Part VI
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 9,359
Likes: 1
From: Hampstead, NC
I was going to suggest that also Jason. Looks like he's well on his way to burning the paint off outside.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,225
Likes: 1
From: Farmington, Minnesota
hello everyone.. I was out building things today and I made this
Seeing if anyone else had one and how they like it..
Also it's going in my shop.. any guidelines or tips for not burning down my shop??
Thanks guys.
Edit: For those that don't know.. it's a 55 gallon drum converted into a wood stove haha
Seeing if anyone else had one and how they like it..
Also it's going in my shop.. any guidelines or tips for not burning down my shop??
Thanks guys.
Edit: For those that don't know.. it's a 55 gallon drum converted into a wood stove haha
Andrew, got to think'n...how big is the shop? I bet you could cut that in half and put it vertical and save room and it would heat just the same..or just chop half of it off to shorten it. The fire will easier to maintain and will actually require less fuel to heat the space if the container it is in is smaller. The smaller the stove the more efficient it is to produce heat from. There are tiny cast iron wood stoves that are like 18"x24" that will heat a insulated 30x30 shop with 16' ceilings.
Sorry, I kinda went on a tangent there.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,604
Likes: 4
From: Claremore, OK
Morning ya'll. Got a question for my fellow FTE brothers & sisters who hale from the great white north. When turn the facet on to fill the coffee pot and ice cubes instead of water...does it mean it's cold outside????
(I got water, my pipes aren't frozen. But boy howdy is the cold water COLD this morning)
(I got water, my pipes aren't frozen. But boy howdy is the cold water COLD this morning)
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,392
Likes: 0
From: NW Arkansas
Andrew, got to think'n...how big is the shop? I bet you could cut that in half and put it vertical and save room and it would heat just the same..or just chop half of it off to shorten it. The fire will easier to maintain and will actually require less fuel to heat the space if the container it is in is smaller. The smaller the stove the more efficient it is to produce heat from. There are tiny cast iron wood stoves that are like 18"x24" that will heat a insulated 30x30 shop with 16' ceilings.
Sorry, I kinda went on a tangent there.
Sorry, I kinda went on a tangent there.
I will fire it up again today to burn it off.. how do you even start a good fire in these stoves?? I'm thinking cardboard bottom, then small wood, then some small logs? Then once it get's firing put in some big stuff.
Also, what is the trick to getting it to burn slow? Like I said i'm new to this.
Thanks guys..
It's 10 degrees and I'm out.. I got an electrician coming out to rewire the shop.. with no torpedo heater or lights.. ohh jeez the fun!
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 9,359
Likes: 1
From: Hampstead, NC
Good frigid morning everyone, -15 here and sunny.
Do you have some type of grate to keep the fire/coals off the bottom of the barrel? It will help a lot with keeping your fire going. You need a good draft to keep the fire burning, which means you need a good source of air to replace the hot air/smoke that exit the chimney during combustion. It looks like there is a little slide door below the big door to let air in, you'll want this fully open when you first start it and slowly close it as you add more to the fire and it gets burning better. You'll also want a damper in the outlet pipe, start off fully open and slowly close it down. Keep it open enough to have a good fire going, but not open too much where all your heat escapes out the chimney. Some kind of fan behind the barrel will also help to distribute the heat better.
My shop is prob 25x50. The problem is that it has huge holes in it.. There are two 12 foot sliding doors that sealing them is a pointless and unachievable venture. I built it b/c it was $50, I had a barrel lying around and gas and oil for my chainsaw is a heck of alot cheaper than kerosene for the torpedo heater..
I will fire it up again today to burn it off.. how do you even start a good fire in these stoves?? I'm thinking cardboard bottom, then small wood, then some small logs? Then once it get's firing put in some big stuff.
Also, what is the trick to getting it to burn slow? Like I said i'm new to this.
Thanks guys..
It's 10 degrees and I'm out.. I got an electrician coming out to rewire the shop.. with no torpedo heater or lights.. ohh jeez the fun!
