from what I have read of wood stoves (propper woodgas things) they work most efficiently and easiest from wood pellets. Short of chopping wood into very small pieces or smashing pinecones to bits, are there any tools or devices for creating very small chips, like a garden chipper or meat grinder, but manual ?
Wood Burning Cookers
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To be honest mate its probably not worth the hassle. I got 10l bags of hardwood pellet for £2.50 from my local biomass seller. I only pack pellets when im not certain of dry wood or at meets where you cant scavenge wood on site. Its is very efficient though and gives a steady heat for a long time.
Just ideas that might lead somewhere...
The best I can think of at the moment is something like an ordinary wood cutting tool. A grooving plane would probably be your best bet.
A spokeshave or a plane set to a thick cut and used on the edge of a thin sheet or strip of wood might work, especially if you've just used a grooving plane on it. Not exacly chips but the shavings would crumble easily enough.
An auger bit makes chips but that would be a painful way to fuel a stove. Even a twist drill makes a sort of chip when drilling wood.
A properly sharp chain saw makes the sort of chips that you might be looking for, and a router can too, but you said manual. I suppose a pole lathe would be getting a bit silly.
If you know of a firm or have a friend that does wood turning they might have loads of scrap wood chips.
...ooOoo...
I've never used wood pellets in my Bushbuddy, I just break up little twigs and it works fine as long as they're good and dry.
As has been pointed out for the amount that you'll use cooking on a woodgas stove you may as well pick up a sack from the supermarket.
The best I can think of at the moment is something like an ordinary wood cutting tool. A grooving plane would probably be your best bet.
A spokeshave or a plane set to a thick cut and used on the edge of a thin sheet or strip of wood might work, especially if you've just used a grooving plane on it. Not exacly chips but the shavings would crumble easily enough.
An auger bit makes chips but that would be a painful way to fuel a stove. Even a twist drill makes a sort of chip when drilling wood.
A properly sharp chain saw makes the sort of chips that you might be looking for, and a router can too, but you said manual. I suppose a pole lathe would be getting a bit silly.
If you know of a firm or have a friend that does wood turning they might have loads of scrap wood chips.
...ooOoo...
I've never used wood pellets in my Bushbuddy, I just break up little twigs and it works fine as long as they're good and dry.
As has been pointed out for the amount that you'll use cooking on a woodgas stove you may as well pick up a sack from the supermarket.
If you talk to a local tree surgeon, they chip wood all the time - in huge quantity. This gets sold for commercial biomass (when they have many many tonnes to supply in one go).
My local guy will dump me a seven and a half tonner full for a smile and a handshake
I reckon one lorry load should be nough for several cups of tea
Wood chip by British Red, on Flickr
My local guy will dump me a seven and a half tonner full for a smile and a handshake
I reckon one lorry load should be nough for several cups of tea
Wood chip by British Red, on Flickr
Elen Sentier
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Do the pellets work OK? Someone told me to try the wood cat-litter but I find it suffocates my Honey. Like you, I carry for emergenices only.
Elen Sentier
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
All pellets aren't equal-some burn better than others. Regular shaped ones do best as its allows the air to pass through the fuel.
A honey stove holds quite a few pellets and the air will be impeded from passing through the fuel.
All true. Also, some wood gas stoves burn the fuel from the top down (or attempt to!) rather than the bottom up so the air flow and the fuel loading is completely different.
There's a whole sub-culture out there if you're interested, search the forum using your favourite engine for links and pointers if you have the, er, energy.
Elen Sentier
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
True, O King, live forever
, as I discovered at Northwood! I shall continue to collect twigs from my garden prunings and keep a bag in the boot of the car ...
Elen Sentier
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
... I have the Honey, stick to what I know, eh? Or we're back to the shed-fulls of gear posts
Coo-errrr !!!
All gone now, I use them for deep mulch on rhubarb and herb beds - makes an amazing difference. They make nice paths on top of weed mat too. Nice to use "every bit of the tree" (rather like every bit of the pig!)
Elen Sentier
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Never done on the herb beds ... but agree about rhubarb and paths. I would have though they got damp/fungussy on the herbs ??? Yes to using every bit of the tree/pig/cow/sheep etc
. Practically nothing gets wasted here either, dunno what the bin-men think when there's nowt for them to collect 
TurboGirl
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I found the local cats absolutely adored it... every day, there's be a new bark chipping 'mountain' with a soft centre on my sitting area... ewwwww!
I use them for my wildstove if I am just going out for a one nighter, they tend to give a nice consistent burn over a long period (great for a stew) without the need to constantly add fuel.
The main problem is they are a bugger to light and I tend to cheat with a couple of broken up bits from a hexi or esbit block.
I have a 20l bag of cat litter that has lasted me over a year (our cats didn't like it so went back to the expensive stuff) and I think it cost about a fiver.
If I'm just making a cuppa I tend to use twigs and shavings as its much less faffing around.
Atb, Hamster
Ahh cats that roam seem not be a problem around here
That'll be because of the .410 I imagine, Red.
Nah that would be naughty
We have a few guard dogs around of an intemperate disposition (not ours) - seems to resolve the issue.
We have a few guard dogs around of an intemperate disposition (not ours) - seems to resolve the issue.
Elen, technically speaking a honey isnt a woodgas. The lack of side wall chamber means it cant gasify the fuel. You can mod it to make it burn pellets easier. Just take some fine gauge mesh and roll into a tube. instert the tube in the middle and fill with fuel around the outside. This allows a stack effect and lets the air get to the fuel. just shove your tinder down the tube and it will light easy.
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