Author Topic: Woodburning camp stoves  (Read 76883 times)

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Woodburning camp stoves
« on: 12 July, 2010, 04:09:06 pm »
I haz maded one  :D


(Photo by Annie)

Frustrated by the "no campfires" rule at most sites I've been to, but unable to sensibly carry a barbecue, I decided that I wanted to build something that would still allow me to cook on a wood fire.

Technically, this is a Top-Lit Downdraft Wood Gasification stove.  If you're interested in the theory of how it works, there's a lot of information out there about the different designs.



I tested it out on the WARTY this weekend and it was a complete success.  Should you feel like building one, I have blogged about it.

Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

Zipperhead

  • The cyclist formerly known as Big Helga
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #1 on: 12 July, 2010, 04:18:44 pm »
Excellent, but if Jonathan makes one, will it still be a camp stove?
Won't somebody think of the hamsters!

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #2 on: 12 July, 2010, 04:19:58 pm »
I feel a trip to Wilkos coming on...

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #3 on: 12 July, 2010, 04:22:46 pm »
Excellent, but if Jonathan makes one, will it still be a camp stove?

I don't see a problem with it being a butch stove if he prefers...
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #4 on: 12 July, 2010, 07:28:25 pm »
More rivets. Very butch!

Nice bit of work, that.  Your burny ingenuity continues apace.  When will you start running lighting mantles from sleeping-bag farts?  :)
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #5 on: 12 July, 2010, 08:08:53 pm »
[Quote/]Adrian, you're living proof that bandwidth is far too cheap.[/Quote]

Pedaldog.

  • Heedlessly impulsive, reckless, rash.
  • The Madcap!
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #6 on: 12 July, 2010, 08:29:20 pm »
That is wunnerful innit!  I iz going to be having a go at that in the not too distant future.
You touch my Coffee and I'll slap you so hard, even Google won't be able to find you!

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #7 on: 12 July, 2010, 11:24:05 pm »
Want!  :D

Another project for the list.

Are the feet really needed? Are they just to stop it scorching the ground?
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Pedaldog.

  • Heedlessly impulsive, reckless, rash.
  • The Madcap!
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #8 on: 12 July, 2010, 11:42:35 pm »
Want!  :D

Another project for the list.

Are the feet really needed? Are they just to stop it scorching the ground?

Which end will you put the Castors on Wobbleski?
You touch my Coffee and I'll slap you so hard, even Google won't be able to find you!

CrinklyLion

  • The one with devious, cake-pushing ways....
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #9 on: 12 July, 2010, 11:46:32 pm »
I think that the fire-making-device was probably the deciding factor for CrinklyCub who is, I suspect, now somewhat besotted with Charlotte.  Rides a bike? Tick!  Owns a tandem? Tick! Likes camping?  Tick!  Likes Setting Fire to Stuff?  Gigantic tick!

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #10 on: 12 July, 2010, 11:51:03 pm »
Well, you can't really argue with those criteria...

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #11 on: 13 July, 2010, 12:55:16 am »
I had a gigantic tick once.
It is simpler than it looks.

Pedaldog.

  • Heedlessly impulsive, reckless, rash.
  • The Madcap!
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #12 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:03:49 am »
You can get Crean=m to help with that....... Allegedly!
You touch my Coffee and I'll slap you so hard, even Google won't be able to find you!

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #13 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:15:12 am »
I'm actually going to have to bring a rocket next time, to compete with that, aren't I. ;D
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #14 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:32:11 am »
Charlotte, that is what is commonly known as "fooking clever".  Once you have perfected your design how much would you charge if I asked you to make me one?

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #15 on: 13 July, 2010, 08:31:51 am »
Want!  :D

Another project for the list.

Are the feet really needed? Are they just to stop it scorching the ground?

The feet are there to make the whole caboodle more stable.  Nine times out of ten, this will be set up on uneven ground.  Three feet makes it self-leveling and means that a pan of boiling water won't topple it over.  Thinnish bolts mean that if it's still unstable, you can push it into the ground.

