09/17/2026
What’s it like to fire the big Train Kiln? Nonstop action!
Once preheat is over, this kiln eats tons of wood! All that fuel is turned to heat, fly ash, and v***r; and in this type of kiln, the only thing protecting pots from being hammered with ash is more pots! This makes for some dramatic results that show the flame path on the surface of every piece.
In this vid you can see the different stoking methods. Most of the wood is fed through the bourry box, that large fiery opening at the front of the kiln. The draw inside the kiln carries the flame down and into the chamber. This is subsidized by stoking through the smaller sliding doors nearby. We also do a lot of sidestoking: feeding smaller sticks of wood into the side of the kiln. This helps pull the heat from the front to the back.
It takes a lot of work to fire a kiln this big! But when the crew is all focused on teamwork and driven by the mission for great pots, wood firing is such a rewarding experience!
