Which wood burning cookstove for small cabin?

[gettinoutofdodge]

I'm building a 575sq ft cabin with a loft in N. Washington. I need a wood burning cookstove for heat and for cooking during the cold months. Most stoves I'm seeing are for 800-1800sq ft. Any recommendations?
We'll use a large toaster oven for baking in the warmer months. Any recs on a small propane burner set-up? I don't want to install a huge propane tank and I've got limited counter space.
I like the Vermont Woodstove Bun Baker but I'm worried it will be too big. I love the Elmira with the propane burners on the side but again I'm thinking it will be much too big.
Any help? Thanks!
Alex

[hismrsfinnegan]

I can't give you any help with a wood burning stove as I don't have one and we still live in suburbia. However if you got this month's issue of backwoods home, there is an article on the Survival Storeroom and there are pictures and information about the butterfly oven and Butterfly two burner kerosene stove which looks small enough to cook on and "as a heater it works best with a pan of water over the burner because you can turn the burner up high without it smoking. The butterfly oven will work on the stove and the price is approaching $100. You can sometimes find them on Ebay for much less. These stoves and the oven should take care of all your cooking needs"

After reading that article, I am going to look into one of those stoves for our supplies since it looks like it will be more practical than a camp stove for long term use it doesn't look too expensive.

here is a link to St Paul Merchantile for more info. They also have a 3 burner stove - this is a family kit link with info about the stove and I am sure you can get more info from them directly. I couldn't get to their main page for some reason. http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?ref=MS&action=store&item=FamilyKit

Hope this helps.

[NCLee]

I don't have any experience with "modern" combo heating and cooking stoves, so I need to leave that for others. Have a castiron box stove in my shop and several small laundry stoves (from the days when ironing was done with flatirons). These work well for quick meals (no oven) in additon to heating water & irons for laundry. They also work well for a summer kitchen, if setup outside where they're protected from the weather. On a porch, for example.

Re: Propane... You don't need a huge tank for a propane cookstove. In addition to the box stove, there's a standard size gas stove there, too. It's connected to a 100# propane cylinder. A back up 100 lb'er sits beside of it. Just switch them out, as needed to take one in for refilling.

An apartment sized propane stove may work for you. If memory serves they are 24" wide instead of the standard 30" or larger. If you don't have enough space for one of those, another option is a used 4 burner with oven travel trailer stove. Compact and with the capability of cooking on top and baking, too. Mine is hooked up to 2 20lb propane tanks. Just flip the control valve from one to another, as needed.

Even smaller is a 2 burner w/o oven RV stove mounted in a counter or in a stationary table top. For baking a Colman folding oven can be placed on top.

If you don't want built-in, a 2 burner Colman propane stove that runs on 1 lb cylinders and/or 20lb tanks with an adapter. Again, use the folding oven on top for baking. Then, you still have the ability to bake, even if the power for the toaster oven is out. BTW, if you have a grill in the backyard, you also have an oven for baking. Most of them are large enough to roast a turkey, so you aren't limited in size of the pan, as you will be with these smaller baking options.

Yet, one more campstove option is the campfuel version, especially if you can find them for low dollars at yard sales and flea markets. There's a propane adapter that make these stoves dual fuel. Just take out the fuel tank and insert the adapter, or vs versa. FWIW, there are three of these in our stash, including a 3 burner model, along with 2 propane adapters.

Mentioned these various options, as food for thought as to how many different options you could build into your cooking choices at your cabin. Gives you a lot more flexibility to deal with the circumstances. Whether snowed in or trying to cope with summer heat. Especially if you carve out a primative/cowboy cooking spot in the backyard along with what you do inside your cabin.

Oh, forgot... Add a 2 burner castiron griddle to go with your propane stove(s), whether built in or sitting on the backporch. They're good for a whole lot more than cooking pancakes.

In closing and for whatever it's worth, one of my goals has been to have as many ways to cook as possible. Set that goal one morning when I didn't have a way to make a cup of coffee following a storm that took out the power. :sad: A little later, added baking a pan of biscuits to go along with the coffee, regardless of the circumstances. :)

Hope this is food for thought. Good luck with your cabin.

Lee

[kfander]

We will be putting a 12x32' cabin on our land in far northern Maine in November. I gave it a lot of thought, having not used a wood stove on a regular basis since I was a kid, and even met with someone from the nearby Amish colony whom I've gotten to know some, and we've decided to put in a wood cooking stove that will double as a heating stove.

We've decided on the Baker's Choice (http://www.woodstoves.net/newbaker.htm) stove, with the optional water reservoir, although we'll be buying it from the Amish at a better price than is quoted here. They not only sell them but they also use them. It has an 18.5x11.5x14-inch firebox that will burn either wood or coal, so I'm thinking that will double as a heating stove. I'd rather not take up the space for both a heating and a cooking stove. Since our cabin is fairly small, we're going with their smallest stove, although a couple of larger models are available.

[DavidOH]

You might look at Halibut or Little Cod. ;)

http://www.marinestove.com/index.htm


If your place is well insulated one of these might work for you.

"Designed originally for boats, these US EPA & Wa. State Certified stoves are equally well suited for use in small spaces on land (300 sq.ft. or less) where a larger, conventional woodburning stove would be impractical.
About half the stoves we build end up being used in this way." :meeting:

[machinemaker]

I just saw a reference to this place, and heard they sell scratch and dent stoves cheaper on ebay. www.sopkainc.com They are about an hour and half away and I want to go see one.
kent

[trapperbill]

My first post on this forum so here goes, Ive had a Bakers Ch. since 1999 and no problems.I used 6" pipe as I could not find the 7" that was spec. when I bought the stove, seems to work OK but 7or 8 would probably be better;it heats 1200 sq.ft. with no problem and it gets fairly cold here(25 below some winters). Hope you enjoy the BC.