Building a Lindoe Downdraft Gas Kiln — Digitalfire

Luke Lindoe designed this kiln in the 1960s. Since the Medicine Hat and Redcliff were at the Center of a large and diverse ceramic industry, there was lots of industrial gas kiln and burner design knowledge and experience in the area. Luke took that knowledge and applied it to studio pottery.

Over the years, many potters made kilns based on this design. A kiln in the lab at Plainsman Clays has been operating for more than 50 years. This design proves itself with each firing, producing front-to-back and top-to-bottom consistency of both temperature and atmosphere. Over the years, we have attempted to replace it with other commercial kilns, but nothing matched it. Luke made a subsequent change (to six vertical burners firing upward under a lifted version of the frame), that design had advantages and disadvantages.

These drawings and pictures were found in the vault at Plainsman Clays.

We plan to convert the drawings to vector and 3D. And possibly combine this with the burners book by Jim Clachrie (see below). If you are able to assist with this project please contact Tony Hansen.

A gas kiln built by Luke Lindoe in the 1960s is still used at Plainsman Clays today

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It fires very evenly from top to bottom and front to back. We have used it for quality control to fire thousands of porosity and shrinkage test bars to monitor the maturity of the clay bodies. Oh, we also fire pottery in this!

Gas kiln near cone 10R in the Plainsman Clays studio

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It is old, but nothing we have ever used fires as evenly and reliably as this downdraft kiln. It was built by Luke Lindoe in the 1960s. I have used it through my entire life as a potter since the early 1970s. Two burners at 2 inches oil-column will take it to 1000F fairly quickly, but it takes 4 burners at 4 inches and 20 hours to get it to cone 10. I can judge the back pressure and degree of reduction by the length and color of the flames at the peepholes and color of the flame passing the damper at the back. Changing the damper position by an eighth of an inch during reduction is enough to discern a change in the flame.

Cone 10R load of fired ware in Plainsman gas kiln

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It fires evenly in temperature and atmosphere from top to bottom, front to back. Nothing more can be expected for any studio kiln. We use the C10RPL firing schedule.

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Welded frame of Lindoe gas kiln

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Welded car frame for Lindoe gas kiln

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Bottom of car - Lindoe gas kiln

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Underside of car for Lindoe gas kiln

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Car after refractory base poured - Lindoe gas kiln

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Lindoe gas kiln - Bagwall first stage

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Lindoe gas kiln - Gas kiln burner placement

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Lindoe gas kiln - Interior floor structure

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Flue system on car for Lindoe gas kiln

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Lindoe gas kiln - Back flue construction

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Lindoe gas kiln - inside view of burner port

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Lindoe gas kiln - Inside view of slotted brick

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Lindoe gas kiln - Burner port outside

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Lindoe gas kiln - Walls complete, ready for roof

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Lindoe gas kiln - Inside view 1

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Lindoe gas kiln - Top of wall, ready for roof

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Lindoe gas kiln - Walls done, ready for roof

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Lindoe gas kiln - Back wall bricks inserted to support roof

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Lindoe gas kiln - Asbestos sheeting applied to roof

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Lindoe gas kiln - First roof bricks in place

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Lindoe gas kiln - Adding asbestos boards to roof

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Lindoe gas kiln - Wooden roof form

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Lindoe gas kiln - Ready to fire

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