Hints on old wood/coal stove operation.

Recently I purchased an antique L.A. Althoff wood/coal stove, number 37-188, in almost like new condition. Bought it for two reasons, 1. I couldn't pass up the $25 price tag, 2. This stove would be ideal for heating my summer residence work shop. This stove is 12" wide by 24" long with adjustable height legs. Has 3 air supplies, 1 one each side and 1 in the back. It also has an ash shaker. My question is do I operate the shaker with the holes up or the solid side up? I built a small wood fire when I got it home and plugged the smokestack to check for possible leaks in the body. Never got any smoke out of the stove until it come out the door. With the timber industry in my area, slab wood is in quite an abundance, which would be used in the stove.

I have never heated with coal but do have a Nashua wood stove.

Any response would be helpful.
Thanks, Mike

The stove is a kithen heater used when people changed from wood/coal to gas ranges and used to heat the kitchen. The two air inlets at the front are primary and secondary air inlets. the one in back is probably the check damper used to slow the fire on cold windy nights when the wind is blowing.
The bars are called duplex bars. The solid side is for wood and the other is for coal.

I got your price beat!!! I rescued the same type stove from a trip to the scrap yard. The main problem was the rear grate support was broken and they had it propped up with a brick. They burned scrap wood to heat a small storefront. I talked them into letting me have the stove saving them the trouble of hauling to the scrap yard. I replaced the firebrick, made a bracket to bolt the grate support together and put it in my sons 1/2 double house. He has heated his place all winter burning nut coal. The max burn he gets is about 4 hours but the price was right. And if he overfires it and damages it, it was already broken when I got it for free!!!

Decent stove for a small space and it will burn just about anything.

Thanks for the replys. I guess the kitchen stove use would explain the 2 cast iron lids in the top. The estate I purchased this from just uncovered an old wood fired kitchen bake oven and stove. The nephew called me to ask if I was interested in this stove. I said definately. Gonna meet him on fri to haggle price. He also said to bring some bulky guys to help load this, he said it must weigh 1000#.