How To Make a DIY Biochar Grinder [Meet the BAHFEEMARATOR!}
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Here's how we made and use an inexpensive biochar crusher/grinder to grind and charge biochar at the same time. Thank you, Herrick Kimball!
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Compochar Bafeemerator Mk. I Parts List:
Scrap Wood (Prices may vary - we got discard boards from a bin at a hardware store for the supports, and bought warped 2 x 4's at 50% off and cut usable sections from them for the sawhorses.) The two boards supporting the top tray are each 42" long. The legs and top bars of the sawhorses are 36" in height. A 28 - 30" length on the legs is more reasonable, however. This setup is a little tall. We used 37 board feet of pressure treated wood for this project, which cost around $40.
Fulton Sawhorse Brackets (MADE IN THE USA!): amzn.to/2S9nGHt
Waste King Garbage Disposal ($50.80): amzn.to/3zyQoSN
Leviton Single Pole Light Switch: www.acehardwar...
Switch Box: www.acehardwar...
Switch Face Plate: www.acehardwar...
Cutting Board: www.walmart.co...
How To Build the Compochar Bafeemerator Mk. I
Step 1: Sawhorses
First, build your sawhorses using 2 x 4s and the sawhorse brackets listed above. We cut the legs at 36" and cut the bottom angles of the legs to be even with the ground; however, I think cutting them at 28-30" would have been a better idea. Maybe on the Mk. II! The tops of the sawhorses are cut at 3'.
The sawhorse brackets make sawhorse assembly easy. We cut all the board lengths with a miter saw and screwed the horses together.
Step 2: The Work Surface
Measure out two 2 x 4's at 42" of length, then mark and cut 1" deep notches in them to fit the 2 x 4 tops of your sawhorses. When this is finished, put your Walmart cutting board in the middle, pre-drill holes at the corners, then screw it on.
Step 3: Installing the Garbage Disposal
Using a ruler or piece of wood as a straightedge, make an "X" in the middle of your cutting board by measuring from corner to corner. Then unpack your garbage disposal and use the feed pipe as a template to draw a circle right over that X. Drill a hole inside the circle, insert your jigsaw's blade, then cut out the hole with the jigsaw. Once you have your hole, insert the disposal's pipe and flange and screw on the waste disposal as if it were going into your sink. Then attach the "out" pipe at the bottom.
Step 4: Install the Switch
Cut through the power cable of your waste disposal, leaving enough wire to reach the outlet box you're going to screw onto your table-top support. Strip the last half-inch of all the wires. Punch holes in either end of your outlet box, then run your wires in from both sides and wire up the switch. Just reattach one of the live sides of the Waste Disposal wire with a wire cap, then attach the two remaining live wires to the two screws on the sides of the switch, one for each screw, then attach your ground wires to the green "ground" screw on the switch. Screw the outlet box to the side of your table top, and insert the switch into it. You'll have to break off the metal tabs at the ends of the switch to make it fit. Screw it all together, then put on the face plate.
Congratulations, you've now built your own Compochar Bafeemerator Biochar Grinder Mk. I!
Operating the Compochar Bafeemerator Biochar Grinder Mk. I
Make sure to not stick your hands inside the garbage disposal. I mean, seriously. Just don't.
Running this disposal properly requires water. Instead of plain water, I use a nutrient solution made of compost tea, manure tea, diluted urine or Dave's Fetid Swamp Water, charged with an additional shot of DynaGro "Grow" fertilizer and Sea-90 sea salt for extra minerals. This will help charge the char. I shoot to grind about half char and half kitchen scraps for a good balance of organic materials. Stuff in the material you want to grind, then wash it down with your liquid nutrient solution. The resulting black slop can be added to compost piles, left to ferment in buckets or maybe even added to worm bins.
Have fun. Be careful.
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Definitely going to copy this one! She shall be named “TERRA PRETATOR” Thanks for the tutorial!
Think I'm going to build an outdoor sink/veggie washing station that incorporates this... simple, yet brilliant
Yeah! I like that idea.
Yes! With a foot pedal!
Dude. I built a fish cleaning, vegetable wash station for Fred last year. Instead of building a whole new thing I'm gonna install the disposal ON THAT now!!! Thanks!!!
@@zprince4120 Yeah, I thought about that too!
