WoodGas

Howdy from the mountain,
I thought I would ramble on a bit today about woodgas. This is a low tech way to turn an engine, heat water, cook a meal. It produces a hot flame and if done correctly, nearly smoke free.
I joined a yahoo group called woodgas and learned more than I wanted to know. It sounds like they are trying to make it high tech when it is just a simple thing. You make the wood smolder by o2 deprivation and force the smoke to the point you want it and burn it there. I have heard of people getting over 1000 degrees.
I have a link above to a pdf file that comes from Fema and shows how to build one, using basic things many people have laying around the farm, or at least can purchase off the shelf. Like a garbage can, plumbing supplies etc. I will give the link here again: http://nsda.ozmer.com/woodgas1.pdf
For those not that adventurous, but would like to play anyway. I have the plans for the mini midge. It is a soup can version. buy 3 cans of food and you can build this after eating the food.
http://nsda.ozmer.com/MIDGE.pdf
I plan to build one of those soon. I am laid up right now, but I think I can do this small one with the help of my slave son. Looks relly easy. I will build the other one at the ranch up north once we get moved up there. I have an old paint truck that I plan to make stationary. It has a nice little 4 banger gas engine and a huge compressor and a big wheel pulley for attaching belts, so I could run more things.
I am also thinking that if it produces the right amount of heat that I could use it like a boiler and make my own outside furnace for heating domestic water and heating the house, the shop, the power house, the barn. etc. It could also generate electricity for the rabbit lights!
I welcome anyone that has had experience with this, good or bad. Especially bad. I did hear that part of the reason they went out of style after WWII was not jus tthe abundance of gas, but a couple of folks got killed using this system.
MountainMan