I will fire it up again today to burn it off.. how do you even start a good fire in these stoves?? I'm thinking cardboard bottom, then small wood, then some small logs? Then once it get's firing put in some big stuff.
Also, what is the trick to getting it to burn slow? Like I said i'm new to this.
Thanks guys..
It's 10 degrees and I'm out.. I got an electrician coming out to rewire the shop.. with no torpedo heater or lights.. ohh jeez the fun!
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,600
Likes: 5,627
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
BRRRRR!!! for the first time in almost 22 years, the rattletrap did not start this morning.
very disappointing.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 28,310
Likes: 6
From: BLT, MN
Looks like Mike and Jason have you going in the right direction Andrew. Those fireplace starters work really well to get the fire going. That is what I use when camping. They are like little bricks made out of sawdust and wax basically. Use 1/2 - 1 each time you fire it up.
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,649
Likes: 2
From: Wallingford, CT
Andrew this is how we heat our shop.
I usually just put a little cardboard in the bottom and stack wood up on top of it and stack it up as much as I can fit wood in. We burn pallet wood since that's what we've got at hand. Very very dry wood so it burns very hot. Regular firewood works just as well but I'm not sure how easy it would be to start using regular wood.
We've got a plumbers torch that we'll just hold in there til we get it going. Usually doesn't take me more than 5 minutes from putting the cardboard in til I shut the door and leave it alone for a while.
The top barrel and the heat reclaimer thing really do make a huge difference in the amount of heat it throws. If you don't have any type of heat reclaimer I suggest a box fan or something to help circulate the air or else it will be very warm near the heater and not much warmer than outside in other areas.
Any other questions feel free to ask me. We got a kit from Northern Tool that had the door and all the brackets to bolt it together as well as a grate to put in the bottom.
I usually just put a little cardboard in the bottom and stack wood up on top of it and stack it up as much as I can fit wood in. We burn pallet wood since that's what we've got at hand. Very very dry wood so it burns very hot. Regular firewood works just as well but I'm not sure how easy it would be to start using regular wood.
We've got a plumbers torch that we'll just hold in there til we get it going. Usually doesn't take me more than 5 minutes from putting the cardboard in til I shut the door and leave it alone for a while.
The top barrel and the heat reclaimer thing really do make a huge difference in the amount of heat it throws. If you don't have any type of heat reclaimer I suggest a box fan or something to help circulate the air or else it will be very warm near the heater and not much warmer than outside in other areas.
Any other questions feel free to ask me. We got a kit from Northern Tool that had the door and all the brackets to bolt it together as well as a grate to put in the bottom.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,392
Likes: 0
From: NW Arkansas
Thanks Pete! I got the same kit!!
Do you fire it up with those boxes hanging out that close? I'm worried about the distances to flamable stuff. I have never used wood stove before so I'm very cautious.
I plan on upgrading to the top in the future..
Just need some added head.. got a pic of the chimney pete?
Do you fire it up with those boxes hanging out that close? I'm worried about the distances to flamable stuff. I have never used wood stove before so I'm very cautious.
I plan on upgrading to the top in the future..
Just need some added head.. got a pic of the chimney pete?
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,649
Likes: 2
From: Wallingford, CT
Thanks Pete! I got the same kit!!
Do you fire it up with those boxes hanging out that close? I'm worried about the distances to flamable stuff. I have never used wood stove before so I'm very cautious.
I plan on upgrading to the top in the future..
Just need some added head.. got a pic of the chimney pete?
Do you fire it up with those boxes hanging out that close? I'm worried about the distances to flamable stuff. I have never used wood stove before so I'm very cautious.
I plan on upgrading to the top in the future..
Just need some added head.. got a pic of the chimney pete?
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,649
Likes: 2
From: Wallingford, CT
They're big concrete blocks probably 3 feet tall by 5 feet long by 3 feet wide. The mafia used to make a lot of them and they used it as a source of income. You could probably hide certain things in them too...