When I was a kid, a neighborhood family friend got a new woodstove, and invited us over. I was too young to know exactly what the problem was, but the fumes in the house probably took a couple years off my life, never mind the being overheated. Dunno if it was a factory coat, or something he did, but it smelled like GM plant I visited as a kid. Nasty stuff.
Wood stove heat
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gf beranek
Old Schooler
Right on, Stikine.
That was the gist of the story. I figured most members on the forum would know that.
I swear, the fumes almost sterilized the house. Took months to clear the odor, but it was embedded in the paint and walls.
Bad stuff.
Thanks for making the point.
That was the gist of the story. I figured most members on the forum would know that.
I swear, the fumes almost sterilized the house. Took months to clear the odor, but it was embedded in the paint and walls.
Bad stuff.
Thanks for making the point.
Last edited:
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
Galv is bad!
Ed L
Treehouser
I remember my first dog and my grandparents woodstove....he was 10+ years old, stayed with them.
He would lay next to the stove until smoke was coming off his fur....get up, walk away until he cooled off, then right back to the stove.. lol
Ed
He would lay next to the stove until smoke was coming off his fur....get up, walk away until he cooled off, then right back to the stove.. lol
Ed
I always considered the 55 gallon drum stove to be a cheaper shop stove, but they're awesome since you are making it. With economy in mind if it's inside (which it obviously will be) you can use vegetable oil as a heat resistant paint, it'll turn black and cover the steel with a rustproof coating like a cast iron pan, makes a nice cheap coating for it that won't kill you if it burns off. Ideally fire it outside to set the coating so the smoke is all outside, otherwise it'll smoke like hell until it burns off and you'll have to use fans to air it out while you're doing it. I like using the drums with the removable lids since their safer to work with, and i like to burn the paint and contents off before i build with it to make them safer. Simply take the lid off, build a fire in it and burn it all off, and then maybe even sandblast it, wire wheel, or use a cutting torch with the oxygen blast to get it to bare metal if you're so inclined so it won't burn off in the garage. The fire will destroy the paint making it easier to remove, and I'm sure you know the trick with the cutting torch where you hit the oxygen lever first away from the surface (no preheating or anything) and then simply wave it over the steel, i use that all the time to clean stuff off before welding. 55 gallon drums are cheap and easily replaced, i wouldn't sweat them rotting out too much since they're easy to replace, but if you don't expose them directly to the coals and fire they'll last a long time.
Use firebrick on the fire drum to keep the heat off it, steel of any thickness doesn't withstand direct firing that well, you can also make your own lining to save even more money if you want. Even a green sand type lining would be fine, simply sand and some clay (bentonite works well as a source), you can even mix it heavy with the clay since you're not making moulds with it. You can even use a drum to help mix it, add it all dry, put the lid on, then roll it around to mix, add water, roll it some more, then dump it out on visqeen to dry out, maybe hand mixing some more to coat all the sand grains. When it's dry enough to work the next day you can shovel it in and mould your drum, compacting it to keep it in place and adding toughness, watch a few sand casting videos and you can get a feel of how versatile and capable it truly is. Add a cast iron grate for the logs so they don't beat it up too much since it isn't very abrasion resistant (cast iron takes the direct fire much better, that's why all fire grates are made from it). Some cheap tiles can be added too on the bottom too, makes shoveling the ash out easier without damaging the sand bed.
You only really need it on the bottom half where the fire is anyways, we used firebrick but you should be able to do the top with the sand if you wanted to. You can add baffles on the top half of the drum so the thin steel isn't taking the brunt of the flame, or stick pipes thru to act as a heat exchanger and weld where they go thru the ends, we did that but the top half sees pretty high heat and will burn the paint off. You can even drill holes in the lowest ones to act as the secondary air burners, just don't manifold them in with with heat exchanger pipes if you add a blower, or cap them at the back and add valves on them so you can control them. We also used a couple 2" threaded pipe nipples welded on the front down low for the intake air, with valves it's really easy to control the fire, and you can even shut it off if you're done for the day and it'll go out and save your wood (spread the coals out a bit if you can).
Use firebrick on the fire drum to keep the heat off it, steel of any thickness doesn't withstand direct firing that well, you can also make your own lining to save even more money if you want. Even a green sand type lining would be fine, simply sand and some clay (bentonite works well as a source), you can even mix it heavy with the clay since you're not making moulds with it. You can even use a drum to help mix it, add it all dry, put the lid on, then roll it around to mix, add water, roll it some more, then dump it out on visqeen to dry out, maybe hand mixing some more to coat all the sand grains. When it's dry enough to work the next day you can shovel it in and mould your drum, compacting it to keep it in place and adding toughness, watch a few sand casting videos and you can get a feel of how versatile and capable it truly is. Add a cast iron grate for the logs so they don't beat it up too much since it isn't very abrasion resistant (cast iron takes the direct fire much better, that's why all fire grates are made from it). Some cheap tiles can be added too on the bottom too, makes shoveling the ash out easier without damaging the sand bed.
You only really need it on the bottom half where the fire is anyways, we used firebrick but you should be able to do the top with the sand if you wanted to. You can add baffles on the top half of the drum so the thin steel isn't taking the brunt of the flame, or stick pipes thru to act as a heat exchanger and weld where they go thru the ends, we did that but the top half sees pretty high heat and will burn the paint off. You can even drill holes in the lowest ones to act as the secondary air burners, just don't manifold them in with with heat exchanger pipes if you add a blower, or cap them at the back and add valves on them so you can control them. We also used a couple 2" threaded pipe nipples welded on the front down low for the intake air, with valves it's really easy to control the fire, and you can even shut it off if you're done for the day and it'll go out and save your wood (spread the coals out a bit if you can).
stikine
Treehouser
Tldr😁😁
Kaveman
Treehouser
SeanKroll
Treehouser
A small box fan does wonders and is quiet.
