[Stoves] Heat / cook stove - proposed design

[Xavier Brandao]

Dear Darren,

Just a comment on your remarks:
"I am weighing up whether to cut away some more material from the bricks at
either side of the throat / I'm thinking it would be best not to cut the
bricks."

My own 1 cent and a half on the question is it is best not to cut bricks on
a practical point of view, especially if you have a lot of them to cut. I do
not know if you intend to make stoves in a workshop or industrially, for
developed or developing countries. I think developing countries often do not
have the proper equipment to cut bricks.
We need half-bricks for our institutional stoves combustion chambers. We
tried with a bad quality angle grinder, it died prematurely because of the
dust. I am not sure quality angle grinders are made for that task either,
especially if the bricks are solid. We tried with a machine that wasn't
really made for that, it works, but lengthy and painfull process. A LOT of
dust. We decided not to go on with cutting.
Fortunaly, one of the ceramicist we know could make some space in his oven
for our half-bricks. It is easy to make for him, he makes standard size
bricks, and cut them in two at the early stage of their production. Then he
cooks them. We'll be delivered the bricks just the right shape. I believe it
is not always easy to find the proper ceramic, of the proper size for stoves
in Africa.
I do not know if some companies cut strong clay bricks on an industrial
basis.
If you just make one stove for yourself, forget what I just said.

Regards,

Xavier