That garbage disposal is going to be hating life. "Wait, why am I not being installed in a nice kitchen? Why am I not being fed the leftovers from dinner? WHAT KIND OF WATER IS THIS?!?!"
Wow, this is brilliant.
I would be tempted to take it one step further and install it in an old sink.
I was thinking of the same thing. He could buy a used sink for this project.
If you used an old sink instead of a cutting board it would act like a funnel and it would be easier to get stuff into the bahfeemarator, and a sink already has the right size hole in it
If you had the money to spare, you could buy a plastic utility sink. it would already have the drain hole, (though it might have to be drilled a bit larger to fit the garbage disposal) and would already have the legs built in..
I was just thinking a flat tote could work as well for the funneling action
I would think adding a funnel in here somewhere would be great. Maybe a funnel with a cone-shaped top half for easy filling and a cylinder bottom half (inside diameter matched to the mouth of the bahfemerator ) for "piston-style-ramstuffing" Plus some simple way of mounting/removing the funnel as needed/preferred. Or even install the funnel between the table-top and garbage disposal (make the table-top hole bigger to fit the funnel mouth as the new bahfeemerator mouth)...of course one can get overcomplicated in persuit of "IDEAL"...am I overthinking? ...I probably am overthinking...
Hmmm, I have see garbage disposals used to grind stuff for bio-digesters. After seeing this it makes me wonder if passing the bio-char through a bio-digester would be the ultimate way to charge it as the slurry that comes out is a very rich fertilizer.
I've thought about this before while cramming tons of apple cores down my drain. If only I could catch all this stuff from my garbage disposal I thought...
Now after watching this I'm on the lookout for a kitchen sink on the side of the road to make one of these...
I feel like it needs sides. 🤷
Definitely aeration would be good or straight in the compost. There's plenty of research scientists like Elaine Ingham who say allowing organic matter to go anaerobic actually creates many harmful chemicals including formaldehyde that actually slows the good guys down.
@@shannonsexton8921 I like Elaine, but people have been using anaerobic composting with success for a long time, likely long before miscroscopes and electricity etc to power aerators etc. I might be more beneficial to do that, also a ton more work, and one wrong move makes it anaerobic again. Lots of science shows she is wrong about it, could be that, could be the current science is wrong, one thing for sure..... lazy anaerobic composting works 🤷♂️
You could improve that with a sink. It would give you a hopper. Just dump everything in the sink turn the grinder on and start pushing it down.
I should set up a go-fund-me. "Please help me buy a sink and a super-powerful insinkerator, plus more lumber."
And 95% of the cost is the lumber...
I think a sink is a good idea.
@@davidthegood probably get a sink at the dump and then it’s a direct replacement for the cutting board. Just screw it to the frame you made through the flange on the top edge.
Otherwise the idea of charging the char while crushing it is brilliant I usually just dump it into the compost pile and forget it’s in there.
@@marka9292 That's what I was thinking. I have all of my friends who do remodeling work watch out for stuff like that. Of course in my town all I would need to do is drive around and look at the crap in everybody's yards. LOL!
@@davidthegood Do you have that plugged into a GFCI outlet? Being electrocuted will delay your video release schedule! Also your safety is important too.
I feel like Charizard would have been a great name too
Haha
I had the 1HP Waste King disposal at my last house. That thing is an absolute beast.
Idea: most (all?) disposals have an inlet to accommodate a drain line from a dishwasher. Here is where the charged water could flow into the grinding chamber via drain hose. Elevate the charged water supply (as noted by several above). Maybe even add a valve or foot pedal activation--then you can adjust the flow as needed with less mess and no-hands operation. Such a great video.
That biochar slop would also be good to feed to your chickens for parasites & nutritional value. They probably would start popping out eggs like a slot machine.
I bet it would be good for them.
It's what chickens get at the senior home lol
Oh it’s on now! I’ve burned up one leaf vac, clogged up another and dulled the blades of my chipper running biochar through them. I already have a sink with double drain boards in my potting station….and I sell disposals at my work.
AWESOME!!
David you need a hopper to make things easier and more tidy lol.