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
We have several large evap coolers, I’ll probable use one as a blower
Kaveman
Treehouser
When I put the addition on my mom and dad's old place, that's exactly what we did with the old swamp cooler. Turned it around and used it to blow the heat into the addition. Worked almost too well. Being about six feet from the stove, if you turn that thing on high, it sucks all the heat out of the house and made their room miserably hot.
BlackSmith
Uncivil
These hardwoods burn well and slowly,
Ash, beech, hawthorn oak and holly.
Softwoods flare up quick and fine,
Birch, fir, hazel, larch and pine.
Elm and willow you’ll regret,
Chestnut green and sycamore wet.
Beechwood fires are bright and clear,
If the logs are kept a year.
Chestnut’s only good, they say,
If for long ’tis laid away.
But Ash new or Ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold.
Birch and fir logs bum too fast,
Blaze up bright and do not last.
It is by the Irish said,
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood bums like churchyard mould,
E’en the very flames are cold.
But Ash green or Ash brown,
Is fit for a queen with golden crown.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room,
With an incense like perfume.
Oaken logs if dry and old,
Keep away the winter’s cold.
But Ash wet or Ash dry,
A king shall warm his slippers by.
Oak logs will warm you well,
That are old and dry.
Logs of pine will sweetly smell,
But the sparks will fly.
Birch logs will burn too fast,
Chestnut scarce at all sir.
Hawthorn logs are good to last,
That are cut well in the fall sir
Holly logs will burn like wax,
You could burn them green.
Elm logs burn like smouldering flax,
With no flame to be seen.
Beech logs for winter time,
Yew logs as well sir.
Green elder logs it is a crime,
For any man to sell sir.
Pear logs and apple logs,
They will scent your room.
And cherry logs across the dogs,
They smell like flowers of broom.
But Ash logs smooth and grey,
Buy them green or old, sir.
And buy up all that come your way,
They’re worth their weight in gold sir.
Logs to Burn, Logs to burn, Logs to burn,
Logs to save the coal a turn.
Here’s a word to make you wise,
When you hear the woodman’s cries.
Never heed his usual tale,
That he has good logs for sale.
But read these lines and really learn,
The proper kind of logs to burn.
unknown.
Ash, beech, hawthorn oak and holly.
Softwoods flare up quick and fine,
Birch, fir, hazel, larch and pine.
Elm and willow you’ll regret,
Chestnut green and sycamore wet.
Beechwood fires are bright and clear,
If the logs are kept a year.
Chestnut’s only good, they say,
If for long ’tis laid away.
But Ash new or Ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold.
Birch and fir logs bum too fast,
Blaze up bright and do not last.
It is by the Irish said,
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood bums like churchyard mould,
E’en the very flames are cold.
But Ash green or Ash brown,
Is fit for a queen with golden crown.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room,
With an incense like perfume.
Oaken logs if dry and old,
Keep away the winter’s cold.
But Ash wet or Ash dry,
A king shall warm his slippers by.
Oak logs will warm you well,
That are old and dry.
Logs of pine will sweetly smell,
But the sparks will fly.
Birch logs will burn too fast,
Chestnut scarce at all sir.
Hawthorn logs are good to last,
That are cut well in the fall sir
Holly logs will burn like wax,
You could burn them green.
Elm logs burn like smouldering flax,
With no flame to be seen.
Beech logs for winter time,
Yew logs as well sir.
Green elder logs it is a crime,
For any man to sell sir.
Pear logs and apple logs,
They will scent your room.
And cherry logs across the dogs,
They smell like flowers of broom.
But Ash logs smooth and grey,
Buy them green or old, sir.
And buy up all that come your way,
They’re worth their weight in gold sir.
Logs to Burn, Logs to burn, Logs to burn,
Logs to save the coal a turn.
Here’s a word to make you wise,
When you hear the woodman’s cries.
Never heed his usual tale,
That he has good logs for sale.
But read these lines and really learn,
The proper kind of logs to burn.
unknown.
Kaveman
Treehouser
Very good!
Cobleskill
Treehouser
I never understood why Elm go a bad rep. American Elm that dies around here, I wait til the bark falls off and cut if and straight in to stove. Burns great. I would take it over just about any other.
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
I like elm for the owb, but it's the only one to break my splitter. Three times so far.
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
Twenty below and it splits fine, I'm told.
Cobleskill
Treehouser
It sure doesn't burn like church yard mold.
flushcut
TreeHouser
Elm doesn’t hold a coal very long. Oak is king IMO.
Cobleskill
Treehouser
I like that I can throw a big round in on a bed of coals and it will burn without having a log beside it. Have you burned any standing dead with the bark having fallen off?
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Oak? Yes.
Elm, no
Elm, no
Cobleskill
Treehouser
Is it American Elm?
Cobleskill
Treehouser
Pops like crazy?
treebilly
Student of the Jedi. OH-7106A
I’ve turned into a wood snob in the last few years. Primarily oak and cherry with a bit of maple anymore. Ash was nice for years here but is hard to find now. When I do it’s usually too far gone to bother with. Once in a while I’ll get some locust or hickory as well