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Favorite Wood Stoves

Started by Nate Surveyor, November 27, 2007, 09:03:54 AM

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Nate Surveyor

We have a Fisher Grandpa model in our house. Love it. It prefers the wood to be inserted endways, not like a fireplace. So, I have to cut the wood about 20" long. It will take wood 24" long like a fireplace, but it does not burn as good that way.

Dad has a PAPA model. They love it. It takes a 28" log.

And our old camper school bus has a BABY Bear in it.

Here is some of the Fisher Story, on Wikipedia: http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Fisher_Stoves

Anyway, what is your favorite stove?

I always like something that does NOT require me to buy something, just to use it!

I even think that this influenced me to buy a Peterson Sawmill. I don't have to order bands. I can buy a good torch, and a tipping jig, and be INDEPENDENT.

We are burning alot of mill scraps in our stoves now.

Could not do that real good with a pellet stove. Someday somebody will invent a personal home use wood stove, that can handle sawdust, wood chips, and anything that comes out of a waste wood hog.

But for now, we are happy with fisher stoves. Dad is 80 now. I'd sure like to AUTOMATE his heating. Thus the interest in pellet stoves/wood chip burner.
But one that auto feeds sawdust, and anything out of a waste wood hog would be great!

Nate




I know less than I used to.

beenthere

For our great room, have a Defiant Vermont Castings, with catalytic converter...Heats well, and wood lasts a long time.


Otherwise, have a wood boiler for heating water for the three house-proper zones. 

I put longer legs under it to get it off the floor, and make starting/loading easier.


Wood stoves work best for heat when the wood is at least two years after splitting, and stacked under cover. And we much prefer the feeling of wood heat, over oil or gas.  :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

IL Bull

I have an Earth stove in my wood shop. 8)
Case Skid Steer,  Ford Backhoe,  Allis WD45 and Burg Manual Sawmill

WDH

I have an Earth Stove by Colony Hearth in my house.  It heats great.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Grawulf

We have had two Timberlines over the years - very similar to the Fishers - they were the cream of the crop back in the '70s. We replaced it with a Hearthstone soapstone last year - took some getting used to learning how to fire it but it sure is nice to have a warm stove when you get up in the morning. Where's that smiley with his butt backed up against the stove??  :)

Larry

I had a Fisher fireplace insert.  Used it for years in a fireplace than converted it to a free standing stove for a basement.  Quality construction and they could put out the heat but a real pain to load and clean out ashes.

Ran an Earthstove for a few years and thought it was comparable to a Fisher.

Been using a Vermont Castings Defiant Encore for the last 17 years.  The top loading and ash pan clean out make it a very easy to operate stove.  Heat output is second to none.  The catalytic converter is a gimmick meant to please the EPA and the greenies.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

beenthere

Quote from: Larry on November 27, 2007, 05:24:34 PM
............  The catalytic converter is a gimmick meant to please the EPA and the greenies.

Larry
I've enjoyed the catalytic converter in the Defiant, and find it gets a lot more heat out of the same amount of wood. Just that i need to vacuum off the fly-ash that accumulates on the converter, or it shuts down (won't function). So far, I haven't had to replace it...expensive I hear. So I vacuum it VERY carefully 2-3 times a winter.

But if one doesn't need a lot of heat in the room, I leave the CC off (by-pass it).
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

WH_Conley

I have used Ashley and Wondercoal with very good results. Got to get a coal stove or get a catalyis(sp) converter. Not the prettiest stoves on the market but they are affordible and efficient. Speaking of efficient I don't buy wood, I can'r burn 1/5 of the leavings from the mill. Might be different if I was buying firewood.
Bill

