Thread: sawdust burning stove

Fine Woodworking Issue 59 July/August 1986
Page 8 (Methods of work)
There is a half page article complete with diagram, on just what you are looking for.
It's 200 litre drum lifted off the floor by bricks.
There is a 100 mm metal pipe that goes all the way through a hole in the bottom.
The saw dust and chips are packed down tight and a layer of sand or ashes is layed as a topping.
The pipe is removed and a lid is fitted with a flue or chimney.
The saw dust is lit from the bottom and buy controlling the amount of air that can enter the bottom (through cracks in the brick spacing) the combustion is controled.
Quote; "A full drum will heat our 3,500 sq ft North Carolina shop for eight hours with no attention. Since we are burning kiln dried wood chips, the flue gasses are clean and combustion is complete. When the stove is going strong no smoke comes from our chimney- only clear hot gas."

Sorry . Forgot to sign off.
Gary

Thanks garry I have that issue , will look it up.
There was another web link too.
cheeers

You mean this one?

yep that looks ver much like the one.
cheers
certainly interested in any others.

I built one and it worked very well, until last summer (or was it the one before?) when I bought a DC and converted it into a seperator.

I miss it on these cold mornings.

Greetings from the USA

I have been mucking around with an idea for about 6 years and have finally made it work very nicely. I would be interested in talking with someone who would be interested in making this thing on a comercial opportunity.

My furnace uses no electricity to operate. It is best used if the sawdust has 5%-40% by weight moisture content. 30 mins after ignition there is 1800°F (982°C for you Aussies) temp with the draft air door fully open coming from the heat exchanger. There is 700°F ( 371°C) flue temp 16" from the base of the flue. So I am very cleanly burning what is considered harzardous waste (US Standards) cleanly and very efficiently. There can be some development of the electrical controlls for this furnace. However it needs no fans to make the aspiration happen. This can be used as a multi building hotwater heating unit.

If any one is interested in this situation feel free to email me.

I think its a great idea using what would have been waste to heat the workshop. I've got the same link printed out & plan to build 1 this summer ready for next winter.

The way the air circulates through this furnace is critical to making it work. the density of the sawdust is problematic in solving this heat source. I am not certain of the plans you speak of........

Hi Soundman

I just put sawdust, shavings, etc in large paper bags and burn it in the Kent slow combustion heater in our living room. Works fine.

Cheers

Graeme

PS - - - KISS

Norb i'm refering to the link that Skew put up, post 5. not exactly plans but enough info to do the job.

That link that Skew put up at #5 doesn't appear to be working anymore

Heres a PDF that seams to be the same pages plus a few.

Thanks for that, Rattrap. It has been added to my collection.

Oddly enough, both versions are exactly the same except for the attributions... mine was a VITA (Volunteers In Technical Assistance) bulletin and the PDF is US Forestries, both released in 1974.

It looks like the author, Jeff Waretluft, got a bit of decent distribution. Luckily for us, now that the VITA one has bitten the dust!