For your wood stove I mean! Here's what I use but it sure seems like there has to be another way. I'm not sure who came up with the poker (middle tool) but it's fairly worthless for anything besides, well, poking the fire. I tend to use the ash shovel for almost everything but I'm leaning toward building some sort of rake since it feels like the angle on the shovel often isn't quite right. Then there's the dumb three fingered prong on the end...totally useless to me but there's a spot on the firewood rack where it's supposed to hang so I haven't thrown it out yet! So let's see 'em folks!
Here's my stuff, poker, homefab rake using stock handle , poker, shovel, shovel/dustpan, small broom, paintbrush, gloves .....
I have the normal poker and shovel that I use along with 2 sets of tongs that I never use. Before the season started this year I caught a deal on a new poker at TCS used that for a handle and fabbed a rake....works well.
Ok...I've got a handful of really interesting fireplace tools.....here's ones for the fire. The Napoleon 1900p in the kitchen is where I keep my homemade coal sifter, poker/coal spreader, and a 1840-70 era handmade shovel.. The Napoleon NZ3000 in the living room has my prized tools......I have lots and lots of pots, pans, primitive ladles spoons and skimmers, but that's for another thread. As for the fire tools in there I have two special pieces ...the poker is from the 1920's and has been in this house since new, it was used in the old Home Comfort stove that my Great Grandparents had in the house many moons ago. It was made by Union Fork and Hoe Co. The shovel is from the 1760-80 era, of PA/NE origin, all hand wrought. One side of the rams horn was broken off eons ago,I repaired it a while back... Almost forgot about the 1760s ember tongs. These were used to arrange coals for starting a fire/cooking, and also for lighting your pipe for an after dinner smoke.....lol
In our old Schrader I use the wood poker the most. Moved the logs around to adjust the fire, found the coal left over in the wood ashes in the morning to relight more wood, and push the coaled logs when reloading. I bent more than one shovel trying to do the same
I have welding gloves to load with, a garden rake to pull ashes down in the ash pan, and an old broom handle to push logs with. Of course, my boiler is down in the basement so I don't care what the tools look like.
Only problem I could see is that broom handle might in time burn away. lol I've seen this done by several folks.
I didn't put my homemade sifter tools in the picture because I've been too disappointed with their operation thus far. Maybe I need to extend the sides like yours? Do you use it extensively and if so how does it work?
forgot, I also used bbq tongs w wooden handles to find coal in the ashes if they were too small for the poker Never did catch on fire luckily.
It works great, albeit a little bulky. I only use it when needed, like when burning a bunch of "coaly" wood like cherry, locust and oak, when I want to start a new fire or burn off the coals..... Most "store bought" sifter shovels are inferior.
It's on it's 3rd season now and you can still just barely make out the wood threads, so I think it's got some life left! I found it in the basement after I bought the place, so technically I'll be paying for it for 27 more years. Hopefully it lasts long enough to make it worth the price!!
How does a rake work for separating ash from coals? Scotty's sifter shovel looks like the schnitz in that respect. With my hoe all I can do is push them around, it isn't very effective.
I have better ones of the full build, on my laptop. I was gonna tag you in that post earlier but got sidetracked.....go figure....
I tried a smaller sifter and it proved worthless.....as big as this is, you can REALLY shake it and get the ash separated from the coals, it works great. But it is bulky. I'm gonna make a handful of them someday.....
You must be insulting my photography skills Picked it up in Amish country. I'll just call it the Coal Putter.
