http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/82 ... stove.html

Excerpt:

The functioning of the stove is really quite simple. They will last for generations with proper care, since there is so little that can go wrong with them.

One end has a firebox, and outside the firebox are vents. Mine has four "dials" which regulate how much air is fed to the fire. The more you open the vents, the hotter the fire. The ash door can also be opened for a surge of air, but this needs to be watched very carefully.

There is a sliding mechanism towards the back of the firebox. This diverts the smoke coming from the fire to go around the oven box before it escapes up the chimney. This heats the oven more consistently. The position of the slide unit is most important before lighting the stove.

Because a draft needs to be created when first firing up, the slide needs to be directed to the chimney. The positioning for my stove is to the right to light, to the left to bake. If you forget to reposition the slide, the result will be a roomful of smoke.

You can't set it at 350 º and walk away! The biggest challenge is keeping the oven heat even. Unlike a gas or electric stove, when you put something in the oven to cook and the temperature drops as the food absorbs the heat, nothing kicks in to compensate. What to do? Feed the fire wood that will burn quickly and offer more heat.

As the food begins to cook and its internal temperature rises, a longer, slower-burning piece of wood will maintain the heat. Open the oven door if it gets too hot - but not for long. Your oven may even have "hot spots" like mine. During baking, I turn bread or cookies 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Stay in the kitchen when there is cooking to be done. In winter, it's the best place to be.

Range top cooking is similar to a gas or electric stove, but you have more room available. The entire surface is hot, not just four little burners. No, those circles are not burners, as I once thought.

The surface area can be divided into three major temperature zones. The hottest is right over the firebox, whether it is on the right or left. The next warmest would be in the center, and the coolest is the front of the side opposite the firebox. After the coffee perks over the firebox, it stays warm sitting on the far right corner.

Everything needs to be watched carefully, as the heat can drop or flare in a very short time. Don't be discouraged. Once you get used to the heat always being there (it doesn't shut off with the twist of a knob), cooking on a wood stove is easy.

Read more at http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/82 ... stove.html

This is great, thanks for posting!
A woodstove is on my wish list.

I didnt have a stove with an oven just an old box stove and i cooked on it for over a yr... all I had.. But the morning coffee was cooked on a coleman... need that fast

No oven on my stove either but I've cooked bannock and soda bread with it.
Take a wire rack. I used a new style Hibachi rack and removed the wood handle. Lay a couple of silverware knives on the stove. Place the wire rack on the knives. Cover the whole thing with a roaster flipped upside down. Now you have an oven.

Just the rack laid on top of the stove toasts bread decently too

In the article the author mentions cleaning the soot off from around the oven. This is a point I believe really needs to be stressed.

A couple of months ago, one of my cousins picked up a range for pennies on the dollar. The lady said the oven just "quit working".

Once we got it to his house we tore it down to where the oven box was visible. I had to take a hammer and a chisel to chip the caked on creosote from around the box.

No wonder it didn't work. I have no idea what she was burning but it was a mess with creosote every where.