Masonry Heater Innards

We got everything roofed over, sheet metalled, and stuffed with straw this weekend and Dan put on our super duper $1 door and the bullet heater. Jeff and Dave, the crew from Gimme Shelter Construction in Amherst, have been hard at work in our little straw shack, putting up the innards of our masonry heater. They got here yesterday with a trailer of tools and a truckload of assorted bricks - concrete and firebrick and flue tile. And a Christmas present from me to me - originally I thought we had taken the bakeoven out of the plans, but they brought one, so by golly now I'm having one!! You can see the progress from the pics - instead of going straight up the chimney, the hot gas that a fire produces circulates up and around the bakeoven, then down to the front of the heater and around the side to the chimney through a heated bench. Once the interior stuff is done, then a local mason will face the whole thing in brick and build up a chimney for us, after the holiday probably. Then we may have a little rest till the big timbers come and the weather allows putting them up - we'll see. Also, we were recipients of an early visit from S. Claus - he left us a brand new ladder!!