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olsen's fast fire wood kiln plans

updated tue 10 dec 02

 

David Hendley on mon 9 dec 02


I have built and fired several Fast Freddies, and also visited with
Fred about the design. He seems to think, and I agree, that as
long as you follow the basic design principals the kiln in all its
variations will "work".
He says there have been hundreds built around the world, tiny
and huge, single-wall and double-wall, IFB and hard brick, and
they are all OK.

Since cost seems to be a big concern for you, and since you want
to take 24-36 hours to fire, you might as well use cheap hard bricks.
You can also use hard bricks for the arch. You will need only #1
arches and straights to build the arch
My larger kiln, with 9" IFB walls will fire to cone 10 in 6 hours.
A 4 1/2" thick wall of hard bricks would get awfully hot; I think you
would need something in addition to the one layer of bricks.
If you use IFBs, use 2600 degree bricks around and above the
fire entry points, 2300s are OK everywhere else.

You should not use a "venturi" flue. The flue needs to be big.
Use the 4,000 ft. plans for the flue and fireboxes. You can always
block off part of the flue as an adjustment.

David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com



----- Original Message -----

> Clayart kiln people:
>
> I haveagreed to build a small (12-16- cubic feet) wood-fire kiln for a
> Japanese zan teacher/ potter who is a good friend. I must build it by
> this spring.
>
> I'm planning one on the lines of Olsen's Fast Fire wood kiln, with hard
> brick in the fire box and lower flu, 10 inch diameter steel pipe for
upper
> flu sourced from a steel salvage yard, new '26' or '23' IFB in the
chamber
> (whichever I can obtain cheapest) and the floor supports above the firebox
> made of four 18-inch kiln shelves, per Olson's 'S' or 'Z' design in The
> Kiln BOok.
>