WDH

I have two free-standing stoves in my house.  The big one, the Earth Stove, is in the front and it is the main mule.  In the back part of the house, I have a Vermont Castings stove.  It is smaller and it has a catalytic converter.  However, the stove has to get very hot before the flue gases can be directed to the converter.  It is a pain to get it so hot, then watch the gauge for the right temp, then direct the flue gas to the converter.  Therefore, I ignore the converter and just use the stove as if it does not have a catalytic converter.  Maybe if the stove was not so small it would work better to engage the converter.  We are thinking seriously about scraping it and replacing it with another stove that is not so aggravating to operate.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

solodan

In one of my houses, I have the exact same stove that is in the Fisher link that Nate posted. It works real well, and heats that little place great. In my house here, I have a Lopi flush mounted insert with a blower and it does not heat the whole house all that great. :-\  For the price of the Lopi's they should work better and the fans should be quieter. :-\  I should have just ripped the whole wall out and put in a freestanding unit. Oh well.  I do have another stove, but I have no idea who made it. It looks like one of those old Box stoves with the burners, and we also have another stove that is brand new in my wifes bakery, but I can't remember what kind it is. It works real good though. :)

tim1234

I have a Jotul Oslo F500 Firelight.  My friends own a hardware store and specialize in BBQs and Fireplaces.  Their opinion after going to all the trade shows and looking at all the stoves is that the Jotul has the best looking flame.  I love to watch the flames as it looks like the flame is pouring up out of the wood.  It is a not catalitic stove.  If you burn too hot you can damage the catalitic insert and they need to be replaced periodically.  They recommended the Jotul and I have not been dissapointed.  They are a swedish stove and have a very nicely detailed casting so they look good even when you're not burning anything.  I heat my 2000 sq ft home all winter alomost exclusively with the stove.  Most of the fuel provided by the EAB! :(

Tim
You buy a cheap tool twice...and then you're still stuck with a cheap tool!!
Husky 372XP, 455 Rancher, Echo CS300, Alaskan 30" Chainsaw Mill

mike_van

Here's a photo of one I made in about'81 - It's in my shop now, was in the basement. It takes 28" wood. A sheet of 1/4" steel was around 100.00 then, all sheared to size.                                                                                                                       Nate - there's one of those Fischers at my mothers, the big one, close to 30" wood - 3 of us carried it in, no wonder my back acts up!
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

RSteiner

We have just entered our 34th year of heating our house totally with wood heat.  There have been a variety stoves employeed over the years.  This year we had to replace a DutchWest stove that has been used for well over 20 years it was our first with a catalytic combustion disc.  The cat. functioned okay for about 3 years it did give more heat out of a load of wood but did require more stove tending.  At the time to replace it was going to be around $200.00 so it was just removed. 

That stove was just replaced a month ago with a Jotul Oslo.  I really like the Jotul stove it has one moving part, the draft control.  Although it was not a factor when looking at stoves the viewing window in the front of the stove makes you want to sit, relax, and enjoy the view.  I looked at the new Lopi cast iron stove but the fact that the castings were made in China was the main reason for going with the Jotul.

We aslo use a Glenwood Modern #8 kitchen wood stove to add heat to a family room and to cook on.  The casting dates on the stove are 1918 but I don't know what year it was made.  The firebox is really small in comparision to the rest of the stove but it gets the job done nicely.

We have a ThermoControl sheet metal stove in the cellar that is almost 30 years old, not bad for a stove that was expected to last about 10 years.  Between the three stoves we go through about 8 full cords of wood.  It is nice to be able to keep the house at 74 degress and not worry about burning oil.  I suppose I used at the most 5 gallons of fuel to cut, split, and transport the wood to the stove, that's about $125.00 a year in fuel cost.

Randy
Randy

Nate Surveyor

Mike Van,

Just an off hand comment,

I sort of suspect that if the vents on your home made stove were LOWER, it would be easier to start. If I leave the door open slightly, and hold a lighter outside, to see where it is drawing from, it seems to suck more down lower. And when it does, the fresh incoming air directly hitting the coals seems to make it work like a blacksmith's bellows, and make it hot.

I LOVE wood heat. The heat penetrates my bones much better than gas heat.

Nate

I know less than I used to.

Ron Wenrich

I have a Woodstock Soapstone stove.  I've had it for about 25 years.  It has a cast metal frame, and 1" of soapstone on the sides and top.  It will keep heat all night.  It doesn't use a great deal of wood. 

