Rugged enough for the Shop - Attractive enough for the Home!
605-925-7056 801-828-7884 (Verizon) Kirby34@goldenwest.net 28258 441 Ave., Freeman, SD 57029
A BURNING IDEA
When the energy crunch hit in the late 70's, dozens of enthusiasts scrambled to become wood stove manufacturers. At first anything with a door and an ashtray with a smoke stack on top seemed to sell. Then came the emphasis on efficiency and new ideas such as the catalytic and airtight units became the rage. As the market shrunk with decreasing oil prices and an over-supplied market, there was a big sort-out in which many of the smaller wood stove manufacturers either disappeared or went into bankruptcy.
There are still plenty of good wood stoves on the market. Most are manufactured by large, well-established firms which have proved the quality of their product and which had enough backing to survive the shake-out that occurred in the industry. Some small stove manufactures are still working, having survived the crunch by producing a quality product that has proved its worth over the years. One of these is the Sedore wood stove manufactured by Ernest Sedore in the village of Mount Albert, Ont.
ERNEST, THE INVENTOR
Even before you see the Sedore wood stove, you become sold on Ernest himself. A vigorous man of 79, Ernest has a string of inventions and patents to his name. Most of his inventions are practical pieces of machinery for use around the farm and construction site. The first of his inventions to be put on the records of successful attempts was tractor-operated manure loader which he designed and built more than 42 years ago. He followed this with things such as a snow blower, of which he has made over 700 units, one of the first heavy-duty fork lift units for lumberyards (built from old army trucks), even a specially designed fan to hang over picnic tables to prevent flies and other insects from becoming a problem. He stopped promoting and making this particular invention, because although the wind from the fan kept the insects away, it also had a cooling effect on the people sitting around the table. "It’s a great invention for people down south, though," he chuckles. His interests in wood burning stoves was natural one. Not only had he been brought up burning wood for heat, but he had also designed a very successful log splitter.
When his son installed a new wood stove in the workshop, Ernest decided he could build something much better. He soon set to work putting his ideas to work to build a stove. He saw the main need as being a unit that would burn wood cleanly and not give the owner creosote problems in the chimney, and one that would be easy to operate and need very little time to clean out and refuel. The unit should be a top loading type of stove that would burn efficiently at the bottom fo the pile allowing the wood to drop down into the burning area as it was needed.
He tried out several ideas but was never satisfied with the results. The problem seemed to be in air circulation in the unit.
When the energy crunch hit in the late 70's, dozens of enthusiasts scrambled to become wood stove manufacturers. At first anything with a door and an ashtray with a smoke stack on top seemed to sell. Then came the emphasis on efficiency and new ideas such as the catalytic and airtight units became the rage. As the market shrunk with decreasing oil prices and an over-supplied market, there was a big sort-out in which many of the smaller wood stove manufacturers either disappeared or went into bankruptcy.
There are still plenty of good wood stoves on the market. Most are manufactured by large, well-established firms which have proved the quality of their product and which had enough backing to survive the shake-out that occurred in the industry. Some small stove manufactures are still working, having survived the crunch by producing a quality product that has proved its worth over the years. One of these is the Sedore wood stove manufactured by Ernest Sedore in the village of Mount Albert, Ont.
ERNEST, THE INVENTOR
Even before you see the Sedore wood stove, you become sold on Ernest himself. A vigorous man of 79, Ernest has a string of inventions and patents to his name. Most of his inventions are practical pieces of machinery for use around the farm and construction site. The first of his inventions to be put on the records of successful attempts was tractor-operated manure loader which he designed and built more than 42 years ago. He followed this with things such as a snow blower, of which he has made over 700 units, one of the first heavy-duty fork lift units for lumberyards (built from old army trucks), even a specially designed fan to hang over picnic tables to prevent flies and other insects from becoming a problem. He stopped promoting and making this particular invention, because although the wind from the fan kept the insects away, it also had a cooling effect on the people sitting around the table. "It’s a great invention for people down south, though," he chuckles. His interests in wood burning stoves was natural one. Not only had he been brought up burning wood for heat, but he had also designed a very successful log splitter.
When his son installed a new wood stove in the workshop, Ernest decided he could build something much better. He soon set to work putting his ideas to work to build a stove. He saw the main need as being a unit that would burn wood cleanly and not give the owner creosote problems in the chimney, and one that would be easy to operate and need very little time to clean out and refuel. The unit should be a top loading type of stove that would burn efficiently at the bottom fo the pile allowing the wood to drop down into the burning area as it was needed.
He tried out several ideas but was never satisfied with the results. The problem seemed to be in air circulation in the unit.
"Just like many other of my inventions, the answer to the problem came to me during my sleep," he remembers. "I went to bed thinking about the problem of how to maintain airflow and still retain maximum heat for warming the room. When I awoke, the answer was as clear as a picture in my mind – corrugated steel sides. It seemed so obvious once I had seen the picture in my mind and I soon set about building a unit with this concept."
PROOF IN THE BURNING
Evidence of the efficiency and performanceof the Sedore wood stove comes from all over the province. People who have bought one tell their neighbors, many of whom arrive at Ernie’s door to see a demonstration and buy a unit.
The principle of the Sedore stove is quite simple. The corrugated fire box is filled with wood but only the bottom of the pile burns because the air inlets are located along the front and bottom of the stove. The air flows into the bottom of the fire and from there into the gas combustion chamber where further burning takes place before the exhaust gases go up the chimney. Once filled, Ernest claims, the stove will burn steadily for 12 hours before more wood is required. This is with the airflow set at a medium burning rate.
When more wood is added to the stove, the top is raised but there is no cloud of smoke to fill the room as the opening then becomes a source of air for the fire, and smoke and air are drawn down into the bottom and up to the chimney so that nothing comes out into the room. This works extremely well as long as you don’t open the top too quickly, to allow a buildup of suction into the stove.
The clean-out system is also very simple. A little door at the side and back of the stove slides up to reveal the gas combustion chamber. Any ash from the burned wood is blown into this area through the force of combustion and settles on the bottom. Ernest says that very little cleaning is needed during normal operation.
Lighting the stove is also somewhat different form the normal units. First, you place some newspaper in the gas combustion chamber and light it so that this warms the chimney causing an updraft. At the same time you light some crumbled paper on top of the wood which is stacked into the main burning chamber. The lid is left slightly raised so that air is drawn down through the wood with the heat and flames of the burning paper. In what seems no time at all the wood is merrily crackling and the lid can be closed and the air openings adjusted to the temperatures in the room as required.
If you are one who likes to have something that is really well built but different from the norm, then you should pay Ernest a visit. He’s a character well worth meeting. If you want to buy a stove in the rush season in the fall, you may have to wait while. "I used to be able to make a wood stove a day," he smiles, "now I’m happy to turn out two a week."
Despite his almost 80 years, Ernest is determined to continue making stoves until it becomes too difficult. "It’s not for the money," he says, "it’s just that I like doing a good job."
This entire article is taken from:
COUNTRY ESTATE magazine in Fall of 1987,
from the Energy Conservation section entitled,
A Burning Idea, by Mike Pembry