Gene Apple on mon 8 may 00
How can I decide if I want to build a wood-fired kiln outdoors?
What books-articles should I read? Should I look for an expert?
Workshop? Clay and glazes?
Almost all of my work is sculpture 12-18 inches tall with some of
the bases as wide, cone-6 stoneware with little grog. Now I carry
it to the local art center for firing, with all the dangers of
transporting and exposing it to the kindness of the curious. My
lot is several acres of hardwoods on the side of a hill in western
North Carolina. Pit firing seems dangerous and would probably meet
with spousal and neighborly objections. There is most certainly
enough windfall wood and trimmings for firing a kiln. We are on
the lee side regarding prevailing winds and the kiln could be dug
into the hillside.
David Hendley on wed 10 may 00
There are several books that will teach you about kiln building.
My favorite is "Kilns" by Fred Olsen.
Also "the Art of Firing" by Nils Lou, and "The Kiln Book" by
Daniel Rhodes.
My wood kiln is based on the 'fastfire' design in Olsen's book.
After you have read upon kiln building, it would be helpful
if you could actually help build one, through a class at a
college or a workshop, and fire a few.
Before you start, be aware that building and firing a kiln with
wood is a lot of hard work. It will not save you money, it will
cost you lots of time. If you think pit firing is dangerous and
would meet with objections, you have no idea what firing a
wood kiln is like and should not even be considering the idea
until you try firing one. It is a major commitment.
Not many potters, none that I know, cut trees or trimmings
for fuel for their kilns. It's just too much work. We get
trimmings from sawmills or cabinet shops, already the
right size and shape to burn in our kilns.
The ONLY reason to have a wood fired kiln is if you love the
look it produces and are willing to work very hard for that
look you want.
--
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com/
----- Original Message -----
From: Gene Apple <71524.2237@compuserve.com>
To:
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2000 11:21 PM
Subject: building a wood kiln
| ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
| How can I decide if I want to build a wood-fired kiln outdoors?
| What books-articles should I read? Should I look for an expert?
| Workshop? Clay and glazes?
| Almost all of my work is sculpture 12-18 inches tall with some of
| the bases as wide, cone-6 stoneware with little grog. Now I carry
| it to the local art center for firing, with all the dangers of
| transporting and exposing it to the kindness of the curious. My
| lot is several acres of hardwoods on the side of a hill in western
| North Carolina. Pit firing seems dangerous and would probably meet
| with spousal and neighborly objections. There is most certainly
| enough windfall wood and trimmings for firing a kiln. We are on
| the lee side regarding prevailing winds and the kiln could be dug
| into the hillside.
|
James McDonough on thu 11 may 00
Dear Gene,
Where in Western North Carolina are you located. There will be an
anagama in progress at UNCA this summer and a phoenix fast fire which has
been up and running for the last three years. Come check it out.
----- Original Message -----
From: Gene Apple <71524.2237@compuserve.com>
To:
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2000 12:21 AM
Subject: building a wood kiln
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> How can I decide if I want to build a wood-fired kiln outdoors?
> What books-articles should I read? Should I look for an expert?
> Workshop? Clay and glazes?
> Almost all of my work is sculpture 12-18 inches tall with some of
> the bases as wide, cone-6 stoneware with little grog. Now I carry
> it to the local art center for firing, with all the dangers of
> transporting and exposing it to the kindness of the curious. My
> lot is several acres of hardwoods on the side of a hill in western
> North Carolina. Pit firing seems dangerous and would probably meet
> with spousal and neighborly objections. There is most certainly
> enough windfall wood and trimmings for firing a kiln. We are on
> the lee side regarding prevailing winds and the kiln could be dug
> into the hillside.
>
Dale A. Neese on thu 11 may 00
All of us at the James Watkins woodfire workshop a couple of weekends ago
will think twice about building a wood fire kiln. We fired the "Fastfire"
for 15+hours. Constant work compared to firing with propane. It is not
something I would want to do for every firing. You just don't build a
"little" wood kiln.
Dale Tex
Charlie and Linda Riggs on fri 12 may 00
Hi Dale
You are absolutely right that there is NO comparison between gas firing and
wood firing when it comes to time and energy spent. We ( we means the six
partners in this kiln and NOT the mouse in my pocket) have fired our two
chamber noborigama three times now. The kiln is has two 50 cu. ft stacking
chambers. After three firings I'm just now starting to get results that may
be able to allow me to sell some of my work.
Those of you out there that are dreaming of a wood kiln, STOP and read this
BEFORE getting started. A wood kiln is wonderful but, like having children,
it's TONS of work and can be very aggravating at times.
