you need to be dead on with the moisture and you need things like distillers mash as a binder and such that unless you have a still (not a bad idea though) can be fairly expensive to haul in depending on where you live.

From what I have seen in Farmshow I wouldn't look at pellets.
Shinnlinger
Woodshop teacher, pasture raised chicken farmer
34 horse kubota L-2850, Turner Band Mill, '84 F-600,
living in self-built/milled timberframe home

bandmiller2

BK,probibly small scale pellet manuf. is not practical ,I have read that pellet makers used to pelletize animal feed will work.what I would do is find a sound HRT [horzontal return tube boiler]and build a dutch oven in front and below it.The all masonry dutch oven burns vicious hot complete combustion and only the hot gasses pass through the boiler tubes.With a high pressure boiler you could heat water or generate steam to run an engine or small turbine.Its old technology used in sawmills for years and in industry will burn green ,wet,almost anything cleanly.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

LeeB

Care to expound a little further on this setup Frank? Sounds interesting.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

bandmiller2

Lee,dutch oven is sort of a catch all term google it and all you get is those cutesy little cast iron campfire pots.Basically its an all masonry furnace the fire brick reflects the heat back into the fire you may or maynot have a grate.After combustion insted of the hot gasses going into the chiminey the pass through a fire tube boiler.The beauty of this type of furnace is it can burn damp wet and low grade materials due to the high temp.Down your way they used them to burn wet bagassee[cane stocks]to power the sugar mills.If you have water, steel plate and a fire on the outher side you cannot get a high enough temp to burn low grade materials cleanly.If you can find the books Croft power plant series or Audels from back in the steam engine era the explain it well with pictures.The principal was used around early steam sawmills to burn green slab and some sawdust.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

benevolance

If you are familiar with the lister type engines... they make a listeroid (modern lister) that makes pellets... I can try to find a link somewhere... It is great because it will make pellets out of anything... Cardboard, paper, wood scraps... whatever you have

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