Honey stove homemade

[FerlasDave]

I like the look of the honey stove but personally I think £35 is waaay to expensive for a bit of .7mm steel cut up into rectangles. Call me stingy if you like

I think maybe it would be easy enough (and alot cheaper) to make a replica using templates from a genuine stove.

Has anyone else thought of this or even done it?

 

[Shewie]

It would be a nice little project but it would take quite a bit of work and time to get it right. There's quite a lot of slots, holes and tongues to cut and file so it won't be easy unless you've got the right tools. They must be laser cut for production as it would be a none starter to try and justify the time and overheads compared to the retail price.

I'm looking at having a go at something similar on a larger scale but with the same assembly method, something in between the honey and a nimblewell stove. Got a nice big 600x600mm sheet of 0.9mm shiney stainless sat here waiting, £15 from the local Metal Supermarket.

 

[chas brookes]

Hi
I have a honey stove and would happily pay the new price.
It is made of stainless steel and is very versatile being able to be set up in various combinations.
Lets break down the price a little
Okay you may have a ready source of stainless steel sheet and access to a laser cutter but if you do not it works out at at least a days work.
First breaking lots of dremel or hacksaw blades trying to cut the stainless steel, cut fingers a possibility, and getting each piece to fit correctly.
Having played around making hobo stoves out of various pots etc the £35 price for stove, compared to a days work several broken drill bits etc I think I would prefer to pay the price for an excelent product and take a day out in the woods using it rather than cursing in the shed.
Do not get me wrong I am the first to try and save money and make some of my own kit but the Honey Stove is not one I am equiped to attempt
Try this link to some info on other wood stoves and templates,

http://www.nimblewillnomad.com/stove.htm

http://zenstoves.net/LinksGeneral-DIY.htm#WoodBurningStoves

there are lots of posts about making your own stoves on the forum do a search

 

[Urban_Dreamer]

I like the look of the honey stove but personally I think £35 is waaay to expensive for a bit of .7mm steel cut up into rectangles. ...
Has anyone else thought of this or even done it?

Well I and others have done so in the past. However I think that the £35 is a fair price. Sure you don't need a laser cutter and if you have access to cheap materials you can make something as effective cheaper. The problem is that it doesn't quite work out that way.

What happens is that you spend a large amount making more than one until you are happy.

Anyway, here is a link to the thread that I posted my example upon.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36925

Ps don't underestimate the cost of ware and tare upon your tools. I wiped out at least one drill bit and had to buy diamond coated cutting wheels to cut slots. So £10 in tooling in addition to materials. It can be done cheaper, if your are happy with functional but ugly. Slots produced by using a chisel to stamp through then grinding the ridge off the other side to make a slot. UGH, but it is the original instructions.

 

[The Cumbrian]

Davey,

Unless you have the correct drill bits and cutting discs ( or lots of incorrect ones ) and the knowledge of how to work stainless steel, it'll end up costing you as much or more.
It's especially annoying when you inadvertantly heat treat it.

Cheers, Michael.

 

[durulz]

Don't let the nay-sayers put you off.
It's not exactly difficult to make - anyone who can't cut in a striaght line must be a bit of a biff. Yes, it does take time and cutting stainless steel is a right pain, but all you are doing is cutting squares with slots. Hardly difficult.
That said, £35 for a Honey Stove is an extremely good price. If they'd been around when I made mine, I would have been sorely tempted.
As for cost. Well, I got the stainless steel free (i went to a local sheet metal workers and asked for some. I was happy to pay for it, but when they saw how much I needed they gave me some offcuts for free!). You will get through a LOT of Dremel discs. Don't underestimate how many you will use. You will also need earplugs and a face mask. I would say mine cost me about £15 to make.
Yes, it took time. But you can't value you own labour at a cost. And anyway, making one yourself is its own reward.
A good idea is to make one in card first. I found the original Nimblewill plans slightly too small. I added about an inch in height and maybe 2 or 3 inches in width and depth. So, make one in card first, and see how big you want it. When you have the templates the size you want them transpose them to the metal and off you go.
It's INCREDIBLY easy to make. And satisfying. And much cheaper. But it is noisy, dirty and takes a while.
I'm glad I made my own. In truth, not sure I'd so it again (but then, I don't need to). But I would also recommend anyone to make one for themself rather than buy, but just make sure you get the dimensions right first time.

 

[Asa Samuel]

I would've enjoyed making my own but I simply don't have the tools to do it, that and he fact I got my honey stove for my birthday

 

[FerlasDave]

Don't let the nay-sayers put you off.
It's not exactly difficult to make - anyone who can't cut in a striaght line must be a bit of a biff. Yes, it does take time and cutting stainless steel is a right pain, but all you are doing is cutting squares with slots. Hardly difficult.
That said, £35 for a Honey Stove is an extremely good price. If they'd been around when I made mine, I would have been sorely tempted.
As for cost. Well, I got the stainless steel free (i went to a local sheet metal workers and asked for some. I was happy to pay for it, but when they saw how much I needed they gave me some offcuts for free!). You will get through a LOT of Dremel discs. Don't underestimate how many you will use. You will also need earplugs and a face mask. I would say mine cost me about £15 to make.
Yes, it took time. But you can't value you own labour at a cost. And anyway, making one yourself is its own reward.
A good idea is to make one in card first. I found the original Nimblewill plans slightly too small. I added about an inch in height and maybe 2 or 3 inches in width and depth. So, make one in card first, and see how big you want it. When you have the templates the size you want them transpose them to the metal and off you go.
It's INCREDIBLY easy to make. And satisfying. And much cheaper. But it is noisy, dirty and takes a while.
I'm glad I made my own. In truth, not sure I'd so it again (but then, I don't need to). But I would also recommend anyone to make one for themself rather than buy, but just make sure you get the dimensions right first time.

