Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Homemade stove project. Looking for advice.

Homemade stove project. Looking for advice.

My buddy wanted to do a DIY tent and stove project. I suggested a cylinder stove as made them in the past and they work great. On the downside cooking even with my top rail system isn�t all that great so he wanted a flat top stove. We used SS 24ga steam trays sandwiched together with good results so far.

Pre burn. These haven�t been cleaned up to remove all the sharp edges yet. On the larger stove I decided to lower the door a bit. My friend wanted the smaller one to work with his one man tent he got on sale.



Larger tray stove with most of the stuff needed to run a 4-man tent.




Compared to another DIY stove. The firebox is kinda large and puts off a great deal of BTUs.




Stacked together for easier packing.




Testing of the larger stove.





One of the fasted woodstove boilers I have seen. Nice little cooker as well.




Nearly ran me out of the tent.

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/Daytraderwon/IMG_5140.jpg[/img]


I was happy with the door shape.

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/Daytraderwon/IMG_5159.jpg[/img]


Robber still running after 6 years. I think it puts out more BTUs than any stove it�s attached too.

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/Daytraderwon/IMG_5151.jpg[/img]


My buddy looking for the best placement for his new stove.

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/Daytraderwon/IMG_5219.jpg[/img]


Ok so now the questions. I made the larger bottom opening to allow for coal removal during operation. It worked but on both stoves the opening is simply too large and will lower the temp of the fire box and is a negative for draft. I kinda knew this but guessed an adjustable or removable flap with holes could be made. Now that it was done I can't figure how best to do this as most of my tricks involve rivets or hinges on the outside and this would work against the stacking for packing. I could just forgo the ash dumping idea as only needed to do this a few times. A new tray is cheap and could simply drill 4-8 air holes. I also almost never use a flap as control the draft at the pipe.

I am unsure about the legs. The 4 screw holes at the corners that keep the stove together don't have the distance to be stable aka long threaded rod will wiggle if screwed too near both ends. I could go though the stove like with my Kifaru but this would make for a slower setup and the stove comes together darn fast as is. I am not sure what to do.

I have been using just a metal plate to cover the door and have a few ideas rolling around but sure would like to hear what others think about a door. All the rounded corners and tapered body makes for a warp resistant stove however it is harder to for me to work out the door/legs and lower flap issues.

You have GOT to be kidding me Woodsy!

I thought about doing something similar with SS warming trays after seeing them a couple years ago, especially the larger/deeper ones for horse-packing, but thought they'd be a little on the heavy side for packpacking. I came across a super cheap source a week ago (Costco Business) and was tempted enough to bring some home to monkey around with and see if they have the heat transference that my other stove material has.

You might try cutting some holes in the bottom and try and keep the rest of the stove as airtight as possible. The heat generated from the combustion of your fuel will occur lower in the system (if that makes sense) and more efficiently burn the fuel with less resultant ash build-up.

I eventually went that route, mostly out of necessity, while in the highcountry last Fall burning some less than stellar wood that was a little on the damp side. The stove kept filling up with ash faster than usual and just wasn't putting out anywhere near the heat that it did with better/drier wood. Once the holes where in the bottom, it dramatically improved the performance of my stove into a whole new realm, as in almost the entire stove burns scary cherry red like your stack robber. The odd thing is the first foot of the pipe doesn't cherry, but the rest of the pipe cherrys out almost to the ceiling. The burn is quieter too and doesn't have that whooshing jet sound going on.

Question for ya...Does the top of the SS warming tray warp during and/or after a cherry hot burn? Or, does it remain perfectly flat?

Allen

That's pretty slick!!

I thought about something along those lines, but using a metal mailbox turned upside down. The rounded 'bottom' could have a grate placed in it and the 'top' would be flat with a lip on it. That and they come with a door. Figure it'd be too heavy?

Looks HEAVY! How is the door installed? Thanks

WW,do you have a better close up of the doors(assuming that the bottom opening closes up )
Tim

I would just hinge the offcut for the door. Get somebody to TIG some tabs on it. For legs, I'd get someone to TIG some SS 1/4-20 threaded unions to the bottom section. The all-thread leg would go into the bottom, the screw holding the two pieces together goes into the top.

Some of the photos didn't work in the my last post so here they are




Here is a video of the smaller stove burning.

