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Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.
The need: a very tiny woodstove suitable for a small space in a home. I received many suggestions after posting an inquiry here last month. Here is the consensus from Cool Tools readers.
The original Very Small Woodstove is the Jotul 602, from Norway. This model is a mere 12 inches wide, 19 inches deep. They are found most often in cottages and cabins in the woods, where the 602’s good looks are a highlight. It’s been around almost forever. Jotul claims over 1 million of these have been manufactured. Waterford and Garden Way produced a near identical stove called the Reginald 101, but it is no longer in production, but available used, as is the Jotul 602. Although very small it can heat amazingly well.
But the tiniest very small woodstoves are those built for boats. These are designed for very tight quarters, and often have a railing on the top to keep pots from rolling off. Here is a typical one from the Canadian coast measuring all of 12 inches by 12 inches. They are made of cast iron and porcelain and are so cute and enchanting, folks have thought of getting a sailboat just so they need one.
The third option for extremely small woodstoves are those manufactured for camping. Sometimes known as wall tent stoves, or pack trail stoves, or ice shack, or even shepherding stoves, these are meant for nomadic or seasonal camps. Like the marine varieties they double as cookstoves. More expensive varieties are produced in titanium, the cleverest are even collapsible, but the cheapest are steel, and they are as plain and basic as camp coffee.
The source for pack trail stoves is Pack Saddle Shop.
Slightly larger– that is small, but not extremely small — home woodstoves can also be found at Lehman’s.
This low-clearance stove sits in a corner of our family room, which is not huge, so I wanted to nestle it in as close to the corner as I could. The big difference between this Morsoe and the previously-reviewed Jotul isn’t the physical dimensions so much as just how close to the walls each stove can be. The Jotul needs to be situated 13 inches off the walls. The clearance for the Morsoe: 7 inches. A significantly smaller space clearance-wise than any other stove I’ve found. When I plotted just how far the Jotul would protrude into my room versus the Morsoe, the difference was dramatic.
In lieu of legs, the stove has panels bolted on either side which run from the floor to the top. Since they are not the same casting as the main body of the stove, the panels do not get incredibly hot. I can have the stovetop at 700 degrees F, and still touch the panels with my hand without getting burned. Air is drawn from beneath the stove up between the panels, and flows up into the room providing most of the heat output.
Aside from the clearance, this is a really nice little stove — easy to start and burns great. I’ve used mine for two seasons now, two to three times a week during the winter months. While the rest of the house is kept around 65 degrees, the family room is 75. The downsides: requires small (10″) wood, and the firebox is somewhat small, so it needs reloading pretty frequently. However, I shouldn’t forget to mention the stove has cool squirrel symbols on the side panels. — Paul Mitchell
We live in a tiny house and love our Dickinson Marine fireplace — it does an excellent job of heating our 105-square-foot space. Watching the flames makes things very cozy on a cold day.
We generally use our fireplace beginning sometime in November through about April, depending on the weather. It uses very little propane; I think it cost us about $40 for heating this past winter. We use the 12v built-in blower when it is particularly cold or when we are trying to heat things up quickly. But forced-air heat blows around dust, which makes me sneeze, and it is a little noisy, too, so I prefer to leave the fan off when it’s not necessary. Without the fan on the heater is very quiet. For our small space and compared with electric space heaters or even central forced-air systems, this little guy takes the cake.
One nice side bonus: When the heater is on, I can place my coffee cup on top next to the flue to keep my coffee warm! — Derek Raedeker
There’s not much new in the art of firemaking, and most methods are a few hundred thousand years old. But in the 21st century, getting a fire started in the fireplace can still be more difficult than it needs to be. Crumpling up inky newspaper as tinder under a full size split log is hit or miss at best, and gathering up sticks as kindling is a pain, especially for city dwellers.
This winter, I’ve solved the problem with the discovery of “fatwood” firestarters: small sections of resin-rich pine (most commonly from the longleaf pine Pinus palustris) produced from stumps. They just work: criss-cross two of them, light them and they will quickly catch and burn long enough to get the big logs going. They work every time. They smell good, they’re inexpensive and they’re sustainable. They come from existing stumps and the Fatwood company plants three trees for every one they use. Start a cozy fire faster with a clear conscience this winter. —Matthew Perks
Portable wood stoves are for tents, tipis, huts or other temporary shelters. More efficient than a campfire, and more powerful than a backpacking stove, they are often used by ranchers, hunters, fisherman, and other trail groups who need to set up a moveable camp. These little guys will heat a large tent/small room, and cook meals. It’s overkill for overnight use, but quickly becomes beloved in cold weather, large groups, or extended summer camps. Once upon a time you needed a pack horse or off-road vehicle to carry one — and the stove pipe it requires. Now there are lightweight versions. The Kifaru, for instance, will fold into a backpack. However the heavier ones will last longer and warp less due to high heat and burn-out of the stove bottom.
The best single source for information, comparison evaluations and ordering various brands and models of these stoves is the Wall Tent Shop. (And yes, they also sell traditional wall tents.) — KK
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