Re-constructed fire box design

And more pics

And more

Your by-pass baffle not only will prevent smoke spillage during reloading, it will increase efficiency as it creates a longer path before the heat leaves the appliance.

I like the looks of your grates. I made mine of rebar as well, and used 3/4" sucker rod for the axles. They held up extremely well for one season. Looked brand new after 6 months of continuous burning. I think the air coming up from below actually keeps them cooler that you think. I made a jig to weld the rebar to the axles, thinking I may have to make several sets each year. Looks like they will last 5 years or more though. Glad I did not spend the money on Harman cast iron grates.

Looks like this is the third set of grates you're trying. Pretty ambitious. Great work.

steinkebunch,
I actually stole this off of your design. I didn't make the trusses that you have, but everything else is pretty much the same. I haven't tested the stove out yet to see how it burns, but hopefully it will do a good job. I'm waiting until it gets really cold out to fire it up. I've been using my Stratford SC75 which heats the upstairs nicely and a Harman Mark III for the downstairs. I'm going to switch over to the furnace when the temps. really start dropping and use the stratford for supplemental heat only. I'm just hoping that I don't burn through the coal all that fast. The inside dimensions of the firebox is 27" long X 14" wide and 9" high. I'm not sure how many pounds of coal that it will take to fill it, but I'm thinking at least a couple hundred. Anybody know approximately how many btu's this will throw off?

Looks like this is the third set of grates you're trying. Pretty ambitious. Great work.[/quote]

I'm just trying to find the best grate system that burns my coal the best along with emptying all of the clinkers, rocks and ash with less effort. I'm hoping that this will be the final design!