Rob Millard

I totally agree with nearly all of the above advice. A roofed structure that also gets the wood off the ground is key. The use of tarps or visquine is a poor choice if it isn't allowing the moisture out & is able to withstand a snow load. I've seen some tactics used here in the PNW where you stack your wood in round pillars about 10 feet or 3 meters wide & 6 feet / 2 meters tall. You then put a cap almost like a beanie made of heavy tarp or vinyl as long as it sheds the rain. The cap only comes down the sides a foot or so allowing air through the pile. This should be shaped like a grain silo if made right & you can make a row of these since each pile is roughly 2 cords. I've seen these tarp caps on sale online before found here.  https://cordwoodcovers.com/
This solution can avoid the need for a full shed but this benefits from the wood being dried before stacking to avoid mold etc.

So there is one problem with the Zaug Stoves... Their shop got crushed about 4 years ago by a windstorm. So they are no longer in business. They also were weeks from getting their EPA cert then a wind storm all but ended the business. Sad days. I've been VERY interested in them as well as you can guess.

Jamie Stubbs wrote:Thanks for the input, Cherry it is!! I appreciate the quick response.

But it's been said many times before in this thread that Cherry is toxic from the resins. Maple, Apple, Olive, Bamboo & Birch are all the recommendations I've seen.

How does Russian olive or bamboo fit in here?

Here is a 1st gen. cooker I whipped up in an afternoon to try a proof of concept. The air holes I added up the side were to induce a vortex in the exhaust.  Originally 5 holes with 2 of them below the top of the feed tube junction were muddling the air path. Once I filled in the ones below the joint then enlarged & added one it worked noticeably better. I probably could have done just one or even no holes but it was a test project so. (Shrug) This shot was after it had just gone out & before my mods. The tube was 3" since that was what I had & the riser was about 18" tall. The top were just offcuts of the same with bits of bar to hold them together in an open grid.

I too am new to the gardening game so I'm wondering if mixing it into the compost pile & letting it regenerate there is a good idea?

I feel like this resembles a blast furnace in many ways. Forced air into a compact burn chamber. Not using pure O2 or some accelerant to raise the temperature makes it a little less 'mad scientist'. Love the idea.