Paul Herman on mon 17 nov 08
Hi Jody,
I'm still trying to get it all straight in my mind. Now there is a
tall order. Are you using a Bourry box grate where the primary air
flows downward through the fuel and grate bars, or a more conventional
grate where the air enters below the grate bars, flowing upward
through the fuel?
If it's the former arrangement, then the only way to avoid a bar
across the grate is to have all your wood cut to exact length. If it's
the latter, then you should be using a refractory grate (IMHO). I wish
I could see a picture of the kiln. Is there one available? Or better
yet, a picture of the grate in question?
Bon feu,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
www.greatbasinpottery.com/
On Nov 17, 2008, at 4:23 PM, Jody Windus wrote:
> Paul and Jonathan,
>
> Thanks for the replies. You always leave out one or two critical
> pieces of
> info. Sorry. The span I would estimate in the 20 to 24 inch range.
> The
> grates suspend the wood over the coal bed in a Bourry box fashion.
> I do not
> know the exact temperature of the tubes, but looking inside them from
> outside the kiln the color is well beyond the red range into lemon
> maybe
> light yellow, so it is up there.
>
> Rob used the stainless tubes because that is what Ruggles and Rankin
> recommend in their article on the Rock Creek Climbing Kiln. In the
> design
> presented they drill holes in the tubes to let secondary air into
> the fire.
> Rob's grate tubes do not have these holes. I raised my eyebrows too
> when I
> first heard that they were stainless, but after some research I have
> found
> some alloys formulated for the high temp service. But like clay,
> stainless
> steel ain't all the same. And the alloys definitely are not cheap.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jody Windus
> 2nd Chance Art
> 985 Puckett Point Road
> Smithville, TN 37166
> 615-215-6175
jonathan byler on mon 17 nov 08
the hole and air passing through them would help keep temps down
somewhat, but. so, stainless is not the ideal material. even the
high temp stuff is not good for high temp as meant in ceramics
parlance. is there any way to support the middle section so that you
could use two shorter sections made of long bricks or castable?
jon byler
3-D Building Coordinator
Art Department
Auburn University, AL 36849
On Nov 17, 2008, at 6:23 PM, Jody Windus wrote:
> Paul and Jonathan,
>
> Thanks for the replies. You always leave out one or two critical
> pieces of
> info. Sorry. The span I would estimate in the 20 to 24 inch range.
> The
> grates suspend the wood over the coal bed in a Bourry box fashion.
> I do not
> know the exact temperature of the tubes, but looking inside them from
> outside the kiln the color is well beyond the red range into lemon
> maybe
> light yellow, so it is up there.
>
> Rob used the stainless tubes because that is what Ruggles and Rankin
> recommend in their article on the Rock Creek Climbing Kiln. In the
> design
> presented they drill holes in the tubes to let secondary air into
> the fire.
> Rob's grate tubes do not have these holes. I raised my eyebrows
> too when I
> first heard that they were stainless, but after some research I
> have found
> some alloys formulated for the high temp service. But like clay,
> stainless
> steel ain't all the same. And the alloys definitely are not cheap.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jody Windus
> 2nd Chance Art
> 985 Puckett Point Road
> Smithville, TN 37166
> 615-215-6175
Hank Murrow on mon 17 nov 08
On Nov 17, 2008, at 4:23 PM, Jody Windus wrote:
> Paul and Jonathan,
>
> Thanks for the replies. You always leave out one or two critical
> pieces of
> info. Sorry. The span I would estimate in the 20 to 24 inch range.
> The
> grates suspend the wood over the coal bed in a Bourry box fashion.
> I do not
> know the exact temperature of the tubes, but looking inside them from
> outside the kiln the color is well beyond the red range into lemon
> maybe
> light yellow, so it is up there.
Dear Jody;
_
In that case, I would recommend a cast grate bar 4.5" x 4.5" (square)
at the ends, and 4.5"(tall) x 2"(wide.... ()..) in the middle. This
would leave 2.5" between the working surfaces of the grates, allowing
the coals to fall down through the bars to the coal pile below.
> Rob used the stainless tubes because that is what Ruggles and Rankin
> recommend in their article on the Rock Creek Climbing Kiln. In the
> design
> presented they drill holes in the tubes to let secondary air into
> the fire.
I imagine that is really to cool the tubes.
> Rob's grate tubes do not have these holes. I raised my eyebrows
> too when I
> first heard that they were stainless, but after some research I
> have found
> some alloys formulated for the high temp service. But like clay,
> stainless
> steel ain't all the same. And the alloys definitely are not cheap.
