AMMO CAN STOVE USES 3 TYPES OF FUEL

(SAFETY NOTICE: AS WITH ALL PROJECTS INVOLVING POWER TOOLS, OBSERVE PROPER SAFETY RULES INCLUDING WEARING EYE, HAND, BREATHING AND CLOTHES PROTECTION WHERE APPLICABLE)

MATERIALS:
Box:

1ea. 14" high x 10" wide 17.5" long Ammo can (your size may vary) $25.

2ea. 3"x3" Steel hinges (top) $6.

Grills & Support:

1ea. 18"x24" Sheet of diamond stamped grill screen (grills) $20.

3ea. 12"x 14" Sheet metal (baffle) $10.

1ea. Scrap barbecue grill top (grill) $0.

3ea. 60" U shaped wall shelf supports (grill supports) $12.

Ash Pan:

1ea. 4' length of scrap metal stud material (ash pan) $0.

1ea. garage door handle (ash pan) $0.

2ea. 1/4" x3/4" bolts. $0.

Legs:

2ea. 4'x 1" scrap electrical conduit (make 4 legs) $0.

4ea. 2"x 4" scrap metal (leg base) $0.

4ea. 2" scrap angle iron (leg supports) $0.

4ea. 1/4" crown nuts (secure legs)

4ea. 1/4"x 3" eye bolts (secure legs) $5.

1set JB Weld adhesive (glue crown bolts to leg supports) $5.

Door:

3ea. 12"x 14" sheet metal (door) $10.

2ea. 1-1/2"x 4" steel hinges (door) $6

1ea. 4" ceiling electrical plate (door air damper) $4.

1ea. drawer handle (door air dampler) $0.

1ea. 4"x 4" metal screen (spark arestor in damper) $0.

1ea. 1/4"x 3/4" bolt (door damper) $0.

1ea. 1/2"x 3" scrap steel (door handle) $0.

1ea. wooden knob (door handle) $0.

1ea. 5'stove gasket and heat adhesive glue set (fireproof door and top seal) $10.

Handles:

1ea. 4'x 1/2" scrap electrical conduit (makes 2 handles) $0.

Stack:

1ea. 3" stack tube base (attaches to top) $5.

1ea. 5"x 5" scrap metal (stack base collar) $0.

1ea. 5'x 3" metal hot water heater tube (cut in 4 pieces) $6.

1ea. 10"x 10" window screen (spark arrestor) $0.

1ea. 10" metal wire (attaches spark arrestor) $0.

1ea. 3" round scrap metal (stack flu) $0.

1ea. 1/4"x 6" bolt (stack flu handle) $0.

Propane Component:

1ea. Ozark Propane backpack stove (Walmart) $20.

Side Table:

1ea. Old Coleman stove top $0.

2ea. 1-1/2"x 4" steel hinges (side shelf) $6

4ea. leftover grill support 1ea. slide bolt lock $0.

Hardware:

1ea. Box of 100 1/8" pop rivets $6.

1ea. Box of 100 8/32 x 1/2" round head bolts $3

1ea. Box of 100 Small flat washers $3.

1ea. Box of 100 Small lock washers $3.

1ea. Box of 100 8/32 nuts $3.

1ea. 5/16"x 36" all-thread (Fire tool) $3.

1ea. can of heat resistant paint matte black $6.

FUELS:

1ea. Stack of Wood (Free)

1ea. Propane canister (Walmart) $3.

1ea. Bag Charcoal (Dollar Store) $1.

TOOLS:

Cordless or electric hand grinder

Cut-off wheels

Grinder wheels

Sanding discs

Set of drill bits

Metal hole saws

Cordless or electric drill

Hammers

Screw drivers

Wrench set

Socket set

Center punch

Metal files

Pop rivet tool

Vise grips

Measuring tape

Sharpie

and a Big ass bench vise!

Removing the Handles-
In order to pull this off, I had to remove the plates, latches and handles on both ends that were spot welded. I simply jammed a screw driver between the box and the plate and drilled the spot welds till they "popped". Repeat this till the plates fall off. Use a grinder or file to smooth any rough spots. I left the diagonal metal support on the left side for rigidity.

Trimming the Lid-The lid sides extended too far down over the top edge of the box so I trimmed about 3/4" off the side lip with my cut-off wheel and grinder. File all edges smooth.

