The planning that resulted in what has come to be called the "Franklin Stove" seems to have begun in the winter of 1740-41. The English translation of a 1713 publication, "Le Mécanique du Feu," by Nicolas Gauger, laid the groundwork. Franklin, possibly with his neighbor and friend Robert Grace, took up the question of improving the functioning of the conventional hearth fireplace.

The stoves that resulted were cast in Grace's Warwick Furnace; and Grace paid for the publication of the 1744 pamphlet that introduced them to a wider public. Proper assembly and careful maintenance was critical to the efficiency of the stoves, and they never achieved great popularity. However, the form was revived by 1765, similar in appearance though simpler in design. By around 1790 it was being called the "Franklin Stove."

Fabricated according to Franklin's plans