detailed book on kiln building

[shrubsky]

Any suggestions on a book (or PDF) with detailed instructions on building a wood-fired kiln?  So far I've found a lot of things that are not detailed, out of print and unavailable, or a plagiarism.

[PeterH]

21 hours ago, shrubsky said:

So far I've found a lot of things that are not detailed, out of print and unavailable, or a plagiarism.

https://www.bookfinder.com/ is a good source for harder-to-find books.

 When you get to the list of matching books I find the   or view all matches combined option useful.

Edited May 5, 2023 by PeterH

[Roberta12]

I inherited a book on kilns by Daniel Rhodes.  Kilns, Design, Construction, and Operation.  Copyright 1968.  I do not plan on building a kiln but it seems to be a good reference and I loved the photos and explanations of the different types of kilns.  Since I know little of kiln building, I do not know if his diagrams are detailed enough.  But it might be a title to look for?

Roberta

[PeterH]

A thread with a few references

An online book 21st Century Kilns, and a few articles
http://www.clayartarchives.com/

[Russ]

Fred Olsen has an old but good book on kilns. He addresses the principals of shape, size, intake, exhaust, firebox, chimney for several types of kilns.  If you stick with these youll be in good shape.

[neilestrick]

One of the best things you can do is to go visit someone with the type of kiln you want to build. There are many types of wood burning kilns out there, and a lot of variation within each type, so being able to discuss those details with someone who actually fires the kiln be more beneficial than a book. Each type has its pros and  cons and creates a certain look to the work. Anagama pots look different than crossdraft pots, and they have radically different firing schedules. It's a major investment of time and materials to build one, so you want to be sure to do it right.

What type of kiln are you thinking of building?

[Jeff Longtin]

I'll put in a second for the Fred Olsen Kiln Book. His little Fast Fire kiln is easy to build and easy to fire. Plus, it's not too big, 10 cu ft. I helped build one years ago at the MN Ren Festival. Two fire boxes are a little tedious but it made it super easy to control.  Usually got to cone 7 just as the Festival was closing. (Once people were gone we'd throw in salt.) 

 

[shrubsky]

On 5/6/2023 at 12:42 PM, neilestrick said:

One of the best things you can do is to go visit someone with the type of kiln you want to build. There are many types of wood burning kilns out there, and a lot of variation within each type, so being able to discuss those details with someone who actually fires the kiln be more beneficial than a book. Each type has its pros and  cons and creates a certain look to the work. Anagama pots look different than crossdraft pots, and they have radically different firing schedules. It's a major investment of time and materials to build one, so you want to be sure to do it right.

What type of kiln are you thinking of building?

I'm not married to any particular style.   My main criteria are that it be small enough that I can build it and fit it in my back yard, and that I can fire it in one long day.  Cone 6 or 7 is enough for me.  The option of doing salt or soda firing would be nice, but not strictly required.  This one looks like a nice compact design https://youtu.be/6pdFWixTXiQ , but the only type I've seen personally was a large anagama that takes 48 hours to fire.

I'm not building anything yet, just doing research.  I haven't yet found anyone nearby with a smallish wood kiln I can visit.  

[neilestrick]

40 minutes ago, shrubsky said:

I'm not married to any particular style.   My main criteria are that it be small enough that I can build it and fit it in my back yard, and that I can fire it in one long day.  Cone 6 or 7 is enough for me.  The option of doing salt or soda firing would be nice, but not strictly required.  This one looks like a nice compact design https://youtu.be/6pdFWixTXiQ , but the only type I've seen personally was a large anagama that takes 48 hours to fire.

I'm not building anything yet, just doing research.  I haven't yet found anyone nearby with a smallish wood kiln I can visit.  

Have you confirmed with the local authorities that you can have a wood burning kiln in your back yard? 

If you're looking to get the effects of wood firing that you typically see, then you'll need to fire to at least cone 9, because wood ash doesn't melt at cone 6. However, if you're not looking for the wood ash effects, and plan to fire with glazes, then a low-ash fast-fire type wood kiln might work for you. What are your goals with this kiln? We can help point you in the right direction if you tell us what you're hoping to achieve with your work.

[shrubsky]

51 minutes ago, neilestrick said:

Have you confirmed with the local authorities that you can have a wood burning kiln in your back yard? 

