Introduction: DIY Backpacking Wood Stove
I was looking for a lightweight solution for a survival stove. I came across the SOLO Stove first and realized it was based on (or perhaps made by/licenced via) the Bushbuddy Stove. I was intrigued, so I made a test stove... (see image 1)
Worked great. Heated well, stayed lit for a while, but I noticed a few things. #1, it was flimsy. #2, it will rust easily. (tin rusts quickly once the protective layer is burned off).I decided to build a better one. I scoured kijiji and found a lady who had 4 stainless steel cannisters, and I found a stainless steel kitchen utensil holder at Wally-World. I used a small piece of expandable metal (used for doing stucco) for the interior ramp. (see Image 2) I tested it last night with a 4 inch long piece of pine tongue and groove. It was 4" long x 4" wide x 3/8" thick. I lit it with a firestarter (cotton ball soaked in vaseline). This VERY small piece of wood burned for 13 minutes and the coals were red hot for another 8 minutes! That is 21 minutes of burning from a very small piece of soft wood pine. It IS a bit heavier than the tin version but will last much much longer.
I used the cannister lid as the bottom. (see image 3) I left it on during the whole burn. It did not interfere with the fire/coals. In fact, it caught the small dropping embers and ash. The amount of ash left over was equal to the size and thickness of a nickel. pretty much nothing. Very efficient.