Lighting A Woodstock Keystone (Video)

[Todd]

Woodstock just came out with this info video on their site.

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[velvetfoot]

50 minutes?

 

[fire_man]

Todd:

Thanks for posting this. I would love to see this test run with the Progress. Getting it to start up with no smoke spillage under less than ideal condtions has been much more of a challenge than the Fireview ever was. But I would not want to go back to the FV after running the Progress!

 

[BrowningBAR]

OH MY GOD! He's using newspaper?!

 

[Todd]

Yeah, Super Cedars make cold starts much easier. You can pack this little stove with 6 splits and a 1/4 piece of SC and your off to the races in 20 minutes.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Maybe I'll have to call Jamie and teach him how to light a fire!

 

[HollowHill]

Very interesting, thanks for posting. I particularly liked seeing how they went about adding wood after they were up to 450. As a newbie, that's been one of the parts I haven't been sure about.

 

[Kevin*]

Wow! sexy machine, i want one! None of my local dealers have free standing cat stoves so i got stuck with a lennox/country ST210 and i 'm not really happy with it.

 

[begreen]

That's a boatload of kindling just to start a fire. With a super cedar and dry wood I hardly use any. Even with newspaper starting I use about 1/4 that amount or less. Tunnel of love starting is the way to go.

 

[Todd]

Wonder what took so long to get this video up? It's almost a year old. It would be nice to see more operational videos for all their stoves. It would probably save them a lot of needless phone calls.

 

[wkpoor]

My neighbor can start a roaring fire in minutes with just a match and wood. He takes 2xs on the bandsaw and makes very small sqaure sticks starting with 1/8" then 1/4" then 3/8". He filles coffee cans with them. When he needs to start a fire he puts in the stove a cross hatch pattern of sticks smaller to larger. With nothing but a single match I've seen him start a roaring fire in just few minutes. I'm too lazy to cut the sticks.

 

[dafattkidd]

That is a cool video. I really like watching the how to type videos from the people who design the stoves. However that seemed like a lot of work. I feel like that could have been done a lot easier with less steps.

I know I have a different stove, but I have a one step process from cold start that gives me a full overnight burn. That seemed like it was five steps to get to a full load. That being said, the Keystone is a beautiful stove. Woodstock really has nice products.

 

[Hiram Maxim]

So do You soap stone guys have to go a little slower in heating the stone at cold start-up?

In reading the Email Woodstock sent out on the progress sale the other day, I was shocked it weighs 800lbs.....wow!

Cool video

 

[Todd]

There's many different ways I like to cold start my stoves. If I just want a shorter take the chill off fire I use small splits with a Super Cedar and maybe a few pieces of kindling. After about 20 minutes I engage the cat and she's good to go. If I want a longer hotter burn I'll fill the stove with Kindling and burn it down til there is a good coal bed then fill the stove to max capacity with regular sized splits. Other times I might do a combination of both, kind a depends on the weather.

 

[Todd]

So do You soap stone guys have to go a little slower in heating the stone at cold start-up?

In reading the Email Woodstock sent out on the progress sale the other day, I was shocked it weighs 800lbs.....wow!

Cool video

Only time I've been worried about slow heating the stone is at the beginning of the season when there may be some moisture in the stove otherwise I let her rip just like any other stove.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

So do You soap stone guys have to go a little slower in heating the stone at cold start-up?

In reading the Email Woodstock sent out on the progress sale the other day, I was shocked it weighs 800lbs.....wow!

Cool video

Perhaps just a little bit Hiram, but as Todd stated, early in the fall it does pay to hold back a little bit. Still, then your fires aren't built to fire the stove up to a high temperature so it is mostly a moot point. But, so what if it takes maybe 10-15 minutes longer to heat up? I never feel like I'm in that much of a hurry.

Yes, 800 lbs means it is going to take some muscle to wrestle that beast around.

 

[Hiram Maxim]

Perhaps just a little bit Hiram, but as Todd stated, early in the fall it does pay to hold back a little bit. Still, then your fires aren't built to fire the stove up to a high temperature so it is mostly a moot point. But, so what if it takes maybe 10-15 minutes longer to heat up? I never feel like I'm in that much of a hurry.

Yes, 800 lbs means it is going to take some muscle to wrestle that beast around.

Thanks Dennis and Todd!

Good info!

Yeah sounds like a beast....

 

[DPBurn]

I am heading up to woodstock on Saturday .. still on the fence which model I am going to order ...
Fireview, Progress or maybe we'll like the Keystone ... guess we'll see :>)

 

[nate379]

I can't be the only one that is thinking that stove seems like a PITA to use? The little side loader door and it holds like 6 "sticks" of wood? It doesn't look like even my normal sized splits would fit in that door, never mind the "overnighters"

 

[dafattkidd]

I can't be the only one that is thinking that stove seems like a PITA to use? The little side loader door and it holds like 6 "sticks" of wood? It doesn't look like even my normal sized splits would fit in that door, never mind the "overnighters"

Well the keystone is a smaller stove. I think it's like a 1.7 cf firebox. That's to be expected, No?

 

[BrotherBart]

Well the keystone is a smaller stove. I think it's like a 1.7 cf firebox. That's to be expected, No?

And long burns and Todd heating his house with one in Wisconsin tells me it ain't no slouch. He has had a few stoves in his life.

 

[dafattkidd]

And long burns and Todd heating his house with one in Wisconsin tells me it ain't no slouch. He has had a few stoves in his life.

I'm not saying it is a slouch, but I thought Todd heated his house with two Keystones.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I can't be the only one that is thinking that stove seems like a PITA to use? The little side loader door and it holds like 6 "sticks" of wood? It doesn't look like even my normal sized splits would fit in that door, never mind the "overnighters"

About the same size as the Castine, just a little smaller than the Hearthstone Heritage and a little larger than the Englander 13. It can hold normal pieces of wood. But it is 1 cu ft smaller than the princess, which is a big difference.

I would buy a Keystone over a Heritage based on burn times, heating capacity is very close, and the Keystone is actually less expensive.

 

[Todd]

I'm not saying it is a slouch, but I thought Todd heated his house with two Keystones.

Yep, 2 Keystones heating 2000 sq ft but 90% of the time it only takes 1 to do the job. It is a small stove at about 1.4 cu ft but It can throw the heat when you want it or you can turn it down for a long 12 hour burn when you don't need the heat. Out of the 10+ wood stoves I've owned over the years the Woodstocks have fit my needs the best.

 

[dafattkidd]

nice. What made you switch from the Fireview to two Keystones?