If you really think you need a wood kiln, just have to have one, can't live
without it.....then my suggestion is to hook up with a wood firer and beg
him/her to let you prepare all (I'm not talking about a few sticks of wood
here, I mean all the wood) for a firing and then help them load and fire the
kiln. If they won't let you do this for free (this is a joke, every wood
firer would love to have someone do all the prep work for them!!!) then pay
to be allowed to do it. Maybe they'll even let you put a couple of pots
in...
When you are done helping to cut, stack, load, fire, unload, scrap shelves,
rewash shelves, recoat the inside of the kiln and get ready to start all over
again, then you will know if you really need a wood kiln, just have to have
one, can't live without it.
Be prepared to lose two or three loads to "the learning curve". Expect to
spend as much time getting the fuel together as you spend making the pots
(ok, maybe a little exaggerated) and also be prepared to have to educate your
customers as to why these "bland crusty pots" are so lovable and wonderful to
own. (haven't got the hang of that one yet)
I love the wood kiln, I love my daugher. I'm also glad my daughter is
turning 21 next month. :-) And if I had to choose right now which kiln to
build first, a wood or gas kiln, I'd have to say the gas kiln would be built
first. And, yes, I'd still build the wood kiln, too.
Charlie Riggs
Just one person's opinion. This one person just spent yesterday cutting and
stacking two cords of oak and have two more cords to go....
"Dale A. Neese" wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> All of us at the James Watkins woodfire workshop a couple of weekends ago
> will think twice about building a wood fire kiln. We fired the "Fastfire"
> for 15+hours. Constant work compared to firing with propane. It is not
> something I would want to do for every firing. You just don't build a
> "little" wood kiln.
> Dale Tex
Astabeth on wed 23 feb 05
Hi!
I am a ceramics major doing an independent study on wood firing this
semester. And looking for advice. Since I have to write up results at
the end of the semester, I need to keep a diary of the progress on the
wood kiln. Here it is so far:
I have read a couple of books so far - The Kiln Book and another (a
Ceramics Workshop book - I don't remember the title). I am about to
read some more in Wood-Fired Stoneware and Porcelain. I just ordered
Wood-Fired Ceramics, hopefully it will be in soon.
On attending a firing: I need to email the people in Tuscaloosa again
- they tell me I'm welcome to come, but they haven't told me when they
are doing a firing. I also need to contact the people at the Hambidge
Center in Georgia. I am hoping to actually ATTEND a wood firing before
I try to do one.
On building the kiln: I have taken an inventory of bricks available
and assessed the spot where the kiln will be built. It is a small
space, only 10' by about 15' - so the kiln will be small. I am still
researching plans - there is one that is a possibility at
http://www.mudslinger.demon.co.uk/web2/page3.html - but I have to do
some figuring first.
I am also trying to figure out how to do the foundation. It is on
school property, and we can't dig too deep. I have read contradictory
statements - you need a concrete slab, you don't want a concrete slab,
etc. One thing I read told about a concrete slab that had absorbed
moisture from the ground and exploded during the firing - I think that
was on clayart. Right now I'm looking at using cinder blocks. I need
more info here...
I have also read enough to know that I need to use a different clay
body than what I'm using now (heavily grogged brown stoneware). And I
need to get some recipes for some wood-fire glazes and flashing slips.
Why does almost everyone fire to ^10? Is there any reason not to have
a ^6 wood firing? Wouldn't it be quicker and easier?
I would love any input from anyone on this. I have been working my
way through the archives and making notes...
Thanks,
Astabeth
Taylor from Rockport on fri 25 feb 05
Astabeth,
You are going to get several cords of help on this list for wood firing,
but have you checked out the woodfired list on yahoo? Someone here chime
in with the addy for Astabeth. I would try building a wood fired kiln on
1 square foot of space if I had the time right now. Too bad you don't
have room for a nice long train. Tony is going to be so disapointed.
He's going to give you his big four--the four books you must read--before
he stops throwing to talk to you about wood firing.
David Hendley would be another good person to get in touch with. He's my
priest. Him and Tony are claytown citizens and have standupies.
I'll try and find my woodfire bibliography at home and let you know of any
further reading you might want to do.
Good fire!
Taylor in Rockport
On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 18:09:42 -0600, Astabeth wrote:
>Hi!
>
>I am a ceramics major doing an independent study on wood firing this
>semester. And looking for advice. ...
Stephen on sat 26 feb 05
I will be firing the wood kiln at Westville in Lumpkin, Ga. If you want to
atend thais firing let me know. It will probably be within a monthI have
acumulated a lot of information on kilns and wood firing if you want to
come and talk to me.
