I recently stumbled across your great little forum and thought I'd share my stoves with you.

The design is not classic rocket stove but includes elements of it. It's a horizontal front load, batch fed, mass stove with cook top. Now on it's 5th winter and going strong. ;D

With bypass flap open it can even be used as a classic open fire

The initial construction: I changed the top after the first trial - rising it another 3 inches and moved the bypass flap to the right hand side.

Two years ago I built another one for a friend who is a carpenter, and in return he made me a set of reusable wooden moulds to cast the refractory core in pieces that slot together. It was going to be tiled but hasn't happened so far. The door and ashbox (bottom right hand side end) has yet to be made - for a door he's still using the metal plate held up by a brick that I used for the first few years.

Top View (without metal top on): Firebox throat / riser on right, bypass flap opening to chimney in centre (flap not installed), contraflow down channel on left drops down below firebox level and travels around anti-clockwise under four bell chambers before exiting up the chimney (centre).

Thanks, that's a nice change from the usual blank expressions I get from most visitors when I try to explain how it works The dimensions are: Outside size inc metal: Length 40-1/2" X Width 22-1/2" Height 33-1/2" Firebox: Width 12" X Height 12" X Depth 15-1/2" I dont have a flue thermometer so I'm not sure of the flue temps, though I can touch it for about a second without burning my hand even at the hottest part of the burn cycle, and it's single skin stainless pipe. The purple tempering colours you can see on it are from when the bypass flap is open for lighting and the flames sometimes go up it. I played with various designs on paper over several years before I settled on this. I wanted something efficient, that I could cook on, use as an open fire if I wanted, build in my cabin without major under floor work and not look out of place. The metal acts as its second skin, allowing it to expand and contract while helping hold it all together. I initially wanted to use copper sheet on the sides and back but couldn't afford it at the time - shame, as I still think polished copper would really look great on it. The materials list I kept when I built it came out as:

*************************************************** 101 Standard Firebricks 35 Old Red Bricks 1 Sack Castable Refractory Cement 3 Sacks Fireclay Steel: Plate steel: for top 1015mm x 545mm (5mm) for sides 2 @ 21 1/4" x 33" (3mm) for back 39 1/2" x 33" (3mm) Angle iron (40mm x 5mm): for top 2 @ 40 1/2" & 2 @ 22" for vertical sides 4 @ 32" Plus Door, Ash pan, damper flap etc. ***************************************************** The door glass is an 8" Pyrex oven casserole dish lid. Here's a couple of better daylight pics from today.