Gunfixr
12-08-2012, 09:38 PM
Went on the hunting trip this week. It turned out a bust, but only on the hunting part.
Our camp was one of those "instant garage" tents you set up, uses steel poles and tarps tied over it on the tops, sides, and ends, with options to leave off what you want to make it open ended or open sides. We had two thirds of it closed up, with the last third only having a roof. This gave us a "cabin" area with a front porch.
For heat, we had a wood stove. A home made one the guys whipped up out of what was at hand.
It started with a 30 gallon steel barrel. Make sure it doesn't have any flammable residue in it. One end had already been removed, so a piece of plate was drilled and the top of the barrel drilled so that a hinge could be screwed onto the plate and barrel. This served as a flat surface for cooking, and the hinge allowed for opening up to put in larger pieces of wood than would fit through the door opening. Later, after some other modifications, it was realized that this would be unnecessary, and the lid should ideally be welded on. An opening was cut in the side, with the piece removed becoming the door. Steel about 3/4" or 1" wide was screwed to the barrel around the opening to act as a door stop, and to help close the gap around the door. Closing all gaps helps to control leaks, both draft leaks, which take away your control of the burn, and smoke leaks, which keep you from filling your abode with smoke. This was also a reason to just weld down the lid, instead of hinging it. Weight had to be kept on the top, to keep down the smoke level in the tent. A hinge was screwed to the door panel and the barrel, and a short piece of small angle iron was screwed to both the door panel and the barrel. The door hinges closed, and the piece of the angle iron sticking off the door sits on the piece on the barrel. A hole drilled into both to line up once the door is closed allows it to be latched closed. A row of about 1" or so holes was cut into the front of the barrel just over the bottom, about 4 or 5 of them, below the door opening. These are the draft holes, to feed the fire fresh air. There is no control with this setup, so it consumes wood at a pretty good rate. A flue hole is cut into the back side rather near the top. It's size is determined by the flue and chimney size to be used, ours was 6", but 4" should be plenty. 6" was what was around. The flue was screwed to the back of the stove. Some fire bricks were set int he bottom of the barrel, arranged to allow a grate to sit on them. This is where the fire is built, on the grate. Fresh air comes in the holes below the grate and feeds the flames, and ash collects in this bottom area. The whole thing sits on something non flammable, high enough so that heat transfer to whatever makes up the floor doesn't become a problem.
It was discovered that while it put off heat, the top did not get hot enough to cook with. Too much of the fire and heat was turning directly into the flue and up the chimney, bypassing the top. A coffee can with one end removed, and a hole cut into one side was fitted into the flue opening inside the stove, with the side hole facing upwards. This forces the heat and smoke which will go out the chimney to first go up and hit the top of the stove, before turning down into the flue and going out. Now it cooks very well. This now prevents large pieces from being put in the stove, so the hinged lid is now no longer useful.
To bypass welding the lid on, short pieces of angle iron could be used spaced around the top of the barrel to screw the lid down onto the top. The top is made form a piece that is square, and larger than the stove body itself. This allows pots to be set off to the side, away from the main heat, where food can be just kept warm.
Basically, all that is needed is the barrel, or pieces of steel that can be put together to make the stove body, the top (and bottom if assembling from pieces), a heavy duty hinge, a flue adapter, some flat bar and angle iron and sheet metal screws. A way to cut a hole in the stove body, and to cut the flat bar and angle iron is needed, as well as a way to install the screws. 3 or 4 fire bricks, and a piece of grate are also needed, as well as a chimney. We used a piece of flexible chimney liner, which is like a piece of heavy duty flexible duct. We had the stove sitting on two concrete blocks, but it was on a dirt floor, so I don't really know if that would be suitable for all situations. With more angle iron, legs could be fabricated and screwed onto the stove body.
Our camp was one of those "instant garage" tents you set up, uses steel poles and tarps tied over it on the tops, sides, and ends, with options to leave off what you want to make it open ended or open sides. We had two thirds of it closed up, with the last third only having a roof. This gave us a "cabin" area with a front porch.
For heat, we had a wood stove. A home made one the guys whipped up out of what was at hand.
It started with a 30 gallon steel barrel. Make sure it doesn't have any flammable residue in it. One end had already been removed, so a piece of plate was drilled and the top of the barrel drilled so that a hinge could be screwed onto the plate and barrel. This served as a flat surface for cooking, and the hinge allowed for opening up to put in larger pieces of wood than would fit through the door opening. Later, after some other modifications, it was realized that this would be unnecessary, and the lid should ideally be welded on. An opening was cut in the side, with the piece removed becoming the door. Steel about 3/4" or 1" wide was screwed to the barrel around the opening to act as a door stop, and to help close the gap around the door. Closing all gaps helps to control leaks, both draft leaks, which take away your control of the burn, and smoke leaks, which keep you from filling your abode with smoke. This was also a reason to just weld down the lid, instead of hinging it. Weight had to be kept on the top, to keep down the smoke level in the tent. A hinge was screwed to the door panel and the barrel, and a short piece of small angle iron was screwed to both the door panel and the barrel. The door hinges closed, and the piece of the angle iron sticking off the door sits on the piece on the barrel. A hole drilled into both to line up once the door is closed allows it to be latched closed. A row of about 1" or so holes was cut into the front of the barrel just over the bottom, about 4 or 5 of them, below the door opening. These are the draft holes, to feed the fire fresh air. There is no control with this setup, so it consumes wood at a pretty good rate. A flue hole is cut into the back side rather near the top. It's size is determined by the flue and chimney size to be used, ours was 6", but 4" should be plenty. 6" was what was around. The flue was screwed to the back of the stove. Some fire bricks were set int he bottom of the barrel, arranged to allow a grate to sit on them. This is where the fire is built, on the grate. Fresh air comes in the holes below the grate and feeds the flames, and ash collects in this bottom area. The whole thing sits on something non flammable, high enough so that heat transfer to whatever makes up the floor doesn't become a problem.
It was discovered that while it put off heat, the top did not get hot enough to cook with. Too much of the fire and heat was turning directly into the flue and up the chimney, bypassing the top. A coffee can with one end removed, and a hole cut into one side was fitted into the flue opening inside the stove, with the side hole facing upwards. This forces the heat and smoke which will go out the chimney to first go up and hit the top of the stove, before turning down into the flue and going out. Now it cooks very well. This now prevents large pieces from being put in the stove, so the hinged lid is now no longer useful.
To bypass welding the lid on, short pieces of angle iron could be used spaced around the top of the barrel to screw the lid down onto the top. The top is made form a piece that is square, and larger than the stove body itself. This allows pots to be set off to the side, away from the main heat, where food can be just kept warm.
Basically, all that is needed is the barrel, or pieces of steel that can be put together to make the stove body, the top (and bottom if assembling from pieces), a heavy duty hinge, a flue adapter, some flat bar and angle iron and sheet metal screws. A way to cut a hole in the stove body, and to cut the flat bar and angle iron is needed, as well as a way to install the screws. 3 or 4 fire bricks, and a piece of grate are also needed, as well as a chimney. We used a piece of flexible chimney liner, which is like a piece of heavy duty flexible duct. We had the stove sitting on two concrete blocks, but it was on a dirt floor, so I don't really know if that would be suitable for all situations. With more angle iron, legs could be fabricated and screwed onto the stove body.