The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Chauffer \Chauf"fer\, n. [Cf. F. chauffoir a kind of stone, fr.
   chauffer to heat. See Chafe.] (Chem.)
   A table stove or small furnace, usually a cylindrical box of
   sheet iron, with a grate at the bottom, and an open top.
   [1913 Webster]