DIY BB aka Gasified Wood Stove

[Michael Crosby]

Not my idea but this works better than putting the razorblade in a book as it is securely held.

Can is then CAREFULLY rolled on the blade that scores the can until the cut goes through.

This leaves a clean cut–if you do it slow and easy

[Michael Crosby]

Drilling the holes in the soup can is no problem as the can is stiff,however, the foster can is flimsey and my attempts to drill leave torn and destorted holes. PLEASE HELP.

[kevin davidson]

Perhaps the use of a backer material—piece of PVC pipe of a diameter that would fit inside comes to mind, a reinforcing tape (?)—would make for cleaner drilling.

[Michael Crosby]

Kevin,
The backing is a good idea. PVC pipe,however, will not fit tight as the top of the can is steped and is smaller than the area where the holes go.
Thanks
Mike

[Ron D]

As an alternative could you fill the can with water and freeze it?
Ron

[kevin davidson]

Bingo! Where's my light bulb emoticon?

[Michael Crosby]

What a simply elegant idea! Once the top is gone, there should be no danger of distorting the can—excellent!
Thanks Ron.

[Brett .]

Try a hand held hole punch, it even works on the relatively thick walls of cat food cans. On second thought… no.

[Kevin McCaulley]

The frozen water trick. Great idea. One could also use the largest diameter dowel they could get their hands on and after clamping it in a vice, slip the beer can over it (the dowel piece protruding from the vice would be slightly shorter than the can's height). The dowel should just about approximate the curvature of the can. You would have to rotate the dowel occasionally to keep fresh, undrilled wood stock under the can. I was thinking the ice might start turning to chips and water after a few drill holes.

[Miguel Arboleda]

How about sand? Would that work?

[Kevin McCaulley]

I just realized the dowel would hit the lip just as the PVC pipe would mentioned above by someone else. A way around that would be to find a dowel, small diameter wood pole, etc slightly smaller than the beer can opening and cut it a bit shorter than the can's height. Drill a hole lengthwise through the center, then press fit a rod or smaller diameter dowel into it. This would be clamped into the vice. Keep the jig for future beer can replacements. The outer dowel could also be replaced easily enough.

[Derek Goffin]

I read Steve's experiment with interest and thought I would try. 24 ounce aluminium beer cans do not exist in England.
I made a stove as much like Steve as I could based on a cut down 1 litre steel beer can (it was too tall). This can was the outer jacket and structure. The firebox was a Salmon can about the same size and shape as Steve's but which has a tapered shape wider at the top with a top rim that fits into a hole in the 1 litre can's top. The pot stand was a black treacle tin which was a telescopic fit in the open bottom of the 1 litre can when not in use but just nested between the outer and firebox rims when put to use. The stove weighed about 130 gram and had good secondary combustion, like in Steve's picture, when the firebox got hot enough. It was best fed little and often. However the cut bottom of the litre can was flimsy, the whole stove seemed too tall, unstable and hard to shield from the wind. And the bottom of the firebox got choked with ash.

Someone on the TGO site told me that it was possible to get an imported Japanese 2 litre Aluminium beer can 110mm diameter that he has used to make an ultralight 28 gram cooking pot.
I got one made a litre cook pot 35 gram from the bottom and used the top as the outer jacket of another stove. The outer jacket does not reach the ground. The firebox and ashpit is a 130mm high 100mm wide steel dog food tin with a smaller bottom rim ( this is important because the smaller rim fits neatly inside the outer jacket, so this can is used upside down) I used 2 titanium tent skewers through holes 30mm up the tin to rest a grate made from a bit of 15mm grid I cut from a cooling rack ( for cooling new loaves). The pot stand is a 1lb steel golden syrup tin. This again nests well inside the firebox ( through the open bottom) when not in use, but fits inside the smaller top rim on a little annular vestige of the firebox original bottom (remember its upside down).
I found a large Aluminium foil turkey bag which is large enough to make a complete ring windshield 300mm high. Folded in half this rolls round the firebox for storage. Everthing fits in the 1 litre pot except the outer jacket which I had to slit to get it to slide over the pot. final packed size 160mm x 111mm diameter, with room inside for tinder, pot grab etc.
When assembled the top of the pot stand is 210mm above ground.
The whole pot,stove,windshield, outer jacket,grate weighs 200 gram.
With dry wood and ideal conditions it boils 500ml of water in 5 minutes from ignition.
28 gram= 1 oz, 100mm= 4", 1 litre= about 34 English fluid ounces

