Motor is electric, I think you mean an engine.

you need to look for search terms, wood gasification and wood powered engine. Have you gone down to the sub forums? There are different sections there, see, look up to your left on the screen, National Networks, go there. Also look to board index, search all topics from there, that is a start and quickest way to search.
Best of luck

splitting hairs on motor and engine, hmmph.. but is indeed correct.

Taken from the Merriam Webster online dictionary....:
1mo·tor
noun ˈmō-tər
Definition of MOTOR
1: one that imparts motion; specifically: prime mover

2: any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: as

a: a small compact engine

b: internal combustion engine; especially: a gasoline engine

c: a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy

Everyone is correct...LOL

JAB => LIKE !

OP - Carpenter, found info in Alternative Energies section, also in another couple of areas, so start there and see whats what. There is a link to the Fema article on modification of engines to wood fuel PDFs.

This is more of a pet peeve than an agrument but:

"Engine vs Motor

We interchange the word engine and motor a lot. There is a song called Damn this Traffic Jam and one of the lyrics is: "it hurts my motor to go so slow." Exxon- Humble Oil Company had a slogan with a guy waving- his head was a drop of oil. their slogan was "Happy Motoring". So there is evidently quite a gray area here: when a major oil company calls the engine a motor, makes it their slogan, and no one catches it! I worked for MTU for about 18 months. My first language was German, so I found myself surrounded by a bunch of homesick Master Mechanics who called upon all entities when they swore- they took cursing to the next level!- and who referred to Diesel engines as "motoren". Maybe there is something lost in translation, I dunno.
So, what is the difference between an engine and a motor?
Motors are electric. Electricity powers motors.
Engines are powered by come sort of pressure or combustion, ie: steam engines, automobile engines, diesel engines. "

The interchangeability of concrete and cement drives me nutso as well. Oh ya and when people refer a vinyl floor covering as linoleum.
You are right JAB, definitions change over time.

Points made...let's get back on topic folks.

Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ql2ta9eShE

The idea has been around since WW2 and it does work...
I hope this guy has a trailer, cause his truck is now an over sized 3 seat car!

Here is a typical gasifier set-up, for off the grid set up look at using the by product heat (750- 850*C)to run a fridge, heat your water and or run a simple steam engine. The possibilities is ONLY limited to you imagination and mechanical ability. The amount of BTU's that this unit produces is determined by the size of gasifier used. :geek:

I think a wood burning motor/generator is a great idea, however, if you're thinking about using a natural resources for power why not consider a steam powered generator? The process is less complex and a lot easier to manage/create IMO.

All I'm saying is that the Gasifier is more versatile and has less explosive tendencies. The steam generator requires constant attention, if using a turbine, a governor and valves are required, and multiple turbines require some one with the skill to fixed them.. High pressure steam lines are required. Unless you are a Mechanical/Stationary engineer I would stay away from Steam, Unless you buy a completed unit and someone available to service it. If you want more information on this subject, look up Steam Mechanics on your web search.

The wood gassifiers are appealing because it they be rigged into an existing gas generator if fuel runs out. Thus giving you a renewable energy source for eclectic generation.

YUP.

I wanted to try building a wind generator next summer, but maybe now I'll give a gassifier a shot!
I'm much better at plumbing than electrical.
If they can do it on The Colony from scrap, maybe I could actually pull it off!
I thought someone on the forum actually built one...would love to hear from them about it!
I have an old lawnmower engine that I was thinking of using to run an alternator.
I know I won't power my entire house this way, but keeping a battery bank charged would go a long way.
If I remember from The Colony, they used an array of car batteries for several weeks...wonder how long they would last if you were constantly keeping them charged and not doing a drain/charge cycle.