Matt Walker continental stove build

still going , got some more done ,only getting less time to put into it the further i make progress at it , the extra section i added on to build in the water jacket meant a lot more bricks to fill up the space behind this ,i will be over 450 i think , nearly a third bag of fireclay used up and so far half of my one cubic meter bag of sand. Stove insert made with a removable front plate as i have to cut out the oven box and door from a wood burn stove thats still in use , i  do not want to run this stove with a black oven ---i do like to BQ but prefer to do it over a wood fire ---and i have some CFB in the core  which although stable i do not want to test it out over my food ----another put off for me ---the CFB i have does not have great mechanical properties.

Is that little "fin" in the second pic how you'll be attaching your doors/frames to the stove itself? Do you have places you plan to use masonry screws that go through the door frames and into the bricks themselves? I'm still not sure how I plan to make the connections.

My bricks surrounding the oven and firebox door openings are quite short and I'm a bit concerned on how they'll hold up through years of use. Although, I did put some Tapcons in a rather small brick and whirled it around quite aggressively, trying to force a failure, and it held without any signs of stress.

I plan on pouring my insulated slab in the next couple of days and will begin work on my doors and frames while it cures. Those doors look beefy! Thanks for the inspiration and sharing your build.

hello ,some explanation --- this stove  has a support sheet under the core , i used 2.5mm stainless steel sheet, this extends just outside the core dimensions on my build   , made up that Firebox angle iron frame to  sit on top of the s/steel sheet ,   at the front of the stove---and its welded behind ---with just 3 small beads of weld on to the bottom of it.   The sides of the Firebox  frame ---have some pieces of s/steel sheet   welded on either side , these extend back down onto the core support sheet ---- triangulating /bracing them up . Just from scrap pieces of s/steel sheet i had lying around  .    The oven s   angleiron frame  ---at the top left hand side---has a piece of steel flat strip welded  onto it connecting  onto the firebox frame--- ,and the bottom of the angleiron frame  is located onto the lower brickwork by more pieces of angleiron welded behind it ---framing over the bricks  ----this  was only  lightly clamped in place --before some welding  ---so it can expand and not force or  crack the underneath layer of brick work.     The oven frame work on the right hand side ---- has 2 pieces  of homemade s/steel strapping welded on , these are mortared into the brickwork layers.

unfortunately i dont think its the bricks that are too soft to hold /take most masonry bolts ---its the clay based mortar thats  soft so drilling into the bricks whilest in position  ,, can vibrate the brick loose from the mortar ---and the fixing is only locating onto one brick ---so even if you have 3 or 4 fixings ---they are each only pulling on one brick . But some have had a good result using this way ---perhaps dont set the drill onto "hammer" or predrill them and carefully mark out the steelwork later to suit. I just noted this way of attaching framework into stove brickwork on some russian stove builders sites, they are able to but cast iron framework s that hold doors ---these have cast on lugs ---with predrilled holes in them ---then use some steel cable or rods buried into the mortar to hold it secure.

mentioned  these and forgot  to post the pics ,here they are

Thank you for the detailed explanation Tony; it's very helpful. I'm guessing the idea with the twisted wire, and your thin strapping, is that the lesser amount of expansion/contraction will be so minute that it shouldn't cause any issues because of its size? As opposed to pieces of the angle protruding into the mortar that will certainly experience more movement. I like the strapping/wire idea.

I saw that Austin had issues with drilling into the bricks and have been pondering alternatives ever since. I'm now thinking about running wire into the mortar and then running strapping into the firebox and oven areas. Predrilling holes in the bricks and then lining up the strap, drill a hole through that, at the appropriate predrilled location on the bricks, and sinking a few screws in that manner. Thus having both the wire anchored in the mortar and the attached strapping anchored into the bricks themselves as a robust way to keep the doors in place. Thanks for the inspiration and the photos!  

