Years ago I was at a skiclub and there was this device that I would like
to find. Basically the inside of the grate that held the burning wood was
hollow. Outside in the room there was a small fan and flex pipe going to
the grate blowing air through it. And on the other side of this grate the
hot air exhausted into the room. Basically it pulled the heat off the
grate and put it into the room & did quite well.

There are several brands. One is Heatnglo - search on Google.
Some add'l advice may be had at http://hearth.com/questions/qa944.html
Another great newsgroup source is alt.energy.homepower, for advice