[TheForge] Re: charcoal

[Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer]

Every now and then a charcoal burner blew up traditionally...Have 
a care!

Bruce Freeman wrote:
> Phlip,
> 
> I like this idea.  The sod-covered woodpile a collier made was called a
> "pit"!  The name had to come from somewhere.  
> 
> But groundwater could easily make a collier build his pit up instead of
> down!  You can't burn wood that's under water.  And even a slow trickle
> of water may reduce the yield a LOT - both because of the heat it takes
> to dry it off, and because the resulting steam will erode the hot coal,
> making coal gas.
> 
> A compromise for high water table areas might be to pile up the dirt
> and dig a pit into the pile.  
> Bruce
> 
> <snip>
> 
> Instead of a big kiln, a ditch in the ground and a dozer or perhaps a
> tractor with a front end loader.
> 
> Dig your ditch, pile your wood in, fire it up, cover with dirt, poke
> holes
> in the sides, and let it burn. Pull the dirt off, and put all your
> charcoal
> someplace. Roy Wilson and I were discussing just that sort of thing a
> couple
> months ago.
> 
> As far as getting your wood, coppicing would work just fine. First
> time
> through, burn the wood from the tree, 10 years later you'd be burning
> the
> suckers. Easily sustainable and cheap method of production, and in the
> meantime you'd be earning your living with your dozer or tractor ;-)
> 
> Phlip
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