Bakers Oven Woodstove, anyone?, looks neat, but what about heat?

I keep seeing the ads for this bakers oven woodstove, it looks like a really neat cookstove in the fact that its an modern airtight type of stove but with an oven. Does anyone have one of these and use them as a primary heat source as well as cooking? Opinions? I'm entertaining one for my cabin, just like your thoughts...

I have had the same thought, using that stove in my cabin. I think they are a bit spendy though. I have a small century in the cabin now that I got from Menards for around $300. It works great, short burn times not much stove top. Keeps the coffee hot.
Doug

Yea, aren't cabins great... My cabin is offgrid (solar) and the only expence I have up there is the propane (which I have to lug up there) for the stove/oven and water heater. I'd really like to buy the bakers oven and perhaps install a waterjacket to see about cutting down if not eliminating propane altogether. I don't really know anything about the bakers oven, does it have secondary air baffles/tubes overhead, or is it some funky downdraft design that heats the oven? Does it qualify for the tax credit? How much heat does it throw? What is it comparable to? Do you think it would be able to push a small stainless steel waterjack without affecting the operations of the stove? Is is cast or steel?

Hey I have been contemplating one for a while myself for whenever I finally get around to a kitchen remodel. I started a thread on them a while back, and the manufacturer got back to me with a couple PMs. The guy is very friendly to deal with, and I think would be happy to answer any questions on them - I'll post a link to my thread in which he gives his e-mail address. If you get one, let me know how it works out. Be nice to have a grouse or duck or a homemade pizza baking in an appliance that heats your cabin or helps heat your house.

http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/45679/

Thanks meathead, I'll look into it...

The Vermont Bun Baker Woodstove has been tested to UL 1482, ULC-S627
EPA Phase 2 Certified - Cook Stoves are Exempt under 40CFR 60.521

Can't find any reviews on it, or a spec. sheet, seems odd to me. Looks interesting but I do not think it qualifies for the tax credit or they would have that on the webpage.

Hum, that is interesting, thanks for that tid-bit mellow, I noted the screw air control like the older pre-epa fishers, I was wondering about that...

The website doesn't claim efficiency that would qualify from what I could find.

Obadiahs, out of Montana, offers the same stove without the soapstone for $2395.00. Thats where I first saw it. But still no reviews. They also show the same model with a water coil, not sure how that works.
Doug

Wow, your right, they actually have a waterjacket option! It would be ideal to be able to do all with one appliance; heat the cabin, cook the biskets, warm up the bathwater...Wish I could find an experieced wood burner that owns one, l'd like to know some honest opinions. I would think the soapstone version would be ok for the oven and warming things with all the residual heat, but for cooking on top? I can't imagine it would be better to have soapstone up there. Wouldn't you want your pots and pans directly on the metal so that you could regulate heat better via the air control. I don't know about you but I want my coffee in a hurry! Wouldn't the soapstone hinder that?

Soapstone would take longer to heat up, but would even out the heat and make the heat last longer. Like you I would rather have contact with the metal top for faster heat up times and a hotter cooking surface.

I wish they would post a better video of how it looks inside the stove and more of a walk around the stove, I feel like they are trying to hide something with these short one sided video's. Also some spec's would be nice, how many cubic feet is the woodbox? What is the real world heating capabilities of it? Since it is not EPA certified I can't find anything about it on the EPA website either.

With the lack of reviews one can only wonder what this stove can really do.

If the manufacture wants to send me one I would be more than willing to test it out and give a review

Baker's Oven @ Lehman's - 2 Reviews - 30,000 btus

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Stoves...x2019_s_Oven_Heat_Cook_Stove___17120600?Args=

Lehman's sells to the Amish community in Ohio. The fact that they carry the stove might be a good recommendation.

Too bad you aren't out here, there's a cool stove on CL that does some of that... not all though
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/for/1585041224.html

Yes, we use one to heat one of our showrooms. It actually works great for "all the above". It's rated for 750-1,000/SF and I have to say that it heats, cooks, bakes, and broils quite well. We've also posted some great in use videos of the Baker's Oven on youtube and livestream. The link over to the site is: http://www.vermontwoodstove.com/vermontbunbaker.htm Those familiar with the attributes of Soapstone heat retention and looks really like that part of this unit. As well, the stove and oven work fie with or without the soapstone. Also, we just launched the new 1500 model which is exactly the same unit, but with over 1,250 lbs. of Soapstone veneer. That really increases the heat storage of the unit overall. Any of the soapstone features can be added to the stove down the road at a later date too. Catalogs and further information are available.
Thanks.
Paul
802.468.8800

we've sold a few of those stoves. It will provide heat and burn times like a a small non epa certified stove. Maybe 1000 square feet, 4-5 hour burn times. Does not qualify for the tax credit. Great little camp stove though.

