Well the pics didn't turn out too good but you can see what it is. all the fits in the handle is that small piece on the end. Handle is small itself.
Vermont woodstoves
- Thread starter stihl sawing
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Dang, SS! We need to improve this engineering somehow. Consider this. A local welder could weld the extension you are holding in your hand onto the part that now fastens to the stove with a set screw. Then remove the existing set screw that holds the assembly to the stove so that you would be working with one larger removable piece, similar to mine.
In short, attach the separate piece in your hand permanenty to the piece that you show that looks like it is now fastened to the stove with only a set screw. That piece does not have to be permanently fastened.
WDYT?
In short, attach the separate piece in your hand permanenty to the piece that you show that looks like it is now fastened to the stove with only a set screw. That piece does not have to be permanently fastened.
WDYT?
It definitely needs an improvement. Kinda hard to believe they put such a cheesy piece on it. I'm gonna look closely at it and may do exactly what you said. First i will go to where i bought it and see if they have another handle that will fit. Thought about just putting a screw in it and leaving it and buying handles for the rest of the openers but i think the plastic would melt. Gonna have to do something, i can see me getting burned often trying to use it.
Don't worry about melting the plastic. Remember, the idea is that the handle is only temporary and you remove it from the stove when finished using it. That set screw holding the handle assembly to the stove becomes a drone. The square stud that the handle turns always remains there. I believe the set screw screw now presses against that stud tight and that is the only thing holding the 2-part assembly to the square stud. Right?
It just seems to me that it would be easier to use this asembly if the handle extension and the part now secured with the set screw become one removable piece.
That's how I would design it, and that's how it was made 20 years ago.
Last edited:
I'll check on how it attaches tonight. Your solution may be the easiest. I wanna leave the chrome ends on the ash pan and the dampener. Will probably just put the handle together for just the side door. i will have to buy another handle for the other doors though. the side door will be used the most.
Here is a photo of the Vermont Castings Resolute stove I bought ~1980. This is the old first style Resolute with the double doors, and you can see that it has that same removable handle. A small hole was purposely cast into the left front leg that fits the removable handle perfectly. I've used it as-designed for nearly 30 years - replacing it into its receptical after each use. No problem - everyone knows to replace it where it belongs. Even the little grandkids don't seem to be interested in carrying it off or fooling with it.
If the handle remained attached to the door or firebox of the stove - for even a short period of time - it would quickly become too hot to touch.....thus a good reason to store it sticking out of a part that doesn't get quite so hot.
Here is the storage receptical:
xtm
If the handle remained attached to the door or firebox of the stove - for even a short period of time - it would quickly become too hot to touch.....thus a good reason to store it sticking out of a part that doesn't get quite so hot.
Here is the storage receptical:
xtm
About the same as mine, But they have a brackett that attaches to the foot now.
Also looked at the opener closely, It doesn't have a set screw. It's a roll pin. The one on the dampener has a set screw.
I believe that you'll eventually come to like that removable handle.
Curious visitors tend to leave the stove alone, too - there's no fiddling with the various latches and openers it they can't figure out how to dink with it without raising a blister!
You're gonna love that stove!
xtm
Curious visitors tend to leave the stove alone, too - there's no fiddling with the various latches and openers it they can't figure out how to dink with it without raising a blister!
You're gonna love that stove!
xtm
Last edited:
LOL, I got a burn blister the first time. Was just firing in the cast iron like the manual said and grabbed the opener without the handle. Been used to the old stove. The handle stayed on it.I believe that you'll eventually come to like that removable handle.
Curious visitors tend to leave the stove alone, too - there's no fiddling with the various latches and openers it they can't figure out how to dink with it without raising a blister!
xtm
Rotorooster
New Member
21 year old Dutchwest
Hey Everyone,
This website is the greatest- I really enjoy all the information exchanged among the colorful personalities!
I am preparing to enter my 22nd year of heating a very loose, 100 -year-old, 2 story house with the medium size (264CCL) Dutchwest catalytic stove insert. Other than replacing the shaker grates twice and the catalytic baffle twice, I've done nothing to it but routine maintenance (door gaskets, yearly stove polish, etc.). During the cold months, it is burned 24/7 around here.
Overall, the stove is a gem. It heats extremely well and it routinely gets 6-7 hour burn cycles. I have the optional (original!) blower which I highly recommend. It's pretty noisy, but it's very effective and I happen to like white noise. In the old days, I didn't get much life from the catalyst, but because of my operating experience and improved combustors the replacement time has probably doubled from 2 to 4 years.
It seems to me that combustors have improved so much that it actually is a detriment when using a new one- to keep from overheating it, I have to choke the stove down SO far that the loading door will "glue itself' shut with tar, making it a pain to open without pulling the gasket from the door!
Emissions have always been very clean with the exception of this last year. I finally decided to make my setup "legit" and replaced my pipe and block off plate (which then dumped directly into the tiled chimney) with a stainless steel liner and cap. Imagine my surprise to find in 6 week's time my liner was almost COMPLETELY blocked with creosote- primarily at the top. I wasn't able to use the wrap-around insulation blanket because there isn't enough room for it. I recently bought some ceramic fiber which I plan to "stuff" into the gaps around the liner at the crown. I'm pretty hopeful this will solve the problem as I'm sure it's the cold air sneaking in up there that's the culprit. It's still hard to believe that I could accumulate that much creosote with combustor temps of 1400-1600 degrees.
If I remember correctly, my stove came with little springs which were to be inserted into the "business end" of the handles which wouldn't allow them to be left on the stove- I've never used them.