Stephen
D Bouchette on sat 26 feb 05
Dear Astabeth,
1. The most efficient wood-fired kiln I've seen in
all my research (I've done a ton of it) is the Olsen
Fast-Fire. The only drawbacks to the design are:
--less ash on the pots than with other kilns where the
fireboxes are more "exposed" to the ware
--if you use kiln shelves to cover the fireboxes, you
have to be careful not to put "point loads" (kiln
posts) on them where they are unsupported (building
brick arches over the fireboxes fixes this problem).
This kiln would be a good, real working kiln for
your space, because the fireboxes are under the kiln
rather than alongside, making the footprint of the
kiln quite compact (one version is 72 inches front to
back, 54 inches side to side, including the chimney).
Any kiln whose shape is closer to a cube encloses
more volume for the number of bricks used than a long,
narrow kiln would.
The kiln fires very evenly, even the first time. I
helped build one at a local school, and fire it. It's
easier to fire it with two people than one, however.
2. I have built for myself the absolutely simplest
train kiln possible, with an 81"x18" chamber and an
49.5"x18" firebox. It produces very interesting
results, but is quite hot near the firebox (can hit
^12+) and cool near the chimney (^7). I don't have
additional stoking ports along the sides. My teacher,
Richey Bellinger, said he believes most train kilns
have this heat differential front to back, and the
longer, the greater differential.
3. My next kiln will have a bourry box alongside
because you don't have to stoke as often as with a
fast-fire or a train kiln, and it's easier for one
person to fire. However, my bourry box will not use
hobs, because I cannot be sure I will get wood all the
same length. I have a hybrid design in mind :-)
4. A friend of mine had a Phoenix kiln for years, and
although he liked it, it was difficult to get an even
firing.
5. There is nothing wrong with ^6 wood. Many of the
Chinese kilns only get to ^6. The diehard ^10 potters
will tell you that you get more ash and more color at
^10, but that is not necessarily true. The length of
your firing+type of wood+type of kiln, no matter what
cone, determines the ash deposits. Color can be
manipulated via the clay and/or slip you use. If you
use ^6 clay, or if you don't need full vitrification
with ^10 clay, do it your way!
6. From my engineering background: you want a cement
slab under cinderblocks. If your kiln floor went
right on the slab, the slab might explode from the
heat. The cinderblocks will exhaust heat more quickly
if the holes in them are horizontal, but, truthfully,
cinderblocks are engineered to have the holes up &
down. Fred Olsen builds with them up & down, and
fills the holes with sand. Others, including myself,
build with them horizontal. I live in a wet climate,
and don't want accumulating moisture in the sand!
It's easier to lay your floor on the cinderblocks if
the holes are horizontal, too.
7. Your slab should be poured level on top of a
gravel base. It is very difficult to get any cement
contractor to pour LEVEL...they want to put in a slope
for rain drainage. Remind them when they put in the
forms and remind them again before they start to pour.
8. If you live in an area with frost heave, you
should have the slab poured with monolithic footers to
support it (footers are deeper cement supports around
the perimeter of the slab). Ask the cement guys; they
know a lot. Give them an estimate of what the kiln
bricks will weigh, and they will know what size
footers (if any) and how thick to make the slab (and
what kind of cement to use).
9. Catenary arch kilns are useful if you don't want
to a weld metal bracing frame. They have beautiful
flame flow because of their internal curve. They can
incorporate a firebox inside along one wall. The fit
of the back wall & the door are tricky to get right,
though. See my post on mathematically plotting the
points on a catenary curve.
About metal frames, I have had good luck with a
bolt-together frame made from stock parts that I
bought at Home Depot!
10. I haven't mentioned anagamas, noborigamas, or
groundhog kilns, because I don't know as much about
them, but it sounds like you're not in that market.
Best of luck!
Deb Bouchette in Oregon
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Edouard Bastarache Inc. on sun 27 feb 05
Hello Deb.
" Fred Olsen builds with them up & down, and
fills the holes with sand." ( Deb Bouchette in Oregon)
That is what I did for my gas kiln. The choice was easy
to make. "Toothless Roger" my bricklayer told me:
"That is how we start the bottom of furnaces in metal-
lurgy, you let me do it my way or you get yourself
another bricklayer."(Hehehehehehe)
Later,
"Ils sont fous ces quebecois"
"They are insane these quebekers"
"Están locos estos quebequeses"
Edouard Bastarache
Irreductible Quebecois
Indomitable Quebeker
Sorel-Tracy
Quebec
edouardb@sorel-tracy.qc.ca
www.sorel-tracy.qc.ca/~edouardb/Welcome.html
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/smart2000/index.htm
http://www.digitalfire.com/education/toxicity/
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