Necessity is the mother of invention, they say.
Faced with the problem of trying to heat a small room comfortably with a wood burning stove, we set out to design a stove that was all about modesty. Modest in consumption, but not shy of delivering heat where and when it was needed.
We built the Lobbe around the minimum size for a piece of firewood. That turned out to be half a kilo of birch. Yes, although the Lobbe can go that low, when needed, it can punch out more heat too with larger volumes of up to 2 kilos. Hotter when you need it, but in general an economic, steady output, slow heat-release stove. Which is why we gave the Lobbe two ceramic concrete side stones to store and release heat slowly into the room. Much in the way that a blanket gently warms you.
An unpretentious stove, with a perfectly matched firebox, and modestly dimensioned storage stones.
It is easier to design something complicated than to pare it down to its essence and create a simple solution. Although the Lobbe might look modest, don’t let its looks deceive you, it is packed with clever features that are interwoven in the complete design.
The six air supply pipes that accelerate the feed of fresh air, are stroked by the tallest flames which rapidly boost the cold incoming air to extremely high temperatures to facilitate the uninterrupted combustion process in the firebox. In other words, when you replenish the wood in the stove, it will start to burn quickly. This also recycles heat from the combustion gases, increasing the stove’s yield. However, the heat from the combustion gases cannot be completely recycled as the chimney requires heat for it to provide sufficient draw.
The air supply pipes also cause beneficial turbulence, settling any particulates in the combustion fumes on the top of the heat shield. However, there is a downside to this, everything in the laws of physics comes at a cost. Because the steel pipes are exposed to the flames, they wear out. In anticipation of this, we constructed the air supply pipes in such a way that they remain rigid to facilitate their easy replacement.
The semi-automatic air supply is another wonderful feature of the Lobbe, so that it only need be adjusted when the fire has got going and needs to be replenished.
The stove is constructed from single sheets of 4mm thick steel, which keeps it dimensionally accurate. Where the sheet steel overlaps, it is as much as 8mm thick. Thanks to this, the Lobbe is as solid as a rock.
Discover the consolation of slow heat.
Semi-automatic air supply
An undulating ceramic concrete heat shield stores heat, releasing it slowly after the fire is out. The reflective side stones in the fire chamber are slanted slightly, so that the fire chamber is a touch wider at the front.
During the development of the Lobbe, many who saw it remarked that it was going to be too small, that no one would want a stove that size. But the more negative the responses were, the more resolute we became to see the project through to the end. We are now the only manufacturer of a stove for small spaces and, despite there being no real market for such cute little stoves, Leenders sells a few hundred of them a year. Delighting a select group of owners. Because the Lobbe is a perfect fit for smaller rooms.
Thanks to the artisan approach to building stoves at Leenders, we can accommodate the building of the Lobbe. Keeping a stove like this in our range where this would not be feasible for manufacturers who are only set up for large production runs.
At Leenders, we fulfil a need and nurture invention.
You need fresh air in your home. Whether or not you have a fire. Your own carbon dioxide production is worse for you than the oxygen consumed by a wood burning stove.
The carbon footprint of wood is extremely low and if you stoke your stove correctly, your neighbours shouldn’t have anything to complain about. Well at least not about your stove…
