# Homemade wood heater



## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 14, 2018)

This was built out of stainless. Welded and fabricated good. It has fire brick in the bottom. My question is why would a person build out of stainless material. It can bow and warp and take a lot of heat and not crack. Would it be safe?


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## bholler (Nov 14, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> This was built out of stainless. Welded and fabricated good. It has fire brick in the bottom. My question is why would a person build out of stainless material. It can bow and warp and take a lot of heat and not crack. Would it be safe?


Nothing wrong with building out of stainless at all.  It just isnt worth the extra cost in a woodstove usually.  As far as whether that stove is safe i have no clue.  There are to many variables to know that from a pic.


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 14, 2018)

I looked it over. My wonder is the warp factor. What can you tell me to look for that could make it unsafe?


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## bholler (Nov 14, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> I looked it over. My wonder is the warp factor. What can you tell me to look for that could make it unsafe?


Stainless isnt nessecarily any more prone to warping than plate steel.


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 14, 2018)

They had a 6 inch cast outlet bolted to the top. Bad idea!! I figure if i tig a starter piece on then put it in my shop, I may be good to go.


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## bholler (Nov 14, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> They had a 6 inch cast outlet bolted to the top. Bad idea!! I figure if i tig a starter piece on then put it in my shop, I may be good to go.


Why would that be a bad idea?  If it was bolted and gasketed it should be fine many plate steel stoves do it that way.

What type of shop is it?


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## begreen (Nov 14, 2018)

Here is a stainless steel stove a Warp 9.  Word is that they ran it like this every night with -30 temps outside. 
_Capt'n I'm giving it all that I've got._


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 15, 2018)

bholler said:


> Why would that be a bad idea?  If it was bolted and gasketed it should be fine many plate steel stoves do it that way.
> 
> What type of shop is it?



Stainless flexed cast starter piece did not. My shop is a man cave / hang out for my youngin.


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 15, 2018)

begreen said:


> Here is a stainless steel stove a Warp 9.  Word is that they ran it like this every night with -30 temps outside.
> _Capt'n I'm giving it all that I've got._
> 
> View attachment 233380


Whoa nice.


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## bholler (Nov 15, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> Stainless flexed cast starter piece did not. My shop is a man cave / hang out for my youngin.


If the top is flexing it is unsafe.  How thick is the top?

Are vehicles stored or worked on in the shop?  Is gasoline present in the shop?


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 15, 2018)

bholler said:


> If the top is flexing it is unsafe.  How thick is the top?
> 
> Are vehicles stored or worked on in the shop?  Is gasoline present in the shop?


The top dont have to flex much with thin cast bolted to it. In not sure if that heater even cracked and knocked 1/4 of the flange off. I wish I had a shop big enough to work on my cars. No, I store my fuel in a old fridge outside.


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 15, 2018)

I believe the top and the whole thing to be. 1/8 or 3/32 thick.


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## bholler (Nov 15, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> I believe the top and the whole thing to be. 1/8 or 3/32 thick.


If that monster of a stove is that thin i wouldnt use it


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 15, 2018)

Im guessing thickness. I'll micit. It has a piece welded inside about 3 or 4 inches, maybe more down from the top. It goes the width across. About 6 inches from center both ways length. Can u tell me what for?


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## jetsam (Nov 15, 2018)

begreen said:


> Here is a stainless steel stove a Warp 9.  Word is that they ran it like this every night with -30 temps outside.
> _Capt'n I'm giving it all that I've got._
> 
> View attachment 233380



When I was in the Air Force, we ran our tent stoves (which ran on jet fuel or diesel) just like that.  They seemed to hold up pretty well.


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 16, 2018)

jetsam said:


> When I was in the Air Force, we ran our tent stoves (which ran on jet fuel or diesel) just like that.  They seemed to hold up pretty well.


I imagine it can take a lot of heat. Built very well and big.


