How to Build a Wood Camp Stove

Back in the day, a camping trip meant building a roaring campfire and keeping it blazing into the night. A tripod was built out of green branches or iron rods, so cooking pots could be suspended over the open fire. No thought was give to the amount of wood that was burned or the smoke that billowed into the sky. Today's wood camp stove is likely to be an "elbow rocket," a stove developed by Dr. Larry Winiarski of Aprovecho Research Center. It was originally developed for use in Central and South America, but its use should be worldwide. This remarkable stove, adapted for camp use in the U.S., uses a very small amount of wood twigs for fuel and a concentrated combustion pipe. It gives off virtually no harmful emissions. Honor the environment, by reading on to learn how to build a wood camp stove.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• One 5 gallon rectangular metal can with lid
• One 2 foot length of stovepipe (4 inches in diameter)
• One stovepipe elbow piece (4 inches in diameter)
• Heavy gloves for working with sharp metal
• One empty tin can, label removed (4 inches in diameter)
• Metal file
• Black marker
• Chisel and hammer
• Tin snips
• Grate to place over top of can
• Paper, twigs, matches, cooking pot

1. Wash and dry your rectangular five gallon can--it must have a tight-fitting lid. Hold the end of the piece of stovepipe against a wide side of the can, about an inch up from the can's bottom. Trace a circle around the pipe's 4-inch opening onto the can's surface with your marker. Put on your gloves. With hammer and chisel, make an indentation around the circle you drew. Using your tin snips, cut the circle out. File down the rough tin edges. Now you're going to work on the crimped end of the stovepipe. Measure up 4 inches from the crimped end, make a circle around the pipe at 4 inches and cut around the pipe with the tin snips. File down the rough edge. Fit the piece of pipe through the hole in the can, with the crimped end inside the can. If needed, trim some metal from the hole in the can so the pipe will fit through it--make sure it's a nice, tight fit. About 2 inches of the pipe piece should emerge from the front of the can.

2. Fit the elbow section of pipe over the crimped edge of pipe that's inside the can. Now measure off a section of straight stovepipe. The length is going to depend on this: the length you will cut is going to fit over the end of the elbow inside the can and come up to about an inch below the top of the can. If that's 5 inches, then measure and cut 5 inches. File down the edges (wear your gloves) and fit the pipe over the end of the elbow. It should stick straight up to about an inch below the can's edge. With the pipe in place, fill the space in the can surrounding the pipe with ashes. This serves as insulation and keeps the heat more focused.

3. If the can's lid has a rim that fits down over the can, remove that rim with the tin snips. File the edge of the lid down. Now trace a circle 4 inches in diameter on the trimmed lid. Use the hammer and chisel to make an indentation around the circle. Using the tin snips, cut out the circle and file down the edges. Push the hole in the lid down over the pipe in the center of the can. This will compress the ashes and add to the insulating effect. Now take the small tin can and make sure both ends are removed from it. Cut down the can's seam with tin snips and spread the can out flat. Measure a 4-inch wide section in the middle of the can, leaving two little tabs on both sides of the 4-inch section (it will look like a fat capital T with a skinny top). Cut the "T" out with tin snips and file down the sharp edges. Insert this metal T into the middle of the bottom hole in the can, with the tabs out. The tabs will keep the "shelf" in place--this holds the fuel (twigs and paper) that feeds the fire.

4. Place the grate over the top of the can. Now you are ready to start the fire. Wad up some paper and place it under the shelf in the bottom hole. Insert a handful of dry twigs into the upper part of hole. Light the paper with a match and watch the fire take off. If it's a bit slow to catch, you can blow on the wadded paper a little. The fire is very concentrated in one place, and, as you can see, it requires a very small amount of fuel. The air coming in the bottom hole causes the combustion to flare upward like a rocket. Try to find a pot or skillet that covers most or all of the top of the can. This will increase the efficiency of the cooking. Keeping a lid on your cooking pot also allows food to cook more quickly.

5. The Elbow Rocket camp stove is easy to make, light to carry, cheap and environmentally sound. It's great for a long weekend or a week of camping. You can easily carry two of these with you to increase your cooking capacity. And best of all, you're using this concentrated cooking method to save our resources and help reduce toxic emissions. Try building one--it's a safe bet you'll be sold on it.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the accompanying diagram if you get lost momentarily while you're constructing your stove.
• Plan your recipes around your stove until you get used to using it--soups and stews are great.
• Keep small children away from this heat source, as from any fire.
• Clean up any metal pieces--they're sharp and dangerous.
• Protect your hands. Use gloves while you're building the stove and oven mitts while you're cooking.
• When finished cooking, make sure your fire is completely out. Douse it and cover it with dirt. Don't touch the stove until it cools down.

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