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Old 08-21-2011, 02:12 PM   #1
wtd
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

I did this. I was working at a place with lotsa scrap lumber that just got thrown in the dumpster and thought it was quite a waste - and I'm pretty cheap so I started looking at woodstoves and finally foound the "tent stoves" you mention.
There are a few sites that actually show you how to make them out of just about everything from toolboxes to buckets. Didn't look too hard.

I'd run across an old broken microwave that somebody'd thrown off in the desert and it was perfect for a tent stove. The "firebox" or actual oven part is suspended a couple of inches inside the outer case. I grabbed it, cut a hole in the top and got some stovepipe from the hardware store, took all the electronics out, replaced the glass window in the door with metal (salvaged from a washing machine, cut a vent in the front, fashioned a sliding door over it for an air inlet. put a cookie sheet on two bricks inside and fired it up out in the yard. Worked fine - after about and hour of burning the outer case was still "touchable", so not hot enough to hurt anything. Draft was good.

Made a metal panel to go over the window from the front of an old washing machine, put it over the window, mounted the stove on legs so it would line up with the window. This was on top of a cabinet, so the legs were only a coupla inches tall. Set the stove in place, put the metal panel in place with some sheetmetal screws and weatherstripping, elbowed out of the stove and cut a piece of pipe to reach the metal panel. Once everything was setup, I cut a hole in the metal panel, ran the the pipe over to just meet the panel, made some clips to hold the pipe lined up with the hole in the panel.

Made up a removeable stack with an elbow and a single length of pipe for the outside.
To use the stove, take out the top two screws, pull the metal panel back and slide the window down. Attach the stack on the outside. Light the stove.

Putting it out quickly is pretty simple. pour some water on the fire, take the cookie sheet outside and flood the coals, toss the ashes. Remove the stack, slide up the window from the outside.

I burned everything I could find in it that wasn't treated. It worked good, but I couldn't put enough fuel in it to last all night. About 4 hours was all I could get outta one load.

It's easy to put in and take out, taking it out is as removing the panel on the window and detaching it from however you've mounted it. Also quite light, about 20 pounds, so a little less hazard with flying cast iron if you have an "in tranit untoward event". Also simplifies the mounting method. I fashioned up a bracket that slides into the raingutter to give the stack some support, as the wind out here often gusts to 50 or so.

I didn't put it in this year simply because I've run out of free fuel - I've burned every abandoned couch, chair and stick of construction debris I could find out here.

It would heat my entire bus about 70 dfegrees about the outside temperature, and I haven't got a gonzo insulation job here.

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Old 08-22-2011, 09:27 PM   #2
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

I bought a tent stove from Cabelas. It was half price, which was still $75, but it came with the damper and about 10 feet of stove pipe. It is designed to be collapsible, but I did a permanent install in my bus, Buscephus. It heats Buscephus very well, easily reaching 80 degrees when it's bitterly cold outside. But I also have problems with keeping it going all night. If I load it too full before going to bed, the stove walls and pipe glow red hot, and I don't like that one bit, considering the entire inside of my bus is knotty pine.
I've tried soaking my firewood in rubbing alcohol to see if it would give off a slow burn that would last through the night, but that doesn't work. So I just wake up every couple hours and rebuild a fire when I'm winter camping. It's a burden, but then again, I used to camp in 0 degree weather in just a tent and sleeping bag. It's worth having the stove.
I am in the process of restoring a 1987 Layton travel trailer that a coworker GAVE ME for free. I plan to put a wood burner in it, too, but I made my wood stove this time, rather than buy it. I found a large metal mailbox that washed up in our creek. It was in perfect shape. I made a draft control on the front door and cut a hole in the side for the 5" pipe. I did a test burn outside last winter and it had an excellent draft. Now I just need to find some legs and then install it in the camper.
And one other thing. I found that a thick, seasoned piece of oak will heat Buscephus the longest without getting the stove and pipe too hot. I have considered buying the artificial logs at the store that burn 3-4 hours, then putting a couple in the stove before I go to sleep. Maybe this winter. You can see a picture or two of my stove installation by clicking my link below my signature.

