COAL BIN Pics

You were very lucky. My cousin cut off three of his fingers on a table saw. It does happen very quickly. It's easy to get too comfortable when you are experienced with a table saw. Dadoes are particularly dangerous. Most important thing is to take out only a small amount of wood and make multiple passes. Next most dangerous, chain saws. Theres another great reason I'm glad to be burning coal. No more hours and hours with a stinking dangerous chain saw.

OH How I miss those summer days in the woods,, deer flies, sweat in my eyes,, wood chips sticking to every sweaty piece of exposed flesh, then the deer flies in your hair, on your neck.. Damn,, that was fun... NOT.. I still have several pairs of Levi's with a saw cut on the knee or leg... close calls..

Glad to hear you saved your finger..

Now.. I know why I like to use concrete stackable blocks for my coal bins..

Greg L.

I finished my bin and had 3 tons of rice delivered last Thursday. My design is very similar to Patricks, but I did not put hinged doors in front of my boards. And I didn't hinge the roof yet. Trying to figure out what will work best. Sliding them to the sides, taking them off, propping them up or hinging them somehow. It seems like a regular hoe moves rice coal around really easy. I'm going to use 5 gallon buckets too, but I'm going to have like 20 of them, do a bunch at one time and keep them ready in the basement. I guess the first year there is a lot to learn......

Yes, the first year is always a learning process.. we can help with ideas, suggestions, but your home, and your needs are what shape the final proceedures .

Some of us can't handle a 5 gallon pail of coal that weighs ~40#, some of us can haul two at a time upstairs or down.. Some of us are very fussy about dust, others have their coal burner in outbuildings and don't care very much about flyash and dust..

Every situation and install is different.. that's what makes this interesting..

That and saving lots of money.

Greg L.

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Table saw to rip plywood I take it?

You need a panel saw.



I still wear a pair of boots that I cut through with my chain saw. Missed my foot somehow.

I don't see many folks with pictures of thier bins made of rough cut. I plan on buying my materials friday for mine. What size anchors did you guys use to secure it to a concrete floor?

Plan on it being 8 x 12 with a middle section to cut it in half. 5 feet tall

cArNaGe wrote:I don't see many folks with pictures of thier bins made of rough cut. I plan on buying my materials friday for mine. What size anchors did you guys use to secure it to a concrete floor?

Carnage I used rough cut 1"x6"x8' was alot cheaper then 3/4 plywood. I got it from the local sawmill. I think it's alot stronger then plywood IMO! And I used 3" tapcons to screw to the concrete floor.
COAL BIN Pics

cArNaGe,

Wasn't the plywood. I used a guide and skill saw for the big cuts. I also have a panel cutter jig to cut larger pieces on the table saw. I was making a rabbitt cut in the 2"x4" vertical bracing for the coal chute on the side of the bin. These 2x4 's hold the sliding plywood door to the side of the bin. I Should have used the tenoning jig ot at least feather boards and pusher blocks to securely hold the piece in place. Stupid, stupid on my part. I knew better but thought I could just cheat and get by without using all of the tools and jigs that I have available. So now I have paid the price.

Hopefully by me posting my mishap it will cause others to rethink their actions before it is too late.

Adam, I know the saw is pricey, but that safety feature of the stopped disappearing saw blade is what I'm interested in.

Gambler Rick, I knew you were razzing. You should be hearing all the grief I'm getting at home and at work.

My biggest problem is having a splint on the fingers. I keep hitting the wrong keys on the keyboard.

Here's my coal bin, as it turned out. 4' x 4' x 6' = capacity 2 ton (has 2.06 ton in it), self feeder at bottom, so that I can use my "coal scooper" (very little dust from bin to fire). 2" x 4" and 1/2" plywood construction.
More information and pictures at Really temperamental stove/draft !!

cArNaGe wrote:Table saw to rip plywood I take it?

You need a panel saw.

I do a fair amount of projects at home but have a very small workshop so I won't even try to cut 4X8 panels. Home Depot & Lowes have panel cutting saws set up & they will cut the sheets to whatever size you need, for no charge. Much easier to transport & work with that way. For the average home owner, I say let them cut the panels.

Nice been dallas.

Been there done that; Nice BIN Dallas!

I really like that self feed option. It looks like it works well with your scoop. Real convenient when your close to the stove.

In my opinion, the "scoop" was one of the best things, I've come up with. Prior to the scoop, either "shoveling" or "pouring" the coal, I could see the dust in the sunlight, as well as when I dusted, the cloth would be black.

With the "scoop" there is very little disturbance when filling it, and when loading the stove, all the dust in within the firebox and goes up the flue.

Edit: More on the "coal scoop". It's time for me to "Clean up my act"!

Latest on the coal bin:
I was a little concerned about the "push" on the front of the bin over time, even though the 2 x 4s are anchored to the floor joists above and there is a 2 x 4 on the jack inside, at the bottom. I felt the "self feeder" at the bottom compromised the strength of the 6' front, somewhat.

This morning I installed a metal band, along both sides, screwed to the plywood and across the front with a turnbuckle in the center.

Hybrid Guy wrote:I just got my first delivery of coal on Saturday. Since this is my first year burning coal, I wanted a quick, simple, easy and cheap bin. I decided the trade off of losing the stairs was worth it...
The dimensions are 4 feet wide, 6 feet high and 6 feet long. It wouldn't hold the entire 5 ton load, but I didn't expect it to. I have a small pile on a tarp nearby.

What a cool idea!

Finished my coal bin besides a little this or that... 4x4x8. The roof is split in half 4x4 each side and both raise up or one or the other. This is for delivery and for raking the coal when its down to the bottom. Placed my coal order today hopefully 2 ton of rice by Wednesday.