610 alloy is quite resistant, but hugely expensive.
Cheers from Eugene, Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
Jody Windus on mon 17 nov 08
My friend Rob Harvey and I are on our 8th firing of his Ruggles-Rankin =
Style
Wood Salt kiln. For grating in the firebox, Rob purchased 1 =BD inch
=93stainless=94 steel tubing and some of these have failed at this point =
and
need to be replaced. What the actual material is was not given on the
invoice nor was its wall thickness. I believe they were schedule 40 =
which
would make the wall thickness 0.145 inches. The mode of failure was
corrosion induced spalling eating away the exterior of the tube right =
over
the coal bed.=20
=20
The conditions that the steel operates are pretty extreme to say the =
least =96
1300+ deg C and corrosive fumes. Is the rate of failure normal when
compared to other kilns? What are other people using for this purpose? =
Has
anybody found a particular steel specification that works well for this
application? Joe Finch in his kiln book shows ceramic tubing being used =
for
the grates, but I have never seen it in the kilns I have seen. I see in =
the
archives the recommendation for using axles from a junk yard and will
mention this to Rob.
=20
Thanks for the help.
=20
Regards,
=20
Jody Windus
2nd Chance Art
985 Puckett Point Road
Smithville, TN 37166
615-215-6175
=20
Paul Herman on mon 17 nov 08
Jody,
In my limited experience, a refractory grate will work better than =20
metal. You don't say how long your grate bars are, but I think up to =20
18" span is doable with standard refractory brick. A brick grate will =20=
also NOT put brown speckles on your pots.
In our wood burner, the grate bars are brick, and 12" long. 18 firings =20=
and no failures.
best wishes,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
www.greatbasinpottery.com/
On Nov 17, 2008, at 12:10 PM, Jody Windus wrote:
> My friend Rob Harvey and I are on our 8th firing of his Ruggles-=20
> Rankin Style
> Wood Salt kiln. For grating in the firebox, Rob purchased 1 =BD inch
> =93stainless=94 steel tubing and some of these have failed at this =
point =20
> and
> need to be replaced. What the actual material is was not given on the
> invoice nor was its wall thickness. I believe they were schedule 40 =20=
> which
> would make the wall thickness 0.145 inches. The mode of failure was
> corrosion induced spalling eating away the exterior of the tube =20
> right over
> the coal bed.
>
>
>
> The conditions that the steel operates are pretty extreme to say the =20=
> least =96
> 1300+ deg C and corrosive fumes. Is the rate of failure normal when
> compared to other kilns? What are other people using for this =20
> purpose? Has
> anybody found a particular steel specification that works well for =20
> this
> application? Joe Finch in his kiln book shows ceramic tubing being =20=
> used for
> the grates, but I have never seen it in the kilns I have seen. I =20
> see in the
> archives the recommendation for using axles from a junk yard and will
> mention this to Rob.
>
>
>
> Thanks for the help.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Jody Windus
>
> 2nd Chance Art
>
> 985 Puckett Point Road
>
> Smithville, TN 37166
>
> 615-215-6175
>
>
jonathan byler on mon 17 nov 08
stainless steels in general are a poor choice for high temperature =20
applications for exactly this reason. prolonged exposure of chromium =20=
bearing steels to temperatures above red heat induce the formation of =20=
extremly brittle chromium carbide formations within the steel which =20
lead to failure through cracking and spalling. you might do better =20
with thick steel bars. even plain steel pipe is bound to last longer =20=
in that situation than stainless, and it is much cheaper to boot. if =20=
your firebox is designed so that most of the air enters from the =20
bottom, you will not have temperatures of 2300F at the bottom of the =20
fire, as the incoming air will cool this before is mixes with the =20
wood/smoke and allows combustion.
jon byler
3-D Building Coordinator
Art Department
Auburn University, AL 36849
On Nov 17, 2008, at 2:10 PM, Jody Windus wrote:
> My friend Rob Harvey and I are on our 8th firing of his Ruggles-=20
> Rankin Style
> Wood Salt kiln. For grating in the firebox, Rob purchased 1 =BD inch
> =93stainless=94 steel tubing and some of these have failed at this =20
> point and
> need to be replaced. What the actual material is was not given on the
> invoice nor was its wall thickness. I believe they were schedule =20
> 40 which
> would make the wall thickness 0.145 inches. The mode of failure was
> corrosion induced spalling eating away the exterior of the tube =20
> right over
> the coal bed.
