HOW TO BUILD A COMPACT, WOOD-FIRED MASONRY HEATER
Learn to build a compact wood-fired masonry heater designed to maximize heat gain from minimal amounts of fuel. In this intensive two-day workshop, we will show you, brick by brick, how we build a small, efficient stove that combines space heating with cooking capabilities. We will also cover basic theory of combustion and retained heat, stove designs, hardware, permitting, theoretical and some hands-on masonry (including sourcing and mixing mortar and other materials, cutting brick w/out a saw, keeping things plumb and level, basic brick-laying, etc.)
The masons leading the workshop are Max Edleson, a professional heater mason (see his portfolio here), and Kiko Denzer, a DIY mason, teacher, artist, and author (handprintpress.com/kiko). The heater will be installed in a small cob cottage on a family ranch.
Like much larger (and more expensive) masonry heaters, the Cabin Stove burns so clean you won’t see any smoke coming out of the chimney (except at startup). As it burns, heat travels through yards of masonry channels, heating up many hundreds of pounds of brick. All that brick works like a battery — once charged, it will keep you warm and comfortable for many hours. In the cold season, one or two small fires per day is all you need to heat a small building (the design can be adapted to heat up to about 1,000 square feet of an open plan building). More information about the “Cabin Stove” is available here….
The workshop takes place on December 5th and 6th, in a beautiful valley on a salmon creek, about 45 minutes west of Corvallis, OR, with primitive facilities. Enrollment for this two-day course is limited to 5 people at $150 each, pre-paid; if you’re serious about building your own stove please get in touch. Some scholarship funding may be available.