by matt walker » Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:19 pm
Good ideas you have Terrill, I like the idea of a cage to keep your greenhouse film off. I also wanted to make a bench for starting seedlings, I think it would work great. If I did that I would build up quite a bit on top of the bench to create a wide, flat surface that had a lot of mass to carry the warmth through the night. Maybe 8" or so of material on top of the bench barrels.
As for the smoke out the door, well, I don't have a top feed in mine, and that might be part of your problem. This kind of front loader does have a tendency to allow a little smoke out the front unless you have just the right amount of air at the right spots. You might try creating a small opening in the door down low so you get air coming in there when the door is closed. That, combined with blocking off that top feed should allow you to run it with the door closed.
While you are at it, I will tell you now that the firebox barrel won't last long. I use mine as a mold and build up a large body of cob/perlite around it, so that when the barrel starts to lose strength from burning out, the cob becomes the firebox. I pack inside the fire box with clay/perlite as well, to form a burn tunnel. This helps the burn and can support the heat riser as the barrel burns out.
It's really cool to see your project, thanks for sharing it here.