The Cordwood Sauna

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Stove and Stovepipe

Our stove is homemade from 1/4" plate steel, but its construction would require an article by itself. You can adapt existing plate steel stoves to a sauna. The key is to find a creative and safe way to fasten bricks or nonporous stones to the various sides. The top and three sides of our stove are covered with 320 pounds of dense bricks, which store a tremendous amount of heat. We pour water on these hot bricks to create steam. Even more authentic than bricks, but not so easy to hang, are softball-size stones. Dense limestone, trap rock or basalt all make good sauna stones. Avoid soft sandstones or any fractured rock, which will absorb water and break with the steam, perhaps violently.

A good, reasonably priced line of sauna stoves is made by Bruce Manufacturing (Route 1, Box 25, Bruce Crossing, MN 49912). They make electric-, gas-, and wood-fired models. One of their wood-fired models can be fired from outside the stove room, which keeps the room clean and prevents oxygen from being robbed from the internal air. My book, The Sauna, lists at least a dozen other manufacturers and gives a detailed account of how we made our stove.

For stovepipe, use "Type A" chimney, such as triple wall metal stovepipe or, my favorite, Metalbestos® stovepipe, which is stainless steel inside and out, with an inch of non-asbestos insulation between. These Type A systems are expensive but safe, and they're easy to install. Homemade chimneys are often unsafe, and some of them are downright scary.

Floor Plan

The round sauna described herein is perfect for four people. The benches are 2 x 6 smooth poplar planks, supported from below by vertical upright 2 x 4s and 2 x 4 ledgers. Bench support pieces can be lag-screwed right into the log ends themselves.

I've tried to give an honest and accurate account of our round sauna, which is the best sauna I've ever been in. Yours will be different, perhaps slightly larger or smaller; maybe it will not have an earth roof, maybe it will. No matter. Your sauna, also, will be the best. This is how it is and how it should be. No manufactured sauna can match the love that you build into your own. And cost? The building materials will run you about $400 to $700, depending on your procurement skills. To this figure, add the stove and stovepipe, which could cost another $500 to $1,000, depending on whether your stove is new or used and what kind of deal you can get on your stovepipe. Hint: some dealers will sell slightly dented but perfectly safe Metalbestos® at quite a discount.

With a cordwood masonry sauna, one word of caution is necessary. Wait a week or two after laying the last log end before firing up the sauna to full temperature. Premature firing may cause damage to the mortar. Remember that soaked sawdust was introduced into the mix to retard the mortar set. Give it time to cure.

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