Okay, so I decided to build a brick rocket stove. I’ve seen a few of these online and always thought they looked pretty cool, plus, free cooking heat! So, I gave it a shot, and here’s how it went down.
Gathering Supplies
First things first, I needed bricks. I didn’t want to buy any, trying to keep this project cheap, so I scrounged around my backyard and my neighbor’s. Luckily, my neighbor was doing some landscaping and had a pile he was happy to get rid of. I ended up with a mix of sizes, but mostly standard red bricks.
I also needed a little bit of space to build it. My backyard’s a bit of a mess, but I found a clear patch near my patio. This is important, you guys, don’t build this thing near anything flammable!
Building the Base
I started by laying down a base layer of bricks. No mortar or anything, just dry-fitting them together. I made a rough square, making sure it was level enough. I just eyeballed it, honestly. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it needs to be flat enough to stack the other bricks on.
Building the Walls(Chamber)
This is where the magic happens. I started stacking the bricks, leaving gaps for airflow. It is essential for how these things work. The basic idea is to create a “J” shape. The tall part is the chimney, and the short, horizontal part is where you feed in the fuel.
- I stacked two bricks on their sides, then two more on top, staggering the joints like you would with any brick wall.
- Then, I left a gap about the width of a brick on one side. This is the fuel feed opening.
- I continued stacking, building up the chimney part to be about five bricks high. The higher, the better draft, I figured.
- The fuel shelf that I put inside is some little bricks.
Testing It Out
Once I had the basic structure built, it was time for a test run. I gathered some small twigs and dry leaves from around the yard. I crumpled up some paper as a starter and stuffed it into the bottom of the chimney.
Then, I fed the twigs into the fuel opening, lit the paper, and waited. It took a few tries, and a bit of blowing to get the air flowing, but eventually, it caught. And wow, once it got going, it really got going!
I was actually surprised by how much heat this thing put out. I could feel the heat radiating from the chimney, and a nice, strong flame was shooting out the top.
Cooking Time!
Okay, so I didn’t actually cook a full meal on it yet. But, I did boil a pot of water just to see if it would work. And it did! It took a little longer than on my stovetop, but hey, free hot water! Plus, it was super satisfying to use something I built myself.
Final Thoughts
All in all, building this brick rocket stove was a fun and surprisingly easy project. It took me an afternoon, some leftover building materials, and a little bit of elbow grease. The most important things is that it actually works! I’m already planning on using it for some outdoor cooking this summer. Campfire coffee, here I come!
It’s not perfect, of course. I might tweak the design a bit, maybe make the chimney a little taller. But for a first attempt, I’m pretty happy with it. If you’re looking for a simple, DIY project that’s also practical, I definitely recommend giving this a try.