I have been using a Baker's Oven in the central interior of British Columbia for 1 winter now, and I think this is a pretty good stove. I grew up cooking on an Enterprise wood stove built in the early 70's, and have used other cook stoves, so I have some experience with trad. wood cook stoves. Here is my observations.
This is a very simply designed stove. Very few moving parts and elegant in its engineering. It is a sheet steel built stove with cast doors. It has very clean lines and no bling (IE nickel chrome stuff). Clean, tidy and modern.

Pros: Small foot-print, tight clearances to walls due to back and side shielding, easy to operate. Throws a lot of heat from front and top. This stove should have little trouble heating 1000 sq ft of home (our first floor) in all but the coldest conditions (eg: our old 1930's farm house insulated with 4" of wood shavings in the walls plus fibreglass in attic will stay warm with stove alone down to about -15 degrees celsius, after, furnace kicks in to help out). Stove top cooking is great. Boiled water no problem. Great for pancakes. Oven can be heated up to high temps (over 500 F easily). Great for pizza, roasts. Heat can be modulated with airfow for more reasonable temps. Surface finish appears to be quite hard-wearing. Easy to keep clean. Not up to EPA standards, but will burn pretty clean if well managed. Far more efficient than the old cook stoves, but still not as efficient as a new EPA stove. Easy to clean. There is an access plate at the bottom of the oven, making cleaning a 15 minute job every 2 weeks or so with continuous use. No issues with back draft. Buids up strong draft quickly (6" SS Insul. flu, straight up 20 ft to roof.) Glass cleans esily and great view of fire. Ash lip is a great feature. All hinges, latches, controls are beefy and unlikely to break.

Cons: Small fire box. 12-13 inch wood max. With pine fuel, overnight burns are not easily accomplished, though have found some coals in the AM when loaded full before bed. Flue collar a bit wide, so some stove pipes don't fit without adaptor, but some brands fit fine. This is a hot stove and front and top can give little ones pretty nasty burns, so careful! Needs a thick hearth pad, as bottom shielding still allows tons of heat through to the floor under the stove. Durability: Too early to say. I like the replaceable shielding and fire brick, but heat of fire has crowned the top of the stove ever so slightly and warped the metal fire box shields a bit. Top can get quite hot and not ideal for simmering, but a couple of metal trivets take care of that and can now simmer fine. Forget about getting 4 large pots on the stove top. Try 2 or 3. Oven is a bit small, but works for us. Heat radiating down from fire box is great for roasting, but not great for cakes. cookies work okay.

Overall, I would recommend this stove for a cabin or as supplemental cooking and heat in a home. We hardly use our electric oven during heating season and only use the electric stove half the time. It has saved us a ton in gas and electricity. I love using it and like all wood stoves, I love that radiant heat. I like the simple design. There are only two controls to fiddle with, and there is very little to break.

I hope this helps!

What a very nice explanation about the Baker's Oven/Vermont Bun Baker. We market this at heating between 750 and 1,000/SF - It's good to hear that coals can last all night. I know with the soapstone veneer, heat also remains until morning. We tend to use both soft and hardwoods here in Vermont.
Thanks for responding to and asking questions. This site is a great way to get a education in many areas.

Best Wishes,
Professor Soapstone

Thanks for positive feedback, everyone.

Prof. Soapstone: 2 questions about the soapstone veneer option.

1. Can side veneers be mounted without the top slab?

2. How are the slabs mounted to the stove?

I would love to have the extra heat sinks, but I like the metal top exposed.

Cheers!

Yes, the side veneer pieces can be mounted without the top. the unit is designed all in all so that the Soapstone top piece can easily be removed while the sides remain, and the surface accessible.
The two side slabs are mounted to the sides of the Bun Baker by way of two stainless rods that straddle the top of the unit and then turn down into holes on the top of the stone sides. The Soapstone veneer option can be added at anytime down the road and requires no alterations whatsoever to the Bun Baker/Baker's Oven. We've sold quite a few Soapstone veneer packages to Bun Baker owners that purchased several years ago.

Thanks.
The Professor