I thought I'd try resurrect a thread that went dormant in 2005, in case someone now knows the answer: Does anyone know where to find plans for building a kachelofen? Bill M mentions them being available in a video from a 2005 PDC in Melbourne but then gets sidetracked onto something else, and I've been unable to find a reference to them anywhere online. To purchase a kachelofen is expensive, starting at about $10,000 US, but it should be possible to build one at a fraction of the cost; the materials themselves should not be that expensive. I hope someone knows where to find them. Thanks.
I like this blog post https://glenlyonwoodfuel.blogspot.com/2010/03/that-groovy-kachelofen-scene.html
Cool! What about a rocket style mass heater? You'll find plans and videos and stuff for those easily enough and it would serve the same purpose. Like this one from Paul Wheaton.
OHHH, a masonry heater! I had no idea what you were on about till I looked it up. Here is the information you are looking for: https://www.cobcottage.com/node/113
Kachelofen, is the German spelling, if you search www.google.de heaps of hits will come up. These heaters have been around for centuries, all across Northern & Central Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, so if you adjust your search you should find plenty of info on them. - Scandinavia they tend to call them Finnish Oven, or Masonary Oven , Ruskies call them the Russian Oven laying claim to them,,, they have a cousin called the Kang -Bed oven of China from before BC ,,,, the native American Indians used the same principle when they went bush by lighting a fire on a large granite rock and sleeping on those rocks at night as they radiated heat. I find it funny to watch the latest vogue fad of the Rocket -style mass heater coming through the permaculture ranks now,,,, they are very good tools, but nothing more than an adapted Kachel oven, or a storm kettle (kelly kettle) used by the irish sea fisherman for couple hundred years. What came first the kelly kettle, the Kachel Offen or the Rocket style mass heater?,,, Ans- neither - they all the same thing. My new permaculture challenge is to rename the food forest, something groovy like ,the reaffoodation method (copyrighted) ,,,,culinary cultivar,,,or simply food avenues, and write a book about it , sell millions of copies . I'm not writing this to seem a smart alec, but just to point out the interesting social concept of someone changing the name of a kacheloffen to rocket mass stove,,,, for any one of many reasons, including post war german word alergy, kacheloffen not a saleable word, kachel offen word not hippy dippy new agey wordy enough----but wow rename it the rocket stove - that burns only a few sticks per 24 hours,,,and everyone is in to it. Seriously, there is plenty of kachel offen info on the net,,100 million european , scandinavian, russian houses once had them,,,,just use a few different search options Reaffoodation is in- food forest is out,,,,
here the latest name for kachel oven with plans ----- ready for it,,,, BIOFIRE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhdoNagKHOc BIOFIRE --- with plans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ulTMDJG6w ,,,,, BIOFIRE can come with a cooking oven on the other side these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfnjakwq9OI&NR=1
here the latest name for kachel oven with plans - ready for it,,,, BIOFIRE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ulTMDJG6w ,,,,, BIOFIRE can come with a cooking oven on the other side these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfnjakwq9OI&NR=1 ---- European model being built
You are right. The term "kachelofen" is what Bill Mollison used and taught about in his PDCs (which is why I used it in my original post), and he is well aware of the historical perspective, believe me. Any co-opting of the concept with a new label; e.g., "rocket stove," comes from people like Wheaton, a shameless self-promoter who knows just enough Permaculture to be dangerous. Bill mentioned in his PDC video that his plans came from a Dutch Permaculturist, Seitz Leeflang, who I cannot locate. Seitz apparently used to distribute his plans for a small kachelofen in hardcopy. I can find no reference for them on the Internet and was hoping someone could dig them out somewhere and publish them for the benefit of all.
Hey, I want horns on my kachelofen!! :rofl: the ones with the long wall-seats built in look really appealing. Not sure how long you could really sit on one, but you could make yogurt on one!! Maybe even keep the beer mash warm!