But, I'm using it as a secondary source.  My primary is oil, but the thermostat is set at 62.  When I use the stove, the furnace rarely runs. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

mike_van

Nate, I made the door hollow - air comes in through those 2 pipe caps, down through the door, and out  on the inside.  I had a Lakewood stove I think the name was, it had a cast door I kind of copied,  but used plate steel instead. There's no way a spark could ever pop up out of a door like this, not that it matters on the cement -
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

ohsoloco

My favorite wood stove is the one that heats my house  :)  My uncle gave it to me when I moved into my house over three years ago.  He used to use it back in the 80's for supplemental heat, but it sat idle in his house for a while so he gave it to me. 

It's a Kodiak with a nice glass window on the door....I love sitting there watching that fire burn.  It goes through about 5 cords every year to heat my 816 sq. ft. house.  There's also a full basement, and that's where the stove lives.  Just one cold air return in front of the picture window...heat comes up the basement steps, and is regulated with the basement door, and sometimes the windows  ;D  In the 3-1/2 years I've been in my house I've turned on the electric heat twice.  Once to see if it actually worked  ;) and last winter when I went on a trip for a couple days in February.

Nate Surveyor

Mike Van,

Now I want one like that!

Cool idea. Also, it tends to HEAT the incoming air, which makes for a little better combustion!

I like it.

N
I know less than I used to.

Brucer

I installed a Fisher Grandma Bear when I built my house in 1979. It pumped out too much heat, so it tended to only get used in extreme winters.

In 1998 when I got laid off, I replaced the Fisher with a brand new Pacific Energy Spectrum stove. It meets Oregon emission standards, but instead of a catalytic converter it uses secondary and tertiary airstreams to burn off the volatiles. It's also a convection design, whereas the Fischers were all radiant stoves. I have a vent high on the all near the stove that returns heated air back to my forced air furnace.

One of my new neighbours stopped by in the winter of '02, saw the stove, and asked how often I had to clean out the chimney. "I don't know yet." says I, "I've only had it for 4 years."

The new stove operates efficiently over a much greater output range. That means we can use it all year round without overheating the house and without generating excessive creosote.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

inspectorwoody

Has anyone made a barrel stove?

I saw the kit at the farm store the other day and wondered how well they worked. Was thinking of making one to heat my shed.

Thought about placing the stove outside behind the shed and than piping it in.

Dont know much about stoves in general so any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


mike_van

I've heard they work good, as long as you brick the bottom. Some use sand, but I think it gets damp in the summer & rusts the drum faster. Could clean it out I guess.  I think you'd lose a lot of the heat it radiates putting it outside, plus you'd need a fan running?
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

thecfarm

I have a Asley in my basement.I just put a outdoor furance in so I doubt I will ever repalce it.I really should of went with a All Nighter.I think these are like the ones that Mike made.I did not do the inside of the stove much good burning dead pine in it.Too late now.We also have a Home Clarion that I really like.Not thing to brag about heating wise,but it does OK as long as you keep putting the wood into it.It kept us warm for 5 years and we used very little oil.
inspector,what about a 250 oil tank?Have seen this done before with a home made door.He had to reinforce the sides from being wapped by the heat.If you do this,make sure you have a fire in it outside first.Do you have any steel kicking around?Can you maybe built one from flat steel and use the barrel stove kit?I have seen double barrel stoves.You get almost as much heat from the top one as you do the bottom one.Have to keep your eye on the barrel.They don't last long,meaning 2-3 years. Barrels that are made now,may only last 2.I would put a cheapo box fan behind it to move the heat.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

inspectorwoody

I have a bit more knowledge after reading this: http://www.vogelzang.com/Manuals/bk150eMnl.htm

I would have to add on to my shed just for the stove so I wouldn't give up storage/work space.

Other option would be to run electric from my trailer to the shed and than get a small electric heater. Shed is only a 8x10.


Ron Scott

Barrel stoves heated a many logging camps and warming huts in their day. They were easy to make from empty steel oil barrels and easily replaced when they burned out. Newer woodstove technolgy with improved efficiency and safety has pretty much repaced them though.

The steel barrels aren't as readily available now either at as they once were.
~Ron

mike_van

I heard the plastic ones don't hold up well, even with the bricks  :D :D
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

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