Sasukenei Kiln during building

In 2007 my kiln building project finally began. In the past I have built several train kilns of various sizes but this next kiln was to be a major project. 3 years ago I bought 10 pallets of fire bricks with fellow potter Ian Dowling at an auction, so I had plenty of building materials. The considerations for the kiln were ease of firing and loading without being to big and most importantly not to create vast amounts of smoke. The design would need to be environmentally friendly as possible, enable me to fire on my own but be versatile to fire longer with help if needed. Initially I did have visions of building an anagama as I have several years experience in firing this type of kiln. I had discussed building various types of kilns with many experienced wood firers over the years but I did not have a definite idea about which style to build for myself.
The final decision was to build the ‘Sasukenei Smokeless Kiln’ taken from the ‘Japanese Wood-Fired Ceramics” by Mazakazu Kusakabe and Marc Lancet. I had met Marc at the Tozan 21 Conference in Flagstaff Arizona and was interested in looking at the kiln design in this publication.
The measurements set out in the book I found somewhat of a challenge so I looked at the proportions and built from that. There have been a few adjustments to the original design but only a few and my kiln is now completed. There are bricks protruding from the arch that divert the flames and send them in different directions , they also act as a means to collect ash that when molten will drip onto the work. A double sized arch brick was used here and this works perfectly. The curve of the arch is not obvious from the outside because of the infill used to bring the exterior up to the horizontal level. The chimney is 6 metres high, the first 4 metres above the ‘secret chamber’, are brick with the last 2 metres being metal. The bracing of the kiln was constructed by my husband Peter who also built the kiln shed.The poles were grown on Ian Dowlings property in Margaret River.
I am fortunate to be surrounded by blue gum and pine plantations. There is an abundance of wood after the trees have been harvested and being within a short distance from the kiln site my supply of wood is plentiful and the use of this waste plantation timber makes little or no impact on the environment. I am grateful to West Coast Timbers who donate all my pine and to Kingsley in Capel who allows me, ( well my brother in law Nick) to collect the unwanted blue gum.
The first firing was a bit of a disaster with the temperature reaching a little over a 1000*C after many hours of firing and burning a huge amount of wood. I did console myself with the idea “I was drying out the kiln” as it had been exposed to the winter rains. The results from the second firing were much better after removing a grate bar to give a wider spacing for the embers to fall through. 
I am very grateful to Ian Dowling for his encouragement and to Nick, who has let me use a corner of a paddock on his property for my kiln.
In 2013 I rebuilt the firebox making the overall size smaller. I now stoke from the front of the kiln. I get a better distribution of heat and an overall increased ash coverage. I have covered the whole kiln with an adobe mix as i found a family of king skinks burrowing in to the roof and creating air ports. Happily they have been relocated to ithe wood piles.
I also have a small train kiln.