thomas rubino

Fluffy still can't resist the allure of a good keyboard to sit on.

Great looking build, Peter!
Over four tons of mass! The gas bill and the hardwood use will plummet as soon as the new Shorty is dried out and heated up.

We estimated my six-inch double wall to be over three tons. I am still exploring its capabilities.
Compared with my single-wall builds, wood use is significantly reduced.
For the last month, our temperatures have been warmer than usual; it has stayed in the forties during the day and mid-thirties at night.
With two to three fires a day, the non-insulated studio/greenhouse is dropping less than 10 degrees overnight.
This coming week, temperatures are expected to drop to early winter levels, with highs not getting above freezing and lows in the teens. ( -8 °C)
I'm looking forward to seeing how she does!

Hi Jerry, No, Similar but very different.
Ceramic fiber is hazardous to use without protection (like fiberglass)
Morgan Super Wool is a Non-Ceramic fiber blanket.
It is safe to handle until it is heated to over 1500°F (such as inside a riser); at that point, it becomes as hazardous as the other insulations.  
An N95 mask or a proper respirator, along with a long-sleeve shirt, is suggested.

To begin, smoke the whole bird.
Have nice dinner, the next day you have the ever-popular turkey sandwiches.
Then you make either turkey pot pie or turkey soup.

Hi Matt;
I vote for the imported glass bottles over plastic.
Plastic containers are familiar but icky; glass bottles have class and are always safe, but plastic is questionable.
I suggest offering refills to repeat buyers.

Yes, this stove was disassembled.
Everyone thought it was beautiful, but it did not work out.
People staying in the cabin where it was located had trouble adjusting to heating with bricks.
They often went to bed cold, then woke up sweltering three hours later, opened a window, and woke up cold in the morning.
Also, the casserole door proved to be unreliable over time; it tended to break.  

Yes, Paul's pebble heater has a wooden box that contains the barrel edges.
However, this is a semi-permanent build in his home; here we are discussing a bomb shelter.

Unfortunately,  the Ukrainian people are forced to spend more time in them than they want to.
You can use anything available to hold and seal those long edges. All you need is to keep them in place. Mud, bricks, and rocks come to mind.
Fox brings up a valid point: the risers need (should) to be insulated; it's very accurate, and without it, performance will suffer.
But does this really matter?

I come back to this.
It is for a temporary Bomb Shelter.
The whole idea is to remain as warm as possible with as little wood as possible.
You don't want or need longevity, efficiency, or looks; you just want people to stay alive until they can stop huddling in bomb shelters and return to their homes if they are still standing.

Edit)
I just read your latest post.
I did not understand your needs, especially regarding the need for an engineer to sign off on the project.

Yes, you can use sheet metal.
When using barrels, they are split lengthwise and the end caps are cut off except for 2" or so at the arch to retain a half-barrel shape.
When using sheet metal without support, I would hesitate to use it as a bench or a bed.  
It might support the weight, and it might not.
You could weld tabs on the inside and use nuts and bolts to place a "stiffener" across the arch when setting it up, and unbolt one side to lay it flat for transport.

Hi Leslie
I am assuming that you know the different size J-Tube dimensions.
If not, we can easily give them to you.
You may find that a K-Tube design works better for you.

As these are temporary stoves to save lives, there is no reason not to quickly weld them up from metal.
The half-barrel stratification chamber is extremely easy to throw together and quickly packed up if you need to vacate.
Mud of any type can be used as well as any large stones, metal items, bricks, or anything else that remains in the area.

Hi Guys
Shorty has a 7 x 7" viewing window.
It also throws a tremendous amount of heat.
Watching Shorty casually devour her meal is a favorite pastime/ napping spot for the kitties.

The only downfall is that the show is limited, as we only burn one batch of wood at a time.
Sure is a good show though, sometimes the cats are forced to share as I want the fireside seat as well!