Remember to order your materials in advance if you won’t be gathering them yourself, since the demand for sawdust and wood is very high. Many people who make smaller batches of pellets also order excess raw plant material from local farmers to use in their wood pellets. This includes items like branches or the stalks and leaves of dead plants.
Some wood chippers won’t let you choose the size that you want the chips to be. In that case, you may have to run the wood through the chipper 2 times to make it as small as you can. If you’re using pre-processed sawdust, you won’t be able to make the pieces smaller, so you can skip this step.
If you don’t have a hammer mill, you may be able to rent one from a local saw mill or lumber yard. This step isn’t necessary if you’re starting with sawdust, since it’s already milled and refined to small pieces.
You can test the moisture level of the wood using a moisture meter, which you can purchase at most agriculture stores or online. In most cases, you don’t have to dry sawdust. However, if your sawdust has been stored in a moist environment or feels wet to the touch, spread it out on a flat surface in a dry room for 24 hours to dry the dust.
If metal or stone particles do get into an industrial mill, they can cause clogs or backups in the machinery. This step isn’t necessary for small batches of pellets since they won’t be placed in an industrial mill.
Don’t add too much vegetable oil at first, since it’s easier to add more later if necessary. If you’re working with more than 10 to 20 pounds (4. 5 to 9. 1 kg) of raw material, you don’t need a binding agent to make the pellets. With a large amount of wood, vegetable oil and other additives are easily absorbed by the wood and aren’t effective because the pressure and heat used in industrial processing will be enough to make the pellets stick together without the oil.
For small batches, you can use a kitchen stand mixer to accomplish this. You can find stand mixers at most housewares stores. Pour the wood into the bowl, adding vegetable oil if you’re using it, and attach a curved arm for mixing the material. Plug in the mixture and turn it on, letting it run for 10-20 minutes. If you’re using sawdust, you don’t have to mix the wood since it is already a fairly consistent size and shape.
Most pellet mills operate at around a maximum of 170–190 °F (77–88 °C) to ensure the pressure in the machine stays constant for binding the pellets but prevents scorching or burning. Be sure to feed the wood into the machine slowly at first to prevent backup. Then, slowly add more wood to the machine as production ability increases.
Don’t worry about working quickly when you’re using the die and roller. The process is slower and requires more effort, making it ideal for small batches.
If you’re making the pellets for your own personal use, you can leave misshapen pellets in with the regular ones to avoid producing waste.
If you bag and store the pellets before they’re cool and dry, they can become flattened.
For a small batch, you can store the pellets in a garage or storage closet. For larger batches, use a temperature and humidity controlled warehouse to store the pellets.
