NE1 try a Military Tent Stove?

Started by Ray_N, September 15, 2005, 07:35:13 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Ray_N


I've been looking around for a small woodstove for my 12x18,  and I've come across some wood burning army surplus military stoves.  They one E-bay and ArmyNavy places called the M1941.

They  have 4"flue and look like they would work o.k., and could be used till something better is found and them moved to the loft.

Has anyone tried or seen one of these in action (no pum intended)?


Amanda_931

#1
Nope.

There are some outfitter stoves that might be better tailored to the building size than the military ones.

There are some cheap (price and quality) wood stoves out there.

Even if it's intended to be temporary, don't skimp on safety and clearances and materials for the surrounding wall(s).

Search with "outfitter wood stove" gave me this--don't know if they are good or bad, but they're on sale (not that much of a sale)!  There are others, this doesn't seem to be the web site that I looked at before.

http://davistent.com/index.cfm?id=0542FB7C-C993-4B8E-8131949710086A14

The next company has a kind of odd caveat in their description, right before they go on about how great their stoves are (it may be true of all of them, including the mil-spec ones):

"With reasonable care, a Cylinder Stove should last the average hunter close to a lifetime."

on this page here:

http://www.northdoorway.com/stoves/cylinder.htm


Peter Ross

When we build a camp we just make our own stoves...Go to the Scrap Steel Salvage yard and get a hold of a 100 gallon propane tank...Use a grinder or chop saw to cut one end out of it... Weld a piece of plate to the opening...Then cut your door...Bolt on some hinges and you have a stove..

Well you need to cut a hole for the chimney pipe.

You can make it as plain or as fancy as you like...

The cylinder is thick and will never wear out...

We have taken extra time and made what looks like the bottom of a wine holder for the cylinder to lay on.. fancy stove legs to get the stove off the ground.

We have also taken a old top off a enterprise kitchen wood stove and  welded it to the top of the cylinder tank as it was laying down...And all of a sudden you have a perfect cookstove with enough space for several pots and pans

If you want to heat a large camp/Cabin... use 2 propane tanks...Stack one on top of the other...At the opposite end from the door.. cut your hole for the stovepipe...Only use well casing instead of pipe...And weld the second tank on top...and have the smoke go through the top tank...It will be a heat exchanger of sorts and will doube the efficiency of the wood stove.....Have the stovepipe come out of the top tank at the front.

I have even toyed with the idea of cutting the side out of the top exchanger tank and welding in a oven box...And that way I could bake bread or keep food warm.

If you have no welder... and want something truly simple...Do a search on portable wood stoves...A guy out in Colarado made a awesome portable stove from a 45 gallon barrell using only a jig saw and a drill....He cut it down in size and I imagine it worked very well.

If I can find the link I will post it for you

glenn-k

#3
Notice:  While old propane tanks can be safely made into useful items, done improperly, this can result in injury or death.

If you are unsure of a safe way to do this, please don't try.

I have in the past taken all the valves out of the tank, filled them with water then done my cutting and welding -note -even after doing this I got small popping explosions while cutting.  There are other safe ways to do it but keep in mind that the wrong mixture of propane fumes, air and a spark creates a bomb.  Under the right conditions, even a spark from a grinder is enough to set it off.

This applies to any tank that has held a flammable liquid.  One of my men was blown out of an oil well cellar while cutting loose the well head for repairs.  Gas had gathered in the casing - air got in - he blew out.  Fortunately it just put a black carbon coating on his face for a week or two.  No permanent injury.

benevolance

Glenn,

I should have posted that you need to make sure the tank is properly emptied.

Even that is not hard...The valves are all out of the tanks usually when you get them from the scrap metal yard...

And speaking of explosions...People worry too much...there is only a very small window for explosion...When mixing propane with Oxygen.

When you watch TV and the gas has been on in a house forever and someone lights a match....It cannot explode...Not enough oxygen to iginite the propane...


I would hope that anyone  responsible enough to use a grinder, chop saw, or welder would know to take precaution using a old propane tank...

But it is a good point to bring up just in case
 ;)

-Peter Ross


glenn-k

#5
Thanks , Peter - I don't have anything against doing this and if it makes a useful item from something that is scrapped that is even better.

It's just that the variables involved could allow some unknowing person to have a major problem.

There is the time when the air and gas are mixing - say at the edge of the mixture where things are quite explosive and they reach a source of ignition- then they will explode.  That's why we have occasional basement and meth lab explosions etc.  If the gas does not come in contact with a source of ignition it may get to be too rich to ignite, but there can still be places around the edges that will ignite if the conditions are right.  

I weld on the bottom of full diesel tanks and hydraulic reserviors knowing that it can't blow up if it's full-- the smoke above the surface mixed with air can or the same tank partially empty with the right mix of air could end my career if I happened to ignite it.

benevolance

Glenn,

I have welded gas tanks of cars I just make sure they are full of gas... :o

So I know exactly what you are talking about! ;)

-Peter

jb

I finished installing a new wood stove in my cabin a few days ago...I have fired it for three nights so far, even though it hasn't been too cold, but I wanted to check things out to make sure it is working properly, and with the new ones, you have to burn off the "new" smell, or cure the cast iron...I could not afford to have it put in so I tackled it myself, and it works great...after going after assorted parts and pieces, I spent a total of right around 450.00...

tjm73

Anything that the Military spec'd out will be way overbuilt and well worth the money for a camp.

Kinda moot since you bought a new woodstove.  ;D



benevolance

well the military wood stove is kinds light duty because weight was a huge concern...They only take a puny stick of wood...So total BTU and length of time it will hold a fire are minimal...

A pretty kick ass stove for a small hunting camp though.

-Peter