After only a short time I am starting to appreciate the work that is needed to not only manage but to learn the ways to get the most out of a wood fired range. The Doric wasn’t strictly designed to burn wood – rather it is a solid fuel stove, but we have adapted it by dropping the grate down into what would normally be the ash box, and adding more insulation to it. Wood needs air to pass over it, whereas coal needs air to pass through the fire bed to burn well.
Much of our day is spent tending to, feeding, and cadjoling the stove. Fail to attend to it at your peril, especially when cooking, which I liken to being a steam locomotive driver, trying to maintain a balance between the heat in the fire and the power available to drive the engine (or in this case, cook the dinner).
Controls on these stoves are basic – a regulator to control how much air gets into the fire, and another to control how much draught there is, by opening or closing a slider at the flue. It’s also possible to alter the proportions of air being drawn over and under the oven (something that I will probably master in old age).
Controls are one thing. Manipulating the heat using the fire itself is another. The position of the wood in the firebox, how long the fire has been burning, what size of fuel has been added to the fire, and which way up the wood is, all have a dramatic and varying effect on the heat and longevity of the fire.
Want a bit of extra heat? You can take out the top of the hotplate (and I am guessing that this is the idea), to get a more direct heat on your kettle, or pan or whatever –
Wood on end gives a high, bright, quick flame; smaller pieces are good for a quick burst of heat – say, boiling a kettle. Larger pieces side on will give a longer, less intense heat, ideal for continuous cooking.
It goes without saying that wood with a low moisture content has a higher energy density, and each kind of wood has very distinctive characteristics when burnt.
All of this knowledge was commonplace as recently as my grandparents time, and it is vanishing, which is why I feel it is vital to talk to those who have a memory of it, so that we can relearn, and store that knowledge. In my next post I’ll share some woodlore regarding types of wood and their properties.
Ours is a brand new Stanley Donard but we have some similar issues – namely what to burn to get the temperature right (esp for baking!), what to have the damper set to, and what position to have the pans on when cooking, depending on how high a temp you want (veg stir fry Vs lamb burger). We’re learning!
Sounds hard to manage, but am sure you both will get the hang of it very soon. This time next year you will be experts!
Hi guyz…Just stumbled on ur blog whilst looking for a part for my doric stove…an exact mirror image of yours….not sure how to get pix up to show u it….if u know how I’ll upload a cpl for u to have a wee gander….I need a thermometer for the oven door if u know where I could get 1 that would be gr8 as I can’t connect anywhere….Peace & luv T
Hi – thanks for coming by. Our thermometer is knackered too, and starts from around 300 degrees. Its one of those bits that is impossible to get now. I do know where there’s a whole Doric for sale, and if we had the cash I’d get it for spares, but failing that we’ll use an oven thermometer, and guesswork. Just found the original ashpan and grate in a pile of scrap down the field yesterday and am well chuffed. Post pics on Flickr, or if you’ve got a google account then you can upload them through google plus – https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/instantupload
take care, and be interested to hear about your stove.
cheers
Steve
Hello there Doric lovers.
Cracker wee cookers aren’t they.
We have just rebuilt a friends Doric with new parts. Its turned out a real beaut and now the wife wants ours to look as tidy as this other one. Most that we see are rusted out on the top oven plate because of water coming down the flue.
I’m pretty sure there is 3 different models and 2 different bases for them.
If one can see underneath a cooker, cast into the casting, is a part number.
If, the part number is # 1. (in a circle) then its the 1st model DORIC, These were made by Smith and Weston Scotland. If its part number #1/1, (also made by the same company who also made the wonderful ole Wellstood) ) Anyway, if it has part # 1/1, then the oven is a slightly different size to the 1st model.
The 1st model also came out with cast iron oven panels and then the 2nd model came out with cast iron panels on the fire side, rear panel and ceiling. The floor and the panel furthest from the fire (the side the oven door hinges are) were sheet metal.
This model had only two oven rack positions where as the first model had 5 positions. The more recent model but I don’t know if it was the last change they made to them, it had either 3 or 4 oven rack positions.
Parts hopefully will be able to be supplied for RH oven model over the next few months (if anyone wants something). I’ll come back here and leave a message if it works out that way.
We cast fire bricks for LH oven or RH oven cookers as well
.
Also, because of the fire doors protection plate often gets burnt out or somewhat melted saggy look to it, we can supply fire bricks for its replacement. They come in 2 grades of fire brick material and I’d certainly recommend the better one. Its VERY robust type of material.
I am slowly working on increasing the hot water out put to these wee cookers for the same amount of fuel. I’ll put a comment on this site once its sorted also.
It will also increase the fire box size.
Someone wrote re these weren’t much good when using wood. I’d disagree but agree with the chap who wrote about what sort and size of wooden fuel being used. Like anything, Once learn’t, its nothing to be feared or to be concerned about. It just becomes a habit with being aware of when and what wood to look for. In my view and experience, like most cookers, its a mixture of hardwood and soft wood..
If folks want instant heat, stay with an electric or gas cooker.
If you want highly effective and economic way of heating, hot water and cooking, and not pay any taxes on those aspects, then there ain’t anything that can go past cooker like this and similar ones. . Is there?
Watch out, they’ll ban them!
Best wishes
.
