woodstove kit assembled

Well, it finally happened - the woodstove core kit was assembled today! (Nice to have all those pieces not spread out around the floor and patio, too.) One picture shows the stove without the side channels and top. The other shows the complete kit (the bands of tape around it hold the sides against the stove until the stonework is built up around the core).

The little square at the bottom is the ash clean-out port for the stove itself (the chimney has its own clean-out port). The same port can be used to clean out both sides of the oven. According to the manufacturer, the ash needs to be cleaned out once every 6 or 7 years.

The arched opening in the top is the bake oven. While wood is burning, the bake oven is actually a secondary combustion chamber. After the fire goes out and the oven cools a little, the oven can be used for cooking.

The next step is to wrap the core with cardboard and build the outer stonework.