View Full Version : 1st try on homemade Wood Stove
Wise Old Owl
03-06-2009, 13:35
Well after making a few alcohol stoves it was time to tinker with homemade wood stoves, not a bad first attempt. Here is what I learned.
They need lots of air,
The sticks must have their bark removed, (fuzz stick)
A wax starter is not enough
An ounce of wood alcohol IS needed to get the combustion going. Even if you have lots of tinder.
Lighters did not work well
A wood match makes a big difference in getting it going as it can be pushed in at the bottom.
Horrible for stealth camping ( Lots of smoke)
After the first five minutes a second load of twigs needs to be put in.
11 minutes to 2 cups boiling.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/stove2006.jpg
I made a bottom bellows from a computer cooling fan and a 9V battery. A short piece of aluminum foil forms the "ductwork" and keeps the fan 8-10" away from the heat.
Burns like a forge with constant air supply.
Wise Old Owl
03-06-2009, 13:40
I agree that is most likly the next step, I will take this one and pop a second ring of holes first to see if I can improve it without the fan.
I light mine with a long candle, started with a lighter. You can also light them from the top and let them burn down. You can get a better and longer burn from the top down. The hard part is finding dry fuel. More moisture means more smoke, since smoke is mostly steam. The top down burn helps again, but there is no real substitute for dry fuel. He spruce sticks, dead lower branches still on the tree, tend to be the driest readily available fuel. Birch bark is the driest readily available tinder and sometimes can be used as fuel also but tends to be too quick and sooty. Other options if you have a hatchet or a strong fixed blade is to pry out some dry inner laminations from deadfall. The best clue that is it dry is if it is snappy, but when its well below freezing it is really hard to tell because even wet fuel is snappy when its frozen. Wood stoves need to be at least twice as big when it is really cold, to make up for lost heat, and having to melt the moisture as well as boil it.
Nice looking stove. Better than anything I have made so far.
Its always worthwhile carrying enough dry fuel and tinder for you next fire. Also, even with a lighter, it might be worthwhile to have a char making kit to make a little char and charcoal for your next fire if fuel is damp. It's nice to avoid fans and batteries, and keep it simple and primitive. Lot of good designs out there.
The primary benefit of wood stoves though is being able to play with fire,
so if it takes 15 minutes to get your water to boil that's not neccessarily a bad thing. ;)
Johnny Swank
03-06-2009, 15:57
We probably cook about 75% of our backpacking meals on wood now, and after putzing around with multiple designs, fans, etc, I've finally settled on just making a tripod to hand a pot from. 8' of triptease line weighs nothing, and I sometimes use the windscreen I'm already carrying if need be. I still carry a few oz of alcohol for backup in case of really nasty weather or general slothfulness, but have rarely use it. If the weather's that bad, I'd rather just throw up the tarp and eat some snacks instead of messing with trying to cook.
Wise Old Owl
03-06-2009, 16:03
We probably cook about 75% of our backpacking meals on wood now, and after putzing around with multiple designs, fans, etc, I've finally settled on just making a tripod to hand a pot from. 8' of triptease line weighs nothing, and I sometimes use the windscreen I'm already carrying if need be. I still carry a few oz of alcohol for backup in case of really nasty weather or general slothfulness, but have rarely use it. If the weather's that bad, I'd rather just throw up the tarp and eat some snacks instead of messing with trying to cook.
Thats the way I used to do it, a portable metal grill between rocks, unfortuatly I am playing around with these cans to avoid sparks and stuff. When it burns out there just a cupful of dust and its cold out. Far safer.
Wise Old Owl
03-06-2009, 16:06
The two can design is small and tight, I used a Large ALPO can for the bottom and a Cambells Chunky for the top, then made all the cuts so the two slide into each other for space saving.
About a 3 years ago i make a wood stove base on the one they sell at campmor
only it was made from sheet metal i use heat temp screws so it could be took apart
to go in my pack also rig up a fan i got from raido shack power by a C-Battery. It work really great i also put like a air duct on it to help with air flow small verison of what on your furnace. their are few thing you can do to get the fire gone faster get some dry bark like pub or oak.
Wise Old Owl
03-13-2009, 02:05
Well I am still on the fence about the pot even soaped required a lot of steel wool to clean up, appears counter productive vs a alcohol or canister stove over clean up.
If I have to carry more soap and cleaning equipment, I am not seeing this clearly.
drastic_quench
03-13-2009, 02:56
I've got a Stratus Trailstove, and I think it's well worth the $20. The design is simple, but it's very well designed in regards to airflow. I don't care about getting the outside of my pots black - it just goes in a disposable plastic shopping bag. Years ago I tried pre-soaping them, and it just makes a greasy mess for me. I only clean the inside and rim of the pot anyhow.
Camping Dave
03-13-2009, 07:56
Well after making a few alcohol stoves it was time to tinker with homemade wood stoves, not a bad first attempt. Here is what I learned.
They need lots of air,
The sticks must have their bark removed, (fuzz stick)
A wax starter is not enough
An ounce of wood alcohol IS needed to get the combustion going. Even if you have lots of tinder.
Lighters did not work well
A wood match makes a big difference in getting it going as it can be pushed in at the bottom.
Horrible for stealth camping ( Lots of smoke)
After the first five minutes a second load of twigs needs to be put in.
11 minutes to 2 cups boiling.
I camped/hiked with coffee can wood stoves exclusively, Oct 08 through Feb 09. Now I'm switching to something else.
Cut some horizontal slits in the side about half way up your can. Push the can right under the slit in so it looks like a smile. That helps airflow.
I always lit mine from the top. Usually used a squirt of veggie oil or a small dab of sterno to get it started. Didn't need more than that. After the first load burns down, when you throw sticks on top of coals, you get lots of smoke. Pots turned black and boiled water tasted like woodsmoke.
The biggest pain, as you noted, is breaking enough twigs every 5 minutes to keep the thing burning.