Mother's Woodburning Hot-Oil Furnace

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ONE OF MANY APPLICATIONS

Naturally, the furnace described here could be used—in conjunction with a heat exchanger—for space heating, water heating, evaporation-based cooling or refrigeration, or for any of a number of other purposes. However, because MOTHER's alcohol researchers needed a compact energy source to provide heat for fermentation and distillation, we've chosen to feature both the furnace and a modified distillery together ... so that people who choose to do so can build the two projects to work as a "team".

The drawings accompanying this article are probably all but self-explanatory, but we do have a few tips that will make the task of fabricating your equipment somewhat easier. In most cases, both of the furnace's "drums" will have to be formed—from flat plates—at your local steel supply house (unless you just happen to have on hand two tanks of about the required sizes).

By the same token, the perforated end plates that seal the extremities of the oil chamber should be drilled simultaneously, to ensure that the holes line up perfectly. (As an alternative to cutting the openings yourself, you'll find that almost any sheet metal shop will stamp the plates, accurately, at a reasonable cost.) The chimney stack may also be awkward to piece together, since the fitting involves joining a circular collar to a foursided opening . . . so this component, too, might best be made by a professional.

(As far as the still is concerned, just about any steel vat will suffice for the mash tank . . . as long as it's sealed effectively at its lid. We made the entire top removable, for easy cleaning and to facilitate installation of the heat exchanger coils. The three condenser coils within the column should also be carefully formed . . . using the tube roller detailed in our illustration. Simply insert one end of your eight-foot section of tubing into the indicated notch and roll it around the center hub—keeping it flush with the base plate—until your spiral's outer edge reaches the dotted line. Then repeat the procedure, starting at the uncoiled end of the pipe. When both halves are formed, merely pull the ends apart, accordionstyle, till the coiled condenser is about eight inches long.)

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