i agree with beaverman here . you can dabble or go deep into the understanding of things . there also is any given number of levels in between.
what i would tell you is just get started . dont drop alot of money doing it though .
if you want chairs , and if this fella beaverman is speaking of is the same one who sells up at monroe each year , these chairs ar top notch . you cant build one for what he charges ..
stoves are a complete nother story . folks buy stoves from the army surplus and then dont understand why they are so light . remember these stoves were not built for wood they are oil or moe gas stoves . they will burn wood but you shouldn’t stoke them to high .
the other thing i tell folks is getting started is what level do you plan on participating at ?
Just because you go to voodoos and not juried events or re-enactments doesn’t mean you cant be at a higher level of authenticity , if you so wish .
However if you do go with simply whats acceptable at these events , realize that’s what your going to do and don’t let the accessional bugger bother you .
If you decide to go deeper though , have some knowledge of whats in your camp . Just because an item can be documented in 3 different places doesn’t mean its correct .
Take the braziers . These were not as I understand it , used for cooking in the context many use them today . Now there is no doubt that they work and work great but what I getting at is that there is more to an item or having an item then just saying it existed and documenting that existence.
So if you decide to use one then use it . But at least know some background about it so if some new person just getting started comes up and asks you about what it is , you can tell them what it actually is and that because of given situations you use it for cooking
now above all that , go out and have fun , enjoy yourself , take your time . dont dump alot of money , go slow .
after all knowlage is learned and in most cases thats free just for the asking