31 Homemade Wood Stoves and Heaters Plans and Ideas:Do It Yourself

Homemade wood stove and heater is a beneficial and a cost efficient way to cook food and get warm in the colder month without spending huge amount of money for buying costly heaters and stoves. You will certainly feel good when you cook your food on your own made stove.

Here are our round up of 27 homemade wood burning stove and heaters plans you will love to build at home.

1) Plastic Bottle Wood Stove

The first one idea I am going to share with you, is to use a plastic bottle to make a homemade wood stove. This DIY wood stove is not created from plastic but recycled plastic bottles are used to create a concrete mold. The result is an attractive and functional homemade wood-burning stove that can be used indoors or outdoors.

Watch this YouTube video that will provide all the instructions so you can use a large plastic water bottle and another plastic container to create a stove mold. You can use a size or shape of plastic bottles to create a custom wood stove that will fit your space.

Use this homemade wood stove idea on youtube to create more than one stove since they are so cheap to make. Save money on the utility bill this winter and stay warmer by making one ofthese wood stoves for inside your home. Create one for your outdoor space for warmth and light so you can enjoy being outdoors when the weather is chilly or after dark. This would be ideal to have outdoors on a chilly autumn night to use for roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and keeping warm.

A wire rack can be placed on top of the DIY wood-burning stove so you can cook food on it. This is an ideal source of free heat and a cooking stove for an off-grid cabin or homestead thats the reason I like this one the most . The concrete is inexpensive and will last for many years. Even though it’s made from concrete, the small size makes it lightweight enough to move as needed.

2) Pyramid Wood Stove

This DIY wood stove is crafted from sheet metal and is lightweight and portable. It is ideal for camping and will provide heat for cooking and keeping yourself warm. It will also provide light and safety when you are out in the wilderness at night.

Three triangles and a small square cut from sheet metal are the main components of this simple DIY wood stove by instructables. The pieces of sheet metal can be quickly and easily be put together to form an efficient wood stove at your camp site. When you are done and ready to move on, it can be taken apart and packed with other camping gear. The sheet metal is easy to resemble when you are ready to build a fire.

I like this diy wood stove as the sheet metal used is durable and inexpensive, making this a cheap DIY project. If you have some sheet metal on hand from other building projects the cost of this build will be almost free. There is a fabricated piece of sheet metal that fits on top of the triangular wood stove to make cooking a one-pot meal easy. It’s a lightweight homemade wood stove that is small enough to tuck into your backpack and take along with you on fishing or hunting expeditions. You will be able to cook what you harvest efficiently on this wood stove.

We suggest you to use these free plans to create a custom-sized pyramid wood stove for use at your homestead. Build one outdoors and use it for rending lard or evaporating liquids. Great for so many uses both at a campsite or a homestead. me warmer without paying more money.

3) Homemade Wood Stove Made From Scrap

When it comes to the simpler yet effective diy wood stove by Instructables, there is no option that can beat wood crafted stoves. To build this diy wood stove, you would need special paint for stove color, welding electrodes, and grinder disc.

Also, you need is, an old gas cylinder – make sure it has no air inside. Also, make two holes in the cylinder so that for at least a week you can simply clean it by letting out the water. Also, you need to make a door on the cylinder so that you can later fix in the stove inside. Make sure you go through the wood stove instructions so that you can minimize the risks. The use of gas cylinder without safety measures can cause injury. As I’m not the one who has made this stove.

4) Two Burner Wood Stove

This idea for building a DIY wood stove on youtube is perfect for an outdoor kitchen. When you spend a lot of time outdoors and want to  cook meals outside, this two-burner wood stove will help you prepare a homecooked meal with ease.

Follow this YouTube video that will show you how to use recycled bricks, concrete, and sand to build a DIY wood stove that has two openings to place cook pots on. Build a fire in the wood stove and cook two pots of food at the same time usig this idea. You can make a meal for the family outdoors so you won’t have to heat the indoor kitchen and you won’t use gas or electricity. A small amount of wood will cook a lot of food. You may also like to see firewood rack plans to keep wood dry.

If you only need to use one of the openings to cook, create a clay cover to fit on top of the other opening so the flames won’t burn you while you cook.

This DIY wood-burning stove is inexpensive and quick to build. It is a permanent structure and can’t be moved, so chose a location that is away from structures and walkways to build it. This is a good way to recycle old brick and the wood stove will last for many years.

You can build a table and seating near the wood stove and create an outdoor kitchen where family and friends will love to gather together. This wood stove will generate enough heat for cooking and keep you warm on a cold day.