When the ground is hard, even two hours burning won't scorch the grass.

Charlotte, that is what is commonly known as "fooking clever".  Once you have perfected your design how much would you charge if I asked you to make me one?

I'm afraid I'm not for hire.  Making it was surprisingly labour-intensive.  I started at about two in the afternoon and wasn't finished until at least six.  Fair enough, I'll be faster the next time I make one, but drilling stainless is a massive pig and takes ages.  Simillarly, snipping and folding it all took time and effort.

What I can do is to offer limitless help if you want to make your own.  Or, at such time as I ever get round to making a MkII (maybe later this summer, I don't know), I'll happily give you first refusal on this one.  How's that?
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #16 on: 13 July, 2010, 08:49:39 am »
Sounds fair  :thumbsup:

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #17 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:21:08 pm »
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

bikenerd

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #18 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:28:02 pm »
These things are awesome - I first became awayre of them through the charities that provide them to the developing world.

Does anyone know if anyone is making these commercially as either an alternative to a wood burning stove in a house (to heat a room) or a garden heater (to heat the proximity and cook food on) to replace a chiminea and barbeque?

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #19 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:30:37 pm »
These things are awesome - I first became awayre of them through the charities that provide them to the developing world.

Does anyone know if anyone is making these commercially as either an alternative to a wood burning stove in a house (to heat a room) or a garden heater (to heat the proximity and cook food on) to replace a chiminea and barbeque?
The more advanced wood-burning stoves already use the gassification techniques.  The air intake and stoves are shaped so that the gas given off burns in the main chamber.

The better ones in Australia have been like this for a long time - with a large glass window in the front, you can see a 'flame roll' burning well above the wood. Quite fascinating to watch.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #20 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:35:35 pm »
The best commercial version of a larger, super-efficient outdoor cooking stove I've found is this:

Rocket stoves | Wild Stoves - Effective outdoor cooking on wood

Were it not for the fact that I'd rather make one to my own specifications, I'd be tempted to pick one up for the garden.  It's not a gasification design, though.  Just very high temperature pyrolysis...
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #21 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:36:36 pm »
These things are awesome - I first became awayre of them through the charities that provide them to the developing world.

Does anyone know if anyone is making these commercially as either an alternative to a wood burning stove in a house (to heat a room) or a garden heater (to heat the proximity and cook food on) to replace a chiminea and barbeque?


ZZSTOVE - HOME of the SIERRA and SIERRA TITANIUM STOVES


Home

Not sure if either one is big enough for what you want. I remember seeing a zzstove years ago, it was more of a one person campstove.

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #22 on: 13 July, 2010, 01:46:35 pm »
Updraft gasification stoves like that are awesomely powerful - they're effectively a very small fire with someone continuously blowing on it.  Problem is, you need a fan to do the blowing.  That means that:

a) You need to feed it batteries (albeit the latest ones can spin out a set of AAs for hours and hours)
b) If the fan packs up in the middle of nowhere, you've got yourself a very small and not very useful firebucket.

My feeling on the matter is that anything which introduces what is likely to be a modified computer fan to a small fire ain't going to last that long when used the way it's intended.  Passive stoves like mine are an order of magnitude more elegant and reliable - all you need are twigs and some way of setting fire to them.
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #23 on: 13 July, 2010, 02:21:54 pm »
Fair enough, your stove is impressive and i enjoyed reading the blog. Not too many of us own a drill press, though, and not too many of us seem to have the metal working skills that you have. Any chance that you'll go commercial with your design?

Batteries could be an issue, although I would guess that a pair of lithium AAs would give a fair bit of cooking time.

FWIW, I first saw the ZZip stove in a shop in the mid 80s. I've never seen one since, but apparently they've sold enough of them to stay in business for 20+ years, so their just might be something to them.

Re: Woodburning camp stoves
« Reply #24 on: 13 July, 2010, 02:44:58 pm »
Impressive skills! Well done  :thumbsup: