Keeping warm at the farm / sawmill

[scsmith42]

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that some type of wood burning stove is the most economical option for warmth when you have a sawmill operation.  Let's face it - you have a lifetime supply of "free" fuel.

Twenty two years ago I acquired a used Craft wood stove insert for a fireplace that had and external fan that blew air into the stove jacket - with hot air coming out the front.  It was a good deal, and after acquiring it I stored it inside an old house here on the farm.

That same year (2002) my Mother in law gave me a Vogelzang barrel stove kit for Christmas.  If you're not familiar with them, these are door, feet and flue connector castings that you add to your own 55 gallon drum to make an inexpensive barrel stove.  I mated it up with a couple of 55 gallon drums that I had and voila - I now had heat inside my open sided barn (negating the need to install the Craft).  It's still in use today (and I'm even still on the original barrel's!).  One nice thing about this system is that you can use longer lengths of firewood - thereby making less cuts when preparing it.  (Over time though I forgot about the Craft stove tucked away in the old house....)






A couple of years ago a friend of mine and I did a deal and I acquired a good used Fisher stove.  This past winter I set it up adjacent to Tom the Baker sawmill for some added warmth for myself and my farm hands.  Here is Miss Maya modeling it for all to enjoy.




Like the Barrel stove in the barn, the nice thing about this Fisher is that you can use longer lengths of firewood in it.  The drawback to both is that in an outdoor (or open barn) environment, you have to be pretty close to the stove to get warm...

A few weeks back we rebuilt the entire well house that supplies the shop, barn and sawmill operation.  New well pad, new tank, new (old) "house" structure around the well and all new buried line to replace some defective black poly pipe that I bought back in 2002.  While working on this project, I "rediscovered" my old Craft stove and dug it out of the old house and brought it up to the barn for R&R.  After removing a bunch of mud dauber nests in the blower fan, lubing the motor and fabricating an exhaust for it, it now proudly sits adjacent to Tom and provides a steady stream of hot air to me and my employees.



I know that I've been accused of being the "king of unfinished projects", but 22 years is a bit extreme for an unfinished project - even for me!  Still nice to put an asset in service and get good use from it after so many years.

Now I just need to figure out where to use the Fisher stove....

[red]

My biggest Fear is Fire with all the sawdust

[Magicman]

Twenty two years ago I acquired a used Craft wood stove insert for a fireplace that had and external fan that blew air into the stove jacket - with hot air coming out the front.

Which is probably the same Craft Insert that we have been using since ~1976.  The external fan is seen to the left of the Insert.  My difference is that I closed off the 4 "hot air" vents in the front, cut a hole in the rear of the hot air chamber;

And piped the hot air into the room that is directly behind the Insert.  The radiant heat is enough in the room where this Insert is.

I love that Craft Stove and the doors are open only to get it's picture taken.

[Dave Shepard]

I wouldn't be too hasty thinking 22 years is some kind of record around this bunch.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

My biggest Fear is Fire with all the sawdust

That's a real concern.  I've got fire extinguishers in all the pickups, one on my skidder, two in each stock barn near the doors, one in the chicken coop, one in the tool shed, one in the hay barn, one in the basement near the wood stove, two in the kitchen. With my luck the fire would start anywhere BUT the above mention places.

[Digger Don]

That's a real concern.  I've got fire extinguishers in all the pickups, one on my skidder, two in each stock barn near the doors, one in the chicken coop, one in the tool shed, one in the hay barn, one in the basement near the wood stove, two in the kitchen. With my luck the fire would start anywhere BUT the above mention places.

What brand are those fire extinguishers? I might want to buy some stock in the company.

[WV Sawmiller]

  If you can burn wet/fresh sawdust you are a better man than me.   I've piled my slabs on it and set them on fire and it would take the sawdust pile a week to burn.

[Dan R]

Howard 
Put some air to the sawdust and it will burn. I operated a Hog boiler that would burn anything with a moisture content of 70% or less without auxiliary fuel. Mind you it had 6000 HP of fans.

[Bruno of NH]

Add a leaf blower to an outside fire and it will take right off

[Jeff]

Add a leaf blower to an outside fire and it will take right off

I burned stumps out of my yard by putting a propped up, open ended 55g drum over a fire built at the base of stump.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I frequently use my leaf blower when burning old brush piles or slabs so understand they are great for that.

   Yes, if you add enough air and enough heat you can even burn green sawdust. They same could be said if you add enough gasoline or diesel.  

    I've heard of old sawdust piles catching fire and burning for years like old coal mines in PA or peat bogs in the Everglades and such but I have come to believe my sawdust is not something I need to lay awake at night worrying about.

[beenthere]

Jeff knows all about burning sawdust..    

[Southside]

Scott has seen how I tend to purchase fire extinguishers. 

[Jeff]

Jeff knows all about burning sawdust..   

Ayup! Some nights it only took a whole 20lb tank of propane assist to keep the biomizer burning the sawdust that was supposed to burn

[beenthere]

Sure was a valiant effort on your part to try everything to make that sawdust bio-system work for some extra BTU's.

[Old Greenhorn]

My biggest Fear is Fire with all the sawdust

I used to have that concern also. Recently I got a 36" double drum sander running in my shop with minimal (at this point) dust collection and MAN! can that thing generate dust. It gets EVERYWHERE and it's really fine and it comes from dried wood. My stove was covered with dust. It doesn't burn, it just turns black and smells (mostly) nice. I blow it off with the air hos. The stuff on the floor gets swept into a pile and eventually thrown into the stove. Yes It flare up for 1 second, but that's it. I don't worry about sawdust fires anymore.
-----------------------
 I had and ran one of those double barrel stoves in one of my shops for a while. I use a top drum with a removeable head, and boy I am glad I did, because it was a creosote collector. I could take a half garbage can full out of it every month. But it threw off 250,000BTU's. Got so hot, you couldn't work within 15' of it. Here's a hint: do NOT fill the bottom barrel with a full load of old dry cedar shake and light it off. It will take off and that stove will dance right across the floor. Or so I have heard anyway.

[Peter Drouin]

I love my double-barrel stove, on my #2 set of barrels now. The first set lasted 25 + years. I won't live long enough to have to get more.
In the spring I clean it and maybe get 1/2 a 5 gallon of stuff from the top barrel. When I'm burning in the winter. I clean the bottom with a long handle spade in a steel 5gl bucket maybe once a week.
I burn dry wood.  For the #2 set, I found 2 heavy wall barrels that will last forever. 
Heating my house for over 40 years now.

[SwampDonkey]

I had dry planer shavings by a non air tight wood stove for years. One step between stove and pile. Live'n on the wild side. :D :D

[Jeff]

Sure was a valiant effort on your part to try everything to make that sawdust bio-system work for some extra BTU's.

Yea, I even tried to make a sawdust drier. It was an interesting experience being a system  tester for sure

[moodnacreek]

The best stove I ever made was a 30" pipe 36' long stood up. I welded a smoke chamber off set on top for an 8" pipe. Most of the top was lid that hinged up against the pipe. A 2" pipe down from the top was the inlet air. The only way to get the ashes out was with a curved shovel from the top. [once or twice a year] The stove pipe was straight up all the way through the roof, metalbestos.  This stove really had no place for sparks to get out and was self cleaning as the creosote fell back in the fire. You could burn all the green you could make burn . It was 3/8" thick. Once I put one of those heat boxes in the smoke pipe, don't do that. They fill with dust and spray sparks out in the shop.

[doc henderson]

wood dust is like gasoline, in that it is the vapor that you have to worry about.  In other words, the fuel suspended in the air it needs to burn.  I have had great experience dumping a 45-gallon scrap trash cans in an already going fire.  there is often dust at the bottom.  I have lost hair on my face and arms and had some minor first-degree burns.  it does not easily combust, but you may get a flash back throwing it in the stove.