I don't exactly remember the impetus that led to me making this tool, I just remember grabbing a piece of rebar, welding on a flat plate and attaching a handle off an old pruner, thinking that I need something with more reach for my stove (or something). It has proved to be a winner though.
The long length makes it ideal for reaching in and raking out a hot coal bed without burning your hands and I'll often use it in place of a poker, placing/moving around wood in the stove. What I normally do at an end of a burn is push everything forward from the door, rake back any coals and embers to the front and then push the remainder of the ash to the back where I'll mound it before removing approx. twice a week. I know this isn't exactly an orthodox method, but it's seemed to work very well for me and I never have an overwhelming ash bed and can manage my coals well. There is usually very little coals or unburned wood in my ash when I remove it. The flat plate is ideal for pushing the ash around and with a little finesse, coals can be plucked out easily enough. I have thought of making one side of the plate more of a rake, but I don't want to add to it's overall height and when I really just want to pick out a few coals from a pile of ash, I'll just use a traditional poker.
I would seriously miss having it and can't see myself running a stove (of this style anyway) without one anymore.
Anyone else use something similar?
The long length makes it ideal for reaching in and raking out a hot coal bed without burning your hands and I'll often use it in place of a poker, placing/moving around wood in the stove. What I normally do at an end of a burn is push everything forward from the door, rake back any coals and embers to the front and then push the remainder of the ash to the back where I'll mound it before removing approx. twice a week. I know this isn't exactly an orthodox method, but it's seemed to work very well for me and I never have an overwhelming ash bed and can manage my coals well. There is usually very little coals or unburned wood in my ash when I remove it. The flat plate is ideal for pushing the ash around and with a little finesse, coals can be plucked out easily enough. I have thought of making one side of the plate more of a rake, but I don't want to add to it's overall height and when I really just want to pick out a few coals from a pile of ash, I'll just use a traditional poker.
I would seriously miss having it and can't see myself running a stove (of this style anyway) without one anymore.
Anyone else use something similar?