CLICK ON PICTURE TO VIEW VIDEO. THIS IS BEST DONE INA NEW WINDOW:




Ash dump/air port that still needs a flap or something.

Logging this one away for future reference.

Details on the "robber", please, too.

Allen.

These stove also burn cherry red but the robber stays that way for much of the burn and this makes it pump out the BTUs crazy. It runs nearly the same even with the Kifaru take down stove. The larger bottom opening is dropping the firebox temp and harming the draft. I may just have to get a new tray and drill air holes like originally planned before I got the coal removal idea. Unless I can come up with something that isn�t permanently attached to the outside or is removable? The corners and bottom sides are rounded and so far there is little warping with the 24 ga SS.

Hardcorehunter.

The larger stove with 95% for the fixings (still need to work a few things out) is 3 lbs 10 oz with 7 foot pipe. I think the smaller one must be less than 3 lbs with 5 foot pipe. Not bad for 24 ga Stainless though have a bunch-o-stoves some of which are more UL. I am not sure what to do about the door yet beyond a thin metal plate as can only attach something on the outside of one plate so not to harm the stacking. Everything is also rounded and this added to the warp resistant however makes a door opening which is big enough a bit harder to cover.

Timat46.

Maybe this would help. The lower opening idea may get scrapped for a new tray with standard air hole.



Take a knew.

If there is too much stuff on the outside of the stove it could prevent one from stacking into the other. I am thinking of making a hinged door as one tray could have stuff on the outside and the other tray slide into that. I could also just drill holes in the stove and run the legs though it using 10/24th threaded stock though this would slow my setup time down. On the flip slide this project is for a friend who doesn�t get out in the woods much and might actually be setup only a few times a year. Also the bottom tapers down and the legs be together more than a rectangular or box shaped stove. Granted it would sink into the dirt even on frozen ground once the stove gets going or be attached to a floatation Al plate on a snow base.

WW: I like it man... I think your on the right track about scrapping the lower whole?? How would you attatch a door to the upper whole? Hinges? Also, where did you get the warming trays??? Thanks for sharring...

WW, I've been tooling around with some lightweight stoves also the last couple of years. Does the robber capture the rising heat before it goes up the pipe? Just curious how you get so much residule heat from it?

If your bottom piece can be the outside nester, I've got a couple of different ideas for fold out legs. Come to think of it, I think I *would* make the bottom piece the outside nester and attach the door to the bottom piece as well. Have it open downward like an oven with the hinge on the bottom piece.

For the fold out legs, I would try side folders like on that one piece cylinder stove I made. If you take a cabinet hinge and open it all the way so it can't open further, that is your "leg open" position. Just make sure the legs are cantilevered outward a little bit when the hinge is all the way open.

VAnimrod/okhill

Here are a few photos of the robber as pics are worth 1000 words.






The robber/heat exchanger transfers the heat that often gets blown out the top of the pipe into the tent. I think there is a secondary combustion within the unit as well. Sometimes there can be gases which aren�t burned in the fire box but they will catch fire in the very very hot robber. It is nearly a 100% spark killer and so far my 4-man is pin hole free after 5-6 years. The baffle plate reflects some heat back into the fire box for more complete combustion. Also acts a bit like a check valve in crazy winds to prevent a down draft, granted an unusual event in its own right. An early burn in a Kifaru small stove in 2005. The robber stays red even when the stove isn't and often can do so for a larger percentage of the burn. But like anything else it must be made with draft in mind.




evanhill

I liked your Golite shelter. I was going to have my buddy buy one but the sale was over. I am going to leave the door on the top tray as don't want to do it 100% over again. But that's a great idea to have the door on the bottom and may do that in the future. Do you have any photos of your stove's fold out legs? Thanks for the ideas.

Here you go:

Gotcha. Thanks!

Thanks WoodsWalker. I got it now.

Evanhill, I like the fold up legs idea.

What materials did you use to build the body of the heat exchanger? Looks like the perfect way to get a little bit more heat out of my kifaru stove.

Thanks WW...your threads are always interesting!!

Cool idea

How about just some flanges and a sliding door for the ash dump?

Something like this.....



Just need a cheap pair of hand benders and you could keep what you started. Just crack it open for desired air flow.