Ben Hansen Log

Sat Jan 31, 2026

I have a guy Karl working here who's building a swing blade in my greenhouse. I talked to him about your project today. He has experiences with five or six different sawmill types and isn't sure if he's got time or not yet. He is currently still doing a logging job on the farm here and has developed some good machines in the process. He is just getting back to logging after an extended stint as a welder and machine operator. He thought it would be fun to do a sawmill as well so he's doing a swing blade and I bought a bandsaw.

I haven't done much saw milling lately myself not sure I'd be the best instructor although I have been around swing blades at least and know my way around a sawmill, have had experience and primary secondary and installation production of wood. Wood planers and shapers for flooring are all interesting machines and I've been around a lot of them.

I have done extensive work with gasification although it's been on the hold for a number of years now I have I have restarted it.

I think feeding a gasifier with char is a good idea you don't get nearly the tar production that way and it's a lot easier. You won't get good char production out of a pelletized media however that's just falls to Ash.

Chips are a better solution for char and raw fuel. Ideally you'd use something like a lamet screw chipper That's designed to produce fuel wood chunks rather ideal for a gasifier or any other chunk fuel wood. Chips from a regular chipper can work but in any case all of these need to be properly screened and prepared. Anything you do with auto-fed fuel or gasifier fuel works much better with consistent fuel. I bought a 12-in wood chipper last year to start the process myself as it all starts with fuel.

Running a skid steer on biogas is a iffy project. You're more likely to take the engine out by sticking a valve than you are to save money on fuel. It's not that it can't be done, but it's a really good idea to start on something like a flathead motor that you can take a part easily when the valve stick happens.

My old wood gas mentor Doug Williams down in New Zealand run on motor out of I think from an old Morris Minor attached to a generator. I think he was the most insightful wood gas guy on the planet at the time. He developed gasifiers for the Pacific Islands they burned a lot of coconut husks and things like that. They usually ran produce your cells in pairs while one was running the generator the other would be cleaning out.

If you got to run it in an IC motor in a vehicle or tractor you need to really know your stuff and be ready to be taking down a motor if you stick a valve. 

Much less problem using char as producer fuel for motors so that's a good idea. Pelletized fuel not good char material.

It would be fun to come and see your operation as soon as it warms up a bit maybe that would be a good next step.

Ben Hansen