your thoughts on charcoal production...?

[chestnut]

i'd be interested in how you get on - so do keep us up to date

 

i want to go into charcoal production myself (but my father is reluctant) as he reckons that the % you get back in viable charcoal is far less than you could with firewood

[northumbriaforestry]

Good to read such positive replies about British Charcoal, we could do with more burners, some regions have no one at all. C'mon in & get dirty!

[strider]

Just picked up this thread. I've been making charcoal for the last 5 years along side firewood and other woodland products. I use a ring kiln which burns for about 2 days and produces about 60 bags of good charcoal and about 7 bags of small piece charcoal(ideal for own use but dosn't look good in a bag for customers)

Firewood gives a better return but by doing the charcoal it adds another income source and once people know that you are making it and the good ethics of it and that its a good product they are willing to pay that bit extra.

I also use the oil drums for quick production if i'm running short, but also so that I can produce timber specific charcoal. Hornbeam charcoal is unberlivably good and sells at a premium.

Finally I have found that sales of charcoal are all year round. There are customers out there BBQing in the winter and the likes of B&Q stop selling charcoal normally in September.

If you want any advice, help or information get in touch.

 

Finally

[Frankie Lawrence]

There is something in it I think although its an all year round production with only a season return much the same with firewood though.

 

Im sure its the same for most people bbut whenever were felling for firewood the amount of Hazel we chuck on the fire is incredible if we just cut it up with a moveable kiln? If thats possible end of job in the kiln your away bag it up leave site. Went on charcoal making corse and although interesting was only about woodland owners needing something to do with there wood there are however courses running over a weekend check it out at nearest training place.

[Brushcutter]

I use to make charcoal in oil drums. Its no way as good as making it in a kiln but its a place to start. I did it for 4 years and got very good at judging it so good a good yield. Then firewood took off and we got more money for that than we did for charcoal. It was also much more time consuming, of course if we had a better supply of wood and a big drum kiln things may of been different.

 

We sold a lot from our site and had a local butcher who sold our charcoal as well. Obviously its more expensive than supermarket charcoal but if you can find the market to sell it to then its all good. Think ours was 6.50 or so for local lumpwood charcoal bag.

 

The best bit about using a small drum system is that it is just about doable in a day, there is then cooling time but if you light it about 9 you can be shutting it down by around 3 depending on what wood you've got in it.

 

I recommend the charcoal burners handbook it gives a good guide to starting out making charcoal goes through yields how to read the kiln and how to make a good oil drum kiln. think it was about 15 quid when i got it all those years ago.

 

For the sake of drilling some holes in an oil drum poping it up on some tiles and some sand to seal it off its worth a go. Then you'll know wether its for you. I think the real money in charcoal is in running courses.

[Joy Yeomans]

I use to make charcoal in oil drums. Its no way as good as making it in a kiln but its a place to start. I did it for 4 years and got very good at judging it so good a good yield. Then firewood took off and we got more money for that than we did for charcoal. It was also much more time consuming, of course if we had a better supply of wood and a big drum kiln things may of been different.

 

We sold a lot from our site and had a local butcher who sold our charcoal as well. Obviously its more expensive than supermarket charcoal but if you can find the market to sell it to then its all good. Think ours was 6.50 or so for local lumpwood charcoal bag.

 

The best bit about using a small drum system is that it is just about doable in a day, there is then cooling time but if you light it about 9 you can be shutting it down by around 3 depending on what wood you've got in it.

 

I recommend the charcoal burners handbook it gives a good guide to starting out making charcoal goes through yields how to read the kiln and how to make a good oil drum kiln. think it was about 15 quid when i got it all those years ago.

 

For the sake of drilling some holes in an oil drum poping it up on some tiles and some sand to seal it off its worth a go. Then you'll know wether its for you. I think the real money in charcoal is in running courses.

 

we sometimes get chestnut that we could put in a kiln, you say small kiln out of an oil drum - i may sound daft but is it that simple - just fill tightly your oil drum, drill holes in bottm which becomes top? tip upside down and seal around with sand, stand on tiles? is this right? as would like to give it a go

[armchairarborist]

we sometimes get chestnut that we could put in a kiln, you say small kiln out of an oil drum - i may sound daft but is it that simple - just fill tightly your oil drum, drill holes in bottm which becomes top? tip upside down and seal around with sand, stand on tiles? is this right? as would like to give it a go

 

im puzzled now too, how does the sand seal it if its on tiles? where does the fire go? its making my head hurt.. im off to lie down (under the landrover)..

[strider]

One of the best things with the oil drum kiln, to start with, is that if it goes wrong there is only a small amount of wood and time wasted compared to a ring kiln. A very good way to learn.

[Charlieh]

we sometimes get chestnut that we could put in a kiln, you say small kiln out of an oil drum - i may sound daft but is it that simple - just fill tightly your oil drum, drill holes in bottm which becomes top? tip upside down and seal around with sand, stand on tiles? is this right? as would like to give it a go

 

I have some plans i can copy and drop down for an oil drum set up. Is this ready for the huge bbq you guys are building, going to need a kilo or two or charcoal for that beast

[northumbriaforestry]

I'll be posting some pics & videos on my site soon, showing how we do it. The longer you do it & the better you get, the more of your own ways you get into, but the principles are all ways the same. I'll post back when they're done.