Question for the 'gang'
 

On Apr 6, 6:51 pm, Ken Sterling (Ken Sterling) wrote:
Everyone...
I have a woodburner that I purchased about 1985 or so. Originally made
by the Scandinavian Furnace Works in Fountain, Florida (evidently now
out of business). The shaker grates (3) in this unit are cast iron,
about 24" long, have "teeth" on both sides, have a rounded bottom, a
"leg" which sticks down on the deep end of the grate for connection to
the others and providing a means of "rocking" all three at one time by
placing the shaker handle on any one of the three triangular ends just
inside the ash pit door. Problem is that these are just about "done"
as far as their lifespan, and I'm having trouble locating anything
close to this design.
I'm thinking - (beware) - would it WORK to get some 1/2" plate
stainless, three pieces 4" x 24" and mill out the teeth on each side,
weld on the links for shaking, etc. Would the stainless endure the
heat? We only burn wood, but the "coals" get really hot and I
wouldn't want the stainless to sag under the heat and weight of the
fire. I don't mind paying the price for the stainless if this is a
viable solution. Otherwise, I don't see any other method except to
try to find someone to "cast" a new set - and that would probably be
cost prohibitive. Suggestions???? Thanks. BTW, I, myself, don't want
to try casting.
Ken.


Ken,
Stainless has higher strength, at high temperature, than cast iron.
Go with the Stainless, if you can afford it.

Question for the 'gang'
 

Everyone...
I have a woodburner that I purchased about 1985 or so. Originally made
by the Scandinavian Furnace Works in Fountain, Florida (evidently now
out of business). The shaker grates (3) in this unit are cast iron,
about 24" long, have "teeth" on both sides, have a rounded bottom, a
"leg" which sticks down on the deep end of the grate for connection to
the others and providing a means of "rocking" all three at one time by
placing the shaker handle on any one of the three triangular ends just
inside the ash pit door. Problem is that these are just about "done"
as far as their lifespan, and I'm having trouble locating anything
close to this design.
I'm thinking - (beware) - would it WORK to get some 1/2" plate
stainless, three pieces 4" x 24" and mill out the teeth on each side,
weld on the links for shaking, etc. Would the stainless endure the
heat? We only burn wood, but the "coals" get really hot and I
wouldn't want the stainless to sag under the heat and weight of the
fire. I don't mind paying the price for the stainless if this is a
viable solution. Otherwise, I don't see any other method except to
try to find someone to "cast" a new set - and that would probably be
cost prohibitive. Suggestions???? Thanks. BTW, I, myself, don't want
to try casting.
Ken.

Question for the 'gang'
 

should work fine. Use the 304 grade for weldability. Stone bitch to machine.

Karl

Question for the 'gang'
 

On Apr 6, 10:51*pm, Ken Sterling (Ken Sterling) wrote:
Everyone...
I have a woodburner that I purchased about 1985 or so. Originally made
by the Scandinavian Furnace Works in Fountain, Florida (evidently now
out of business). The shaker grates (3) in this unit are cast iron,...
Ken.

That's clearly a coal stove, you turn the grates to break up clinkers
(slag lumps). Wood stoves only make clinkers if you burn recycled clay-
coated paper. A barbecue or fireplace type grate should be fine, if
you need a grate at all.

When I was a kid I made a blast furnace using a broken garden rake for
the grate. The incoming air kept it cool enough to hold its shape even
with ~5 Lbs of lead on top of the wood.

I replaced a badly warped cast iron baffle plate in my woodstove with
stainless and it has held up very well for a couple of years. The
stove has no grate, just a layer of sand to protect the bottom. The
air enters horizontally through the door vent about 2 inches above the
sand.

Jim Wilkins

Question for the 'gang'
 

On Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:51:29 GMT, Ken Sterling (Ken Sterling) wrote:

Everyone...
I have a woodburner that I purchased about 1985 or so. Originally made
by the Scandinavian Furnace Works in Fountain, Florida (evidently now
out of business). The shaker grates (3) in this unit are cast iron,
about 24" long, have "teeth" on both sides, have a rounded bottom, a
"leg" which sticks down on the deep end of the grate for connection to
the others and providing a means of "rocking" all three at one time by
placing the shaker handle on any one of the three triangular ends just
inside the ash pit door. Problem is that these are just about "done"
as far as their lifespan, and I'm having trouble locating anything
close to this design.
I'm thinking - (beware) - would it WORK to get some 1/2" plate
stainless, three pieces 4" x 24" and mill out the teeth on each side,
weld on the links for shaking, etc. Would the stainless endure the
heat? We only burn wood, but the "coals" get really hot and I
wouldn't want the stainless to sag under the heat and weight of the
fire. I don't mind paying the price for the stainless if this is a
viable solution. Otherwise, I don't see any other method except to
try to find someone to "cast" a new set - and that would probably be
cost prohibitive. Suggestions???? Thanks. BTW, I, myself, don't want
to try casting.
Ken.

Just be aware that the stainless will probably warp more when hot
than the cast did so plan accordingly. You might need a little more
clearance in some places.

Question for the 'gang'
 

Everyone...
Snip original message...
Sounds like stainless should work okay for this purpose,
however, would it be a good idea to add a vertical support member
under the actual grate on each one to help prevent sagging??? I'm
thinking a form like a capital T with the teeth for the grate cut in
the top horizontal part on each side of the vertical. On a 24" long
grate, would the vertical member be overkill?? Thanks.
Ken.

Question for the 'gang'
 

On Apr 7, 1:27 am, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:
should work fine. Use the 304 grade for weldability. Stone bitch to machine.

Karl

309 and 310 are used for high heat applications. But could be hard to
find and expensive.

Dan