heathbar64

Thats a great idea! I think I have one of those knocking around somewhere.

First, the trammel bar. It's a beam compass.. a common type You may have seen a pencil holder and point which clamp to a yard stick. In the case of making an oval, you would use two points and a pencil. Now for bending the cardboard I gradually bent it around my knee as shown in one of the pictures. I'm not sure about the materials you used. Mat board is a plastic material isn't it? If so, a little heat from a heat gun might help it bend smoothly. the poster board would be helped by dampening the outside surface. Using another oval piece to form the top would certainly help, it would have to be removed after the side band has cooled and or dryed out.

In my application a blower is not needed because I have a chimney to create the draft. Most commercially made boilers do need a blower because they don't use a chimney ( or a super short one). If you chose to go the blower route, I think you would still need a damper to keep the fire under control. I see no reason though the blower would need a separate aquastat. The damper could just close at the same time the blower shut off.

Genius solution!! I had actually thought of this before, but never done it. Happy to see it actually worked, and you did a neat job of it too.

I dont recommend a drum for the firebox. they are really quite thin and would be difficult to weld, and would probably not last very long. I don't use any kind of grate, the fire is just built on the bottom. I let the ash build up quite a bit and then scoop some of them out when the fire is low. Fire never goes out completely until spring.

Yes, the firebox is still holding just fine. I see no indication of trouble, so I guess it will last for a long time yet.

Great! Show us how it turns out.

Do you participate on the drive on wood forums? If not you really should. Gary is a member there, and a lot of other really smart and helpful people.