Two years ago a small sawmill near me put out a GIANT bundle of kiln drying boards by the road with a free sign on it. My neighbor told me about them and said he used them to get coals burning again in the morning. The boards were all hardwood, 7-8' in length, and 1"x1.5". I wish I had taken the whole bundle, but I only took about 100 boards, as they are great at starting fires, and for restarting when you are down to a few coals. To cut them up,I took about 30 of the boards, ratchet tied them together in a tight bundle, and cut them to 12-16" length. I still have enough for this season, but am hoping to score something like that again soon. I also have some hemlock slabwood that I can hold in one hand, and drop a 14lb maul on and split into tiny kindling very easily. I've never tried that with pine, but it sounds like that is what some others do. I can easily get White Pine around here, I'll have to grab a couple pieces and see how it does. I'm new to the site, but really enjoying the wealth of knowledge that is spreading around. Hope this helps.....greengiant