Good luck,

Adam
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Old 08-23-2011, 09:27 AM   #3
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by arfisher83
... You can see a picture or two of my stove installation by clicking my link below my signature.

Good luck,

Adam
Hey Adam, I didn't know you were still posting here! I just want to say your bus was one of my early inspirations! Love it!
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Old 08-23-2011, 09:31 PM   #4
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

Yep, I'm still here. Not very often, though. And thank you! I'm glad Buscephus was inspirational!

Take care,

Adam
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Old 01-01-2012, 08:16 PM   #5
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

Not sure if youre still looking for posts but... I have done this in myBluebird conversion. I run a small handmade stove from a guy here in Maine. I paid $100 forit and it does well. I ran a per meant pipe through ceiling. I do remove it during the summer months. I can send pics if you are interested.
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Old 01-02-2012, 06:26 AM   #6
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

Just go buy one of those old trash burners that are about a foot wide and counter top height.. They are also a surface to put stuff on when not in use... Thats what i put in mine. (Paid $5.00 for it at a farm sale )
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Old 01-02-2012, 12:19 PM   #7
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

I got one of those, though it's a wood/coal stove, not a trash burner. As I understand, they were primarily a stove for heating laundry water, back in the good old days of washboards and laundry tubs.

I cut mine down to about 2 feet tall, cute stove, haven't installed it yet. The cast iron cook-top pieces would need to be secured for travel.
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Old 01-02-2012, 03:51 PM   #8
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

Chev49 & Bus-bro, do you guys have pictures or image links to the kind of stove you're talking about?
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Old 01-02-2012, 04:30 PM   #9
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

Alas, I can only describe it at the moment.

The thing is as chev49 said. About a foot wide, 24" deep & 36" high, so it fits in with a standard kitchen counter. Mine has/had an outer shell of white enameled steel, and a cast iron cooktop, just like a cook stove. On some the fire box is all sheet metal, and would probably be full of holes, mine has some cast iron parts in the firebox, an appeared to be lightly used. Calling it a laundry stove might not be right, but that's what an oldtimer called it.

I cut the bottom metal off to lower the stove, the firebox and ash drawer are in the top part. That project is on hold because I'm nowhere near the stage of installing a wood stove--yet.
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Old 01-02-2012, 08:03 PM   #10
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by TygerCub
Chev49 & Bus-bro, do you guys have pictures or image links to the kind of stove you're talking about?
I got curious and went digging. Pretty cool item.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dl ... 311154408+
http://denver.craigslist.org/atq/2763993994.html
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Old 01-02-2012, 08:45 PM   #11
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

That first link that SeanF posted is close to what I have. Though the price I paid was much closer to $ 0.00.
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Old 01-03-2012, 04:54 AM   #12
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

i will look for a picture.. but in the meantime, they do have cast iron fireboxes, as described in an earlier post, and also have round wood stove inserts of cast iron in the top, which take a wood stove tool to remove them...they always need all gaskets replaced as the top of the stove has one, among other things.. and the only really tinny part is the sheet metal riser on the bottom that can rust out. Everyone around here in oregon where i lived called them trash burners, as it was what you burned the papers, etc in the kitchen...(like the real wax paper before all this plastic stuff)
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Old 01-07-2012, 11:17 AM   #13
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Re: To those of you with a wood stove in your bus ...

first ebay picture is exactly right. and as far as driving with a stove... everything should be bolted down securely... if you don't believe that, just look at some of the crash pictures of the s&s motorhomes. Not only that, metal or heavy wood supports behind driver or where passenger sits while moving is a good idea.
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Old 10-15-2019, 08:35 PM   #14
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Wondering what you found to be comfortable clearances for you trash burners and flue type/length. About to install my 20 dollar stove and 400 chimney
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Old 10-17-2019, 09:25 PM   #15
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No wood stove or roof rack for me. Those were two questions on the questionnaire from the insurance company and I checked off no. I'd rather have insurance than warmth.
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