Let's be honest, you weld because you love it (or at least because you're good enough at it to make enough money to keep putting that food on the table!) but wouldn't it be great if what you were welding could be put to use in say another one of your hobbies? Well, if you are an avid ice fisher that could very well become a reality. There really are no shortage of welding projects and ideas that you could take on to create items that have a function in and around your home or in the garden. In fact welding can be a form of art and if you've seen some of the amazing demonstrations of these in the way of a few creative welders you may be moved to put your own thinking cap on and see what comes out. The world may be your oyster, but because this is just a single post we are going to focus on a single project!
The name of the game today is how to in fact build yourself a nifty ice fishing stove that will work wonders in cooking up some salivating spoils from your next fishing adventure. While it won't wrangle those fish for you it will make them a tasty treat. So your first step is to get together all of the pieces and plates you are going to need before ever sparking that first arc. A crucial part of welding is forethought and planning; you don't want to be midway through and come to find out you are missing the plate you need right NOW! So with any project take a look at the plan and then make sure everything is accounted for. For this project you will need 2 plates for the sides, one for the top and bottom respectively, another for the back and the front, as well as four for the legs and four for the leg stands. There will be a pipe for the stove pipe, a plate for the door latch and another for the draft control and you will further need three bolts, a flat door hinge, and spray paint to finish it off. (You can find specific lengths and dimensions as well as a blueprint at the resources link at the bottom of this post.)
Another thing you need to do before you get to welding is to measure and cut out the panels. It is a cliche, but it is true, "measure twice and cut once" because you can't add on length if you've cut it too short and not being careful and precise will make your work suffer and could make the project in the end be a bust. Plus, you don't want to have to buy another plate because of a careless mistake. Once you've gathered and cut you can then lay the pieces all out; it's best to make them all visible while you work so you can pick them up as you come to them and for the sheer fact that everything will be close at hand. You'll want to make sure to then grind all the edges down so that they are square and then best fit together and then you can begin tacking. You'll work with the siding first to build your base and then continue to check that you are keeping everything in align as you go so that the next pieces will fit accordingly. You'll then tack on the top and bottom and once that has been done you will then cut the hole to then insert the stove pipe. From there you will continue along the directions at the bottom of this post, and in no time you will be welding on those legs and then given a little creative license to spray paint it however you like. If you are one of those artistic welders let your imagination get going and your stove could one day end up more than just the perfect place to cook up some fish and instead be doing that baking for the Mona Lisa…okay, well maybe not but it could still give you some pretty cool bragging rights.