Introduction: MY POTBELLY STOVE

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I WAS SITTING WATCHING AN OLD WESTERN ONE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SAW THE USUAL POTBELLY STOVE SO DECIDED TO MAKE MY OWN. DIFFICULT TO ROUND IT WITHOUT CASTING SO I MADE IT HEXAGONAL FROM STEEL PLATE

TO START IT I HAD TO MAKE A COMPASS TO HOLD CHALK. I THEN PUNCHED A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SMALL PLATE AND SCRIBED A CIRCLE AT 500MM. FROM THERE I MOVED THE COMPASS TO ANYWHERE ON THE CIRCLE AND SCRIBED A LINE ON THE CIRCLE LINE THEN MOVED THE COMPASS TO THAT LINE REPEATING THIS ALL THE WAY ROUND I JOINED ALL THE LINES FOR A  HEXAGON 
I WELDED SMALL PEGS TO THE OUTSIDE CORNERS.. THIS WAS MY FORMING JIG MADE
YOU CAN MAKE THIS STOVE ANY SIZE YOU WANT AND TO BE HONEST I JUST GUESSED SIZES FOR THIS ONE
NEXT I MARKED THE PLATES OUT...  THE SIDES :8MM: 500MM AT THE BOTTOM AND 500MM HEIGHT AND 250MM AT THE TOP. USE THE FIRST ONE AS A TEMPLATE FOR THE OTHER 5 BUT MAKE SURE YOU CENTRE THE FIRST ONE AND GET IT DEAD ON
THE BED PLATES:  MUCH THE SAME AS SIDES BUT LENGTH WAS 350MM INSTEAD OF 500MM
   NOW FIT THEM INTO YOUR JIG AND TACK THEM ALL TOGETHER.. ALL GOING WELL THE TOP SHOULD FIT THE BOTTOM LIKE A GLOVE.  NOW START WELDING...
   OK SO THATS THE UPPER BODY DONE
  THE BASE 6MM: WAS MADE BY USING 200MM FLATS CUT TO SUIT THE BED PLATES.. AGAIN FORM YOUR HEX THEN WELD UP JOINTS. I CUT A RIDDLE GRATE FOR THIS ONE AS I WANTED MULTI FUEL BUT YOU CAN JUST MAKE THE FLOOR A FLAT PLATE FOR A WOODBURNER. FIT IT INSIDE YOUR BASE THEN TACK IT TO THE BODY. NOW STAND BACK AND LOOK AT IT TO MAKE SURE ITS STRAIGHT.. IF YOU ARE HAPPY WELD IT UP
 THE BOTTOM PLINTH:6MM: JUST THE SAME HEX FORMING BUT USE 100MM FLATS AND WELD TO BASE
THE DOOR: I MEASURED DOWN 1/3RD OF THE WAY OF THE SIDES AND MARKED A STRAIGHT LINE. FROM THE SIDE TO BED JOINT I MEASURED IN 50MM ON BOTH SIDES [SEE PICS] THEN DOWN ONTO THE BED PLATES 40MM THEN JOINED THES UP UNDERNEATH. FROM THIS LINE I MEASURED UP 26MM FOR THE ROUND BAR TO FIT.. THIS PART IS QUITE DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN AND DO BUT KEEP CHECKING THE PICS. NOW CUT OUT THE DOOR AND KEEP IT
  NOW UNDERNEATH ON THE BED PLATES FIT A 20MM ROUND BAR APPROX. 50MM EITHER SIDE OF THE SIDES. MAKE SURE WHEN YOU WELD THIS ON YOU STITCH IT HERE AND THERE OR IT WILL BEND AND DISTORT. NOW FIT A PIECE OF 25MM ANGLE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE DOOR, THIS IS WHAT THE DOOR OPENS ON. NOW YOU NEED TO MAKE HOOKS FOR THE HINGES WHICH YOU WELD TO THE DOOR AND ANGLE. I FACED THE DOOR EDGES WITH 6 X 30MM FOR THE SEAL. I CUT A HANDLE FROM 12MM STEEL DRILLED IT WITH A 12MM DRILL AT THE BOTTOM AND THROUGH THE TOP DOOR EDGE FED A 12MM BOLT THROUGH BOTH HOLES AND WELDED THE BACK OF THE BOLT ON THE DOOR EDGE CUTTING OF EXTRA LENGTH. ONCE YOU HAVE FITTED THE HANDLE SHUT THE DOOR TIGHT AND MAKE A KEEP FOR THE HANDLE AND WELD IT TO THE BODY.
THE FLUE. YOU WILL NEED TO VISIT THE SCRAP MAN FOR THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE SOME OLD PIPE LYING AROUND. I USED AN OLD OXYGEN BOTTLE 6" IN DIAMETER AND 6MM WALL THICKNESS. YOU CAN FIT THIS FROM THE BACK OR THE TOP TO SUIT YOUR FIREPLACE.
IF YOU CAN GET SOME STOVE GLASS FROM SOMEWHERE, OLD OVEN GLASS BE FINE, CUT IT TO SUIT THE DOOR MAKING SURE THE GLASS IS ABOUR 5MM SMALLER THAN THE HOLE AS YOUR GLASS WILL REST ON THE FACE. I CUT SOME 25MM X 3MM DOWN FOR SMALL ANGLES ABOUT 10MM LONG. CUT 4 OF THESE PLACE THE GLASS ON THE DOOR, CHALK ROUND IT THEN WELD ANGLES TO THE LINES TOP AND BOTTOM AND SLIDE THE GLASS IN

TOOLS NEEDED:  PLASMA CUTTER AND OR OXY PROPANE TORCH, DECENT MIG WELDER, GRINDERS AND FLAP DISCS



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