The tools you'll need are an electric drill, a 1/4'' drill bit, pliers, and a pair of small tin snips. Start with a small rural mailbox, sized about 6l/2'' wide by 19" long. Make certain it's steel no aluminum, fiberglass, or plastic of any kind. With the box standing on its back end, hold one end of the elbow against the flat bottom panel 2" or 3" below the door, and mark the pipe's outline with a felt-tip pen. Then drill a hole at the inside edge of the mark, and, using it as a starting point, snip out the circle and remove it from the box. It wouldn't hurt to wear leather gloves during this part of the operation to keep from getting cut.

Next, use the same drill-and-snip method to make a 3" x 3" square opening in the top of the mailbox right against the back end. This is the draft hole. It needs to be covered with some kind of adjustable door, and what I had at hand was an old license plate. If you can get your hands on one, bend it around a pipe or tree that has about the same diameter as the rounded top of the box. The object is to "pressure-fit" the plate against the sides of the box so it stays put. Pinching the ends inward can help, especially if the mailbox has ribbed sides.

The stovepipe elbow is attached to the 3" round hole by cutting slits about 1 1/8" apart and 1" deep into the elbow's crimped end, creating flexible tabs. Bend every other tab outward, perpendicular to the pipe wall, and insert the unbent tabs into the hole with the opposite end of the elbow pointing toward the door hinge. Then bend the remaining tabs from the inside to hold the fitting in place. If you're the type who wears a belt and suspenders, you can secure the tabs with a couple of l/2" sheet-metal screws, but it's not really necessary.

Before fitting the 2' section of stovepipe chimney into the open elbow, install the damper by poking the sharp end of the handle rod through one side of the flue pipe, about 4" from the crimped end. Hold the damper plate inside the pipe with one hand while maneuvering the rod, first through the sockets on the plate, then through the opposite stovepipe wall. With a quarter-twist, the kink in the spring-loaded rod will snap into its socket, and the job is done.

Before using the stove indoors, you'll need to cook it thoroughly in the open air to burn off any paint or galvanized coating that may be on the box or license plate.

Cut your wood into small enough chunks to fit inside (lengths about the height of the box are good), close the door, and open the draft flap all the way. Don't breathe the smoke during this first firing.

Later, as you get used to the fact that more draft makes a hotter fire and more damper holds it, you'll be able to control the heat and the longevity of the fire in the box.

If you plan to use the stove indoors or on combustible surface, you'll have to set it on a layer of firebrick for protection. You can make an even bigger stove by using one of the larger 11 " x 24" rural boxes, but you'll need to spring for a 4" flue pipe and damper if you go that route. If you want to experiment with a grate at the bottom, you might try using a 6" cast-iron pulley with 3/4" holes drilled through it, or a slotted iron drain cover of whatever size fits in your mailbox. I've discovered that each stove can be as individual as you care to make it, and you should enjoy whatever you come up with. ~