# DIY: Firebox Compression
Things You'll Need
- Sawdust or other material for making pellets
- Hammer mill
- Trowel
- Pellet mill
- Vegetable oil
- Large plastic bucket
Instructions
-
-
1
Turn on the hammer mill and use it to crush any larger pieces, such as wood chips, into smaller granular pieces about 1/4 inch in size. A hammer mill is a tabletop or larger device that grinds materials to make them smaller.
-
2
Turn on the power to the pellet mill. A pellet mill is a device for compressing sawdust or other materials into small pellets. Trowel two or three scoops of raw material from the hammer mill into the top opening of the pellet mill. The mill will further break down the wood into a softer, more malleable form as it moves through the machine.
-
3
Add a binding agent such as vegetable oil to the mix if you're using a material other than wood. Wood products such as sawdust or wood chips ground in the hammer mill usually bind on their own, but pellets made from grass clippings, corn husks, shelled corn, cardboard or paper will need a separate binder to maintain the correct shape.
-
4
Place a large plastic bucket in front of the pellet mill’s extruder. The pellet machine will compress the material through a die to form and slice the pellets. The pellets will fall into the bucket. Store the pellets in a dry location.
-
1
