A cooking stove for use outside of your tent or RV can be easily constructed and remain outdoors so smoke removal is not a problem. A simple yet effective stove can be made from a tin can. A diameter of approximately 4 inches with a height of 8 inches is an adequate size. Begin by removing the top from the can. Under the rim, draw a triangle that is 3-inches wide along the rim, with each leg extending 4-inches down the can. Drill a 1/4-inch hole at each of the three corners. Take tin snips and cut under the rim, taking care not to break off the rim. You will probably want to file the burrs off the edges. Using the triangular side of a church key, perforate a series of holes on the closed side of the can. You are now ready to use the stove. You can place dry leaves, twigs or small pieces of wood in the can. Carefully light it and place your pot on top. To augment the stove's heat capacity, you can buy a battery-operated pump for an aquarium and feed air into one of the bottom triangles. The stove should take no longer than 30 minutes to construct.
For cooking or heating on a wood stove that will be inside your tent or RV, a little more effort is required in the construction. Start with a metal burning box. To construct this, use 7 pieces of 1-foot x 1-foot, 1/16-inch iron sheets. In one piece, cut a 4 1/8-inch diameter hole near the middle. In another, take a 1/2-inch drill bit and cut 6 holes near the center. On another sheet, cut a 5-inch by 5-inch hole near the center. Weld the seams so that the 4-inch hole is on the top and the 6 holes are on the bottom, with the 5-inch square in the front. Next, weld 5 pieces of L shaped, 1/4-inch rebar around the door so that the L is facing in towards the door. Place two on top, two on the bottom, and one at one end. They should be welded about 3/4 inches from the opening. This will allow you to use a piece of 1/16-inch sheet iron as a sliding door.
To make the door cut a piece of iron sheet 6 1/4 inches by 6 1/4 inches and weld a 1-inch piece of rebar in the center near one edge. This will serve as the slider handle. Take a 4-inch juice can with both ends cut out and place it in the 4-inch hole so that 1 inch is inside the stove. Use furnace cement and place it around the can, both inside and out. When using the stove inside, place it on a rock and use a 4-inch diameter metal flex pipe to allow smoke to exit the shelter. Be sure to insulate where the pipe exits.
