Sawdust stoves

[begreen]

I stopped at Sawdust Supply in Seattle to pick up the whopping 8.5 lb presto logs that Thomas provided for the next round of tests(coming soon!). Really nice folks. The company used to be in the business of selling sawdust as fuel. They still had customers up until the last decade that had basement sawdust stoves. It's no longer practical, mainly do to the poorer quality of sawdust that now comes from the mills. Old growth fir sawdust was much drier and had higher pitch content which made a great fuel. One would get it pumped into the basement bin from the truck, just like coal. Then a couple shovels full in the morning off the top of the pile would set you for the day. In their heyday they had a lot of customers heating with these stoves and they allegedly burned relatively clean.

Here's a link or two I found. The first is an article that found some still being used in Chile and Afghanistan. Even shows how to build one out of an oil drum Bart! With Eric's or earthharvester's operations, maybe you are overlooking a heating source? Should make a great greenhouse heater.

http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/VITAHTML/SUBLEV/EN1/SAWDSTOV.HTM
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Gree...December/How_To_Build_And_Use_A_Sawdust_Stove
http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...ance/1975_September_October/The_Sawdust_Stove
http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/?q=node/16
you can even buy them in the UK:
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burning_stoves/Steel-workshop-stove.html

 

[Highbeam]

My father grew up in Portland in a house built near 1950. The fill basement had those low windows in the wells. In the center of the basement hooked to an octopus of ducts was a sawdust furnace. As you described the sawdust was pumped/blown in through the windows and the pile of dust was scooped into the hopper. My grandparent's still live in that home with the furnace converted to oil now. My dad recalled all the bugs and carpenter ants that would always come in with the sawdust.

This old neighborhood even had the rings cast into the curbs to tie animals to. My dad, he may be lying about this one, tells me that they removed the rings at some point during his childhood.

Good stuff.

 

[Homefire]

My father grew up in Portland in a house built near 1950. The fill basement had those low windows in the wells. In the center of the basement hooked to an octopus of ducts was a sawdust furnace. As you described the sawdust was pumped/blown in through the windows and the pile of dust was scooped into the hopper. My grandparent's still live in that home with the furnace converted to oil now. My dad recalled all the bugs and carpenter ants that would always come in with the sawdust.

This old neighborhood even had the rings cast into the curbs to tie animals to. My dad, he may be lying about this one, tells me that they removed the rings at some point during his childhood.

Good stuff.

Rings lol

I still have a cut marble post with the ring and a marble stepping stone
for the women to climb in the carriages or mount their horse.. My carriage house has
the steps made from field stone and iron rings.