5) Water Tank Wood Burning Stove

Make this portable diy wood stove like this one by purplesagetradingpost at home from old hot water tank.

Simple steps to build this diy wood stove:

• Simply cut the tank and make a door – don’t forget to lock the door with chain
• Make two or three holes as per your wish – you must keep in mind the air passage, pipe passage and chimney sack.
• Add conventional stove into the set up and take this portable stove to the last night parties with friends.

6) Sheet Steel Stove

Almost every bit of this DIY wood stove by instructables is fabricated from sheet metal. If you like working with metal, then these free plans will show you how to fabricate this sheet steel stove to your desired specifications.

The wood burning stove can be made bigger or smaller to suit your needs. The one pictured is a stove that is capable of keeping one large room warm and cooking a pot of stew on top.

The simple design is a classic one and it will look good indoors in your home or outdoors at your camp ground.

7) Frontier Homemade Wood Stove

A DIY frontier wood stove like this one is ideal for taking along with you on a camping trip. The main component of this homemade wood stove is an empty gas bottle. These can be obtained free and recycled into this usable camp cook stove with these free homemade wood stove plans by instructables.

These free wood stove plans provide you with a detailed list of everything you will need for the DIY project, plus detailed instructions for putting everything together. Make your next camping trip more comfortable with some good home cooking and plenty of heat generated from this little frontier wood stove.

8) DIY Gas Bottle Wooden Stove

To build this diy gas bottle stove by instructables you simply need:

• Gas Bottle
• 6 Inch broad Pipes (also required for the chimney)
• Steel hinges
• Air vents section

9) Easiest Homemade Wood Stove Idea

If you want to invest less time and get the simplest kind of homemade wood stove like this one by floweringelbow, look for a steel or metal barrel, make an air inlet, a door and attach the chimney with it. Lastly, with any pipe or box sections construct the legs for support.

10) Recycle Electric Water Heater To Wood Burning

If you have an old electric water heater at home, you can simply convert it into an amazing outdoor wooden heater by instructables. Basically, the base would be used as the top of the heater, so you need to cut in down according to the basic wooden stove structure. The fire grill would be fixed there and make the air passage – fix the legs and you would get a perfect wooden heater.

11) DIY Wood Stove From Paint Can

This is an amazing idea through which you can use any old paint can to construct a stove of your own by bushcraftusa.

12) Portable Homemade Wood Stove From Steel Barrel

You can use any steel barrel if present at home or buy one from the market and make a nice outdoor wood stove like this one by backwoodshome, it would just cost you $30.

13) Wood Stove Water Heater

This is a basic rocket stove design that was created to heat water. Water heaters use a tremendous amount of energy, either gas or electricity, to keep the water hot at all times. This rocket stove water heater in this youtube video can heat 55-gallon of water with only a small amount of wood debris.

This YouTube video will show you how to build this wood stove water heater and attach PEX pipes and copper tubing so the hot water can be sent into the house.

Save yourself some money on the utility bill and reduce your dependence on electricity with this easy to build rocket stove.

14) Off Grid Water Heater

A wood burning water heater is essential for an off grid homestead. It will heat the water quickly, cleanly, and without the need for any type of fossil fuel or electricity.

Enjoy a hot shower, have hot water for laundry, and doing dishes with this unique water heater. Get this detailed plans for transforming a large tank into a wood burning water heater on youtube that can meet all the hot water needs on your off grid homestead. There is one more way to get offgrid hot water by making diy solar water heater yourself.

15) Simplest DIY Wood Stove

To build this diy wood stove by homemadeguides simply look for a barrel, which has removal top, if not you, can get it cut – it must have a lock for safety and space for placing some woods inside. You can follow any video or diagram for proper instructions.

16) Homemade Wood Stove For a Small Boat

You need a small wood burning stove like this one by duckworksmagazine for your small boat. Simply take a steel box, which is 6 inch in length and depth.

17) Mini Wood Stove

Small spaces only need a small amount of heat to keep warm and this mini wood stove by instructables is ideal for a small tent.

Easy and very cheap to build, this mini stove can burn wood or will produce heat with the use of a tea light. If you are planning a camping trip in an area where wood might be difficult to find, use a tea light candle in this DIY wood stove.

The mini stove is small and lightweight so it’s easy to pack with your camping gear and carry along with you. Tea light candles are also small, lightweight, and easy to carry along with you on camping or hiking trips.

Just a few small twigs or a tea light candle will keep this DIY solo stove burning for 25 minutes. That’s plenty of time for boiling a cup of water or heating a small tent.

