DIY cookstove

[jacrawley]

I currently have a 70's model wood cook stove that I use for all my cooking in the winter. I've added insulation to various parts of it in an effort to improve the efficiency. It has helped to a degree but am at the point where I'd like to build my own stove from scratch. If anyone has any advice on a good design or things they would incorporate for improved burning(downdraft, air preheating and so one) I would appreciate it.

I'm sure some of you will discourage me with the usual this is dangerous stuff. Please don't.

thanks

 

[Peter B.]

josephc:

Interesting project, and I'm not one that would discourage you from following through on it.

Years ago (and even to this day) I wondered why no manufacturer offered a wood cook stove with a firebox that could hold a fire for more than a couple of hours. I made some (primitive) drawings for such a stove at one point but never got around to acquiring the skills to build it.

Attached is a photo of the Esse cook stove (made in the UK). It's about as close to what I might have wanted to build as I've found. Very pricey, though.

--

If you can put me up for a few months at the Biltmore, I'll come down to Asheville and help you build your own.

Good Luck.

Peter B.

-----

 

[oconnor]

Here is a sweet link to a homemade cookstove. The fellow who made it is not an amateur by any stretch - worth a read if you are considering the idea.

http://www.gulland.ca/homenergy/stove.htm

 

[meathead]

Wow - great link, thanks!

 

[InTheRockies]

Here is a sweet link to a homemade cookstove. The fellow who made it is not an amateur by any stretch - worth a read if you are considering the idea.

http://www.gulland.ca/homenergy/stove.htm

Thanks for the link to the article. That is an impressive stove setup he has. I like the looks of it, too. I definitely think there would be a market for it. There are a number of people who still live off the grid in my region. A cook stove like that would be a big seller, I think.

 

[Andre B.]

Here is a nice little cook stove from Australia.
Should give you an idea or two.

http://www.antiquestoves.com/bakersoven/

 

[oconnor]

Here is a Canadian Company that makes a stove with an oven as well http://www.jaroby.com/index.php?page=fiche&no=16&cat=1

 

[jacrawley]

Thanks for the responses. I've also posted some stuff to the crest stoves mailing list(these guys are pryro geeks that develop stoves for third world cooking applications).

The things I'm looking for in a new stove.

A) Rapid heating, The stove I have now takes quite a bit of time to boil water in the morning and I need that coffee now! This seems affected by the mass of the stove which has to be heated, the speed of combustion(which could be changed with more air input and air preheating}) and the fact that no cookstoves(at least none that I've seen) have a burner opening directly over the firebox.

B) More even heating in the oven. My current stove is hot on the upper left side( by the firebox) which means the food is constanly being rotated and moved from top to bottom. The maker of the kitchen queen seems to think that having the smoke path pass under the oven first would cause a more even heating. This seems true since the hotter air would move up from the bottom causing some convective currents(Maybe this is why electric and gas ovens have the heat source in the bottom, unless broiling) What do you think?

C) A larger oven. This thanksgiving it was a real pain a turkey in there with a pan of stuffing(dressing here in the south) balances on top and some more stuffed in the bottom. All having to be rotated because of the heat issues. As well as those standard oven pans that are just to large to fit.

D) A more efficient stove. By this I don't mean air tight or all night burning. I have another stove for heating. What I want is close to complete combustion, more heat doing the work of cooking and consuming less wood per meal. Splitting wood in to really small pieces is a pain so the less would I can burn the better.

So there's my feature list. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Josepg