# Lakewood Wood Stove



## TylerJames84 (Oct 11, 2016)

Hello,
I live in central Minnesota and I just recently bought a wood stove off of Craigslist. I knew nothing nor have I heard of the manufacturer which is Lakewood wood stoves. I see they make a Unicorn model which is similiar to mine the only difference is that I have 2 stags on the doors. In all the research I've done I seem to notice the unicorn model seem to be more popular. Does that make mine more rare? What year were they made in? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks


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## sen166 (Oct 11, 2016)

I'll take a shot in the dark, but, I'm fairly certain it is a steel stove and what is commonly referred to as a "Fisher Clone" around here (referring to Fisher wood stoves made in the 1970's and early 1980's).  It should be a decent wood stove for you assuming there are no cracks in the steel or anything.  I would recommend gloves when adjusting the air controls and grasping the door handles; I'm sure they can get quite toasty.

Coaly will most likely be along soon to advise you much, much more in reference to the stove you have.


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## Squisher (Oct 12, 2016)

I'm in BC Canada. And I have the exact same stove that I turfed out of my house last year. I burned it for about four years and found it to be very hungry. I still have it sitting outside of my shop. I don't know much about them but mine is the exact same, with the stags. It came with my place, and I have no idea how old it is. I'd be curious to know if it has any value, I've been contemplating moving it to the end of the drive with a 'free' sign just to be rid of it.


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## CheapBassTurd (Oct 14, 2016)

Welcome TJ84 to a wealth of info here, some of which can save a life or a home.

What's your setup indoors or the planned setup?    If this is your first stove, it *REALLY* helps to just
start reading up on the many facets never thought of beforehand.

Nice looking stove, btw.  You are going to be very warm.  It's bigger than mine and we have the windows
cracked open when running at full heat.  (we don't care much about efficiency or drafts.)  Toss on a log, and 
bust open another window.  lol

Learn, share, teach, apply burn gel, explain suturing to clumsy splitters, etc. wherever ya fit in,
CheapMark


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## Lake Girl (Oct 14, 2016)

If you do a search top right  you will find a bit of info.  Apparently made in Ontario and passed the early Washington guidelines because of it's catalytic.  Is there a tag on back still?


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## TylerJames84 (Oct 14, 2016)

CheapBassTurd said:


> Welcome TJ84 to a wealth of info here, some of which can save a life or a home.
> 
> What's your setup indoors or the planned setup?    If this is your first stove, it *REALLY* helps to just
> start reading up on the many facets never thought of beforehand.
> ...


For now the stove is in the unfisheded basement. I plan on using it as much as I can for my main heat source. I burn seasoned red oak. I had a smaller stove in the basement for the last two winters. I just needed a bigger wood stove down there to get the job done.
So far it seems to be working and heating the house very well.


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## Squisher (Oct 15, 2016)

I will say, mine heated my house, but was hungry. Reliable overnight burns were hard to attain. I had to really work at it. That's why I switched it out.  I burn mainly Douglas fir. 

Mine was very inefficient, with a basic sort of welded steel plate for a baffle covering the flue exit.


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## CheapBassTurd (Oct 15, 2016)

Coolz
I was wondering mainly if you were an experienced stover, and of course,
the more pics the better.
.
I'm still riding the learning curve pretty hard.

Mama's parents do a gas stove in the lower of a trilevel and it cooks the whole house pretty well
with the open center for circulation.  They actually found it cheaper to run it 4x daily rather than
the central unit, about 45 min each cycle.   Their indoor temps go from 80 down to the low 60's but
that's their thing I'm supposing.


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## JDFrost (Oct 15, 2016)

Hello,
I got a LakeWood Unicorn W/Air off my uncle, was wondering if anyone could point me to a manual for it. Can not seem to find anything! Have no idea if i can get parts for it or not . Thanks


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## begreen (Oct 15, 2016)

Parts may be hard to come by. This place lists the combustor:
https://www.cjshearthandhome.com/combustor-list-for-stoves-and-fireplaces


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## Squisher (Oct 15, 2016)

Here's a couple pics of my 'stag' Lakewood. I tried to get a decent shot of the inside. If it ever had anything more then that bit of steel warped 'baffle' then it wasn't apparent on my stove. Mine has no certification labelling whatsoever and it was a smoke producing wood eating machine. But it is a big firebox and presumably heated my home for a long time, only made it four years with me though.


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## Squisher (Oct 15, 2016)

I may be having to throw mine into my shop now as the wood circulator I've got in there is burned right out.  So this one may burn again. Unless I can find something nearby for cheap that's more efficient.


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## Lake Girl (Oct 16, 2016)

Guess you better go check out the site begreen linked above so you can get the catalytic that should be in that stove!


