Years ago when I was young and dumb I worked on an off shore oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. During one shift I helped a welder install a few hundred feet of railing in an enclosed area. The stuff was galvanized and the welding fumes just about killed us. Never been that sick as I was since then. The guy who was doing the welding just about died and had to be flown off the rig a few days later. Man the stuff was nasty.
I just checked a little kiln I have stored in the shop but with a 3 1/2 x 8 x 8 opening I don't think it is big enough for any large charcoal production and I would need to find a retort to cook the wood down in. Bummer.