thomas rubino

There are several reasons.
However, the main reason is that I have a fully functional first-generation model sitting there, ready to install.
Next is the extra labor during an already busy summer.
I removed the entire old piped mass, and I relocated the chimney.
Gerry and I are about to build a double skin bell.
My brain says enough is enough, and by the time the new build is finished, my body will agree.

To build a new Shorty, I would need to purchase castable. (mail order & expensive)
Shorty is not as powerful as a first-gen (Peter reduced her ISA numbers by 10%.)
To compensate, I would want to increase to an 8" version, requiring new forms for the slabs, and more labor.
I can always swap out cores in a few years, when... if... I ran out of new projects. Ha Ha Ha (fat chance)

Shorty is a superior design, with more versatility and lower costs.
In this case, it is just expedient to stick with what I already have built.

Yes, nothing like having a thousand friends just hanging out in the living room on a cold winter night to keep the place warm..
I expect the finish weight of Studio Dragon to be between #6000 and #7000.
That is a whole lot of friends, keeping us toasty warm, and a whole lot less wood that will get consumed.

Before building my first Studio Dragon, Liz's studio had a huge conventional wood burner.
That first winter, I estimate we burned over 12 cords to keep it above freezing overnight.
The second winter was slightly better @ 10 cord, but still unacceptable.

And then in 2013, I discovered Rocket Mass Heaters and Permies!
It was Love with the first build!  That J-Tube reduced our wood consumption to less than five cords!  With no fire all night long!
How cool is that!

The new Dragon will be a 6" first-generation Batchbox sitting inside a double skin bell.
I hope to see the wood usage plummet this winter, perhaps down to 2.5 cords.  Come spring, we will see how full the woodshed remains.

So you want to build a masonry stove...
I suggest eating your Wheaties before you begin, you are in for a workout!

A few weeks after completing the Shorty core last October.
Much to Liz's surprise, I started buying more clay bricks and bringing them home... fifty bricks at a time.
One year and 940 clay bricks later, I had enough on hand to start building the new Dragon in the art studio.
At the same time, approximately 200 firebricks also arrived.

These bricks are like old friends; I moved them from the store to the cart, then from the cart to the Subaru.
Then from the Subi to an out-of-the-way pile.
And now I am moving them to a staging area outside the art studio, seven bricks at a time, in my trusty oilcloth firewood carrier.
@ 5lbs a brick, each carry is another35lbs, there are a lot of seven-brick loads in 940 bricks.

At the staging area, I will have a soaking tub and my brick guillotine.
The sliding compound saw with a diamond blade will be nearby for custom cuts.
I'll also have a mortar mixing table set up.

When laying bricks, it is helpful to have a competent person supplying all the necessary materials.
Known as a hod carrier, their job is to keep the mason concentrating on laying bricks straight, level, and square.
Soaked bricks, cut to size. Mortar mixed and steadily supplied, a hot water hand-wash bucket kept filled.
The job of hod carrying is every bit as important as the job of a bricklayer.

I am lucky to have Canadian Rocket Scientist Gerry coming down to assist with the upcoming build.
With the two of us working on it, I expect to have this completed within ten days.

With my Shorty, the top of the bell runs around 500°F or 260°C
Mine is a 6" with the riser pointed towards the front wall.

Ok, it is larger than I  am used to.
Are the side outlets also oversized?

Cerbu;
Nice first fire, but I do have a question.
After watching your video, I noticed that the airframe's upper air outlet is positioned to face the floor.
I can not see the side outlets.
Did you modify his design?

Her birthday is in June, but Molly is also six this year.

Minor curing burns sound like a safe plan.

Why a test?
The door frame is fully designed by Peter; no need to test it.
I would not light that stove off with just tape holding it together.
If you have no welder yet, could you take your frame to someone who does and have them tack-weld it so it can not fall apart when/ if your tape fails?
You can purchase a welder and finish welding it yourself after testing your core.

Hi Cerbu;
If it were burning season, I could give you an exact temperature at which my airframe runs.
I suspect that the 175 °C  (347°F) gasket is not enough. The doors on my first-generation batchboxes  run 400F-500F ( 205-260 C)
I can tell you that the 7"x7" door glass on Shorty gives off the most radiant heat.