A sink would be good and would act as a good holding tank allowing you to fill and mix your materials before moving down into the garburator. But the sink is still flat on the bottom. I think a large funnel or hopper of some sort would be better. The materials would constantly fall towards the center and down into the garburator with minimal effort from you, just simply poke the pile to keep it moving. It may be a little more kid user friendly with a hopper, ;) gotta keeps those kids busy right! lol.
Either way great idea and the end product looks like a sure winner whatever way its used.
Great idea.
Thanks for sharing
cheers!
I like the hopper idea a lot.
Some videos say the char needs to be a little larger not fine dust. Will see how it performs in your garden. Do a comparison plot. Between the two.
I like your oversized box cutter David :D
You could make a "sink" using a plastic wash tub. Cut a hole in it like the cutting board and use the sink flange to sandwich the tub and the cutting board together. An extra 2-3 bucks at Wallyworld. All the water and food scraps, biochar would be funneled to the grinder. Less mess. UV light would probably degrade it so as other viewers have mentioned, a regular sink would last longer.
Instead of a washtub, maybe you could use a cement mixing tub. I feel like they're probably more UV stable, but that's just a guess.
Great idea! Funnel might be nice. Maybe adapt a large HVAC reducer to the top. Could just grab a sink from a remodel or scrap yard. Maybe go the Seinfeld route & install a garbage disposal in the shower/bath & reroute the grey water!!!! Ok, I'm putting the coffee down.
This is brilliant. I spent hours trying to break biochar up. I love the end result and consistancy of the ground product you have there!! I’ve been a big composter all my life. And now, living in FL. With SAND! I’m liking the biochar idea a whole lot! This week I been making your squash pits! Seems I now need a garbage disposer! What’s funny is, people who don’t or can’t garden just don’t get us extreme gardners. They would think it CRAZY. 🤣 Thing is though, our gardens thrive where others fail! Love this vid David the Good! Good job! 👍
It's really fun.
That is absolutely gorgeous!
I'm a bit surprised you didn't use one of those toggle switches with the red shut off cover. Would've upped the cool factor a bit I think. Badazz machine tho man!
Maybe one of those giant switches like in Frankenstein.
Nice. I like where this is going? Lol
Pretty neat!
I always thought it'd be smart to have a dedicated compost blender, instead of just the little kitchen pail. Puree that stuff first, then add it to the bin/tumbler/pile. That idea seems like child's play now.
Great work David, Herrick would be proud. I hope you experiment with all the different ways to use Bio char and make a new video using each one. Use the same kind of plants maybe one or two for random control. Thank you for pushing gardening forward and making us think!
We are all secretly hoping for a planet whizbang gardening book 2. Herrick, come on man. : )
That Thing Is a Beast! I NEED ONE!
Just what I have been looking for, A good way to grind biochar and now I can also do my kitchen scraps as well. Can't wait to build one. Thanks David
You are a gardening WILD man!! Love what I consider unorthodox thinking.
How about building it into a giant stainless bowl or sink?? Then it would be easier to feed. This such a great idea!!! Thanks for bringing us along!
Foot operated switch would be a nice addition.
Mind operated would be even better.
I have an old ss sink that I'm gonna use. Thanks for sharing!👍
Just what I wanted for Christmas(early). Thanks David!
Ooooh much better than chopping everything into tiny pieces before throwing it into the compost bin spinner thingie. This might be genius for me.
You did great with your build David. Good idea the guy had and it gives me some ideas too.
Fantastic idea. Great job David. Thanks.
Absolutely love it
Did you ever do a follow up video on this method?
These comments are gold, im going to try this!
Does the diisposall have a built in dishwasher drain? You could install a connector for your water hose to that and have constant water without having to spray by hand.
It does, but I would have to find out a way to have charged liquid flowing in.
What if you positioned the DFSW up on legs like a water tower so it could gravity-feed into the Bafeemarator?
@@davidthegood perhaps put your charged water in a garbage can or something and use a simple pump to run it into the disposal/grinder. Could be a pump you plug into 110V, or a bilge pump that runs on 12v so you could use a cheap solar panel to power it.
Very cool.
I think I will build one with a bucket for the "sink" and a second upside-down one as a shroud to protect it from rain.
Three legs coming off the shroud and it will be freestanding.
Mine will be more for pre chewing chook food than charcoal, but it all goes on the compost pile for the girls to work over anyway.