yes the solutions are there , i would only say to keep it simple as possible --- spread out the push and pull forces on the metalwork on as many places as possibles , the strapping is available from hardware stores

getting close , another top row to mortar up to the level of the metal framework s , not going to lay down another row of bricks across the "lintel"  it will make the work top too high --it will now support the CFB gasket for the cook  top glass and the granite slabs  angle iron framework , started sieving the sand and clay now through the baking  flour sieve ---nicked from the wifes pantry----its alright ,perfectly safe ---shes away at the moment , wont be back till monday , i will have plenty of time to replace it ---if it gets damaged. Makes a very nice mortar mix ,smooth and easy to work with---will be easier to lay the final bead of mortar on top and lay the CFB gasket layer on top/into it.   Fire Up day draws closer

heres the last of the brickwork done ,just puzzling out my top lid and the flue pipe arrangement ,  some friends  came round to have a look and see how it works on the inside , also to make out if the could take on a build of their own.  One remark made me re -think a lot about my build , as noted by a friend that it would be not achievable for them mostly due to all the custom pieces done / welded up , and the extra section added on for the water jacket.. Its easy for me to layout what i have done and to waffle on a bit about it, as i have the ability to weld up stuff and a pile of scrap to scrounge through and stuff i have hoarded up over the years, ---combine this with my own custom reworking of Matts design ---which has the ability to be adjusted  by some one willing or able to do their own design and build  as you go along ---just shows how much thought and fore thinking went into his plans. ---But its not really fair to the original plans  for me to label my build as a continental stove as it maybe  slightly off putting--- for some one who my wish to build as per Matts plan .  Which  is designed to use off the shelf items like doors and ovens  , so apologies to anyone who i might have discouraged or put off .

tony uljee wrote: noted by a friend that it would be not achievable for them mostly due to all the custom pieces  ...  i have the ability to weld up stuff ... combine this with my own custom reworking of Matts design ----But its not really fair to the original plans for me to label my build as a continental stove as it maybe  slightly off putting for some one who my wish to build as per Matts plan .  Which  is designed to use off the shelf items like doors and ovens  , so apologies to anyone who i might have discouraged or put off .

I know how you feel on this! We're building the Tiny Cookstove version and opted to go for the simplest doors possible and then add to them until they worked well enough, in the hope that way we'd get the best balance between functionality and not being too intimidating for people to copy.

Yours do look awesome though, I must admit...

Thanks , and thanks for pie and to others who have given apples , still not sure how that all works ---my computer skills and forum etiquette are rough and rudimentary  ,  --- i am busy at the moment working out how to position and seal up the ceramic glass cooktop   i will be using , the suggested method is to lay down a bed of very fine mortar mix ---the clay sand type---then place a gasket of the CFB over it and then the angleiron surround frame followed by the  worktops and cook top onto the  gasket----heres what i have noticed though . After leaving a piece of the cfb in contact with the damp brickwork or mortar  it absorbs the moisture/water and swell s up slightly and become very fragile almost crumbly---a large section of it like this it would fall apart on you if you tried to pick it ---its almost like handling soaked wet brown cardboard  ---it does recover a bit when left to dry out completely----- so i am thinking that in the meantime i will lay some scrap pieces of the membrane i have underneath it , do all my layout and cutting  ---have it all exact  and ready to lay down in one go----have the firebox already loaded for a small fire  --- then fairly lively connect up the flue ---and fire  it up before the damp/wet mortar on cfb contact becomes to much of a problem.

You might be better off just using fiberglass rope or basalt rope for sealing the class top, ceramic fibre is not a good choice in high temperature areas where the fibers can escape into the air and besides rope is designed for the purpose and much safer to use.

kind of puzzled it out , some more steel and some more welding to it , the cfb is not exposed to the the air around /outside the stove its  under the cooktop and the worktops ---its just that the final mortar layer to level up the last perimeter row of bricks will be in contact to the cfb ----this is to  make up a  gas tight(ish)  seal ---then another seam of mortar is suggested between the ceramic cooktop --(-which is sitting on top on a cfb gasket )--and the worktops ---wet mortar onto this cfb that i have is my worry ---plus that i would like to perhaps try and eliminate the mortar shedding grains of sand over the ceramic glass over time ---getting between the bottom of pans /pots.  Onto a plus side , i have bought my granite paving slabs --3 pieces cost 80 euro and more than enough to do the whole top,  they are 22mm thick so should be strong   , just a light grey fine black flecking with smooth top --not polished.  Unfortunately i cant afford the really stunning pieces of granite of which quite a few come from irish quarries ----can t afford the plain slabs from irish quarries----strange that this granite comes from india and is much cheaper----i shall have to create a flaming hot prawn curry  on the stove to acknowledge the stone when its done

