Now is time to decide where the wood is going to sit. Typically there are two ‘ledges’ at each end of the firebox, and that’s it. Meaning, the wood has to be cut exactly to length. Seeing as my chainsaw skills are in their infancy, this did not seem like the right solution for me.
I have also seen brick hobs part way through the firebox (http://www.joybridy.com/current/csk/csk.htm), they’re a thing of beauty, but I find their construction completely perplexing. They appear to float through the fire-box, like magic! So I figured building two arches was a good enough challenge, and looked for other solutions…
This is what we came up with: the traditional ‘hob ledge’ at each end of the firebox, plus ‘grate’ bars. They are set in grooves (larger than the bar diameter, to account for expansion…?) cut into the bricks (see photo below, with pretend iron rods for a visual). The actual bars are about 2 inches thick, made of solid stainless steel (a gracious gift form a welder friend). I make a point of turning the bars after each firing, as they do sag a bit, but they seem to be holding… so far.