>
>
>
> The conditions that the steel operates are pretty extreme to say =20
> the least =96
> 1300+ deg C and corrosive fumes. Is the rate of failure normal when
> compared to other kilns? What are other people using for this =20
> purpose? Has
> anybody found a particular steel specification that works well for =20
> this
> application? Joe Finch in his kiln book shows ceramic tubing being =20=
> used for
> the grates, but I have never seen it in the kilns I have seen. I =20
> see in the
> archives the recommendation for using axles from a junk yard and will
> mention this to Rob.
>
>
>
> Thanks for the help.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Jody Windus
>
> 2nd Chance Art
>
> 985 Puckett Point Road
>
> Smithville, TN 37166
>
> 615-215-6175
>
>
gary navarre on mon 17 nov 08
Hi ya Jody,
One of the reasons I chose a hobbed Bourry firebox for my kilns is it doe=
s not need a grate and the entire under surface of the fuel pile is open to=
combustion. Buying stainless only goes to show you can afford it and saps =
money from buying clay if we can't dig our own. =20
Gary Navarre
Navarre Pottery
Navarre Enterprises
Norway, Michigan, USA
http://www.youtube.com/GindaUP
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/
--- On Mon, 11/17/08, Jody Windus wrote:
> From: Jody Windus
> Subject: Grating for Wood-Salt Kiln
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Date: Monday, November 17, 2008, 2:10 PM
> My friend Rob Harvey and I are on our 8th firing of his
> Ruggles-Rankin Style
> Wood Salt kiln. For grating in the firebox, Rob purchased
> 1 =C2=BD inch
> =E2=80=9Cstainless=E2=80=9D steel tubing and some of these have failed
> at this point and
> need to be replaced. What the actual material is was not
> given on the
> invoice nor was its wall thickness. I believe they were
> schedule 40 which
> would make the wall thickness 0.145 inches. The mode of
> failure was
> corrosion induced spalling eating away the exterior of the
> tube right over
> the coal bed.=20
>=20
> =20
>=20
> The conditions that the steel operates are pretty extreme
> to say the least =E2=80=93
> 1300+ deg C and corrosive fumes. Is the rate of failure
> normal when
> compared to other kilns? What are other people using for
> this purpose? Has
> anybody found a particular steel specification that works
> well for this
> application? Joe Finch in his kiln book shows ceramic
> tubing being used for
> the grates, but I have never seen it in the kilns I have
> seen. I see in the
> archives the recommendation for using axles from a junk
> yard and will
> mention this to Rob.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Thanks for the help.
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Regards,
>=20
> =20
>=20
> Jody Windus
>=20
> 2nd Chance Art
>=20
> 985 Puckett Point Road
>=20
> Smithville, TN 37166
>=20
> 615-215-6175=0A=0A=0A
Steve Mills on mon 17 nov 08
Dear Jody,
Joe uses Ceramic for that very reason; the tubes last longer. In Mashiko in=
Lee's Kiln and in other's like Euan Craig's they use solid Kiln Posts beca=
use they last and only fail through rough usage.=20
In my Kiln I use lengths of redundant Scaffolding tube, but only because I'=
ve got lots of them and they were free! They don't last very long either!!
Steve
Bath
UK
--- On Mon, 11/17/08, Jody Windus wrote:
From: Jody Windus
Subject: Grating for Wood-Salt Kiln
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Monday, November 17, 2008, 8:10 PM
My friend Rob Harvey and I are on our 8th firing of his Ruggles-Rankin Styl=
e
Wood Salt kiln. For grating in the firebox, Rob purchased 1 =BD inch
=93stainless=94 steel tubing and some of these have failed at this point an=
d
need to be replaced. What the actual material is was not given on the
invoice nor was its wall thickness. I believe they were schedule 40 which
would make the wall thickness 0.145 inches. The mode of failure was
corrosion induced spalling eating away the exterior of the tube right over
the coal bed.=20
=20
The conditions that the steel operates are pretty extreme to say the least =
=96
1300+ deg C and corrosive fumes. Is the rate of failure normal when
compared to other kilns? What are other people using for this purpose? Ha=
s
anybody found a particular steel specification that works well for this
application? Joe Finch in his kiln book shows ceramic tubing being used fo=
r
the grates, but I have never seen it in the kilns I have seen. I see in th=
e
archives the recommendation for using axles from a junk yard and will
mention this to Rob.
