A wood stove damper assembly includes a damper plate, a through shaft, and a cross shaft. The damper plate includes a plurality of risers and a plurality of through shaft guides. The through shaft includes a bore and the cross shaft is configured to engage the bore and the risers. The cross shaft is inserted through the bore in the through shaft such that the cross shaft engages the risers when installed. The damper assembly also includes a fastener applied to the end of the through shaft. When installed in a chimney pipe, the fastener is tightened to pull the through shaft, which pulls the cross shaft against the risers, which pulls the edge of the damper plate against the interior of the chimney pipe to hold the damper plate in any position. Methods for manufacturing and installing a damper assembly are also disclosed.