[Derek Goffin]

I read Steve's experiment with interest and thought I would try. 24 ounce aluminium beer cans do not exist in England.
I made a stove as much like Steve as I could based on a cut down 1 litre steel beer can (it was too tall). This can was the outer jacket and structure. The firebox was a Salmon can about the same size and shape as Steve's but which has a tapered shape wider at the top with a top rim that fits into a hole in the 1 litre can's top. The pot stand was a black treacle tin which was a telescopic fit in the open bottom of the 1 litre can when not in use but just nested between the outer and firebox rims when put to use. The stove weighed about 130 gram and had good secondary combustion, like in Steve's picture, when the firebox got hot enough. It was best fed little and often. However the cut bottom of the litre can was flimsy, the whole stove seemed too tall, unstable and hard to shield from the wind. And the bottom of the firebox got choked with ash.

Someone on the TGO site told me that it was possible to get an imported Japanese 2 litre Aluminium beer can 110mm diameter that he has used to make an ultralight 28 gram cooking pot.
I got one made a litre cook pot 35 gram from the bottom and used the top as the outer jacket of another stove. The outer jacket does not reach the ground. The firebox and ashpit is a 130mm high 100mm wide steel dog food tin with a smaller bottom rim ( this is important because the smaller rim fits neatly inside the outer jacket, so this can is used upside down) I used 2 titanium tent skewers through holes 30mm up the tin to rest a grate made from a bit of 15mm grid I cut from a cooling rack ( for cooling new loaves). The pot stand is a 1lb steel golden syrup tin. This again nests well inside the firebox ( through the open bottom) when not in use, but fits inside the smaller top rim on a little annular vestige of the firebox original bottom (remember its upside down).
I found a large Aluminium foil turkey bag which is large enough to make a complete ring windshield 300mm high. Folded in half this rolls round the firebox for storage. Everthing fits in the 1 litre pot except the outer jacket which I had to slit to get it to slide over the pot. final packed size 160mm x 111mm diameter, with room inside for tinder, pot grab etc.
When assembled the top of the pot stand is 210mm above ground.
The whole pot,stove,windshield, outer jacket,grate weighs 200 gram.
With dry wood and ideal conditions it boils 500ml of water in 5 minutes from ignition.
28 gram= 1 oz, 100mm= 4", 1 litre= about 34 English fluid ounces

[Chris Jackson]

Derek, I'd be interested to hear how you find the UL 1 L cookpot? I've been looking for an UL pot that is larger than the Heineken can, but was told that larger beercans are not strong enough. Do you think the pot is robust enough for backpacking? Also, what brand/model of beercan did you use, and where did you obtain it?

[Dan Yeruski]

("Note the flames streaming out of the top holes. That's gasified wood fumes!")

I think what you are seeing is oxygen coming into the stove through the upper holes, not gassified wood fumes.The flow of air is forming a pattern in the rising flames that gives the impression of flames comming from the holes. If gas was comming through the holes it would show a complete circle of flame surrounding the holes(like the flame comming out the jets of an alcohol stove). The gas comming off the burning wood is following the path of least resistance, the large center opening, not the cavity between the walls of the two cans. The gassification is occuring at the bottom of the stove where the wood is. Air is entering at the bottom enableing the wood to burn/gassify. If complete combustion is not attained at the bottom it will combust once it reaches the top where the gasses are mix with incoming air through the top holes.

In your photo you can see the hole on the right is not encircled in flame nor is the one to the rear(top of hole showing a little). Hole on the left has no flame around it at all.

[ke wu]

Hi~Dan, You are absolutely right!
The main component of biomass gasification is carbon monoxide, its moving direction is upward, cannot sink and then comes out from the upper side hole.
Nearly all camping biomass gasification stove should be called hot air assistant combustion stove, I suggested use this kind of word.

[Derek Goffin]

It is fragile but useable. I believe it will survive actual use but might get damaged when packed away. I pack it tightly with other telescoped bits of my wood stove so it is stiffened. If you just packed the pot the top edge which has no rim would be vulnerable. If you had a use for the top of the can you might be able to pack both bits together like I do that would help.
Having no rim it is a problem lifting it off when boiling as a pot gripper does not work. I made one work by weaving a bit of bicycle spoke, in the right place to act as a rim for the gripper to grip.
I got the can imported from Japan from an English importer http://www.MountFugi.co.uk Asahi super dry 2L giant can. I believe there is a Japanese 3l aluminium beer can that we cannot get in England

[Chris Jackson]

Derek, thankyou for the information about the UL pot. Very helpful!