=20
Thanks for the help.
=20
Regards,
=20
Jody Windus
2nd Chance Art
985 Puckett Point Road
Smithville, TN 37166
615-215-6175
=20
=0A=0A=0A
Hank Murrow on mon 17 nov 08
Dear Jody;
I have seen cast ceramic grate bars used effectively. These were cast =20=
from a 3200F castable refractory, and had a rectangular cross section =20=
where they rested on the hobs, tapering to something like this () in =20
the middle, so the ends kept them in alignment and the coals dropped =20
through the spaces between. One could even add RibCon s.s. fibers to =20
toughen the bars against failure. They should be fired to cone 5 or =20
so before installing. One could make an accurate pattern in clay, and =20=
cast a mold from that in hard plaster finishing the surfaces well, =20
make a master mold from that one, and finally make a few casting =20
molds from that. Sounds like an involved process..... but it puts the =20=
potter in charge.
Cheers, Hank in Eugene
www.murrow.biz/hank
On Nov 17, 2008, at 12:10 PM, Jody Windus wrote:
> My friend Rob Harvey and I are on our 8th firing of his Ruggles-=20
> Rankin Style
> Wood Salt kiln. For grating in the firebox, Rob purchased 1 =BD inch
> =93stainless=94 steel tubing and some of these have failed at this =20
> point and
> need to be replaced. What the actual material is was not given on the
> invoice nor was its wall thickness. I believe they were schedule =20
> 40 which
> would make the wall thickness 0.145 inches. The mode of failure was
> corrosion induced spalling eating away the exterior of the tube =20
> right over
> the coal bed.
>
> The conditions that the steel operates are pretty extreme to say =20
> the least =96
> 1300+ deg C and corrosive fumes. Is the rate of failure normal when
> compared to other kilns? What are other people using for this =20
> purpose? Has
> anybody found a particular steel specification that works well for =20
> this
> application? Joe Finch in his kiln book shows ceramic tubing being =20=
> used for
> the grates, but I have never seen it in the kilns I have seen. I =20
> see in the
> archives the recommendation for using axles from a junk yard and will
> mention this to Rob.
Jody Windus on mon 17 nov 08
Paul and Jonathan,
Thanks for the replies. You always leave out one or two critical pieces of
info. Sorry. The span I would estimate in the 20 to 24 inch range. The
grates suspend the wood over the coal bed in a Bourry box fashion. I do not
know the exact temperature of the tubes, but looking inside them from
outside the kiln the color is well beyond the red range into lemon maybe
light yellow, so it is up there.
Rob used the stainless tubes because that is what Ruggles and Rankin
recommend in their article on the Rock Creek Climbing Kiln. In the design
presented they drill holes in the tubes to let secondary air into the fire.
Rob's grate tubes do not have these holes. I raised my eyebrows too when I
first heard that they were stainless, but after some research I have found
some alloys formulated for the high temp service. But like clay, stainless
steel ain't all the same. And the alloys definitely are not cheap.
Regards,
Jody Windus
2nd Chance Art
985 Puckett Point Road
Smithville, TN 37166
615-215-6175
Jody Windus on tue 18 nov 08
Paul,
As I said in an off-clayart email, I was misleading using the term "Bourry
Box Fashion." I was trying to convey that the wood was suspended a few
inches above the coal bed. Bad analogy on my part. The primary air comes
from below and flows upward. Pictures of the kiln are in a photo album
named Creek Bend Pottery on June Perry's yahoo sodasaltfiring group. I do
not know if this link will work, but here it is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sodasaltfiring/photos/album/908305545/pic/list
Best regards and thanks for the reply.
~~|___|~~ Jody
Smithville, TN
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Paul Herman
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 9:04 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Grating for Wood-Salt Kiln
Hi Jody,
I'm still trying to get it all straight in my mind. Now there is a
tall order. Are you using a Bourry box grate where the primary air
flows downward through the fuel and grate bars, or a more conventional
grate where the air enters below the grate bars, flowing upward
through the fuel?
If it's the former arrangement, then the only way to avoid a bar
across the grate is to have all your wood cut to exact length. If it's
the latter, then you should be using a refractory grate (IMHO). I wish
I could see a picture of the kiln. Is there one available? Or better
yet, a picture of the grate in question?
