Hello All,
I am brand new here and I just bought my pellet stove but don't have a pellet mill yet. My dad has a sawmill so I can get an unlimited supply of sawdust, either Oak, pine, or Aspen. Any thoughts on which is best? Would this material need to be ran through a hammermill? Can you run larger material if you use the 6mm die as opposed to the 4mm? Will the stoves work just as well with 6mm pellets as they do with the 4mm. The sawdust that comes off of a circular saw mill tends to be much more coarse than a band mill but there is a lot of finer material in with the coarse. Has anyone tried to just screen out the fines and throw away the coarse material? Do you always have to use a binder when you make the pellets? If so how much of it do you use and how expensive is it? I also have noticed talk about mixing water in with the dust before you run it through the mill. Do you then have to dry the pellets before you burn them? I am assuming that since it appears that you do have to add moisture to the dust that it is not important the the wood that you start with is super dry. I currently heat my steel supply shop with natural gas and last winter it averaged $1550.00 per month so I assume that even if I had to buy pellets it would still save me money! I also plan to put a stove in my shop at home so I will probably need a quite a few pellets. Any information on this to help to calm my nerves would be appreciated. Thanks
» Making Your Own Pellets
Finding Information
(669 posts)-
AMSTSU
MemberPosted 2 years ago # -
Moisture plays a large part in making pellets, so knowing that your moisture content is just right, is important. A moisture tester will solve that problem easy.
Posted 2 years ago # -
sxviper04
Memberok admin you probably knew i'd be chomping at the bit on this one. any of your woods will work. my opinion would be for the 6mm machine because you can feed larger material through. moisture added depend on the starting moisture. you may not need to add any at all. you may need to dry it out some first. the pellets don't come out very wet per say. seasoned firewood has a m/c of about 20%. we are pelletizing at between 13-15% m/c. the pellets come out of the die at approx 180 degrees. hot to the touch. the heat is drying more as they cool. finished is probably around 10% m/c. some materials may need longer drying times but oak seems to be ready to burn the next day. with most materials a binder will be necesary. pellet bond works great. think it averaged at $0.29 per pound. takes 8-12 pounds per ton. so not more than $4 per ton binder cost. ddg here will cost me $40 to make a ton of pellets. stoves should work fine with larger pellet but may have to adjust feed rate to compensate.
Posted 2 years ago # -
sxviper04
Membersorry, forgot to answer this one first. yes that was 3 tablespoons to 5 lbs. the moisture seemed to be the bigger problem. when i recieved it, it looked like it would be damp but was very dry. that would be great to get matam inc to store some near by. have emailed joe a few times. he really seems like he wants to be a part of making pellets. good to have friends in the business if you know what i mean.
Posted 2 years ago # -
AMSTSU
MemberThanks for the info guys. How does a person get ahold of the binder? Is it in a liquid form or powder or something else. Sorry for all of the bonehead questions, like I said I am brand new at this but very enthused about getting going with it. The nights are already getting down into the mid 40s here in central MN. Also any good ideas for checking the moisture content of sawdust?
Thanks Again, ChrisPosted 2 years ago # -
Pellet Binder is a modified corn starch binder in powder form. There is a special formula we helped develop that works specifically in the heat range our smaller mills produce. It comes in a 50lb bag available only through www.makeyourownpellets.com.
Posted 2 years ago # -
sxviper04
Memberbelieve me when i say, the only bonehead questions are the ones not asked. i researched these for 3 months before i bought one and then drove 400 miles one way to have the dealer show me that it would work before i spent my money. your doing it right by asking questions. the pelletbinder is a modified cornstarch in powder form much like flour. comes in 50# bags. i have listed a link on moisture meter in a previous post that is said to work very well but there may be cheaper models out there that i haven't seen yet.
Posted 2 years ago # -
AMSTSU
MemberThanks for the tips guys. I actually live 15 miles from an ethanol plant so I will probably do some research. I have a little bit of trouble patronizing them as I don't personally believe ethanol is economically sound. It is making my milk and corn flakes more expensive! But that is all for another forum. What type of ratio do you use with the pelletbinder? How do you go about mixing it in to the sawdust? Can you use a cement mixer? Is the problem with too much moisture come in during the pellet making process or does it become a problem when you try to burn them. Do you typically dry the pellets after they are produced and before they burn them? If so what do you use for equipment.