18) Homemade Mass Heater

For a cool and effective diy wood burning heater like this one by permies, you need to fix insulated burn tube in the first chamber. Also, you must have sufficient space to fill in cement on the first chamber and also the fiberglass so that heat easily gets transferred from inside to outside.

The second chamber features a small opening (door). The overall setup is lined with wooden frames for the support – the third chamber is lined with clay and sand mixture. You can simply add chimney by using a stove piped wrapped with insulated material. You may also like to see wood shed plans to keep firewood dry so it can burn prefectly in the heater.

19) Pellet Wood Stove

Learn how to create an efficient diy pellet stove in this YouTube video that produces plenty of heat and burns up all the pellets. No wasted heat going up the chimney and no wasted pellets that are left half-burned.

Great for use indoors or outdoors, this pellet stove can be used for heating and/or cooking wherever you need it. Save money on your home heating bill and stay warmer with this efficient DIY pellet stove.

20) Garden Wood Stove

Watch this YouTube video tutorial to learn how to build an attractive and functional wood burning stove to place in your garden.

The chimney is created from cement and uses a 5-gallon bucket as the mold. The base is created from brick and cement and the result looks good and produces plenty of heat. This homemade garden stove in this youtube video will allow you to sit outside and enjoy your garden on chilly evenings or enjoy a cup of coffee and read the newspaper on chilly mornings. Build a fire in this homemade wood stove and you will stay warm while you enjoy the view of your garden.

21) Car Camping Stove

This unique diy camping stove by backpacking is great to take with you when you travel by vehicle to a camping location, Too big to carry in a backpack but a great wood burning stove to have with you when car camping.

The unique design of this homemade wood stove allows it to produce high heat with a very small amount of combustible material. It works on the same principle as a blacksmiths forge and has a fan for air circulation. A set of two batteries operates the fan so the wood stove burns hot and clean.

Use this unique wood stove for purifying drinking water, heating water for coffee or cleaning, or boiling freshly harvested seafood as you travel around in your vehicle.

22) Stainless Steel DIY Wood Stove

Solid construction from stainless steel will make this DIY wood stove by manta-bushcraft.blogspot a durable item to have on hand for camping trips. The rugged stainless steel can withstand the rugged elements of outdoor camping.

These free plans will show you how to build two versions of this small stainless steel wood stove. This wood stove would also be great to have on hand at home in case of a power outage for use as a back-up heating source.

23) Stainless Steel Silver Canister

These free plans will show you how to create an efficient wood burning stove like this one by hillpeoplegear from a stainless steel silverware canister that you can purchase at any retail store for under $10.

The size and shape of the stainless steel canister are perfect for carrying along with you for a tent camping trip. The shape burns wood more efficiently and produces more heat for cooking and heating the tent.

The stainless steel is durable and will last for many camping seasons. The easy and cheap build make this a must-have piece of camping equipment.

24) BBQ Chimney Hack

You can create an efficient homemade wood burning stove like this one by instructables from an inexpensive BBQ chimney charcoal starter.

The BBQ chimney is an ideal size and shape, plus it’s built from durable metal that can withstand the heat and flames of a wood burning stove. Minimal work needs to be done to transform the BBQ chimney into a wood burning stove that is portable and efficient for cooking and heating at a campsite.

Follow these detailed instructions and learn how to create this easy camping hack.

25) Darth Vader Homemade Wood Stove

Here is one for all the Darth Vader fans out there – a DIY wood stove by instructables that looks like the Star Wars character.

Unique and fun design, this functional and efficient homemade wood burning stove is created from a gas bottle. These step by step instructions will show you how to create the character wood burning stove safely.

This DIY project would make a great addition to a backyard seating area or whimsical garden.

26) Two Burner Homemade Wood Stove

We find this stationary homemade wood burning stove in this youtube video efficient, good looking, and burns for a long time in a small amount of wood.

The two top burners make this an ideal wood burning stove for outdoor cooking in your backyard. Fun and practical, keep the heat outdoors during the hot summer months by cooking meals outdoors on this wood stove.

This simple design is also smokeless and would make a great addition to a backyard patio or garden. Informative YouTube video will show you how to create this DIY project.

27) Car Rim Wood Stove

Learn how to transform old car rims into a functional homemade wood stove by watching this YouTube video.

Car rims are often made from heavy gauge steel and are very useful even after being damaged in a wreck or otherwise unusable on a car. Recycle them into an attractive wood burning stove such as in this youtube video that can put out enough heat to keep a workshop, garage, or even a large room inside your home toasty warm.

