Smokeless firepit table

joec

joe
User
My daughter wants me to build a surround table for her Solo smokeless fire pit. I laughed at that, but she then showed me photos of her brother in law's, and looking online I see a few. I was going to build on based on a picture I found, but wonder if I need to put some sort of heat deflector in between the wood and the firepit? I had planned on leaving 1" clearance around the pit. Any thoughts?
 

NOTW

Notw
Senior User
disclaimer: I knew nothing about these stoves until about 7 minutes ago! but in their FAQ section of their website it does say to put 2+ inches around the unit for ventilation. If it were me i would reach out to them and explain your design and ask for their guidance.
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Ralrick

New User
Rick
I have a couple of the Solo stoves and am part of the online Solo community. I can tell you there have been multiple people that have started accidental fires of their wooden surround type of enclosure. I've never considered the surround just because I think it defeats the way the stove was designed to work with air coming in through the bottom ventilation holes and creating a 'secondary burn' as the super heated air comes through the holes at the top of the stove. I think the user group does have some recommendations on the clearance - I'll look and see what I can find. Which size stove does your daughter have?

Rick
IMG_1222(1).jpg
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Joe - I looked on-line and other users recommended 2" clearance around the outside but I think it is strongly recommended to use the steel edge guard around the top edge of the wood. Probably best to read through the posts on the Solo Stove Owners group on FB. You can search for surrounds and see what others have done and also a link to the steel ring guards.
 

joec

joe
User
Joe - I looked on-line and other users recommended 2" clearance around the outside but I think it is strongly recommended to use the steel edge guard around the top edge of the wood. Probably best to read through the posts on the Solo Stove Owners group on FB. You can search for surrounds and see what others have done and also a link to the steel ring guards.
Thanks. I guess I did not look hard enough on their site. I wanted a metal trim but did not see it under the assessories. I have made the table with a 1 1/2 clearance and will give this hard look now.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Thanks. I guess I did not look hard enough on their site. I wanted a metal trim but did not see it under the assessories. I have made the table with a 1 1/2 clearance and will give this hard look now.
From what I saw, people were buying them from McMaster-Carr. I think they were about $50 but not sure what sizes. The Solo Stove Owners Group on FB is separate from the Solo Stove Company.

Rick
 

joec

joe
User
Have you seen this?
Says "The most important thing to consider when making a walled fire pit enclosure is airflow. We recommend leaving 3”-6” space between your fire pit’s walls and the enclosure to ensure you experience the fullness of our Signature 360° Airflow Design™."


Too late now. It is built. I will continue to try to improve it. Looking for a stainless trim to separate the wood from the pit.
 

Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
Firebox codes- Old code was 2 " if adjacent had sheetmetal on the inside to deflect heat potential, new code is 12" unless the surround had a fire retardant or some kind of wrap that is non combustible (Hardiboard is good for this). Not sure what the latest and greats is, but you can refer to the uniform mechanical code(umc) or Intl mech code (imc) under indoor flues furnaces and fire boxes. This will help you understand the way to think about the risks and safety concerns. There are sketches in the back in the appendix for reference as well (at least in my book).
 

walnutjerry

Jerry
Senior User
Too late now. It is built. I will continue to try to improve it. Looking for a stainless trim to separate the wood from the pit.
While the metal ring would not burn it has no insulation qualities. I would strongly suggest insulation between the metal ring and the wood. I worked in the refractory trade for 20 years and I know there is a product that is really thin ( 1/8 ") called inspaper that greatly reduces heat transfer. The name of the product may have changed as many things do over time but it is probably still available. AP Green was the manufacturer/supplier back then but they were bought out. If you are interested and can't find a supplier in your area let me know. There is a refractory contractor in my home town that probably has what you need in stock.

Reall nice looking table there, would hate to see it end up as a pile of ashes.
 

joec

joe
User
When I took this to my daughters house, I went over to her brother in law's house to see how his is holding up. He cut his circle with a jigsaw and it was rough with the furtherest gap being about 1" and probable down to 1/2" in spots. It was out of oak. I could not see any damage, burn marks etc after many years. I felt better about the one I just built. The framing is all much further away than the 1-1/2" up top. We will see how it works. They have not fired it up yet.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
That REALLY Looks good!
did you use tongue and groove to assemble all the pieces in the top or splines or ???
(I see the splines in the octagon)
 

joec

joe
User
I used cherry spines in the mitre joints. Everything else was 1" cypress with 1/8" rounded edges without any T&G or splines. I made this with the idea I would have to replace individual pieces due to cinder burns and wanted to be able to remove a piece easily. Each piece is attached with pocket screws from underneath.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I used cherry spines in the mitre joints. Everything else was 1" cypress with 1/8" rounded edges without any T&G or splines. I made this with the idea I would have to replace individual pieces due to cinder burns and wanted to be able to remove a piece easily. Each piece is attached with pocket screws from underneath.
That is a well-thought-out design... oh, and it looks great too!
 

DanG46

New User
Dan
Hyia! Reviving an old thread. Was hoping to see how the firepit table has held up after a few years? Was planning on building one here shortly.
 

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