How to Make a Hobo Stove

The hobo stove is a simple stove made out of tin cans. The name tends to upset people but it got its name from hobos using these tin cans during the great depression. And did you know that the term ‘hobo’ actually means migrant worker? Those working along the railroad would often use this type of tin can stove. The term ‘hobo’ is now said in reference to homeless people, but that’s really not the true definition unless they are migrant workers going from place to place to earn money.

I’m sure some type of similar tin can stove has been made before and even the name can mean different types of stoves, even some rocket stoves fall under the same category.

This particular type of hobo stove is one of the simplest designs. It takes only sticks and creates a nice hot fire in just minutes.

You don’t need power tools for this, but it does make the job easier. The very first hobo stove we ever made, we used a screwdriver, hammer, and a multitool. Here it is pictured below.

For this particular DIY, I’ll be showing you how to make it with power tools.

Here’s how to make a homemade hobo stove with just a tin can:

You can use any size can, a soup can size, or a #10 can. I like to use the #10 cans because I can get plenty of room to make a nice big, hot fire.

Drill many holes into the bottom of the can, all the way around. We found that drilling them into the bottom produced better, more efficient heat than drilling them at the top.

You’ll leave a little opening for the hole at the bottom. We used a Dremel to make the hole, but it can be made with a multitool or screwdriver and hammer. We’ve done it both ways. Make sure the hole is big enough to safely place sticks and twigs inside.

That’s it! Easy, right?

To use it, gather your favorite fire starter and lots of twigs and get the fire going! The first fire might be a little extra smokey and blacken the inside, this is completely normal. Of course, smoke will also depend on the type of material you’re using. In general, though, the first time is usually the smokiest.

Get a grate of any kind, get a cast iron or even aluminum or stainless steel cookware, and use as desired.

You can boil water, cook up food or just use it for warmth. It burns pretty efficiently but the best part about it is that it burns twigs! Anyone can find dry sticks lying around.