Pat Chesney on wed 15 may 96
I am designing a gas/wood, downdraft hybrid. I wanted to build a Bourry Box
wood kiln but I am not able to rely on wood only. I need to use gas also.
Is there a good way to mix the two methods? What configuration would the
firebox use? Could I use a Bourry box for the wood and add gas into the
chamber behind the bag wall and on the other side of the Bourry box?
Should I abandon the Bourry Box and just build a fire box that is wider and
able to add wood into it on a grate? Will the gas burners just rust out the
wood grates? Should the wood go in over or under the burners?
I am shooting for a 62 CF kiln and we are using propane. We have tons of
wood to use but a neighbor who calls in the Feds if she smells smoke. (The
prevailing winds are blowing away from her for the rest of the year) (:>)
We will put up a wind sock. (:>)
I do plan to build a burner into the chimney to afterburn the smoke but I
don't know how effective that will be until we try it.
Sorry to dump all this on you all. Don't bother yourselves if you aren't
kiln freaks. (:>)
Thanks in advance,
Pat Chesney
Pat-Chesney@easy.com
Waco, Texas
Donald Goldsobel on wed 15 may 96
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I am designing a gas/wood, downdraft hybrid. I wanted to build a Bourry Box
>wood kiln but I am not able to rely on wood only. I need to use gas also.
>Is there a good way to mix the two methods? What configuration would the
>firebox use? Could I use a Bourry box for the wood and add gas into the
>chamber behind the bag wall and on the other side of the Bourry box?
>
>Should I abandon the Bourry Box and just build a fire box that is wider and
>able to add wood into it on a grate? Will the gas burners just rust out the
>wood grates? Should the wood go in over or under the burners?
>
>I am shooting for a 62 CF kiln and we are using propane. We have tons of
>wood to use but a neighbor who calls in the Feds if she smells smoke. (The
>prevailing winds are blowing away from her for the rest of the year) (:>)
>We will put up a wind sock. (:>)
>
>I do plan to build a burner into the chimney to afterburn the smoke but I
>don't know how effective that will be until we try it.
>
>Sorry to dump all this on you all. Don't bother yourselves if you aren't
>kiln freaks. (:>)
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Pat Chesney
>Pat-Chesney@easy.com
>Waco, Texas
>
>Pat:
Otto and Viveka Heino built a combo wood\gas kiln in Ojai Calif. I don't
know the address, but maybe a lurker will come out of the shadows and offer
some info.
Donald Goldsobel
June Perry on thu 16 may 96
Otto and Vivika may have built a kiln from my plans. They put some pots in my
first firing of my bourry box kiln that I designed and loved the results.
Otto said his pots looked better than the ones that came out of Olsens
Anagama that he helped fire every year. In fact he sent one of the pots in to
a competition. I know I gave them a copy of the plans but I lost contact with
them when I moved to Washington in 1988. Vivika at that time mentioned
wanting to built a wood kiln.
My wood kiln It is also a combination gas fired kiln. It has two burners just
left of the bag wall that shoot front to back. They are attached to hoses so
I can pull them in or out. Nils Lou made these burners for me. They have a
high enough capacity to fire the kiln totally with gas if I want. These
burners give me the option to fire all gas, all wood or a combination.
If you want to send me your address I can send you a copy of my plans. I have
changed things around a bit from the original drawings to accomodate a steel
frame that would enable me to dismantle the chimney and bourry boxes and
lift the main body of the kiln with a fork lift. I have successfully moved it
twice! My kiln is about 45 cubic feet downdraft with two bourry boxes, one
on each side.
These things are a dream to fire. You don't have to stand and chop wood. You
only need to have the wood that goes into the upper part of the boxes cut
real close to the size of your hobs and you can use wood about six to seven
inches in diameter. In fact the wood that goes into the upper hobs doesn't
even have to be aged. Every fifteen minutes or so you feed another log into
each bourry box. In the early part of the firing you only have wood in the
bottom part of the bourry box and you can use any sized aged scrap wood.
How big a kiln do you want to have? I have a copy of plans for a nice little
cross draft with a single bourry box that one person can fire in about ten
hours. There is a little booklet by Stephen Harrison on how to fire a bourry
box kiln and it has the plans in it. I can see if there is an address in
there for ordering it. I believe it comes from Australia or New Zealand. I
did have a second copy but I think I gave it away.
I designed my kiln based on the the various measurements from a couple of
kilns that worked and figured out the various proportions.
There was an article in the Australian pottery magazine some years ago giving
the proportions of a very successfull bourry box kiln that St. George college
altered based loosely on Stephen Harrisons suggested proportions and I
mainly used those to design my kiln. I still have all that information and
can send it to you. It may take me a week or so to get it out to you. I just
got back from a trip and don't plan on getting into town this week.
Email me your name and snail mail address and I will send you the information
I have. If you would like I can also give you Otto Heinos phone number.
Vivika passed away this fall but Otto I understand is still in Ojai and
continuing his work at the pottery.
Regards,
June Perry
EMail: Gurushakti@aol.com
Keith Chervenak on thu 23 may 96
Hi June,
I saw your post and offer for plans of your wood/gas kiln. I would
really like to have a copy of your plans, it sounds like a great kiln to
fire. I'm just starting to get interested in woodfire ( just returned from
a workshop with John Leach!) I belong to a guild who has a number of
members who would like to wood fire and the speed with which you can fire
yours would be great for a weekend guild event. I realize that you may be
swamped with requests and I am in no hurry. Nor do I expect you to pay the
copy/mail costs- email your snail mail address and I'll send you a SASE and
money for the copy charges- let me know approximately what it will cost.
Also, do you have plans for Nils' burners? Thanks, June.
Happy Potting,
Keith
Margaret Forbes on fri 23 feb 01
Hello
I am searching the Clayart archives for LPG kiln plans. I noticed that you
had offered to send plans for your combination wood and gas fired kiln to
those who requested it. Is there any chance that you still have the plans
and could forward them to me? I'm currently in the process of designing a
kiln to be installed in the spring of this year.
Thank you in advance
Margaret Forbes
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