Well damn now I know what I'm going to be doing this summer thanks allot I won't be able to get that out of my head now until I do it once you hear it you can't in unhear it
I bought a bag of lump charcoal today and I'm going to try to just send it through my Kaz Chipper tomorrow with the bag attachment on to catch the biochar.
The experiment was successful. I was able to send an entire bag of lump charcoal through my chipper and into the side attachment bag. Very little was lost as dust.
Shout out Planet Whizbang. Niccce.
This is great! A home muffin monster. I will totally be copying this. Will use it to feed the worms too.
So much better than hubs using my kitchen blender!!
The quality of your work has improved further. Great job.
Brilliant! I wonder how long it will hold up to the rough grind? My kitchen disposal blade gets jammed with any hard nuggets or bits and then I have to stick my hand down in there and unwedge whatever it is. Is this some kind of industrial strength disposal?
To loosen a stuck disposal, before sticking your hand in it...there is a wrench that should have come with it (if not, a properly sized hex wrench works)... The motor shaft comes out underneath the disposal and can be turned with the wrench manually to unstick it. Much safer
@@thebigshmoog good advice. I'm still wondering how well the blades will hold up with this kind of use, as mine gets stuck pretty easily with much less hard chunks to deal with.
I'd imagine, having made a lot of biochar myself...pretty well. The char is pretty soft... I think it's the few random uncharted pieces that may give it an issue...
For those in the US and who have a Costco membership:
the garbage disposal sold at Costco is better than anything currently offered at Amazon. Bought one for this design and is an absolute beast for this design, at almost the same price as entry models on Amazon
Beautiful! Needs a funnel like a woodchipper. :)
I was just thinking a woodchipper really makes composting one's enemies that much more efficient
That's pretty slick. Add another bucket and a small pump so you have a steady flow of water.
Amazing build and awesome to see your son wkrng side by side.
I wondered about putting charcoal into a disposal, now I am a believer. Surprised it even works alright with a 1/4 hp. motor. Thanks DtG! 😊
Love the 'announcer' voice
Compochar Bafeemorator TM ... genius
Pro- fess- ion-al video. Love the voice. Do you dilute the completed mixture like compost tea before applying to garden soil?
Intro song sounds good on headphones 👍🎧🎶
Thank you!
I'm interested to see how long the disposer will last.
BTW... I still can't "compost my enemies", cause I haven't received the shirt I ordered in January.
Please email me
Brilliant 👏👏👏👏👏👏
This just got me totally excited! You've made a composting monster out of me.
Also, I love adding biochar to my worm bed, I just don't work on a scale to justify this machines, awesome idea for my cap if I ever get property.
As usual, this is an awesome (and fun!) idea David! I can't wait to see how you use this stuff.
Super excited to see where this goes, I'm always looking for ways to level up my teas, composts, soil, and have more of it using more never ending materials!
I made a hammer mill for my charcoal, I use the larger pieces in my gasifier and the dust I can't use as fuel I use in my garden.
With Paper Crete, they create "Tow Mixer" Where They take the back drive axle of an old truck, and invert it so the drive axle is pointing upward. Then they mount a spinning lawmower like blade and a tank cut in half on top of that so that everything inside gets pulverized when you tow it around the yard. Might be good for larger batches.
I absolutely love planet whizbang!
It'd be cool to put a big funnel on the top and then a drip irrigation line going in that you can turn the water on once the grinder is on so it auto-drips water while the funnel of food gravitationally moves down.
I agree
Holy Crap Dude! You make my brain pulsate!
This is brilliant! I would like to use it just for regular scraps as I don't have char right now. Eager to see all the applications and experiments.
*Great video. I too love Herricks ideas. Anyone who doesn't have access to a pond just throw in some ascorbic acid to your water and stir that will do the trick or add a few air stones with a pump and let it run 24hrs.*
Dude really nice joints you handle that saw well
Woodworking runs in my family - Grandpa was a boatbuilder.
This is awesome!
watching that thing work makes me think of what the human GI tract would look like with a super charger!
I like the ingenuity. BUT, I think I have a better way...we have a 650sq ft garden and we live in the city...so burning stuff and finding enough to burn is tough. So we bought royal oak lump charcoal - untreated and no additives. At first I tried smashing it with a sledge in a 55g drum but it was ineffective and a lot of work.