Well the old mans got about 12 drills, various cutting devices, sanders, saws, spanners, 5 toolboxes stacked up with nothing but files and a few sheets of steel in his old workshop in the garden. Im sure some free materials and some time to have a go wouldnt be too much of a bother, and like he always says you cant break the right tool for the job. Ill give it a go and see what happens try my own take on a honey stove and if it doesnt work then its just something else for me to buy with the christmas money Ill be getting in 2 weeks. I will deffinately have a go with card though, it seems a good idea to see if it can work and looks right, cheers.

 

[The Cumbrian]

That's the spirit Davey.

When you're drilling the holes, centre punch them very carefully, then use a pilot drill. Go up to the hole size that you want in increments, using sharp drill bits. Drill in short bursts, not continuously, allowing the heat to dissipate before you drill again.
When using the cutting discs, have several areas marked out and "score" along them many times, allowing the heat to dissipate before returning to it. Don't try to cut through all at once.
It takes more time, but prevents the metal getting overheated and going diamond hard. That's when stainless becomes a real bugger to work with.

All the best, Michael.

 

[FerlasDave]

That's the spirit Davey.

When you're drilling the holes, centre punch them very carefully, then use a pilot drill. Go up to the hole size that you want in increments, using sharp drill bits. Drill in short bursts, not continuously, allowing the heat to dissipate before you drill again.
When using the cutting discs, have several areas marked out and "score" along them many times, allowing the heat to dissipate before returning to it. Don't try to cut through all at once.
It takes more time, but prevents the metal getting overheated and going diamond hard. That's when stainless becomes a real bugger to work with.

All the best, Michael.

Thanks for those tips michael Ill keep them in mind!

 

[FGYT]

if you can draw it on paper and stick that on with prit stick toeh stainless its a PITA t scribe and the paper will stop tehj center punch wandering etc

easy for me i can draw in cad print off full size stick on and cut/Grind to line

hardest bit is going ot be cutting the slots and tabs a saw will probbalt tear and bend the steel as its thin cut hte slot i na tab first befor trimming it down so its supported by more metal cutting the slot

best bet is 1mm Stainless slitting discs in an angle grinder

ATB

Duncan

 

[scubapauly]

Is the Nimblewill doable witha Dremel?

 

[Urban_Dreamer]

Unless you have the correct drill bits and cutting discs ( or lots of incorrect ones ) and the knowledge of how to work stainless steel, it'll end up costing you as much or more.
It's especially annoying when you inadvertantly heat treat it.

I suspect that you mean work harden it. The readily available stainless does not heat treat, but does work harden very easily*. The trick is to be fairly aggressive with it when cutting. Use sharp drill bits, oil, low speeds on the drill but high pressure. If possible use shears to cut the edges (not on 0.9mm unless you are Popeye).

Of course you don't need to worry as much if you are grinding rather than cutting. A Diamond slot cutter/ screw doctor disk is WELL worth the money.

Making something yourself can be it's own reward, but I'm not sure about the concept of saving money this way.

*You can also have the reverse of course where you overheat the tool and destroy it's hardness.

 

[durulz]

Is the Nimblewill doable witha Dremel?

Yes. I did it.
Mind you, mine is a mains-powered one, not battery.
The tool coped with it well enough. But I got through a fair few 38mm discs.

 

[spoony]

I think Bob has a patent on these stoves, And i know he put a lot of time and hard work into designing these stoves and getting them right. £35 is not a bad price, these are precision laser cut, support Bob and buy one

 

[gsfgaz]

i all ready have ,and love it it's a great wee stove

 

[spandit]

I agree it does looks like a lot of money for a simple device, but as has been mentioned, not as simple to manufacture as one might have hoped. Wouldn't a hobo stove be just as good?

 

[Jinsin456]

I was soooo close to making a titanium one but couldn't 'source' the material from work as it is extremely well checked for traceability reasons, might buy somea as I basically have unlimited access to carbide tipped drills and an endless supply of cutting discs, if I had a compressor at home I would be making them all the time I had a conversation with jag009 and we decided that the sides would be simple to make, couple of holes with slots cut to the holes and the top doesn't have to have that pattern just a selection of drilled holes in a pattern really.

Might make one yet but if I do it will definitely be a ti-stove, for all the ultralight nuts

 

[Neumo]

I am with the 'Love Bob, Love his Honey' camp, as they are good stoves. I have use mine hundreds of times sine I got it from 4 sides + a coke can stove through to a full barbie on the beach with the hive extension. Good value & they guy has to earn a living. Not the lightyest but I always smile when I am setting it up & tat has to count for something.

That said I saw a guy at one of our local meets with a 4 sided stove, made out some sheet steel & riveted hinges, that folds flat. A few holes in the sides, a couple of tent pegs to hold the small grill that the wood burns on & off you go. That could be a stove for a £5 if you have the tools. The honey is quite a bit more sophisticated though.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

Showed my honey stove to a mate the other week and he reckons the water jet cutter they have at work could do it.