Whew…

Introducing the new (and vastly improved) “door” for this iteration of the riserless core stove

After several hours, nearly 20 different tools, several kinds of material, I have a “door”. It’s not really a door as it doesn’t hinge or swing, but it sounds better than “plug” (which isn’t actually accurate as it has a draft hole).

Things were tidy this morning. I did some sealing and had a little fire. The fire drew well, no smoke, in part to having the bench warmed from yesterday’s burn. I took care of some job search stuff and then, as the morning mini fire had run its course, dove into the door project.

I dismantled the original door for some parts. Made a template of the stove mouth, and just plodded through the process. Crazy customer, unique materials, opening, function.

It feels like a piece to a boat or something! I wasn’t planning on using wood, but as I was building the layers I drilled through several layers to fasten the outer surface, drilling on my lap through a piece of the cherry desk I recently dismantled (and am burning), careful of course not to drill into me, and the cherry exterior presented itself. It might not work, but it’s pretty and adds a surreal touch to all the brick and other stove materials!

It’s working like a charm, a very important link in the process, a huge hurdle cleared!