Birch and Maple: ShowNTell (child mentioned)

September 16, 2009

ShowNTell (child mentioned)

Ice Storm 2009?

BRING IT ON: it arrived like this...

And with the help of my awesome builder, Mr Oro, and my mate from work, they got it uncrated and into the house...

Ah...cast iron + soapstone + wood - electricity = happiness. And, er, warmth. And snow-melting capabilities. Next week, a friend of a friend is going to install it, and then we'll do the first burn. I bought my stove - brand new! - from the Woodstock Soapstone Company. It's the first soapstone stove I've ever dealt with and I just can't wait to fire it up. Hee! The shiny thing on the top is the bottom heat shield that needs to be put on beneath the stove to prevent it from burning through the floor. It's also a side-loader, taking a maximum of 18 inch logs. The plus side is that one load should last 6-10 hours, and of course heat output will be long due to the heat retaining abilities of the soapstone. And all for a mere 575lbs. I'm going to get a griddle for the top in case I need to cook on it (we have a gas cooktop, so I don't see much cooking happening) and I also need a stove guard. I only burned myself a couple of times on woodstoves when I was a kid, but the Chieftain, ah, well, let's just say he has a tendency not to watch where he's going.

Oh, and that massive chimney with the fantastically old, handmade brick? Built around 1951. The brick downstairs is brand new, machine made, and sits on top of the old dry-stone chimney stack. Now that we've got a good camera I'll take a piccy and put it up for comparison. The tiles are Indian slate 12X12, the floor is Ash, the coffee table's Indian Rosewood. Up until 1981 the fireplace was used as a fireplace, which, if you've ever wondered, is not very efficient, although it looks fabulous. From 1981-1998 a Vermont Castings Defiant lived just outside the fireplace, and is currently residing rather rustily in my barn. Great stove, but since I can no longer get a catalytic converter to fit it, I decided a new stove was just the ticket.

Oro, the pleased

Sep 16, 2009 8:29:16 PM