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## jetsam (Nov 16, 2018)

They were pretty flimsy but whatever kind of steel they used didn't mind being heated up until it glowed every night.


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## begreen (Nov 16, 2018)

jetsam said:


> They were pretty flimsy but whatever kind of steel they used didn't mind being heated up until it glowed every night.


Yes, the Russian camp stove in the picture is meant to be light enough that it can be packed in. It wouldn't surprise me if it was 20 ga stainless.


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 16, 2018)

begreen said:


> Yes, the Russian camp stove in the picture is meant to be light enough that it can be packed in. It wouldn't surprise me if it was 20 ga stainless.


Thicker then 20 gauge. A lot thicker. 3/32 maybe 1/8.


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## begreen (Nov 16, 2018)

You're trusting the integrity of welds and construction. Is this something you would fire up and walk away from with full confidence a weld is not going to pop? Have you fired it up with a temporary chimney outdoors and gotten it hot to see how it behaves?


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 16, 2018)

begreen said:


> You're trusting the integrity of welds and construction. Is this something you would fire up and walk away from with full confidence a weld is not going to pop? Have you fired it up with a temporary chimney outdoors and gotten it hot to see how it behaves?


I got some heavy duty grate material today. I would fire it outside before inside. The way it is put together I can trust. I can trust the weld by looking at it. I trust the material. If it is homemade they knew what they was doing. I would want to attach the starter piece and make it safe. I think I could fire it up inside and go off to sleep.


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## bholler (Nov 16, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> I got some heavy duty grate material today. I would fire it outside before inside. The way it is put together I can trust. I can trust the weld by looking at it. I trust the material. If it is homemade they knew what they was doing. I would want to attach the starter piece and make it safe. I think I could fire it up inside and go off to sleep.


They may have known how to weld but that doesnt mean they had a clue about how to design a stove.  It may be fine.  Or it may smoke leak smoke like crazy or overheat or any number of other problems.  We really dont know.  Honestly i would rather see a cast collar bolted and gasketed on where it allows some movement.


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## bholler (Nov 16, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> I got some heavy duty grate material today. I would fire it outside before inside. The way it is put together I can trust. I can trust the weld by looking at it. I trust the material. If it is homemade they knew what they was doing. I would want to attach the starter piece and make it safe. I think I could fire it up inside and go off to sleep.


Where is the air intake and what type is it?  You do know this will need 36" clearances or 12 with proper ventilated heat sheild.  You will also need 18" from the pipe and a proper chimney.


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 17, 2018)

bholler said:


> Where is the air intake and what type is it?  You do know this will need 36" clearances or 12 with proper ventilated heat sheild.  You will also need 18" from the pipe and a proper chimney.


3 holes in the stove. I guess the intake would be the ash pit door.


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## bholler (Nov 17, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> 3 holes in the stove. I guess the intake would be the ash pit door.


So where does the combustion air come from?  How is it regulated?


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 21, 2018)

Only air intake would be ash pit door.


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## bholler (Nov 21, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> Only air intake would be ash pit door.


Then who ever built it really had no clue what they were doing.  You really dont have a stove you have a wood storage box


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## Jacob Jarvis (Nov 21, 2018)

Lol you can burn wood in the thing. Not just store it. Gonna fire it up in a couple days. My 260000 smokes to much when u open the doors,unless its a raging fire. The Ashley I traded on has small holes in top.


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## bholler (Nov 21, 2018)

Jacob Jarvis said:


> Lol you can burn wood in the thing. Not just store it. Gonna fire it up in a couple days. My 260000 smokes to much when u open the doors,unless its a raging fire. The Ashley I traded on has small holes in top.


You have no air intake the only way to make it burn would be to leave a door open.  That is unsafe and uncontrollable.  It is not a functioning stove.


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## bholler (Nov 21, 2018)

And yes like i said those old bucks are not designed all that well and certainly wont run correctly on 6".  

And no stove will run without an air inlet.


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