I have designed and built many unique kilns, some examples are featured below.   If you are in need of kiln
building or wood firing assistance feel free to contact me at:
MCC Wood Kiln
This kiln was designed by Jake Allee, Mike Maguire and myself. It was built in 2005 at
McLennan community college in Waco, TX
the wood kiln at mclennan community college in waco texas
dave zdrazil and mike maguire firing a wood kiln
SFA Soda Kiln
This is a cross-draft catenary-arch kiln that is fired on natural gas (2 Eclipse TR-10
Venturi burners).  Once it reaches temperature,  a solution of water and soda is sprayed
into the kiln, which forms a permanent glaze on the pieces. It was built by my students
and I during a kiln building class at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas
in 2006. I designed this kiln.
a cross draft soda kiln designed by dave zdrazil and built at stephen f austin university in nacogdoches texas
Barrel-Arch Wood Kiln
This is a cross-draft kiln with an internal firebox, it was built by my students and I
during a kiln-building class at the University of North Texas, Denton, in 2005.  I
designed this kiln to fit in a tight space, it replaced a catenary arch wood kiln of
similar dimensions.  It reminded me of an army tank.  
a barrel arch wood fired kiln designed by dave zdrazil built at the university of north texas
Hybrid Kiln #2
This is a barrel-arch crossdraft salt-kiln. It is fired on gas and/or wood.  This kiln was
built by my students and I during a kiln building class at the University of North Texas in
2005.  It replaced Hybrid Kiln #1, with a better, more efficient design.   This kiln was
featured in Ceramics Monthly in summer 2006.  Elmer Taylor and I collaborated on the
design.
hybrid pottery kiln designed by dave zdrazil and elmer taylor
Hybrid Kiln #1
I built this experimental salt kiln at the University of North Texas in 2004. It was a catenary arch
cross draft with a  burry-box and was fired with natural gas and wood.  Elmer Taylor and I
collaborated on this design to build a good "learning" kiln for students.   Essentially, the concept
was for the user to learn more about firing than just flipping switches.  The kiln required a little bit
of stoking with wood and careful monitoring in order for it to reach temperature.  The extra work
involved would "pay off" in the end.
hybrid pottery kiln prototype
My Wood Kiln
With the help of some friends from the University of Eau Claire, I built this kiln at my parents' house near
New Richmond, Wisconsin in 2001.  This jalopy is the first "big" kiln I ever built.  I salvaged used firebrick
for a couple years and only spent about $100 to build this beauty.  I have added on to it through the
years, reluctant to tear it down and rebuild it.  The design came from the advice of my professor Mike
Weber, a wood-firing guru whose "Rocketman" wood kilns have been built and imitated all over the
country.  I have fired this kiln over 20 times, and it gets better each time!
dave zdrazil with his wood fired kiln near somerset wisconsin
C.R. Wood Kiln (a.k.a. Fat-boy)
This beauty was built in January 2008, by students and I during a kiln building class at College of
The Redwoods in Eureka, California.   It's a bigger, better version of the MCC kiln (see below) and
is the best wood kiln I've built or fired so far.  Once you start stoking, it just wants more and can
never get enough, hence the nickname.  This kiln was destroyed during a 6.5 earthquake on
January 9th, 2010.   The chimney stayed up, thanks to 9" thick base and steel reinforcement.
dave zdrazil bricking up the wood fired pottery kiln
the wood kiln steaming during the initial firing
wood fired pottery kiln destroyed in earthquake
**Earthquake note**
No worries about the kiln, we can
rebuild it -  we have the technology....
perhaps more "earthquake resistant"
next time.  
The shaker resulted from a  slip-strike
fault, which produces mostly horizontal
motion (see where the bricks landed).  It
 wreaked some havoc in the area, but
luckily no people were killed.  

R.I.P. Fatboy, we had 15 great firings.    
The HYDROGEN KILN
I have been researching and experimenting with firing a kiln with hydrogen for a couple years now.  Hydrogen has great
potential as a renewable fuel because it can be made from water. I've created a blog (which needs updating) to cover
some of the technical information and ideas behind it.  Click here to view it:  http://davezdrazil.com/blog/
f
Also, see my article "Firing With Hydrogen" in Ceramics Technical #33
dave zdrazil with hydrogen kiln and tanks
hydrogen fired pottery kiln
The "Salty Dog"
This kiln was built at College of the Redwoods during the Fall 2010 Kiln Building class.  It is a two
chambered wood fired kiln; the rear chamber is for salt / soda and is able to be fired solo if needed.
The kiln has a catenary arch in front and a barrel arch in the back.  The middle firebox arch and
most of the rear arch are cast with refractory castable.  This kiln is a replacement for the other wood
kiln which was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake (see below) and includes more reinforcement for
earthquake resistance.  
two chambered wood kiln at college of the redwoods
"Bubble Boy"
This is a very special and versatile little kiln.  Although it appears to be small from the outside, it packs in
quite a bit of work.  I designed the chimney (stack) of the kiln to also function as a stacking space, thus
greatly improving it's efficiency.  The chimney is made from insulating firebrick and is top-loading; a fiber
extension is then placed on top during the firing to improve the draft. See more at my blog