DIY Wood Gas Stove

Preparedness For Life

DIY Wood Gas Stove

This is a guest post by TheNatureNurd he blogs at http://thenaturenurd.tumblr.com be sure to follow him if you use Tumblr!

By now as a prepper/outdoorsman/survivalist you have probably come across a “Wood-Gas Stove” of some sort.  Probably the SOLO stove which basically looks like kind of like a coffee can with vents on it and burns sticks.  The concept is simple and so cool (or is it hot?) once I started do some research on how it works.  Stoves like this retail for $59.99 and above, but I can show you how to make a wood gas stove that works for about 6 bucks total in raw materials! 

Materials Needed For A Wood Gas Stove

Lets start first by gathering all of the material you will need for your new wood gas stove.  You can pick up the main body of the stove at a hardware or home store like Home Depot or Lowes for about 3 bucks.  It’s a one quart paint can, empty of course.  You will also need a 5 or 6 oz can of tuna fish and a 19 ounce can of Progresso soup.  You will need gutter wire or as I found at our local Walmart for about a buck, a circular (about 11”) piece of BBQ grill to use on your gas or charcoal grill.  You also need a power drill, some metal drill bits in 3/4”, 3/8”, and a smaller size for pilot holes.  I prefer the cone bits they make life easier, though I started the project with spade bits for drilling wood.  Those bits worked OK, but make it look messy.  When I obtained some cone shaped titanium bits for under 15 bucks at amazon, they made it much better! You may want to keep a can of lubricant such as WD-40 around to lubricate the bits as you drill. If you have access to a Dremmel type tool that is handy as well. You will need a cutting wheel attachment and a grinding/buffing/sanding stone to polish those rough edges.  Grab yourself a Sharpie marker also to mark where you want to make your cuts on the metal. Lastly, pick up some tin snips to cut holes in the metal.

Instructions For DIY Wood Gas Stove

On the paint can itself, turn it upside down and use the Sharpie make 8 dots for vents around the side bottom of the can.  Leave the lid on for now, we will remove it later.  Drill some small pilot holes where the dots are to make it easier to finish with the 3/4” bit.  Slowly, use the 3/4” bit, drill the vent holes adding some WD-40 or similar lubricant as needed to make the bit smoother as it cuts through the metal can.   Use your Dremmel tool now on those vent holes to make them smooth and remove the rough edges to give it a nice finished look.  CLICK HERE TO FINISH READING THIS ARTICLE!