Fast fire challenge!

[Steve NW WI]

The chainsaw guys are always cutting cookies to find out who's saw is the quickest. Here's the firewooder's version:

Start with a cold, empty stove. Build your fire with whatever method you normally use. Time starts when the first piece hits the firebox, and ends when the door is closed. Shoot a video of it, best time wins well, probably nothing.

Other misc rules: We need a picture from about 10 minutes later to prove the fire is still going.
Fiddling with the stove after starting (dampers, etc.) is allowed and not counted in the time.
Re lighting after the first light is a disqualification - although we'll have to take your word for it. I trust ya.

I tried to video mine tonight, but lack of light made for a crappy video. I'll try again tomorrow night with some auxiliary light on the subject. Unofficially my time tonight was 1:02, but I'm sure I can do it well under 1 minute.

Here's a 10 minute pic just for a conversation starter:

 

[Ductape]

Hmmm...... note to self: Pick up a little gasoline today....... :msp_biggrin:

 

[zogger]

Nice contest! I don't have a video cam though...rats.

 

[greenskeeper]

I start mine with a mini-torch, is that cheating?

 

[hanniedog]

Damn, knew I should have gotten that gov surplus flame thrower.

 

[flyboy553]

Will have to try that next year Steve, as mine is already lit for this year. Once it is fired up, it doesn't go out until spring. Dang, I coulda won too!

Ted

 

[Somesawguy]

I start mine with a mini-torch, is that cheating?

I use a torch as well. A camp cylinder of propane lasts almost a whole season.

 

[slowp]

I do this every morning, but I refuse to be filmed in my jammies, or with my backside towards the camera.
Good luck. My fire took off right away. I've almost burned up the questionable, icky wood and will be into the good stuff in a week or two.

We've had strange, warm weather--I picked tomatoes yesterday! That's very odd. Frost is predicted along with dropping snow levels, so winter shall begin.

I still let the fire go out. Otherwise my house is a sauna--pronounced sawnah here.

And if I beat you boys again? It might break your spirit. I won the cookie cutting race at the Oregon GTG for medium sized saws using Old Sparkless!

 

[Steve NW WI]

Rules do not prohibit the use of accellerants, nor specify the device being used to light it. Please be safe though boys and girls.

I do this every morning, but I refuse to be filmed in my jammies, or with my backside towards the camera.
Good luck. My fire took off right away. I've almost burned up the questionable, icky wood and will be into the good stuff in a week or two.

We've had strange, warm weather--I picked tomatoes yesterday! That's very odd. Frost is predicted along with dropping snow levels, so winter shall begin.

I still let the fire go out. Otherwise my house is a sauna--pronounced sawnah here.

And if I beat you boys again? It might break your spirit. I won the cookie cutting race at the Oregon GTG for medium sized saws using Old Sparkless!

Patty, it's all in camera placement and angle, my first video last night (what you could see of it) showed only my arm at times and the firebox.

You win again, and there will be an investigation. You'll have to send some of those cookies to Wisconsin to an approved testing facility to make sure there are no perfomance enhancing substances in them. Our testing system requires quite a bit of material, send at least a dozen. We will take care of the required milk.

 

[slowp]

I will think on it. I will need inspiring background music instead of the drone of NPR. You do realize that fire starting takes place prior to coffee making?

 

[Mac88]

A paper napkin, hand full of splitter scraps and/or bark, and a match. Never timed it. We usually have a bed of glowing coals from overnight anyway. ;o)

 

[Steve NW WI]

A fast fire is not a big concern for me. I use the 'Top Down' method.

What is important to me is a fire that starts small, steadily builds to full burn without needing to be fussed with, minimal smoke and a good fire view through the glass doors.


Rapid temperature changes are hard on the equipment.

Hang on, Del. I'll have a vid up late tonight showing just that. Hopefully we can convert a few more to top down. Like I said, less than 60 seconds from putting the first stick in to a no-fuss fire.

I think you were one of the guys that convinced me to try this method. I thank you for that. Besides, diesel's almost too expensive to burn in the tractor, let alone the stove.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Here's my video from tonight. It's still a bit dark, but you can see what's going on. I count 40 seconds between first piece in the stove and fired, but I forgot to close the door before shutting the camera off, so I'll take a 5 second penalty and call it 45 seconds.

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CsYey2D8DOs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Two minutes in, kindling is going good, pine blocks are starting to catch:

Ten minutes in, fire is going good, stack temp is at 400°, time to close the ash pan door and start the blower. I'll throw some more wood in in an hour or so before going to bed.

Before I found AS, I'd have looked at you like you had 3 eyes if you told me that you could start a fire from the top, let alone that it works better. If you haven't tried it, I highly encourage you to give it a shot.

 

[savageactor7]

Just came in after starting the fire and taking the dog out, used a few squirts of diesel and half a dz. smaller splits of willow. Got a fire similar to Steves 'cept the flames are coming from the bottom up.

Yeah it's probably cheating but I'm looking for a raging fire fast cause we always burn WOT with the fan on low. I 'm thinking certainly no more than 10 min because I'm out side with the dog in my summer shorts at 28*. But I know when I come in I'll be standing in front of the stove getting warm not fire fidgeting...

...and so it came to pass.