# Can I convert this oil stove into an efficient wood stove?



## Cynnergy (Nov 16, 2012)

Hello all,

Newbie here so please be gentle. Fingers crossed that the photo works. Please have fun with this question because I know it is a bit off-the-wall!

I am now the proud(?) keeper of this 1950's McClary Charm stove in a cabin on the BC coast. I think they were originally made as wood stoves, but this one was apparently converted at the factory to an oil pot-burner. It heats the kitchen, the hot water (sort of), and cooks. Unfortunately, it also burns about 10L of stove oil a day. At $1.47/L, not cheap or environmentally-friendly.

Is there any way I could convert this into an efficient wood cookstove? I would love to get an Esse Ironheart, but I can't afford it right now and I think it would fall through the floor (800 lbs is heavy!). Some of Esse's other cookstoves (the WN or 990) look like their fireboxes might fit in the space beside the oven where the pot-burner is now. I know those models aren't available in N America, but I might be able to work something out with relatives in the UK. Or are their fireboxes all one big hunk of cast iron that are a part of the stove?

Maybe I could stick a Jotul 602 inside of it?

Happy Friday!


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## Highbeam (Nov 26, 2012)

Love the old phone. Is that a crank up deal? Sorry, no help on the oiler.


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## ScotO (Nov 26, 2012)

Not sure what the rules are in your area regarding custom work, or what the stipulations are with your insurance carrier, but you should be able to talk to a metal fabrication shop about building you a new firebox for your cookstove.  That sure looks like an old wood cooker to me, the tall narrow left door screams woodstove.  Is there three seperate doors on the left side behing the white porcelain door?  Originally they're should have been a loading door with a shaker grate, the draft door below that, and then the ash pan at the bottom.

I'm sure a metal shop could make you a 1/4" boiler plate firebox for that stove that would make it work pretty nice (maybe even add some secondary air tubes to the top to make it more efficient), but I'm not sure if your insurance or local codes in your area would allow it.


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## valley ranch (Nov 27, 2012)

You're right there, look inside. You have to do some welding but I'm sure you can. You might have to build a plate steel box, vent, door. It surely can be done. Good luck.


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## nate379 (Nov 27, 2012)

My memere had a stove similar in her kitchen, the left part used kerosene, rest of the stove was propane.


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## Cynnergy (Nov 27, 2012)

Hi thanks for the replies everyone!

Yes, highbeam, thank is an old crank phone on the wall. I think it still works, but reconnecting the phone is project #239-ish on the to-do list  ! Kind of redundant now anyways with cell phones, but would be fun to have it working.

Here I was thinking that this was a hopeless project and a ridiculous question, but you all have convinced me that it might be possible! Project #188 maybe . More work to do to look into codes and insurance, thanks for the heads-up Scotty.

Some more photos for you to have a look at. I think the firebox and draft doors are welded shut, and the section where the ash pan should go has a (non-working) fan - not sure if this would have been on the original wood-burning version of the stove - might make it too hot? I included a pic of the coil for the water heating just for kicks if anyone's interested.

The yeast can is to catch oil drips (thankfully there are none, but just in case).


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