A
metal kiln, a circular steel drum of around eight feet diameter and
four feet tall is used in this example. It can hold approximately one
and a half tonnes of wood. There is a removable lid and a number of
vents allowing air to flow to and from the bottom of the kiln.
Once the vents are cleaned and inserted under
the drum, the preparation of the burn is made by placing the “charge”
(in this case charcoal finings) in the centre of the kiln and laying
over “spacer” logs to help channel the airflow from the
vents towards the charge. Then wood is stacked horizontally across the
spacers all the way to the top of the drum, but leaving some space above
the charge to act as a chimney within the kiln.
