Wood Stove Project

[Joel_BC]

Sorry about the picture ... how do you add a picture to your posts?

I just sent you a PM that tells you how to do a pic upload here.

I look forward to seeing a pic (or several) showing what you've made.

 

[windyoak]

Thanks, Joel_BC - lets see if I can do this:

 

[OutsideTheBox]

It is funny, I built a forced air wood burning furnace from a 30 and a 55 gal drum and a vogelzang stove kit. It wasn't until a couple of months ago that I found a couple of other people had tried the same thing in years past. So for fun I will post up some of my pictures and commentary.
My firebox is a cut down 30 gallon drum, rewelded into a 20 gallon drum. Which I welded to the back of a solid band top for my 55 heavy gauge drum. The forced air enters the bottom of the drum in the rear and circulates in a vortex, after being directed by a baffle, around the firebox. The air exits the top of the drum and blows into my shop.
The firebox has firebrick in the bottom and a nice baffle at the top to keep the flame from blasting up the chimney.
Next month I will be tapping the chimney to heat water.
So far the paint on the exterior of the 55 gal drum has yet to be damaged. The forced air does a great job of exchanging the heat. The first tests of the furnace really surprised me. At full draft in the firebox, the air entering the shop will cause quite a discomfort to your hand 3ft back from the vent. That's when it is 40deg or less outside. Once I shored up all the air leaks and placed a simple heavy mil black plastic barrier across the rafters (until I properly insulate the flat membrane roof), the temperature was very comfortable after only 30 minutes. That's in a 1000 square foot, bare concrete floor shop.
I built the furnace because I use volatile solvents in my work and couldn't risk open flame inside my building.

 

[Denim Deb]

That's really neat. And,

 

[frustratedearthmother]

awesome!

 

[Beekissed]

We revamped our wood stove last year. We have a barrel stove also and have used the same kit since the 70s. It's a Sotz kit that they no longer make and we wouldn't part with it...LOVE how tightly it fits and the legs are taller than the Vogelzang kits.

We changed out stove collars to one that has a damper in the collar, changed out diameter and location of pipe, changed the barrel for a new one and added a flat surface on top. We bought a Vogelzang kit to get the collar with the damper, as the whole kit cost about the same as just buying the collar alone. We used the Vogelzang door as our flat surface on top for cooking. The hinges of that door were ground off and also the latch portion....it says "wood stove" on that door, so that was something we liked. It was the perfect size for this Revere teakettle we found at a fleamarket for $10...works great for adding humidity to the house.

We use less wood since the revamp and are also better able to control the heat levels with the added damper and change in stovepipe.

 

[lcertuche]

I love everyone's ideas for forced air. I use a wood stove to heat my home (our only heat) and if hard pressed I know I could cook on it but it's not much of a heater, but it's better than no heat, lol.