I am trying to figure out what gauge steel to use for a wood camp stove. I am wondering is 22 gauge steel enough or should I use 16 gauge?

I'm interested in this too.  I thought about getting one of those big amunition boxes from the army surplus and making one out of that.  I think you could open the top and store the stove pipe and legs inside.  I just don't know how it would hold up to the heat.

Anybody have any good suggestions?

ch

I couldn't find the specs on the one I have, but another one sold at Cabelas says the door is 10 ga. and the body is 12 ga.

I've seen everything from a Mailbox to an old pot modified to be a woodstove.  The old .50cal ammoboxes will work, just make sure to remove the rubber gasket seal at the top and burn it outside for a time or two to clear any fumes that may burn off.

Another possible idea I've seen was an old toolbox, that one had removable sections on top for cooking, much like the old stoves.

proceed with caution whatever you decide

I have made a number of stoves.  Heavier guage is better for a more durable stove but you get a much heavier stove to pack in.  I made a stove out of 18 guage steel measuring 8x12x24 and it weighed around 42 pounds including the legs. I really like that stove because you can load it up full, close down the damper and it will burn for hours.  You might even have some hot coals in the morning if you reload the firebox once during the night.  

I made another stove 8x12x18 out of 22 guage steel that weighs around 22 pounds including the legs.  Good stove also but gets dented up after a few pack trips.  I have another one 22 guage that is even smaller around 14" long that weighs even less and is sufficient for a small tent.

I think it's hard to beat the military yukon stove, I got my last one off **** for $50 unused. Plus you can get the fuel burner that goes in them and burn diesel or gas.

John

I have a 10x12 canvas tent that I have used in sub-zero temps with a Three Dog Stove.  I probably should hav gotten a 2 Dog Stove as the 3 Dog can easily get heat up that space and get you to remove any warm clothes you might have on.  Look that one up to get an idea on the specs.

Thanks for all the feedback guys.I have decided to make a barrel stove. I talked to a fellow trad guy at work today and he gave me the idea.He located a few barrels 15$ a piece and you can buy the kit for around 30$.

Hey Jimmy- hurry up and build that thing so the four of us can go huntin!! oh yeah ...finish your canoe too will ya. Still tryin to get the supplies I need to build my wedge tent, mountainman trip this weekend, not takin any food or water- gonna shoot what I eat and boil my water out of the river, if I dont show up for work monday Russ knows where to find me

Look up books by mother earth news. They have a plan in there for using a water heater. I dapted it for using a samll one and it worked great in my wall tent

a good trick in cold weather is to find a rock as heavy as you can carry; and put it on top of the woodstove ( if you can do that safely of course).

My Swedish hunting buddy showed me this trick.

The rock heats up; and then when the fire goes out- the rock heats the tent. It works like a charm !!

That's a great Idea about the rock I am going to definitley give that a try! Thanks Brian

I would use a small barrel (15 gallon) other wise you will take up allot of room in the tent and have to much heat out put. The distance form the canvas is critical. I use a small cast iron box stove and I made a heat deflector to put between the tent fabric and the stove. I pack it in with a pickup so the weight isn't a problem and the mass weight holds heat longer.

One of the best I've seen was made from a butane
bottle (20 lb I think)... cut out one end (be carefull) and placed a loading gate, welded four
screw-in legs (easy to pack) and added stove vent
pipe fitting on top...excellent stove cheap to make....allen

I have a 20gallon barrel that I am going to use.What did you use to make your heat shield Fall Guy?

Found this on the web. Maybe it can be adpated to a smaller barrel:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/matthews78.html

I took 1/2" plywood and covered 1 side with light tin. The stuff they use for making duct work. The plywood is 36"x36" that is hinged in the middle. The plywood was scrap stuff I had laying around.

I am going to make a heat shield tommorow. I finished my stove today it seems to work great.