I am extremely excited to get this all put together. It was 47 degrees this morning. Ol Man Winter is a sneaking up on me!
Thanks again.Posted 2 years ago # -
sxviper04
Memberi add 1/8 cup to every 25lbs. i use kiln dryed from a bed maker but each species seem to be a little different. i use a 5 cf cement mixer. add wood and pellet binder then let mix for a few minutes. then i add water to get the moisture right. then mix again. takes about five minutes total. the moisture problem will be during pelletizing. too wet and they won't form or they form and fall apart. if to dry they turn to dust. after some practice you'll start getting a good feel for it and can hit it most everytime. once they cool off the become harder. i let them cool on a 1/4" screen rack that is 4'x8'. the fines will fall through screen then reused. then store em. i hope you will have supply in advance to use. old man winter will get ya if going day by day.haha one little trick i have learned is if i add a grian scoop of ddg to the mix i can evaluate the process better. the steam rising from hopper will smell like popcorn when its right. when its too dry will smell like burnt popcorn. wierd but it works for me. never said i was alright!
Posted 2 years ago # -
AMSTSU
MemberThanks again for the info. How long typically on the cooling rack? Once cool can they be stored in barrels or will this promote moisture? Once they are cool how carefully do they have to be handled to keep them from breaking up. I haven't been able to find a cost on the pellet-bond. Does anyone have an idea of about what it is running per bag by the time you get it in your hands? One last question, if a person was going to use a screen to segregate out the larger pieces of sawdust what kind of hole size would you recommend?
Thanks Much.Posted 2 years ago # -
sxviper04
Memberabout an hour on the rack is sufficient. they can bestored in barrels or bags or whatever as long as you keep them so they stay dry. humidity alone will destroy the pellets if left unprotected. learned the hard way. if you put lid on barrel it should be fine. once they cool down they are as hard as store bought. but like theres the more you move them the more friction against itself to damage. admin would probably have a better answer on pb cost. he's been working on that. a 1/4" wire screen works well
Posted 2 years ago # -
sxviper04
Memberjide, i've tried three times today to email you but keeps getting sent back to me as undelivered.try emailing me at rcm2007@hughes.net with your # and time to call. we'll see if that works.
Posted 2 years ago # -
jide, sxviper04 should be ok now with corrected info.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Thanks admin for getting him the info.
Posted 2 years ago # -
sxviper04
MemberMaybe Joe can give us a pellet bond 101 class on here. does anyone have access to wheat midds to try as a binder. ddg works well but costly.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I pelletize mostly softwood materials, I know sxviper04 and Jide use oak and other hardwoods, the Pellet Binder for me has been like night and day. I have found it produces consistantly better pellets, makes harder finished product, and have not had any clogging issues with it. I don't use it when I pelletize cardboard, but have great praise for it in general. I have used too much in trials and sure enough I clogged the die. I found out the hard way that ARGO Corn Starch from the store was a bad idea too. That's learning through trial and error though. I'm curious sxviper04, did you use any when you ran Jide's sawdust? The issue maybe the length of time the die is pelletizing. Hardwoods are 'hard work' compared to softwoods, for the Mills. The hotter the die gets,the harder the pellet gets. Hot dies will tend to activate the Lignin creating even more binding power.
Posted 1 year ago # -
geopell
MemberThanks for responding. I have started with the 8-10 punds then worked my way up. I have also changed the moisture where the pellets come out crumbly to the pellets come out like store bought. What I have found is if the pellets start out moist and the die heats up the pellets start to change and come out better as you continue to feed the same batch the pellets start to come out harder and harder
Posted 1 year ago # -
Here's a tidbit I discovered on the web that is very interesting. I found it at PelletKing.com...
Q: What is better Hardwood Pellets or Softwood Pellets?
A: Most people jump to the conclusion that "we have always burned hardwood in our woodstove so hardwood must be better" - Not true with pellets.
The first and most important thing to remember is that you are buying pellets by weight NOT volume. A cord of dry hardwood vs. dry softwood weighs about 2-3 times as much. However, a pound of dry hardwood weighs the same as a pound of dry softwood.
So what counts is the heat output of each. This is where softwood wins. Below is information from a study done by the wood industry.
