North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>]

My son pointed out that the easiest way to get charcoal in small bits was to 
burn sawdust.  Unfortunately winter is over now, but if you do any fires at 
all this summer you might want to try this.  I took a tin with a lid, mine 
was a cookie tin about 8" high, and I punched two holes in the lid with a 
nail.  I wrapped wire around tin below the lid to lift it out when hot, this 
is not really necessary.  I'd stuff it full of sawdust and put it in the 
wood buring stove on it's side with the two holes near the middle of the 
fire.  As it heated the producer gas would blow out the little holes and 
burn, we'd hear it going.  We'd take the thing out later, let it cool before 
opening it.  The result is nice fine charcoal.  Sometimes I didn't leave it 
in the fire long enough and the middle was still brown.  You can't open it 
while it's atill really hot, or it will just burn up.  Sawdust is getting 
harder and harder to find free.  I get mine from a truss factory, nice and 
dry and fine.       Donna