Bon feu,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
www.greatbasinpottery.com/
On Nov 17, 2008, at 4:23 PM, Jody Windus wrote:
> Paul and Jonathan,
>
> Thanks for the replies. You always leave out one or two critical
> pieces of
> info. Sorry. The span I would estimate in the 20 to 24 inch range.
> The
> grates suspend the wood over the coal bed in a Bourry box fashion.
> I do not
> know the exact temperature of the tubes, but looking inside them from
> outside the kiln the color is well beyond the red range into lemon
> maybe
> light yellow, so it is up there.
>
> Rob used the stainless tubes because that is what Ruggles and Rankin
> recommend in their article on the Rock Creek Climbing Kiln. In the
> design
> presented they drill holes in the tubes to let secondary air into
> the fire.
> Rob's grate tubes do not have these holes. I raised my eyebrows too
> when I
> first heard that they were stainless, but after some research I have
> found
> some alloys formulated for the high temp service. But like clay,
> stainless
> steel ain't all the same. And the alloys definitely are not cheap.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jody Windus
> 2nd Chance Art
> 985 Puckett Point Road
> Smithville, TN 37166
> 615-215-6175
Paul Haigh on wed 19 nov 08
I'd like to temper the retort that I hear so often that wood must be cut to "exact length" for a Bourry box. I have seen pics of several kilns with a bar in the middle so that odd length wood can be tossed in with less concern. Also- I have bricks sticking half length out each side (4.5" each) of my 40.5" firebox. That means that if wood is between 36 and 40.5" (a 4.5" window), it should be supported.
In practice it's even better. If wood is a bit long- then it may get put in at an angle- no big deal. If it's short, I throw in right length wood, then short wood on top. If you're burning pine or light wood that doesn't coal well, then this gets more fuel to the bottom of the firebox (why many get good results with a mix of hard and softwoods in a Bourry- hard wood coals, softwood releases heat quickly). It turns out that they may be fired without having wood neatly stacked across the hobs, in my limited experience.
Also, as I've said, pallets are often 40" wide, so just cutting them into pieces- nails and all- and you have well seasoned, thin split, right length, free wood to feed with no concern over "exact length". Other pallets are 48" along the "slat axis" for a larger firebox.
Yes, I do end up with some pieces that are too long. It doesn't concern me much. I'll shove it in if it fits leaning top to bottom etc. Chuck it all in- if a half lands across the hobs, it will take off like a rocket.
See www.sidestoke.com for a lot of Bourry pics, diagrams, etc. Once I figured mine out- I have to HOLD IT BACK for most of the firing to avoid firing faults. I came out last firing after a 2 hour nap to find the pottery students that fire with me all excited that they had blasted right to 2050 F in a single firing... uhh guys... uh oh...
-pH, in Calgary airport, having spent the week in lovely Medicine Hat, AB
gary navarre on thu 20 nov 08
--- On Wed, 11/19/08, Paul Haigh wrote:
> From: Paul Haigh
> Subject: Re: Grating for Wood-Salt Kiln
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 5:29 PM
> I'd like to temper the retort that I hear so often that
> wood must be cut to "exact length" for a Bourry
> box. I have seen pics of several kilns with a bar in the
> middle so that odd length wood can be tossed in with less
> concern. Also- I have bricks sticking half length out each
> side (4.5" each) of my 40.5" firebox. That means
> that if wood is between 36 and 40.5" (a 4.5"
> window), it should be supported.
Did I say "exact"? I don't think so, my first kiln wood was cut 28" to 32" and this kiln will be 32" to 36" also a 4" window. I suppose if I built another similar yet even larger kiln I could have fuel longer than 40" but I'd make a support wall in the middle. That would result in more kiln than I need. I'm thinking any longer than that would be too heavy work stoking and I avoid that like the plague. Just for reference this is a view of the main combustion area which looks to be a cross section about 378"sq. ...
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/kpap/up-h07-finale/hfabv.html
There are two equal stoke holes on both sides...
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/kpap/uph08pov/bourryfireboxbricked8.html
The top hole is quite adjustable to take pine slab wood with thick odd end shapes or 3"-6" Maple and is set toward the back of the Bourry so heaver fuel lands there and the smaller hole set more forward so thinner sticks land above the throat arch. The big stuff burns long and holds the heat while pitching thinner sticks in the small holes acts like an accelerator to raise the heat with fast burning bursts. It's real cool to watch the pyrometer rise and hold, raise and hold after each "accelerator" stoke. This way I have more control over the hard and soft woods placement and burning.
