[TheForge] Re: OT Wood Stove for Shop heat

[Mike]

> Marshall, here in NJ (similar weather) had his wood stove fired up
> today heating the shop, and it was quite acceptable.  I think his
> shop is at least 1500 sq ft.  His is a very simple stove, made from
> a steel barrel.

Cubic feet is more important than sq. ft.  I've heated 1200 sq ft
quite nicely with a simple oil drum stove -- single barrel, not with
a second barrel on top for a heat exchanger or afterburner.  But I had
a 9 foot ceiling.

I spent some time in Peter Happny's shop where he was running a
similar stove more furiously that I ever did in a similar area and it
was still cold with his ca. 15' ceiling.

Another factor for us northern guys is the heat sinks.  If you let the
shop get down to ambient overnight -- say 0F or colder -- a barrel
stove seems like a feeble little ember in an icy waste until all those
big chunks of iron get at least a little warm.  Takes a humungous fire
to make the air warm while those big heat sinks are still icy cold.


FWIW,
- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^