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RECYCLED MATERIAL USED TO CONSTRUCT WOOD
BURNING STOVE
An innovative use
for brake drums kept one cabin warm during the cold winter
months.
“Several years
ago, a friend of mine was working in a truck shop and living in
an uninsulated shack in a rural area of Idaho,” says Sam
Lydick. “The
place was equipped with a diesel furnace which was having an
extremely negative impact on his budget.
When he approached his landlord about installing a wood
burning stove, he was informed that he could do so, but the
stove had to stay in the house when he left.
Not wanting to invest the remainder of his savings in a
wood burning stove, he decided to build one,” Sam continues.
“We had heard rumors of stoves that had been built
using brake drums from trucks, but were unable to locate one in
use. So my friend
designed and built an excellent stove.”
Further refinement
of the plans utilizing computer-aided-design provided the detail
necessary for anyone else with access to a cutting torch and an
arc welder to construct this wood burning stove.
It makes a useful, inexpensive project to warm a
workshop.
While Class 8 truck
centrifuge brake drums cost little, as they must be discarded
when they exceed Department of Transportation wear limits, they
still contain plenty of material for this purpose.
The brakes are lined with cast iron that won’t burn
through. The
outside jacket is made of steel that won’t crack from the
heat. The outer
jacket is rippled, which is not only decorative, but also
dissipates heat more efficiently due to increased surface area.
The project requires two (2) drums that weigh
approximately 130 pounds and therefore have enough mass to
eliminate the need for fire brick and will hold heat for a long
time. There is a
baffle in the design that seems to increase efficiency
substantially.
This stove is not meant to compete with new
technology wood burning stoves being sold today.
However, it does provide a low cost, high quality,
reasonably efficient, and nearly indestructible source of heat.
Complete plans consist of 20 letter-size pages printed on
one side and contain a materials list, a layout, a cutting plan,
and 11 detailed figures indexed in 30 sequential and
easy-to-follow steps. Every detail is fully explained for construction in school
shop classes.
Detailed
plans may be ordered for $20.00 from:
Sam
Lydick
1217 Elgin Street
Caldwell, ID 83605
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