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## Squisher (Oct 17, 2016)

If you're referring to me, I don't believe my stove or the OP's are catalytic stoves. It's the later unicorn stove poster that came as a catalytic that begreen was responding to I think. 

If anyone has further info on these units please share. I'd love to make mine more efficient somehow, I did just put it into the shop today. Now I'm going to need some new brick and some piping. 

I'm curious what some might think about whether I should be bothered trying to straighten that 'baffle' at all?


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## Lake Girl (Oct 17, 2016)

The site lists the unicorn stove as a different catalytic size.


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## Squisher (Oct 17, 2016)

I see the unicorn and one other cat listed under Lakewood stoves. It's my understanding the stove I have and the original poster have are older non-cat stoves.

If that's not the case I'd love to hear otherwise. Maybe the OP could post a pic of the inside of his too?


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## Lake Girl (Oct 17, 2016)

It makes it difficult not being able to find a manual.  The Hearth wiki on the stove also mentions they were catalytic  but doesn't mention if it was all models or only certain ones...


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## Squisher (Oct 17, 2016)

I agree. There is limited info out there on the.  I think the cat stoves were later models and the handles and vents were different and they had some type of certification on them too?  

I've been wrong many times in my life but I don't see how a cat could possibly be installed in my stove. There's certainly no mechanical for any sort of a bypass.  It would have to sit on top of that twisted 'baffle' board in my interior pic and would have no means of being secured, sealed, or protected?

That being said. Mine is the only Lakewood stove I've seen in person. You are actually getting my hopes up that I am in fact wrong.


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## Lake Girl (Oct 17, 2016)

Interesting morning ... found an article in a Whitby, ON paper that mentioned a business that carried Lakewood stoves.  Business is still there so sent an email mentioning hearth.com and asking if they had any manuals in their archives.  Time will tell...

Another search using a box number in Ontario that was found in a motherearthnews.com article from the 80s about  the stove and oregon emissions testing.  That lead me to a business listing for Lakewood Stoves in Bobcaygeon associated with the name Gordon D MacKay.  Numbers from that listing are no longer connected with any manufacturing or hearth related  business.  Sad  but he may be deceased as I found an obituary for a Michael Mackay from Bobcaygeon from 2015 that mentions a brother predeased him. 

Hoping the Whitby hearth store has some info...


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## Lake Girl (Oct 17, 2016)

Sent another message to another hearth store in the area (Keswick).   Called one in Bobcaygeon.  Seems everyone knows of these stoves but no one has a manual.  The hearth store in Bobcaygeon would love one too even though he is a Napolean dealer  The trademark was registered in 1981/82 for the elk double door, unicorn double door and the single door cottager (per tradmarkia).  What materials are needed for trademarks?  Similar to patents?

Also found a Popular Mechanics article on catalytic wood stoves that mentioned Lakewood Manufacturing (Jan 1982).   Found reference that Ryerson Polytechnic tested these stoves so may see if there is anything in their archives.


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## Squisher (Oct 17, 2016)

Wow. Great digging. I'll be watching to see what you turn up. Thanks.


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## Squisher (Oct 17, 2016)

I found this name/address listed as their 'Representative for service' on their Canadian trademark.

IAN W.M. ANGUS
THE CANTON MILL
R.R. #1
PORT HOPE
ONTARIO L1A 3V5

I don't know if that might help at all?


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## Squisher (Oct 17, 2016)

Also I've been curious and searching around a bit and have seen a bunch of 'kijiji' listings with unicorn stoves in them. And the ones that provide proper pictures seem to show a lever on the right hand which I must assume is some type of a bypass for the cat. I've also seen a couple with thermometers on them too, but couldn't tell if it was a factory cat thermometer or just a magnetic one?  

I'd love for there to be a cat in my 'elk' model but I just don't see how it could be?

I did pick up all new brick for mine today from the local builders supply. They were like $1.60 a piece. I'm looking forward to getting mine going in my shop. 

Thank goodness I didn't get rid of it. My plans are to eventually put a BK, king in the shop but it wasn't happening this year and I thought my old 'wood circulator' would have a couple more years left in it but it was literally falling apart on me. The old Lakewood to the rescue.


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## Lake Girl (Oct 17, 2016)

The Lakewood seem to be a fairly beefy stove.  I would think that it'll do the job for now...

Ian Angus has been sent an email as I have no idea what type of documents are required for filing trademark.  Hopefully it includes accessible technical documents.  

I did hear back from Ryerson.  They do have a brochure within their files.  Not sure what else is included in the file but the Archivist hopes to pull it tomorrow.  The file is restricted access that requires a Freedom of Information request.  If there is more pertinent data there, guess I'll try to make the request.