If you're looking to get the effects of wood firing that you typically see, then you'll need to fire to at least cone 9, because wood ash doesn't melt at cone 6. However, if you're not looking for the wood ash effects, and plan to fire with glazes, then a low-ash fast-fire type wood kiln might work for you. What are your goals with this kiln? We can help point you in the right direction if you tell us what you're hoping to achieve with your work.

I'll have to ask the County about any regulations on wood kilns.  I hadn't considered that -- thanks for the tip.  That might put the brakes on pretty quickly.

I can live with just salt or soda firing, if a small / fast kiln can't achieve wood ash glaze.  The video I referenced earlier did that on a fast updraft kiln, so I'm hoping that's in the realm of the reasonable.  For wood ash I can always sign up for when they fire that anagama I mentioned!  That one only fires twice a year, and there's a sign-up lottery, which is part of why I'm looking into setting up my own thing.

[neilestrick]

9 minutes ago, shrubsky said:

I'll have to ask the County about any regulations on wood kilns.  I hadn't considered that -- thanks for the tip.  That might put the brakes on pretty quickly.

Some places consider it to be open burning, others just call it a big barbecue, others classify them as industrial equipment. Also be aware that there will be a certain amount of smoke created, even in an efficient kiln, so you could easily annoy the neighbors.

[shrubsky]

29 minutes ago, neilestrick said:

Some places consider it to be open burning, others just call it a big barbecue, others classify them as industrial equipment. Also be aware that there will be a certain amount of smoke created, even in an efficient kiln, so you could easily annoy the neighbors.

Sounds like I should be deliberate in how I ask the question of the County, lest they jump straight to the worst possible answer.

I'm less concerned about my neighbors, we're all pretty easy going, but I will talk with them before I get serious about this.

[neilestrick]

1 hour ago, shrubsky said:

Sounds like I should be deliberate in how I ask the question of the County, lest they jump straight to the worst possible answer.

Be totally honest with them about everything. You don't want to go to all the cost and trouble of building a kiln only to have them shut you down. Chances are they won't have a clue what you're talking about, so you give them as much information as possible so they are able to make an honest assessment of the kiln. Otherwise they'll just say no.

[grackle]

loving this conversation.  i live in the texas hill country, and we have something called "oak decline", so lots of oak trees biting the bullet, and it has recently moved onto my five acres, with a lot of potential wood becoming available..   seems like this hardwood oak would be perfect for a wood fired kiln.  we do have a burn ban at the moment, but recent rains should lift that soon..  of course, we would have to BUILD a kiln, but the idea of something relatively small, fired to a cone 6???  planning to check out the books mentioned, but i an wondering about the glazes I now use in my L and L electric kiln.  would I need all new glazes?  thinking i have read that a wood fired kiln takes more time to finish a firing than an electric kiln.  This is a whole new idea for me.  thank you for any thoughts!!

[Mark C.]

Wood kilns take time but if they are made right you can fast fire them-Olsen has a fast fire wood kiln in one of his books  it had two fireboxes if I recall . An local earthquake took it down the next year at my place.-we built it in the 70s and took about 24 hours. The wood type and dryness will make or break this speed.

Wood firing is a young persons deal as far as I'm concerned -just a bunch of long back breaking work-hey it ceramics right.

[shrubsky]

11 hours ago, Mark C. said:

Wood kilns take time but if they are made right you can fast fire them-Olsen has a fast fire wood kiln in one of his books  it had two fireboxes if I recall . An local earthquake took it down the next year at my place.-we built it in the 70s and took about 24 hours. The wood type and dryness will make or break this speed.

Wood firing is a young persons deal as far as I'm concerned -just a bunch of long back breaking work-hey it ceramics right.

I'm not young, but neither am I yet elderly, and I do love fire.  :-)

I've seen a video on youtube from someone who built that two-firebox kiln.  I think I'm more interested in that kiln from the UK that I linked above (single fire box, eight hour firing, supports soda and salt firing), but again I am not an expert and not dead set on anything yet.

[shrubsky]

22 hours ago, neilestrick said:

Be totally honest with them about everything. You don't want to go to all the cost and trouble of building a kiln only to have them shut you down. Chances are they won't have a clue what you're talking about, so you give them as much information as possible so they are able to make an honest assessment of the kiln. Otherwise they'll just say no.

