![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RMH-Cooktop.jpeg)
At the Masonry Heater Association Annual Meeting of 2016, I was asked to lead a project which included a cooktop and a long heated bench. The project is based on fairly classic Rocket Mass Heater construction with the main innovation being transforming the primary quick heat exchanger from a recycled metal barrel toward a palatable and useful cooktop.
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RMH-Cooktop-with-Bench.jpeg)
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RMH-Cooktop-Perspective.jpeg)
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Looking-Down-the-Stack.jpeg)
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RMH-Cooking-Crepes.jpeg)
Here were our drawings for the project:
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rocket-Mass-Heater-Cookstove_1-1024x791.jpg)
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rocket-Mass-Heater-Cookstove_2-1024x791.jpg)
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rocket-Mass-Heater-Cookstove_3-1024x791.jpg)
We used insulated fire brick for the heat riser and employed more of a “bell” than a strict cross-sectional flow approach to the design. The cooktop was produced by Dave Wilcox based on our cooktop plans.
![](https://www.firespeaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/RMH-Cooktop-Efficiency.jpeg)
Further Reading:
- Full Project Report by Norbert Senf
- The Original Book on Rocket Mass Heaters by Ianto Evans and Leslie Jackson
- The CIDEP Rocket Mass Heater
Photos for article by Norbert Senf.
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This article is part of the Firespeaking’s “Journal”, a regularly updated archive on innovations in Wood-Fired Heating and Cooking. To make sure you receive updates,….