[Tim Marshall]

I just made one of these the other day and found a great way to cut the top off the can.

I used an ordinary hand held can opener designed to cut off the can top. i positioned it so that the cutting edge was just below the can lip against the can body and the gear that propels it was resting on the can top. it made a perfect cut in only 2 passes going slow and pressing soft. then i used scissors to cut the can to the proper dimensions.

I have done it with a razor in the past and found it took a very long time, this was fast and easy!

[mark henley]

I did the same thing, but I took a pair of needle nose pliers and folded over the sharp edge just a touch after cutting, making a nice edge to drink from.

[Adam Kilpatrick]

Dont know if you guys have tupperware in the US, but here in Aus they have a really great can opener that takes the top off and the seam, leaving no sharp edges on either. It may work.

[Tim Marshall]

i made a few of these beer buddies now and i really like them. I've made them out of both fosters and hienie cans and the hienie feels like it will last longer. The other thing i changed was the pat stand/wind screen. I made one like Steve'sY68VB and it worked pretty good, but i made another with no holes around most of it and a few holes and a larger fuel loading hole on one side. this allowed me to add fuel without removing the pot and helped in the wind since it was coming in from all sides.

THESE SURE ARE FUN TO PLAY WITH!!

[Michael Meiser]

So, I built one of these today.

I built it more for fun then to cook with.

I like a campfire. In the summer the smoke keeps the bugs away. It provides light and in the winter warmth.

Thing is I don't like burning large amounts of firewood. It's wasteful and hard to collect.

Since I also do some stealth camping I also can't usually make fires where I'm camping. Even if I can do it descretely I leave behind a fire ring which is pretty hard to hide. This is contrary to leave no trace ethics that I hold in high regard, especially when stealth camping.

I figured with a woodgas stove I can build a fire quickly in a wide variety of conditions and fuel it on very little wood for quite a while.

What finally set me off was Ryan Jordan's post about his Bushbuddy.

http://www.ryanjordan.com/weblog/2007/05/lamentation_of_.html

I won't quote it here but it's a great short read.

Every time I saw a shag bark hickory tree it reminded me of Ryan's post. Shag bark is an amazing fuel source as it burns suprisingly hot and long. It also smells great and is common in SE Michigan.

So, how'd the protype turn out?

Wow… for the most part it's great.

It's amazing how it switches over from smoking to smokeless once the top holes ignight the gasses.

Still my protype while better then expected seems to get clogged up pretty quick. My thinking is that the internal can needs more holes. And upon inspectng the original post I can see a single row or double row of holes around the bottom sides of the internal can. I only have them in the bottom in my protype.

Anything that can get more airflow through the internal can has to be a good thing.

I thought their needed to be a big hole in the bottom for ashes to fall out, but now that I've used it I realize it produces so little ash it would take several hours for the bottom of the outer can to fill enough to obscure the air holes.

In fact the full bottom makes it easy to quick light the stove with a little alchohol, which is my prefered cooking fuel. I use it with a tiny little side jet alchohol stove made out of a aluminum Budweiser bottle based off a Mini Bull Designs stove. Great stove.

I did an initial test boiling water but quickly melted the cylinderical pot support made out of a piece of spare can with lots of holes. I have some heavier aluminum I'll try next, but for me it's not about the cooking.

Am also still a little concerned about crushing the stove in my pannier bag, but it otherwise is extremely light and packs well in spare drawstring sack I had lying around.

Oh, it's suprisingly fairly clean. Sure it produces soot if I were to cook on it, but as I'm not cooking any remenent of soot remains on the inside while the outside remains clean.

All in all I think it's going to be a great tool this winter for camping in the snow and extreme cold.

I am curious if there have been any new improvements on this design or any newer designs… i.e. with a sturdier Hieneken can.

BTW, Thanks for posting!

[Keith Selbo]

I use a wind screen, looks like original poster does too, at least at times. It probably adds about half an ounce to the weight, but performance in the wind improves markedly. Not many people use one though. Extra holes improve performance somewhat, but adding a fan cuts the boil time in half. Depends on whether you want to be fast or light I guess.

[Frank Deland]

Nice job and pictures, Steve.

Using new, but empty paint cans available at Home Depot here is another easy and efficient stove. You do not have to keep adding fuel to keep it going.

http://trailgear.org/

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