Mom's friend didn't make it and I still have all of the lumber. I chose a twin XL mattress that is specifically designed to prevent back pain, so I will get rid of mine, push my desk 8" further under my loft, get rid of my brother's old recliner, bring in my office chair from storage, and build a Murphy bed next to the loft with the new mattress.
I will use some 2x4s for that, but I plan on making a box out of plywood for the actual mattress.
There is plenty more space that I can free up.
I loved my fire box, but of course my sister refused to use it. She was happy to use her burn hazard to kill part of the lawn. She has done that 3 times now. The last time she decided to take her daughter to the dentist instead and waited to visit until she knew I would be out of town.
Mom had me buy and assemble a barbecue grill and picnic table, but since none of her outdoor stuff can survive the outdoors, the fire pit is in the garage, and the others are in the shed, which I am in the process of insulating.
I finally ordered gravel for that and got some volunteers to shovel it, so I should finally have a decent foundation on Tuesday the sixth and then I can finally install the drywall.
I will just have a picnic table and barbecue in my insulated and drywalled office.
Eh. Working in the house (with HVAC) has worked for a while now.
Anyway, everybody knows that charcoal chimneys are the best way to start charcoal--because they are rocket stoves!
Apparently charcoal chimneys are cheaper than rocket stoves, but you can use them like one.
How much do you think the insulation helps rocket stoves? That was the whole point of the one that I built, but unfortunately, furnace cement doesn't seem to withstand the kind of cold you would expect in areas where you would want a brick fireplace.
At some point I am going to brush what is left of the cement off of my bricks and find another use for them.
I hadn't thought that the
chimney that I saw at Lowe's would be big enough for a full load of charcoal, but Cook's Illustrated said it was, and it was the best chimney they tested.
It still took 30-40 minutes to prepare the briquettes, though.
Who has that kind of time?!
Would it work faster if it were insulated? Would an insulated chimney be light enough to move with 2 hands?
I think that building a rocket stove with a removable container large enough for a load of briquettes makes more sense, but how about simplicity?
All of these chimneys have air holes on the side, but what about the top and bottom? Isn't that adequate? You are putting this on a grill, so it is sitting on a grate.
Here is what I am thinking: Buy 2 #10 cans of whatever you want. Eat the stuff. Then cut the bottom off of one, the top half off of the other, and drill a bunch of holes in the top (the original bottom). Drill one big hole in the side. Shove some newspaper in it, set it upside-down on your grill, set the other can on top, and fill it with charcoal. Light the newspaper through the hole, give it some privacy, remove the top can with tongs, let the briquettes fall out, and then remove the bottom can.
It would hold more than other #10 can designs because the burn chamber is external. It should be easier to use than other designs because you aren't picking up several pounds of burning briquettes, you are just picking up empty cans with big holes in them.
What do you guys think? Do you use charcoal chimneys, or just lighter fluid? Normally I just build a fire, but a chimney should keep the briquettes closer together, so they should heat up faster.