A STURDY WOODBOX FOR SERIOUS WOODBURNERS

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Not structurally necessary but a nice finishing touch, are lengths of nominal 1 x 3 (actual measure: ¾" x 2½") trim to finish the top and bottom edges of the panels and 1 x 4 to trim the top. To trim edges, rough-cut the stock into four 3', 1" (side) and four 2' 1" (end) trim boards, cutting one end of each board with the saw set for a 45° miter. Then measure from the sharp edge of the angled cut and mark the boards equal to the length of the ends/sides of the box plus twice the thickness of the trim wood itself. Check measurements on the box. Set stop block and straight edge as before, and miter cut the four trim-boards to length. Spread woodworkers' glue on the insides of the trim boards and fasten them even with margins of the box with finishing nails every four inches.

Four-inch cap trim laid flat on the top will hide the frame and finish off the box nicely. You want to cut the joints between short and long trim boards at a 45° flat angle, but measuring on a finished piece can be complicated. Better to cut templates from cardboard, fit and trim them by trial-and-error on the box itself; then transfer the pattern to the wood. Measure precisely; saw straight and at a perfect 45° angle. Top trim is liable to being dislodged by incoming or outgoing logs. Have the inner edge of the trim just even with the inner edge of the frame piece below it to keep logs from snagging as they come out. Attach with woodworkers' glue and finishing nails every 3" in dual rows set into both siding and frame boards.

Finish

I had to sand some lumberyard marks. Then I Tung oiled the box and let it take on a rough patina. You may feel that your new box looks raw and want to stain it—don't use a hard finish. Even super-durable, polyurethane floor-enamel is bound to chip in time. You might give the wood a light coat of the exterior house stain that best matches your interior trim and furnishings. A furniture stain followed by Tung oil or oil alone will give a more elegant finish that can be renewed. Whatever finish you decide upon, try it on scrap wood before applying it to the box itself.

Some new-to-the-country folks cut a few cords of stove wood on their back 40, then split and piled some in their cellar and some in the woodbox. Within a few days, most of the wallpaper on the first floor peeled off! What's the moral of this yarn?

Know your wood!

Trees fall into two categories: deciduous trees, generally called hardwoods, and evergreens, usually called softwoods. But not all hardwoods are hard, and not all softwoods are soft. If you can, burn "hard" hardwoods such as maple, birch, and oak—dense, slow-growing trees that produce fuel containing concentrated energy and that produce the least creosote. "Soft" hardwoods, such as aspen and cottonwood, are less dense and burn faster. Evergreens—hard or soft—such as pine, hemlock, or spruce, burn beautifully but are less dense than hardwoods, so burn faster; worse, the resins they contain will volatilize in a "cold" fire and produce creosote. If you must use softwoods, make small, hot fires (and never load up a pre-EPA model airtight stove with softwoods for risk of a chimney fire).

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