I decided I wanted 4 different heights for the internal grills; one for holding the wood above the ash pan, one a few incehs higher for roasting or drying, one for the internal baffle (to improve effieiency), and one for a top grill to cook steaks or dogs. All of the grills are inter-changable so they can be used at whatever height I wanted. I like alot of flexibility in my designs.

I used "U" shaped steel wall shelf supports (uncoated) that measured 5/8" wide x 3X8" high and cut to 17" long sections. These were all pop-riveted to the side using 1/8' rivets and small washers, 3 or more to each support.

Grills (Top to Bottom)-
Top- I found a new round 24" barbecue grill in the trash that was already coated to cook on so I trimmed it to size for the top grill.

Baffle- It's used to improve the efficacy of the stove and is made from 3 flat steel sheet 12"x 14" bolted together. I would rather have one thick sheet so it wouldn't warp as much but that wasn't available .

Middle- This grill is made of stamped steel in a diamond-shaped pattern and can be used for grilling, smoking, drying or whatever. It's a good backup for the other grills though not mandatory.

Bottom- Made of the same stamped diamond-shaped flat steel, this holds the wood or other fuel and has additional small pieces attached with steel wire for support.

I cut out the opening in the box for the pan to slide. The pan itself is made from scrap pieces of metal studs I found at a job site. I pop-riveted 2 pieces of the metal stud side by side and left enough space at each end to cut and fold up flaps to close off the pan. The front door of the pan is made of scrap steel from the door cut-out and pop-riveted in place. A scrap garage door handle is used for access.

The legs are made of 1" scrap electrical conduit, the ends squeezed flat in a vise then bent to a 23 degree angle at each end. They slide into slots on the bottom of the box and are angled out providing a stable base. The leg supports are made of thick pieces of scrap sheet metal and bolted to the base of the can. The angle that locks the leg is raised above the base piece the thickness of 1 8/32 nut. They are secured with some 1/4" x 3" eye bolts to the angle base. They remove to be stored inside the box.

Cutting the Door-
Measure the door opening and check it twice, you only get one shot at this. Using a small grinder with a cutoff wheel. cut inside the lines and create a square opening. Save the cut-out for later. File all rough edges smooth.

The door is made from 3 pieces of sheet metal bolted together. It's larger that the opening to accommodate a piece of 1/2" fiberglass rope for sealing the door. The rope is attached with temperature resistant adhesive. The door is hinged to the side of the box with 2 steel hinges. The door also has a handle that slides to lock.

The Door Air Damper- Made from a 4" electrical ceiling plate, the damper has knock-out holes for air draft and pivots on a bolt to reduce or increase incoming air flow. The handle is a scrap drawer pull.

The handle are an integral part of the design. I wanted ones that were low profile, easy to use and had multiple uses. By placing them on the front and back of the stove, it was easier to maneuver the box, and placing them below the level of the top allowed me to use wider pots that didn't hit them. The handles are made from scrap 1/2" electrical conduit and bolt to the side. They also double and glove dryers and a handy place to hang the fire tool.

I made the top removable by pulling the hinge pins on the back and some custom made top locker nails in front that slip through a hole in the front handle.

The smoke stack is 3" air conduit pipe cut into 4 pieces with a fume and spark arrest-or. The base of the stack is designed to reverse for travel and secures with 1/4" custom made wing bolts to the box lid over a 3-1/4" hole. All pieces collapse to fit inside the box for storage and travel.

One of the design elements required the integration use of propane. As it worked out, my Ozark single burner camp stove fit snugly between the top of the ash pan and the bottom of the hot dog grill top. There's not even any rattle. This integration allows me to use a refillable supply of fuel in place of the other two types of fuel.

The stove has a flip-up side table for extra cooking surface made from the top of an old Coleman stove. The hinges have been mounted away from the box surface to allow for the proper fold up and down operation. The panel collapses and latches when not in use. The fold out hinge arms are made from scrap "U" wall support mentioned earlier and lock with a 1" eye bolt. I wanted a collapsible mechanism that was self contained.

The finished stove has a cooking height of 30", a stack height of 55" and a footprint around the legs 25" x 26". It sits sturdy on the ground and is easy to use. When collapsed, the box stores all of the legs, stacks and parts to be completely portable.