Our Maine Kitchen Wood Stove

KentWhitten

This has absolutely nothing to do with carpentry, but I thought you guys would like to see something like this.

This is our kitchen wood stove. It has never been restored, it is original minus some of the plates on the top. It has been sent to get conditioned (blackened) but that is all. It has been fully functioning since installation which has been decades. It has sat right there, along with that damn rocking chair to the right. The temp dial still works, though probably not very accurate.

It's not primary heat, but in the winter, it is used every day. We will occasionally cook in it, but not often. Once every two months maybe. You wouldn't believe the pieces of the puzzle of this thing. Dampers everywhere. On the right hand side of the oven door, that is where you pour water in to heat. Left side is where wood goes.

I am I believe 7th generation to live in this home. My mom lived here as a kid and she used to open the oven door and stick her feet in to warm them in the winter. I don't go that far, but man it sure feels nice to lean against on a -20° day.

For the answer to the ultimate question, we burn about 8 cord per year. Firewood is free if I get my ass out and cut it. Cheaper than oil.

And if anyone can identify the species on the floor, I'd appreciate it. I'm thinking a mixture of maple and birch, but ash comes to mind also. Yes, it looks crappy, I know. It's been there 160 years.

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genecarp

Love it, beautiful piece of workmanship in that stove.GMOD

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Trim40

You could feed a small army off of that thing. When do the blueberry pancakes hit the griddle?

KentWhitten

5 AM. Up and at 'em. The stove will drive you right out some days.

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Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

ChrWright

Very cool.

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Snobnd

Nice stove! I have seen a few old stoves like that in Fort Kent.

Tinstaafl

Wow, memories.

My grandparents had a similar stove, though not nearly as ornate. Back then (1950's), they ran it just about 365 days a year. Come haying season, all the sons and grandsons would gather to help Grandpa in the fields. He owned a tractor, but still preferred to use his team of workhorses--they had remote control!

On those 90-95° breezeless days, Grandma would slave over that stove to prepare a feast for the men when they came in from the fields. I never fully appreciated how miserable that must have been for her until long after they were both gone.

And we think we're tough because we're macho construction workers.

oldfrt

My Bro-n-law had that same stove in an old house.
Great to get close to during the cold holiday gatherings because of old windows and uninsulated claps on studs walls framing.
It had a small fire box but put out some great heat.
I've seen quite a few around here,and they always seem to stay with the houses when their sold.
Although they take up a lot of space,the ambiance they add to a kitchen seems well worth it.
I wish I had room for one.

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Gus Dering

That is a fine thing to have in a home. Thanks for sharing it with us.

When my dad and his brothers all bought my grandma a new gas stove she pitched a serious bitch that she couldn't figure out the temp in the oven.
My dad asked her how she figured it out on the wood stove with no gauge at all. " I just stuck my arm in the damn thing"

With all of my father's wisdom he tells her "well just open the door and stick your arm in and see if it's right"

The story starts to wander a bit after that depending on who is telling it, but is fair to say she never really paid much attention to the number on the dial. She cooked by feel. More power to her.

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Tom Struble

isn't it amazing how high quality items get better over time

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Resta

Love it. Topper thing.

KentWhitten

I lightened up this picture so you can see some details better. I would guess the water tank side holds 10 gallons. All these pieces on top have more than likely been replaced. Those little silver platter looking things are warmer trays. They pivot out over the top.

Now if you look on the brick wall, you can see our oven plate. You could bury a body in there, it's huge. The thickness of the brick chimney area is probably 4' deep. It's massive.

The woodbox was made by my wife's friends father out of scrap jobsite materials. I can live with it since I didn't have to make it!

Wait until I show you the hinges we have on our doors. I can't believe this isn't still done today, it's ingenious. All sorts of neat odds and ends here. Little chilly in the wintertime though when the wind is howling. I remember as a kid staying the night here and having about 20 quilts on top of me since there was no insulation in the house.

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If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place ~Lao Tzu

Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

Mellison

Great stove, looks geat with the exposed brick.
That's a stove you design a kitchen around.
I also love the floor.

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WarnerConstInc.

Can we have a better picture of that floor?

that is fairly narrow flooring for that kind of age.

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Rivers

Really nice old stove.

Reminds me of one that was in an old farm house we demolished a couple years back. It was just a reproduction type and didn't have near the history yours does. The actual house and stove were not quite as clean as the one photo shows. I sold that piece and got I think $2200 for the owner.

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J F

Beautiful stove. I lightened the pic up a little to see the detail on my monitors.

jeffatsquan

Cool cook stove!! we have many in our parts also not that we are far from you probably in more ways than one. Particularly history and small family farms. Many of these stoves were changed over to k1 back in the 40s & 50s.
One thing I notice almost immediately was the lack of a hearth and it appears that there never was one now that is a testament to the stove handlers and by the looks of the floor the pot handlers also (just throwing a guess out there I think the floor is maple) You mention the warming shelves now there is a lost art back in the day it was very important for the cook to get everything on the table hot an believe these warming shelves made it happen. On a side not we typically have holiday meals at my step-daughters home I always say it is because she has a warming drawer you know one of those newer things that fits into a cabinet quite nicely unbelievable how that improves the meal so any of you cabinet makers when the wifey ho ask about one say absolutely

KentWhitten

You're right. That floor is not as old as I thought. My uncle said he helped my grandfather put it in when he was a kid. He is late 50's I believe so it may be just 40 years old or so. The boards underneath are the old wide plank pine. There's quite a mishmash of floors here. Flea market items.

Someone pm'd me and suggested it may be pitch pine which there's alot of around here. Sorry I haven't responded. It's been nuts the last week or so

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If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place ~Lao Tzu

Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

samccard

Nice!

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