Another wood burning trail stove

[Eric_Methven]

This one is made from recycled material.

Here's how it comes out of my pack.

The main parts. On the left is an old stainless steel cutlery drainer with a wee hole cut in the side so I can feed it with fuel. On the right is a stainless steel tea caddy. I removed the metal knob and replaced it with a wooden one.

Here's what lives inside the tea caddy. A handle made from a coat hanger, a folding plastic cup, a KFS set and two old steel tent pegs.

The tent pegs slip through the holes. They can be adjusted to any height.

Then the pot just sits on top and it's just a matter of waiting for it to boil for a nice brew up.

Here's me setting it away. I'm using a ferrocerum rod and the back of an Opinel No8 to get a spark onto some birchbark. The birchbark is set on a leaf so I can feed it straight into the stove.

Once it's going, you can feed it small twigs, bits of stick, dry grass, pine cones and if all else fails and you can't find dry fuel, a bag of corn chips burns very well.
This size caddy will hold a British army MRE main meal, and have enough hot water left over once it's heated through to make a large cup of earl grey.

Eric

 

[peds8045]

Nice outfit Eric , I sometimes find myself in shops trying to figure out which bit of kichen ware could be modified to make things like this. I guess i should try harder.

Do these cookers manage to stay lit long enough to boil a full kettle or does the flame tend to petre out?

 

[topknot]

I do like your ideal on recycled, looks good.
Topknot.

 

[andy_e]

I made myself one of these the other week from a Woolies drainer and an Asda sugar tin - not had a chance to try it out yet, so it's good to see it in action. Cheers.

 

[Eric_Methven]

Do these cookers manage to stay lit long enough to boil a full kettle or does the flame tend to petre out?

I found the secret is to pile it high with kindling and let it burn down to a hot bed of coals before putting the pan on. With a good base of hot coals, it will boil the pan with just the addition of the odd twig now and then.

Eric

 

[robin wood]

Cool Eric,

Good post, just what this site is good for it makes me want to go out and make one myself.

 

[SimonM]

I made one of those a few months ago - I made a bit of a hash at cutting the main hole tho and will be making another soon. Hopefully I learnt some lessons first time round and won't repeat the my mistakes!

I agree with eric, the best technique is to pile it up with kindling and then let it burn down before putting the billy on. Just feeding it as needed once you start cooking.

The picture shows me drying out some wood ready for the next brew!

Simon

 

[rancid badger]

A neater little stove you could hardly knock up.
I was present at the inaugural ignition and can confirm that it works a treat!
It was quite damp that day as well as chilly but as Eric says; once the twigs had burned down to coals it was excellent.

I was eyeing up some very similar drainer/container thingy's in ikea the other week, £2.50 each.I was tempted to snaffle a couple but was distracted by some other shiney things so ended up with a pack of light bulbs, and a desk lamp!......mutter...mutter..buggrit...mutter.

Never mind

R.B.

 

[tyfy]

I saw the same Ikea cutlery drainer in Woolworths at the weekend when looking for something to use as a billy to go with it.

 

[ForestNH/VT]

For those of you who make and use these, how long does it take to cool down for re-packing? How do you pack them to prevent soot from getting all over?

Thanks
Forest

 

[Eric_Methven]

For those of you who make and use these, how long does it take to cool down for re-packing? How do you pack them to prevent soot from getting all over?

Thanks
Forest

Let's put it this way, by the time you've drank your cup of tea, it'll be cool enough to pack away (provided you poured some water on the hot coals as soon as you were finished cooking with it.)
To stop the soot from getting on everything, make a small bag for it out of some old cloth, or the leg of a pair of jeans or something similar.

Eric

 

[Nibe]

Maybe a stupid question but what is the main difference between a stove like this and a small fire? Is this allowed when a open fire isn’t?

 

[ForestNH/VT]

Thanks Eric!

Must try and make one of these. Need to try and source some materials here in the States. I like the clean and durable simplicity of yours. Well done!

Forest

 

[Eric_Methven]

Maybe a stupid question but what is the main difference between a stove like this and a small fire? Is this allowed when a open fire isn’t?

Not so much a case of when an open fire isn't allowed, rather when an open fire isn't convenient, for safety or ecological reasons.

Basically it's easier to maintain and clear away afterwards than an open fire (assuming you are doing it properly by extinguishing it, wetting down the ashes and scattering them then making your fire site look like you've never been there).

I've also used it on a picnic table in a frey bentos pie tin stood on two bricks. It kept it well clear of the picnic table but convenient to use for a picnic cuppa. If you pick up fuel as you go, or burn a packet of cheap corn chips from Lidl you can have a full rolling boil just as quick if not quicker than a trangia or butaine gas stove. Just never a shortage of fuel, it doesn't cost anything for fuel and you don't have to carry it in with you.

You get some weird looks from regular picnickers, but that's not a problem (for me at least) and it has started the odd interesting conversation from time to time. I've only had a Ranger check me out on two occasions, but when they saw what I was using, and when I explained what it was and how it worked they were fine with it. If I'd lit a fire, I'd have not only been told to put it out, I may also have been prosecuted.

Eric

 

[StJon]

Breaking News UK shortage of stainless steel cutlery drainers. Only kidding, I'm an other one who will be having a go,
jon

 

[Chainsaw]

Spooky!

This was an IKEA drainer and a small tin from Morrisons, coat hanger handle and pegs which aren't there.. Where the heck are they...?! No knob on the lid but turned a wee one out of some holly then simply screwed through the lid into the knob. (really hard to resist some knob/size jokes... ) It lives in a pouch made from a sewn up leg of a pair of moleskins that have shrunk since I got them 20 years ago....

Really effective wee stove and I find it burns the fuel down to almost nothing.

Cheers,

Alan

 

[ol smokey]

Nice one Eric, I made a similar one some time ago, but was just shown an improvement
that Andy E had made to his and I have copied it.
He had put four bolts into the bottom of the stove at the corner holes, and this raised the
stove about an inch off the ground. This lets the air in under the burn area and greatly improves the combustion , It does make the stove a fraction less stable, and longer in your pack if you leave the legs on. But I feel that the improvement in the burn time is well worth it. I used 8mm bolts and put a nut on above and below the base of the stove, thus
making the legs permanent. Woodsmoke had used larger bolts and just screwed them in and out of the base as required. I think the bolts on his just made their own thread on the base.

 

[cakey]

if you have a liveventure cookset 14 the smallest of the containers actually have a small lip on them and sit snuggly on top of the ikea drainers so no need for tent pegs

and is ample size for a brew or soup etc

i have just found my drainer in the kitchen , muuuhhaaarrr no where did i put that hack saw ...

and ive just discovered that a round veg drainins spoon with the handle cut off fits snuggly in side so able to keep the airflow constaint and with nuts n bolts heat ajustable! the wifes going mental too

 

[andy_e]

Nice one Eric, I made a similar one some time ago, but was just shown an improvement
that Andy E had made to his and I have copied it.
He had put four bolts into the bottom of the stove at the corner holes, and this raised the
stove about an inch off the ground. This lets the air in under the burn area and greatly improves the combustion , It does make the stove a fraction less stable, and longer in your pack if you leave the legs on. But I feel that the improvement in the burn time is well worth it. I used 8mm bolts and put a nut on above and below the base of the stove, thus
making the legs permanent. Woodsmoke had used larger bolts and just screwed them in and out of the base as required. I think the bolts on his just made their own thread on the base.

Can't take credit, I "borrowed" the bolts idea from mentalnurse

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28040

 

[fred gordon]

The IKEA profits must be up this year having sold all those cutlery drainers! Nice one Eric, simply a good stove.