[Stoves] granite top ok for wood cook stove

[Stephen Brown]

Hi Dan,

I'm a geologist ... rock physics actually ... and my guess is the
granite will crack or spall sooner or later. Granite has a collection
of randomly oriented minerals with different coefficients of thermal
expansion, plus the grain boundaries are often as not the locations of
tiny thin microcracks. The expansion will open the cracks ... they
will grow, and viola ... a big crack or spall.

I suspect that is why soapstone is better ... asbestos fibers
reinforcing the whole thing in a less brittle matrix.

All of that said ... if you've tot the granite and its is small ...
try it! I'm thinking a small 12" disk of granite might hold up as an
insert in the top ... a 2 foot by 3 foot slab will most likely break
eventually.

Stephen Brown