Wood-Burning "Wheel Rim" Stove

Wood-Burning "Wheel Rim" Stove ENERGY Wood Burners (65) 27-2-44 "It was cheap to put together and really heats up my shop fast," says Howard Keele about the wood-burning stove he made by welding six wheel rims together stacked on top of each other. The top two rims on Keele's stove serve as a smoke chamber. The next two rims contain the firebox which accommodates logs up to 8 in. in dia. and 15 in. long. The second-to-the-bottom rim contains the ash pit, while the bottom rim has vents that let air into the stove. There are hinged doors in both the firebox and ash pit, and a grate between them. A 5-in. flare pipe runs out the top. The grate in the firebox was made from rebar. Ashes fall onto a steel plate that's welded in place just below the ash door. Keele uses the stove to heat his 14 by 33-ft. shop. "It'll bring the temperature inside the shop from 27 degrees to 80 degrees in only about 27 minutes," says Keele. "Then I have to turn on a wall-mounted exhaust fan until the wood burns down a little to cool things off. If I could do it over I'd make the stove about 30 percent smaller. I'd also make the stove more airtight around the door openings so the wood would burn slower. "The top and bottom rims are 14 in. diameter while the three middle rims are 15 in. However, you could use any size wheel rims." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Howard Keele, 33 E. 420 S., Ivins, Utah 84738 (ph 435 656-3688).

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