The unique appearance is sure to create a focal point in a room and be a great conversation starter. The flat top surface is also good for cooking on. Follow this instructional YouTube video and recycle some old car rims into a new wood stove.

28) Pizza Oven Wood Stove

Here is a beautiful way to combine two desirable items into one unique piece of home décor–a wood stove with a pizza oven on top.

The DIY wood stove by naturalbuildingblog is built for use inside a home and is covered with adobe to retain heat. The top portion is rounded and has a pizza oven built-in. You can enjoy the warmth of a fire and cook a pizza for dinner at the same time. You can also use diy solar ovens to cook food while you are living a offgrid life or when you are on camping.

29) Gas Tank DIY Wood Stove

If you do not want to freeze to death in chilly winters, get yourself a homemade wood stove like this one by instructables which can be made from old gas tank – you need:

• 1 into 1 inch long box which can be used for the legs
• Fire cement
• Steel hinge
• Flat bar
• few pipes
• weld mesh
• scrap tank

With a good and comprehensive guide, you can simply assemble these parts and make a diy cheap wood burning stove

30) Homemade Wood Burning Heater

To build this diy wood burning heater by permies you can use any steel body for making the basic body – also, you would need a tube for wall paneling and for center tube, wall pipe can be used. For the legs, you can use plastic box sections and for chimney, you can take any stovepipe.

31) Heat Exchanger

If you already have a wood-burning stove inside your home and need a way to produce more heat with the use of another heater, check out this idea that I have included at the end of the list. These instructions will not only show you how to build a wood stove by heatinghelp but how to increase the heat your existing wood stove puts out.

A heat exchanger fabricated from copper pipes and attached to your wood stove will heat water to send it to other rooms to keep them warm. This is perfect for a home remodeling job and you need an inexpensive way to heat the additional rooms you are building onto your home.

A series of copper tubing will need to be laid on the floor of the new home addition so heated water will travel through it and heat the room through radiant heat. The wood stove heats water that is in the copper pipes that are attached to the stove sides. That heated water travels through the copper tubing on the floor and circulates back to the wood stove for constant heating.

It’s all operated by relay switches that will need to be powered by a battery or electricity. This radiant heat is a great way to heat a new home addition without increasing your home heating bill.

I would suggest this free plan to you if you are planning a home remodel shortly. This may be the solution you need to keep your home during the winter.

Choosing Your Stove And Heater

Wood is a cost effective source of energy to either cook food or heat water. So why not build your own wood stove and heater when you have so many options from our list to try ranging from simple, low on budget, lightweight, durable and repurposing from scrape.

Hope you enjoy the article! If you have any question or diy idea for a wood stove you can give it in our comment section.

Based upon some of the most frequently asked questions I have prepared a questionnaire.  

FAQ’s

What is the best type of wood to burn?

Ash wood will burn long and produce lots of heat. Dried oak and maple will also burn long and hot. Beech and hawthorne are very good but must be allowed to dry for several months.

Cedar, cherry, apple, plum, and pear will provide long lasting heat and fragrance.

Which wood burns the longest?

Dried wood from the ash tree is said to be the longest burning type of wood. In second and third place are dried oak and maple wood.

Always allow the wood to become ‘seasoned’ (dried) before using. Most cut wood is allowed to dry for 6 months to 1 year before it’s burned. If any moisture is remaining in the wood when burning, it will create heavy smoke and not burn efficiently.

Are wood stoves safer?

Wood stoves have safety features, like a locking door that will keep the flames contained. There’s also a temperature gauge on the stove pipe to alert you to the temperature inside the wood stove and a damper that will help regulate the air flow into the stove.

What are the different types of homemade wood stoves?

Several types of homemade wood stoves are available for the DIYer. You can select from styles that include pyramid shaped, styles with two burners, round, or frontier style. The materials used to build a DIY wood stove can be recycled items like an old hot water heater, paint can, or steel barrel.

References:

Smithsonianmag, innovation, pub: January 19, 2016, by Rachel Kaufman, “How to Modernize the Wood Stove and Help Save the Planet”, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-modernize-wood-stove-and-help-save-planet-180957866/

Nationwide, Home insurance resources, “Wood burning stove safety tips to prevent fires”, https://www.nationwide.com/lc/resources/home/articles/wood-stove-safety

MDPI, Energies/ Volume 13, Issue 5 10.3390/en13051028, pub 2020, “A New Design for Wood Stoves Based on Numerical Analysis and Experimental Research”, https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/5/1028