With the 30% government incentive going on, I've given some serious thought to buying something new, but I have serious doubts that most new stoves are built anywhere near as stout as this ol' Taiwanese brute. Year after year it's proven itself to be as reliable as death and taxes.........and that's the truth!
Hey Everyone,
This website is the greatest- I really enjoy all the information exchanged among the colorful personalities!
I am preparing to enter my 22nd year of heating a very loose, 100 -year-old, 2 story house with the medium size (264CCL) Dutchwest catalytic stove insert. Other than replacing the shaker grates twice and the catalytic baffle twice, I've done nothing to it but routine maintenance (door gaskets, yearly stove polish, etc.). During the cold months, it is burned 24/7 around here.
Overall, the stove is a gem. It heats extremely well and it routinely gets 6-7 hour burn cycles. I have the optional (original!) blower which I highly recommend. It's pretty noisy, but it's very effective and I happen to like white noise. In the old days, I didn't get much life from the catalyst, but because of my operating experience and improved combustors the replacement time has probably doubled from 2 to 4 years.
It seems to me that combustors have improved so much that it actually is a detriment when using a new one- to keep from overheating it, I have to choke the stove down SO far that the loading door will "glue itself' shut with tar, making it a pain to open without pulling the gasket from the door!
Emissions have always been very clean with the exception of this last year. I finally decided to make my setup "legit" and replaced my pipe and block off plate (which then dumped directly into the tiled chimney) with a stainless steel liner and cap. Imagine my surprise to find in 6 week's time my liner was almost COMPLETELY blocked with creosote- primarily at the top. I wasn't able to use the wrap-around insulation blanket because there isn't enough room for it. I recently bought some ceramic fiber which I plan to "stuff" into the gaps around the liner at the crown. I'm pretty hopeful this will solve the problem as I'm sure it's the cold air sneaking in up there that's the culprit. It's still hard to believe that I could accumulate that much creosote with combustor temps of 1400-1600 degrees.
If I remember correctly, my stove came with little springs which were to be inserted into the "business end" of the handles which wouldn't allow them to be left on the stove- I've never used them.
With the 30% government incentive going on, I've given some serious thought to buying something new, but I have serious doubts that most new stoves are built anywhere near as stout as this ol' Taiwanese brute. Year after year it's proven itself to be as reliable as death and taxes.........and that's the truth!
Great first post Rotorooster, Appreciate the insight on the longivity of the stove. Just hope mine will last as long as yours. Sounds as if you are pleased with it. My old stove was a good one for sure. but it was time to retire it. Didn't know they had cats on them that long ago. Thanks again for the post and rep coming you're way at lunchtime.
HARRY BARKER
ArboristSite Guru
whats the price for a combuster for one of these large dutchwest stoves???
friends got a 2479 DW non cat and the "fountain" fell apart....anywhere from $330 to $400 for this part.
friends got a 2479 DW non cat and the "fountain" fell apart....anywhere from $330 to $400 for this part.
That's too much dough for my blood. The cat combustors for these stoves were once going for $40 apiece, were hard to clean, and needed annual replacement. I decided to rig up my own "combustor" using 1/4" plate steel. Here's the secondary combustion plate insert that came with the stove for burning coal after five years of steady use:
I might have been able to squeeze another year out of it. However, the flue collar was finally shot after 21 years, so I replaced that with four pieces of angle iron and new bolts:
Then I bought a square steel plate from a welding shop and drilled some holes to match the old plate:
I added a lift-out bolt in the center to make it easy to remove and clean. If it chokes the fire too much, I'll just dill a few more smaller holes. I doubt that I needed any chamfer on the holes. After all, the cat combustors have no chamfered holes. Not sure why the coal insert plate had them chamfered.
I'll keep you posted on how this new parts assembly shakes out. Incidentally, my stove is the Federal 288CCL (thread post #16).
Last edited:
HARRY BARKER
ArboristSite Guru
got any pics of that pull out cooker thing?
Your wish is my command. I took these shots last year. Here's the grill I made using hollow steel square stock for the handles and 5/16" solid round stock for the grate. Four short legs were bolted on to keep the grill dead level while cooking. The back legs are a little longer than the two in front. I added walnut handles because that grill gets hot while the taters cook:
When the fire dies down and the red hot embers are small enough for the grill to fit over, I open the stove front doors and slide it in over the top of the fire. I cook the potatoes first and relax a half hour or so, adding a few small logs underneath as need be:
Then I add the steaks to the grill along with perhaps a couple of small pieces of hardwood kindling for smoke and heat. When it's all through, I'm ready to serve:
Before eating, I usually close up the stove doors again and throw on some big logs to heat her back up again. Dang, it Harry, now I'm hungry again.
HARRY BARKER
ArboristSite Guru
sweeeeeeet!!!! looks great!
you got power there or you just run on candles?
you got power there or you just run on candles?
ROFALMFAO! :greenchainsaw:
Great ingenuity wood doctor. Gonna try to cook off mine this winter too. Really hope them cats aren't that much money. Pretty neat the way you can open you're door and cook off the flame, On my old stove if you tried that you would fill the house up with smoke. Those steaks look really tasty.
Got a question, I have had it going for two days now and just put two dry sticks of oak in it, Noticed it is smoking quite a bit. I thought when it went through the cat it would burn all the smoke. So you guys that burn these do they smoke or is something wrong. I'm kinda concerned. Hope the cat is working properly.
Similar threads
