Fireplace Update

First Fire Finished Chimney
Steve lit the first fire
On Halloween, 2009 		The finished chimney
that made it all possible

Update! In 2007, we began the last major task of our cabin reconstruction-- building the long-awaited fireplace!

On Halloween, 2009, the fireplace and chimney were finally finished, and the first fire was lighted!

Many thanks to Steve Hayes and all the voluteers who contributed their time and energy over the past three years!

The goal: a new fireplace for SubSig Cabin

Our cabins director, Steve Hayes, designed a Rumford style fireplace. The Rumford fireplace is a tall, shallow fireplace designed by Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford), an Anglo-American physicist who was known for his investigations of heat. To learn more about Rumford style fireplaces, see here.

It should be toasty and efficient! So, let's move on to the progress...
Picture of Rumford fireplace

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Progress

table test

The beginning of the rock pile
 Cement Mixer
A flue liner goes up the ladder
 Interior firebrick after one day's work
The first task was gathering rocks. When the pile had grown to 6 feet, it was time to begin. An old cement mixer was donated and repaired. Flue liners were pulled up the ladder and installed. The firebox was lined with firebrick. After one day's work, it looked like this.
Start of interior stonework Inside masonry work
 Chimney Late Fall 2007
Eighteen inches in ninety minutes
The interior stonework began.
 This much got done in the fall.
By the time the weather turned too cold for masonry work, the chimney had reached the level of the second floor windows.
 April, 2008. Interior work resumed.
The stonework rose 18" in 90 minutes, to 47".
Fireplace as of June 15 Fireplace as of June 15 Chimney in September. Steve and Marilyn raise another flue section.
Steve works on the chimney. We hauled water from our neighbors. Thanks Marion and George! The chimney rose another four feet in September Steve and Marilyn raise another flue section
Fireplace rocks with labels and dates.
 Lava Rock from Hawaii A piece of the Berlin Wall Cutting the Roof
The rocks in our fireplace came from many different places. Click on the picture to see where they came from. Can you guess where these next two came from? Click here ,to find out. October 2009
Cutting the Roof
Raising another flue section. Aligning the flue Through the roof cut. One more to go
Up she goes! Aligning another flue section Through the roof! Only one more section to go!
Steve and Marilyn Finishing the Chimney It's finished! Enjoying the fire Fire
Steve and Marilyn
finish the chimney		 We finished it!
Oct. 31, 2009		 Enjoying the first fire There will be many more!

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Answers: A lava rock from Hawaii, and a piece of the Berlin Wall