i have ordered some basalt woven fibre tape to use as  a gasket on the ceramic top , there will be a surround support shelf of cfb under the glass and then the basalt tape , meantime i am going to use some morgan super wool as a temp solution see if it will seal up on its own or need some mortar with it.  ----put down a leveling layer of mortar in the meantime to bring me up to a true flat surface to work up from--- the worktop solution that i am going to use  is far to complex i feel but its a habit of mine to overdo and overthink the simple of it ---i believe if i had to build another continental it would evolve into different again. So be warned people don t try this at home ---it could all go horribly wrong. ----and a  few items that have been appropriated from the kitchen to use on the build----cant show the vacuum cleaner as i have killed it ---i  put it back inside the kitchen  and removed the bag inside it ---no evidence---no crime---was nt me.

Looking Good Tony!

i have been slow and dithering around on the cooktop as my initial layup i felt was too high , the ergonomics of most stoves seems to be 33 to 36 inches --floor to cooktop---i was getting 39 1/2 inches  and  it also meant the space underneath the c/glass top to the core surface ----was too big as well ,  this  was working out to 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 inch ---about an inch too high ---most probably it would be okay but i am trying to follow Matt s core design to the measurements he designed---- even if i have gone over/out  them on the rest of the build. Also remembered that Peter v/d Berg noted that spacing the c/glass top s too far above the floor would lose a lot of cooking heat transfer .   Although my  the  stove gained its hight by the 2 inch vermiculite pad and the standing rows of  bricks for ventilation  ----these could  not be laid  side on as they are tapered ground for archway builds----  it made the floor of the firebox core work out to 24 inches from the floor ----i have now managed to get down to 36 1/2 inches of cooktop hight  ---another 1/2 inch to 1 inch could be knocked off but i do not want to cut any insulation material down to size---it would have to be de-layered --too much work and would become to uneven --not level ---and too much dust/fibres ---even though its superwool morgan.

Tony, i've been following your build and you are doing things to a very high standard. Congrats on that!
Just came to comment that I would not worry about the last inch. At my parents' home the cooktop is 92 cm / 36.2 inch. I've never felt it to be too high, nor has my brother or parents. But we are all tall people. My mother is 1m76 / about two inch less than 6 feet. Ergonomics are always to be considered for each individual!

You've been busy there!  Last time I looked it was a pile of bricks!!

As for the top, I used rope on mine.  The cooktop support is just more firebricks the same as I made the core from, and the stove top sits on those.

However, I had a gap around the edge of the (cast iron, on mine) top between that and the brick edges.  I didn't want that sealed solidly in case of differential expansion causing problems, but the sealing under the lid isn't good enough to stop smoke sneaking out there when lighting.  It's a little variable, something around 1/16" on average.  

That gap is now filled with some high temperature silicon (rated for 300°C / 570°F) which I regarded as marginal for the application but so far it's not gone on fire or anything.  As it's not that cold I haven't been burning the stove a lot and the stovetop hasn't come near that temperature, even at the "hotspot" above the core outlet.  I can imagine it getting a bit hotter in cold weather when I'll be burning it a bit more often / longer.

How are you finding the clay/sand mortar for long term adhesion to the brick?  That's something I've had some issues with.  I've been using approx 3:1 sand/clay, which is fine for setting the bricks on but I found that the bricks are easily knocked loose again.  It's possible that I've got the wrong kind of sand but I really can't see that making a lot of difference, and that sand is what they use for rendering walls here and, when mixed with cement it sticks pretty well.

To be fair the one I managed to loosen the other day is a little pointy bit of brick in my fancy corner work and as such has less area to stick to than a whole brick.  Using my 20/20 hindsight, it might've been better to assemble the corners with the refractory mortar and fit them as a complete unit.  I wanted to use clay mortar on the top couple of layers anyway in case I ever need to get it apart.

But I also found when drilling the bricks at the front to fit the doors that the vibration of the drill loosened the top one so in the end I had to drill it and then mortar it back into place.