Barrel Stove Kit

For a number of years prefabricated barrel stove kits have been available, predominantly in the northern states of America and Canada. They are designed to let the average household handyman convert an oil drum into an effective space heater for a workshop or garage space.

The barrel stove kits typically have some main parts included:

  • A stand for the barrel body
  • A cast iron hinged door for loading fuel
  • A flange joint to attach stove pipe to the barrel body
  • Screws etc... for fastening together
This Lehman's stove kit is typical - simple construction and if the barrel ever burns out you can use the parts on a new one.

The barrel itself, stove pipe and stove pipe fittings and parts to ensure safe egress of the stove-pipe through the roof of the building would be bought or acquired locally.

Update - Oct 2012

I have one of these on order and will assemble and test it out over the next few months. Look out for detailed assembly instructions, videos etc... over the next few weeks.

If you want to be updated as I progress please sign up for our newsletter using the form on the right!

Ease of Barrel Stove Kit Assembly

One of the attractions of this homemade wood stove is that they can be assembled in as little as half an hour and require little in the way of skills, experience or equipment to produce a functioning (if inefficient and smoky) wood stove.

The stove itself throws out a huge amount of heat - far more than you would ever want in the sitting room of your home - but suitable for heating a drafty workshop in the depths of winter. Once the fire is going large amounts of fuel can be loaded at once and the dampers turned down to restrict the burn.

NB: this is NOT recommended - fires with restricted oxygen smoulder and produce excessive smoke, heavy creosote deposits, and burn really inefficiently. Small, hot fires are more environmentally friendly and won't bring the wrath of the neighbours down on you, although they do need more care and attention.

Safety precautions

These barrel stoves get phenomenally hot - when going flat out the metal surfaces can glow cherry red and the heat radiates in all directions - behind and beneath the stove as well as into the room. They present as serious fire hazard as anything flammable within meters of it will be exposed to extreme heat.

All wood stoves need to be installed on a fire proof (concrete/brick etc... ) pad, but these also need large clearances around them in all directions.

A layer of sand, or fire bricks, in the base of the drum will support the fire and go some way towards reducing the heat directed towards the floor.

Barrel Stove Kit Prices

These kits provide an affordable way to purchase and build a simple yet effective wood stove. The kits themselves come it at under $100 but you would probably need to allow another $150 for the parts needed locally (stove pipe especially can be expensive).

Barrel Stove Kit Suppliers

A few companies supply these kits in the US (they may ship over seas).

Vogelzang offer a two kits - a basic single barrel wood stove and an extension called a 'smoke chamber' that boosts efficiency and uses a second barrel.

Used a barrel stove kit and have story to tell?

If you have used one of these barrel stove kits and want to share your experience you can tell us all about it, even up load photos to go with it.

What Other Visitors Have Said

To see barrel kit stoves built by other readers; explore the links below.

Electric Company Couldn't figure it out! 
Back in the late 70's I purchased a 2-barrel kit from SOTZ,I set it up in my basement in Indiana, it was a L-shaped Ranch. I dropped down my forced air …

Barrel Stoves 
"These barrel stoves get phenomenally hot - when going flat out the metal surfaces can glow cherry red and the heat radiates in all directions - behind …

My Barrel Stove - some more pictures 
I've added a few more pictures for you guys to see thanks Dwayne Thanks Dwayne, I've linked this to your earlier post so people …

I heat my 1800 sq. foot home with a barrel stove 
No story... lol it works better than a cast iron stove I had. I clean the chimney and pipe every 3 weeks. It does eat wood too;we get about a 10 hour …

double barrel inside barrel woodstove 
30 gallon barrel inside a 50 gallon barrel. Air circulates around 30 gallon with squirrel cage fan located on bottom. Two outlets on top to hook up to …

High efficiency barrel stove 
This plan requires a 55 gal and a 30 gal barrel, both with removable lids and snap ring closures, and some welding. (You can probably bolt the pieces …

Hydronic barrel stove 
I need to build or buy a hydronic kit for heating water in my barrel stove

Sotz Barrel Stove Kit 
Many years ago I built a double barrel stove using a kit manufactured by SOTZ. My understanding is they are no longer in business. This kit was not as …

Barrel Stoves in a war zone 
Croatia, 1994, Knin One of the outposts has a barrel stove...and it was a life saver. Much needed warmth, and a sense of security after a long patrol …

How to buy a stove kit in the UK. 
I wish to find a company that will ship a barrel stove kit to England, as I wish to build one, and as far as I know, no stores stock them? so help please …

barrel woodstove Not rated yet
I had one of these years ago. they do get hot but I put a small baking oven on top of the double barrel for extra heat extraction. running it on low with …

Chimney sweep with lots of experience of barrel stoves Not rated yet
I am a chimney sweep and have lots of experience w/ barrel stoves- from a functional standpoint, they are simple, reliable, and offer the most bang for …

Huhtsville Canuck !940's Not rated yet
Glad to finally track down this old idea for a furnace. We used one in the 1940's and 1950's to heat our house It was my dad's place and he never had …

garage woodburner Not rated yet
Got a double in my garage. Had it 92° in my garage, on new years eve in Chicago.

barrel stove additions.  Not rated yet
I have spent many months in Alaska when I was guiding hunters and dealt with barrel stoves but never made mental notes about the many modifications I had …

Barrel Stove - It burns everything and is HOT Not rated yet
Had a barrel stove in my workshop years ago. I inherited from someone else that no longer needed it. Was made from an old style iron ringed drum from WWII …

Barrel Stove Kits & Heat Shields Not rated yet
I have built several drum stove over the years but not with these kits. The ones I made were from the Sotz kits. They were truly air tight units and I …

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