We ended up buying120lbs of the lump and we just ran it over with the push mower a bunch of times. This worked great. Super simple, messy, but effective. You could even throw in your table scraps and whatever else you have.
If you have the option to make your own biochar thats great. The most cost effective alternative I've found is 30lb bulk royal oak lump charcoal from walmart. It's around 15$ for 30lbs. Anyway, love the vids! Thanks for sharing!
[Also worth noting that we put all the crushed charcoal in a big barrel and charged it with dehydrated cow manure and fertilizer. The water slurry which we were thinking would be high pH tested out at around 6 with an electronic stick tester. :)
I just use a wood board and a rolling pin. For the tough bits{after cooking in a retort} like soup bones, snail shells and seashells, a mortar and pestle. A funnel would do wonders for your setup.
Oh I just caught the guy at the end falling into the sarlak pit. How many times have I watched this?
Very cool. My neighbor can't figure out why my lawn is green.
Will the Mark II see a switch box above the work area and flood plain of the water? Just a bit more separation of electricity and water would be a little less sketchy I think, especially for others that follow your lead.
YOLO
@@davidthegood 😂😂😂
It’d be neat if you could get a few half barrels and put the ground up char/food swamp water mixture into them and have it sitting and ready to use to put under new beds/plantings as you make them?
I found that the lumps of charcoal I put into pots last year, this year are very easy to break up this year.
Hi David. I've been thinking about this a lot. I think if you got a 6" pipe Like PVC or something , you could cut an inch or two section and either glue it onto your cutting board or mortice it in So you could feed your materials easier. I think that would be gooder.
Watch this storm coming in. Good luck.
Genius!
Love this video thanks for sharing
Love it you unhinged genius. But BIGGER, BIGGER!!
As if watching David chop things in his hand with a machete wasn’t enough!
Epic!
I like the char slop going straight into the garden idea but I wonder if it wouldn’t need time to age before planting.
Grinding increases surface area, decreases biological zone layering. Might be a wash..but no one is doing long term experiments with particle size.
Great build!!!!
Pure genius! You should be King!!!
Wonderful idea! I need to have my husband build me one!
nice way to cut down on the black lung
True. Biochar dust is nasty.
I have a lot of brush I'm getting rid of. Think I'll be using this one. Have you ever tried a 55 gallon drum with holes in the bottom and a 55 gallon drum as an after burner? Epic carbon burns.
Another creative machine for the garden. Now the soil will enjoy more digestible food just like babies eating liquid food :-)
Awe, awesome!😃👍
How is the power switch water-proofed to prevent electrocution? Pouring water onto the flat surface where that switch is sitting a few inches away seems rather risky, but I'm no electrician.
If it's plugged into a GFCI protected circuit which outdoor receptacles usually are by code, then he is fine.
Could you please try all of those things and make a mini documentary anout what happens 🤩
Fantastic liquid fertiliser!
Might make me one too.
Thank you.
I think, when I do this, I'm going to work on some kind of feeder tube to seat snugly over the opening, so I don't get all that debris getting thrown back up and caught under the rim and whatnot. Just an extra six inches to a foot to catch funnel everything down into the hole properly.
I’m curious to see how the smaller biochar size works out. Smaller biochar size should increase the rate that it can be charged, which might be a more efficient option. But larger biochar size might hold nutrients for longer periods of time, which maybe would save the hassle of having to make more right away.
Please keep us informed with results.
very nice. always another new idea.
Awesome! I use my old yard sale blender
It would be cool if it was in a sink with a normal faucet on it so you can run the water consistently while pushing the scraps through. If you could make a big holding tank or container with a small water pump, you could pump in your pond water and mix while running it. It would be like a normal sink but super charged for making biochar
You apparently have the power close by. I wonder if you could turn the power on to the pump at the same time you flip the switch for the disposal. That may not work timing wise though. You could have two switches though - one got the disposal and one for the water pump
What about seaweed and fish heads and guts guts? And black strap mollases,Epsom salt?
I make all my own sea weed and fish emulsion so I'm thinking to add all those ingredients to the bio char?
In a grid down situation could we not just put all this into a barrel to ferment?
Yes, of course.
@@davidthegood I love the idea of putting the fish stuff through food disposal, I don't use one in my kitchen but I'd pay to not have to chop all those fish guts! Love your books!