Thanks for coming by and what an interesting post. In ‘converting’ ours for wood, I’ve basically taken out the grate, and swapped the small doors over, so that its possible to adjust air coming nearer the top of the fire. With aged, properly dried wood our temperature dial goes off the scale (literally), so there’s nothing wrong with output. I spoke to the guys in the factory, who told me that I’d never be happy with the performance if I used wood, but it is fine.
Something I’ve learned over the past 18 months is that you can spend £500 or £5000 on a range like this, but without decent firewood you are wasting your money. They are all basically just a box with a fire in it and some baffles to direct heat. Everything else is refinement. It was only when someone gave me some really well seasoned oak that I came to realise this. Ok so the hotplate isn’t huge, and people laugh because the Doric is a little on the low side (ho ho, when are you getting the adult version, etc), but I love it, and I’m pretty sure that its here to stay.
We are fortunate that I know the guy who’s father fitted it, and who now looks after them. He put a new boiler in pretty recently, so we are good for a few years yet there I hope.
Ours heats a 200 litre hot water tank with 50mm insulation on it, supported by a 2m2 solar thermal panel to pre-heat. It also warms 3 cast iron rads, which once the tank temp is past 70c, get hot and stay hot.
This one is the 2 shelf version with the sheet metal oven sides.
Keep in touch, always good to hear from other Doric fans.
Cheers
Steve
We have the same type of cottage in Laoise. Do you have any advice regarding replacing the floor did you replace yours? We hope to take one of your courses.
Hi Eileen, our cottage is built more or less directly onto granite, with a thin scrape of earth over. Because of the radon levels we put a radon barrier in and then re-screeded the floors in concrete, but I’d have preferred to do it in limecrete, and ideally they should have been insulated below the screed as well – again, headroom was at a premium so we couldn’t. If you have the ability to take some floor out, I recommend looking into using Leca expanded clay as an insulative and damp proof layer, with a limecrete slab over. Got any more info on your place?
Hi,
My parents have a Doric like the one in the photo above and need a new hotplate. Does anyone know where I can purchase one?? WE live in Northern Ireland so willing to travel reasonable distance here to get one.
Dorics occasionally turn up on the likes of Gumtree, but not so often these days, and its your best bet for finding a hotplate. Even maybe advertise on Gumtree as people tend to rip Dorics out and think they are worthless. If I hear of one I’ll let you know. Ours has a small crack in, so it is something I will need eventually too.
Hi I have little Nordic which was converted years ago to work with oil. It has been a God send on many a winters black out. I live in the northern isles and used to cook on it regularly. It is brilliant for assisting the electric to heat my water, however it seems to have stopped heating the tank. I wonder if anyone could give me advice? Thank you.
Hi, does it use a pump to circulate the hot water to the tank? Many old systems are thermosiphon and don’t have one, but check just in case. If not, then the most likely cause is an airlock somewhere in the hot pipe. If you have a bleed valve in the hot water circuit, it is probably worth opening it and seeing if there’s air in the circuit.
Hi, I just bought a house with a working reasonably good Doric in it. Just found this thread and really glad to have found some people who know something about them! I am really interested in the idea of dropping the grate and switching the doors, do you have any photos? We have all clay grate I think, so I suspect it would shatter before coming out!
Hi Ben, apologies, I’ve only just found your comment. I’ll dig out some pics of the doric, which has now gone to live in Wicklow, and I have its slightly larger successor the Wellstood. The centre grate should be cast iron, have you got a picture of yours?Its very likely that it won’t want to shift easily. Always good to see pictures of them in working condition.
Never had or even heard of a Doric…growing up at home we had a Rayburn Royal…served us well…eventually Mum and Dad replaced this with a Stanley….I’ve since being married had a very old Rayburn….a brand new oil Rayburn which was practical useless…a very old oil Esse and now we are at last in a cottage of our own a fully electric 5 oven Aga…still have a woodburner though…and whilst renovating the cottage cooked many a meal including roasts entirely on top of the thing! Singed the hairs right off my legs….no need for fancy meany to de hair then! Life just wouldn’t feel right without a wood fire of some description.
i coverted my 1960 Doric to oil in 1999 using a 6 inch Dawn burner .The range is right hand flue and is spotless, the kitchen is always cosy warm and the water really warm.When operating ,which is probably around 9 months of the year,roughly speaking, it would use in the region of 20 to 25 litres of oil per week.I dont know and i would’nt hazard a guess what an aga would use.Another item that i cherish is the original handbook for the Doric – i wonder are there many of them about?!!
wonder why my comments were removed
THey weren’t removed Donal, I just didnt get round to publishing them yet.
Hi im from Australia, I think I may have a Doric where can I see photos
Hi Lynda, the first picture on this post is of a Doric.
cheers
Steve
Hi folks
I have doric exactly the same as the one in pic
Its complete .it even has all of utensils that came with it
I am wanting to know if anyone is interested in it
Wellstood oil cooker.
I’m attempting to convert my cooker back to solid fuel after it was converted to oil some years ago. Getting parts is proving difficult .I note there are alot of Doric users on here and I was wondering if anyone knows if the doric grate and Ash pan fit the wellstood cooker?
Not sure they will but you could cut a grate down if it was too big; ditto Firebrick.