I just sent what is sure to be a curious e-mail to the County.  Let's see if and what they respond.  I imagine this is not a request they get very often.  :-)

[shrubsky]

15 hours ago, grackle said:

loving this conversation.  i live in the texas hill country, and we have something called "oak decline", so lots of oak trees biting the bullet, and it has recently moved onto my five acres, with a lot of potential wood becoming available..   seems like this hardwood oak would be perfect for a wood fired kiln.  we do have a burn ban at the moment, but recent rains should lift that soon..  of course, we would have to BUILD a kiln, but the idea of something relatively small, fired to a cone 6???  planning to check out the books mentioned, but i an wondering about the glazes I now use in my L and L electric kiln.  would I need all new glazes?  thinking i have read that a wood fired kiln takes more time to finish a firing than an electric kiln.  This is a whole new idea for me.  thank you for any thoughts!!

You can certainly do primitive firing and pit firing, without having to do any building.  Or, build a mud kiln.  Just don't expect to get higher than cone 06.  Go check out Andy Ward's channel on youtube.  You could also do saggar pit firing, but that's not something Andy covers.

[neilestrick]

Most of the fast-fire kilns do not produce much ash, so if you're looking to use glazes then those are a good option. There are cross-draft designs that will produce a lot of ash in a 12-14 hour firing with about 3 pickup loads of wood. Any tube-type kiln will need a very long firing, like 2+ days, up to a week or more if it's large. It all depends on what you're trying to achieve with your work. Wood burning kiln designs tend to be quite specific in what surface effects they will produce. You can't get Anagama looking pots from a fast fire, and vice versa.

[Russ]

All this talk about wood firings being a long drawn out affair isnt necessarily so. IF you like the effects of a true natural heavy buildup of ash then a lengthy firing is what youll need. If youre like me and you like the warm toasty clay body reduction without the muddiness of ashes on your glazes then some type of "fastfire" setup is required. My kiln is a fastfire type but with major modifications from Olsens original. The 2 fireboxes and chimney are all on the same side making it easy on the stokers and stokemaster to see whats happening in each fire box. I would call it a crossdraft / downdraft hybrid.  The interior stacking space on mine is 80 cubic ft.... huge compared to most gas and electric kilns. This being said our last firing from dark to cone10 took 4 hours 50 minutes. the hottest parts gets well over over cone12.  Smoke is only a small issue early in the firing when temps are low and fuel to burn is more than the temp can handle.. thus the smoke that exits the chimney.  the total wood burned is around 1/2 cord ..all of it pine softwood. (Softwoods have a very long flame compared to the much shorter hardwoods) something to think about when selecting a fuel.

[Mark C.]

Russ I have a spare blower excatly like that  on on your stack if you need a spare. I'm downsizing it this summer

[Russ]

I have a spare on hand but thanks for the kind gesture Mark! Its off a home forced air furnace and puts out quite a bit of air.

[Kelly in AK]

Olsen’s kiln book, Rhodes’ kiln book, 21st century kilns, all valuable. You’ll find slight variations in principles of design from each source, that’s why I think you should check them all out. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to get my hands on a copy of Nils Lou’s book, but it’s been highly recommended over the years.

I’ve got one of those neighborhood kilns, a cross draft flat top, propane and wood soda fire. Cone 6. I would suggest that while it is possible to build a wood burning kiln where smoke is not an issue, such a thing is unlikely to happen without a great deal of planning and experience.

I’ve seen several wood kilns in action and built a few myself. To get the combination of reduction and temperature rise some black smoke is going to happen. I’ve never put a blower anywhere on the kiln, maybe that’s the trick.

I ended up going from mostly wood and a little propane to mostly propane and a little wood, because I didn’t like worrying that someone was going to call the fire department every time I did a firing.

Getting to temperature in a day with wood wasn’t ever a problem. So I strongly agree, firing with wood does not have to be a drawn out affair. Big firebox, a grate, big chimney, proper design of entrance and exit flues. Ash buildup can be increased by stirring around the ash pit often (it starts sticking to pots earlier than people imagine, around bisque temperatures), if you like. Soda and controlling the reduction gives me the flashing and textural variations I’m after though. 

[Mosey Potter]

If you follow this link you will see a free download link to 21st Century Kilns which has a lot of kiln plans including a wood kiln. Excellent resource. Cheers.

http://www.clayartarchives.com