Do Your Homework
T
his is the article
that, though I write
it every year, might
still save a new reader
much heartache and
money. If you are planning
on building a kiln, I hope
this will head-off the
biggest mistake a new kiln
builder can make. Hell,
I see some experienced
kiln builders make this
mistake. The mistake?
and number of burners you
think. This is something
you should know. If you
don’t know, you don’t have
an adequate plan and are
not ready to proceed. You
need to do the math…
Btu/hr. per cubic foot of
kiln space… Different
burner outputs based on
the gas you are using and
the available pressure…
it’s a word problem and
if you don’t have the
Assumptions.
numbers, you can’t answer
the problem. I’ve seen
It goes something like
many people have to tear
this… “When I was in
down kilns they just built
school, we had a kiln with
and start over because
four burner ports, so I’ll put
they just assumed…
two burner ports in each
side.” Or, ….“My buddy, Joe In my experience, I don’t
Fakeash, has a great kiln
see too many kilns that
that he fires on propane.
are the exact replicas
I’ll build the same, exact
of one another. There
thing… I’ll just use natural are slight differences;
gas instead.”… And, then,
materials, location to
there is always…“This
prevailing winds, altitude,
guy in a YouTube video
gas supplies, etc. I’ve
shows how to make a
seen many a situation
great kiln out of old,
where someone says
discarded refrigerators.
they built the same kiln
I can save a bundle!”
as their friend, but their
kiln doesn’t work. After
some gentle probing
for information, it is
discovered that, “Well,
I made it a brick bigger
each way, but that
shouldn’t matter”…
Assumptions.
I was on the phone today
with a professor who
needed a quick quote
on burners for a grant
project. I need to know
dimensions, construction
Our professor says, “Oh,
probably a 50-in. cube…
or maybe a 60-in. cube.”
I stop him with, “Whoa... Is
it 50 inches or 60 inches?”
Our harried professor
replies, “I’m not sure
yet; why does it matter?
I just need a quote.”
I do my quick back-of-theenvelope math, and inform
our professor, “Well, a 50in. cube is about 73 cubic
feet and a 60-in. cube is
about 125 cubic feet. That’s
a huge difference.” We then
work through shelf size
and number, and bag wall
placement. We come up
with a kiln that is 28 cubic
feet. Twenty-eight, 73, and
125 are all vastly different
sizes. What’s another brick
or two in dimension sizes?
Assumptions.
The great thing about
the Internet is everyone
can participate. The
horrible thing about the
Internet is everyone can
participate. It is easy
for anyone’s backyard
anecdote to become a
universal truth by means
of a smart phone video.
I’ve seen some beautiful
and awe-inspiring things
on YouTube… I’ve learned
new ways to separate
an egg, and laughed at
sad cats. I’ve not seen
much revolutionary kiln
building. Remember the
old adage, “If it seems
too good to be true…”
Study. Plan. Study
some more!
Building a kiln is a large
undertaking. Unless you
are a seasoned kiln builder,
don’t assume. Don’t
assume a similar setup
will spell out all of your
slightly different details.
Don’t assume what worked
for you or someone else
in a relatively similar
situation will work in
a new situation.
Finally, consider those
short videos on YouTube
as a peek at someone’s
experiment, not as a
road map for you to sink
big bucks into. The time
to plan a kiln is before
you build it. I see far too
many folks assume that
the kiln-building plan is
about the bricks alone.
After the kiln is built,
they’ll decide on burners.
Bad assumption! [
Marc Ward is owner/operator
of Ward Burner Systems
in Dandridge, Tennessee.
He may be reached via the
online catalog and Website
at: www.wardburner.com.
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Assumptions that are
made about things similar
to the above statements
are what lead projects into
trouble. Burners are not
an afterthought that you
plug into the kiln after
you finish building. Just
because you’ve seen a
kiln with two burners, or
four burners, or more, it
doesn’t mean that the kiln
you are building, in your
location, with a specific gas
supply will use the type
materials, firing range,
and time range to give
an accurate BTU figure
and then recommend
burners. I ask, “What are
the internal dimensions?”
BY MARC WARD
Shop Talk I Firing
What You Need To Know Before Building A Kiln
45