White Oak 8810 BTU/pound
Yellow Pine 9610 BTU/poundA softwood pellet will produce 10-20% more BTU's per pound than hardwood depending on the species and create a lighter ash.
Hardwood pellets cost more and are perceived to be premium. Simply put, they put out less heat and produce denser ash.
Posted 1 year ago # -
geopell
MemberHi Jide, What is the recipe for the paper and the cardboard? Interested in trying those also. Sxviper is having the same problem with the pellets hardening in the die as the die heats up. Also agree we all will work together to solve this problem. To much time and money invested now.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The recipe for paper is 3 five gallon buckets full of shredded paper put in mixure.Add 2 paint caps full of pellet binder and let mix.The cap came from spray can of paint.Then I mist water in mixer while running paper wants to be just damp to touch.Then run through machine.Card board has to be a little more moist,But feed it in slow and it will mack good pellets.Then Iput pellets on drying rack for 1 hour
Posted 1 year ago # -
sxviper04
Memberabout how much does the paper yield per batch. once my new rollers show up i,m gonna give that a shot. recieved my impulse sealer this morning so i've been bagging and sealing. works real good. while standing there letting my mind wonder, i was trying to think of why we're all having similar problems. could it be that the smooth the journals get, the more surface contact between pellet and die causing to much heat to absorb in to pellet. trying to come up with a way to disapate some heat to stay running for long periods. i to have access to only hardwood. softwood here all bought by nearby pellet mills (the big boys). trying to get info on another binder product that is extracted from trees. will let you guys know if anything.
Posted 1 year ago # -
geopell
MemberHave you tried burning these pellets in stove and how long do they burn compared to wood pellets? Paper pellets are lighter than wood I wonder if they will feed the same? Get back to me Jide. Sxviper, I also thought today about how to cool the die to maintain a constant tempature, which I think will help. Just a thought, how about keeping the batch cooler to offset the temp. of the die. Let me know if you come up with anything. Thanks
Posted 1 year ago # -
They make about half a five gallon pale full.I tried burning the paper pellets they burned great,but you have to feed them in a little faster.Thats ok it is free heat makes a little more ash,but do not have newspaper,cardboard,junkmail and paper stacked up any where.I ran a batch today and had to run through 4 times to make a good pellet.Had some mix left over from other day and tried to run through after running last batch,did not work started to plug up die dumped in some vegei oil and saved half of the die.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I agree with that if you make good pellets then it quites making them when it gets hot thats a different issue.But my machine is supose to make 700 lbs an hour so if the mixture is right then the machine should run at a steady pace if you feed mixture in slow and steady.
Posted 1 year ago # -
What the machine mathematically can produce per hour is based on rpm's, die circumference, hole size, and biomass used. It will produce more animal feed pellets per hour because the material used is less resistant. It will produce more paper pellets per hour than sawdust. It will produce more softwood pellet per hour than hardwood. Trying to produce 700lbs and hour of hardwood pellets will be challenging. Do what works best for your machine.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have ben takeing the temp of the machine and the die and roller temp.Can not get agood reading on mixture moves to fast.Machine runs around 105 and rollers at 128 and die is cooler at 119.But die is checked when mixture is gone.I dont think temp is a issue with mine.Pellets come out soft at 108 and hard at 142.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Would checking the housing temp be a better indicator?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Geopell you make good hard pellets,what size dies do you have?
Posted 1 year ago # -
geopell
MemberAdmin,Jide, I have a small 3hp machine with 68 holes at 6mm. You would think that a batch should run longer than 5-8 minutes. I can't even finish a 5 gallon pail before the die clogs. I will look at the temp. of die, rollers and housing. My machine is suppose to make 200lbs an hour. I really didn't think it would do that but this run time is to short. I would be interested in try new batch of pellet bond, will send info. I think that the shaft building up wood under it and not being able to adjust will add to the heat problem. I'm going to experiment on slotting the housing to see if I can releave the build up. Will let all know. Thanks
Posted 1 year ago # -
sxviper04
Membergeopell, like i was saying on the phone i drilled a 3/8" hole about 1/2" up from where the top sets on the lower unit centered below the ends of the shaft. allows the powder to come outfrom the rotation and vibration. works well on mine.
Posted 1 year ago #
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