>
> In practice it's even better. If wood is a bit long-
> then it may get put in at an angle- no big deal. If
> it's short, I throw in right length wood, then short
> wood on top. If you're burning pine or light wood that
> doesn't coal well, then this gets more fuel to the
> bottom of the firebox (why many get good results with a mix
> of hard and softwoods in a Bourry- hard wood coals, softwood
> releases heat quickly). It turns out that they may be fired
> without having wood neatly stacked across the hobs, in my
> limited experience.
In the '86-'90 Hobagama all I had was mixed pine cut from the land but this time around I've got a good lot of Maple and Poplar slash left out back by the loggers so now I can experiment with mixing hard and soft.
> Also, as I've said, pallets are often 40" wide, so
> just cutting them into pieces- nails and all-
I prayed to God I'd get a place to work where I didn't have to depend on pallets and it worked. We used them in a fast fire (not a Bourry), nails and all, at Western Michigan University and what a pain in the ass that was because nobody figured on how much room they took up before getting broke down with a lot of chain saw work, and it rained. I'd say over 2/3 of my cutting is with simple yard tools and I only use the Huski and a saw buck for 3" or larger. One thing I learned is get my wood straight before the firing so I have nothing to do but tend the fire.
> Yes, I do end up with some pieces that are too long. It
> doesn't concern me much. I'll shove it in if it
> fits leaning top to bottom etc. Chuck it all in- if a half
> lands across the hobs, it will take off like a rocket.
Oh I'm sure I'll find the occasional out of spec piece (I have) and ya it'll probably get stoked but most all the rest will be standardized to fit so there ain't no jamming it in.
> See www.sidestoke.com for a lot of Bourry pics, diagrams,
> etc.
I've already done that when I joined this club a few years ago...
Once I figured mine out- I have to HOLD IT BACK for
> most of the firing to avoid firing faults. I came out last
> firing after a 2 hour nap to find the pottery students that
> fire with me all excited that they had blasted right to 2050
> F in a single firing... uhh guys... uh oh...
I don't think people realize how powerful a small well designed Bourry box can be and with the pignose ya don't need to stoke it until the last day and anyone can stay up 24 hours to keep an eye on the help. I'm planning on using the pignose for at least a week on the first firing just to cook the kiln but that will probably have to wait till spring so stay in there eh!
Gary Navarre
Navarre Pottery
Navarre Enterprises
Norway, Michigan, USA
http://www.youtube.com/GindaUP
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/
Paul Haigh on fri 21 nov 08
Gary:
>"Did I say "exact"? I don't think so, "
Paul Herman did in this thread. I've seen it said many times by others as a drawback to this firebox style.
>"I prayed to God I'd get a place to work where I didn't have to depend on pallets and it worked.
I can understand that. I find pallets to be convenient and easy, but I can see where it would be a PITA for some folks. I have a good sized yard and a Stihl saw that I love to run, so it's not as much of a deal. I invariably run into nails, however, so I keep an old crappy chain handy for the occasion. Something that I learned from my firewood scrounging friends is to use a reciprocating saw on pallets, though I don't have one. I've fired with trees, but I save them for the house more often, and with pallets there's not as much pre-planning for wood seasoning. I'm not a pro potter, and pre-planning for a year and a half on kiln wood is way more organized that I can manage :)
>"One thing I learned is get my wood straight before the firing so I have nothing to do but tend the fire."
Yes, and double yes. What was nice in my last firing, however, was to pull a brush pile from a tree I took down into a convenient spot near the kiln. This kept my helpers busy and awake during reduction as they hand-processed my brush pile on the fly for me. We were going for ash effect, and this worked excellent.
>"Oh I'm sure I'll find the occasional out of spec piece (I have) and ya it'll probably get stoked but most all the rest will be standardized to fit so there ain't no jamming it in. "
I don't want to give the impression that I'm just plain careless with wood- just that it needs to be shorter than a certain length, and even then it can be dealt with if there are rogue pieces. These invariably come from cutting tree-wood all day for the house and kiln, and getting lazy/stupid when I'm tired. Time to quit before there's a saw accident :)
I'll check out the pignose. You have me curious. My last firing lasted only about 18-20 hrs (not a huge kiln- 40+ cu ft), and there was a lot of woodfired effect. I am happy to brag that the doubters about how much ash and flash we'd have were quickly shut up when they saw the results. If I knew it would be so short, I'd have planned to stay up, but I basically have learned a lot in the last couple firings.
-pH- happy back home in cold Londonderry, NH
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