Still waiting to hear from a couple of stove shops in the Bobcaygeon area.

That is a beautiful area of Ontario ... part of the Kawartha Lakes region.  I used to travel near there but through Burleigh Falls on the way to my Great Aunt's cabin on Jack Lake near Apsley, Ontario.  My place on this lake gives you the same vibe with quiet lake, pine trees, and exposed  Canadian Shield rock.


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## Lake Girl (Oct 17, 2016)

The trademark on the Elk double door was assigned to Ronald C Barnes out of Cole camp, Missouri in 1985.  The trade mark was not renewed in 1991, serial 73416786, registration no 1315619 and the name became Elk Pine Stove.


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## Squisher (Oct 19, 2016)

Don't judge. It's a shop, a place of creativity. Lol.

My old Lakewood went back into service today. Just in time too, the shop has been chilly!

Top down light up, for its first shop fire.


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## Lake Girl (Oct 21, 2016)

Updated what I found so far on the Lakewood stoves ... No manuals yet but still have some unreturned emails.  Found a pic of the Unicorn cat 
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/lakewood-stoves/?noRedirect=1


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## Squisher (Oct 23, 2016)

I am wanting to consider some options for making this stove more efficient. I've been searching and looking around but if anyone has any threads or similar type stoves they want to point me towards, it would be much appreciated.


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2016)

Does it have a baffle?


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## Squisher (Oct 23, 2016)

Yes. I posted a pic of the inside on the first page. Albeit not that great of one. Here it is again. It has a warped simple metal plate as a baffle.

It's operating in my shop the same as it did in my house. Either heat or smoke out the stack. It will idle down and smoulder well. But man is it smokey.


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2016)

Is there a damper on the flue? That won't stop the smoke but will keep heat resident for longer in the stove and pipe below the damper.


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## Squisher (Oct 23, 2016)

I have no damper in the pipe, if that's what you mean?  It seems like I can really turn it down well though with the air dampers on the door.


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## Squisher (Oct 23, 2016)

I should add I'm happy with the heat output, just wanting to clean up and extend the burn times a bit if possible.


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2016)

With our Jotul I get more heat by not smoldering (air all the way closed) but by having the air open a little and closing down the flue damper.  Flue temp above the damper goes down and the stove temp comes up. But to clean up the burn it will take more than this.


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2016)

Squisher said:


> I should add I'm happy with the heat output, just wanting to clean up and extend the burn times a bit if possible.


There are some success stories here with putting in a full, baffle and secondary rack below it.


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## Squisher (Oct 23, 2016)

begreen said:


> With our Jotul I get more heat by not smoldering (air all the way closed) but by having the air open a little and closing down the flue damper.  Flue temp above the damper goes down and the stove temp comes up. But to clean up the burn it will take more than this.





Ok. Thanks that seems like a simple way to get more efficiency out of it.


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2016)

Search on secondary in this forum for some threads on the topic. Here's one to get you started:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/secondary-air-conversion-of-old-stove.154832/


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## Squisher (Oct 23, 2016)

Incredible that stove on that link. Thanks.


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2016)

Yes, that's a pretty sweet and complete conversion.


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## husky345 vermont resolute (Jan 26, 2017)

That's a sweet job . 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## robatnorfolk (Jul 13, 2017)

Lake Girl said:


> Updated what I found so far on the Lakewood stoves ... No manuals yet but still have some unreturned emails.  Found a pic of the Unicorn cat
> https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/lakewood-stoves/?noRedirect=1



This manual covers :
The- LAKEWOOD Cottager
The LAKEWOOD Unicorn
The LAKEWOOD Unicorn Catalytic
The LAKEWOOD Special I
The LAKEWOOD Special II
The LAKEWOOD Elan 2000
The LAKEWOOD Lodger
The LAKEWOOD Lodger I I
The LAKEWOOD 1500 Series


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## Lake Girl (Jul 16, 2017)

robatnorfolk said:


> This manual covers :
> The- LAKEWOOD Cottager
> The LAKEWOOD Unicorn
> The LAKEWOOD Unicorn Catalytic
> ...



Thanks for the manual!


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## Kytepc (Jan 5, 2019)

I live in Bobcaygeon where these stoves were made, I have friends that worked at the factory and was at the sale when they shut down.
All i can tell you is they were heavy and built well, as for parts, baffles etc go to a fab shop and have one made up as they made in the factory
you will still get years out of the stove. The name of the stove was represented by the animal on the door. The stove above is a elk, unicorn had a unicorn on the door


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## Kytepc (Jan 5, 2019)

elan 1800 and a workhorse
I only know of one other workhorse. It was one of there large stoves always wanted.


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