stihly dan
Addicted to ArboristSite
Saw dust/shavings, works great. Handful of dust, hand full of splitter junk, 3 or 4 logs, Light a match thro it in and shut the door. 5 -10 min full blaze.
Fire starting
- Thread starter rmount
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stihl023/5
Addicted to ArboristSite
I might try that, but I get a beer before opening the stove.
Locust Cutter
Sawing for Sanity
Hadn't thought of the noodling aspect, but all of my splitter/final sizing debris goes into either the stove or the outdoor fire pit. The shavings and chips would be great and would dry quickly. Now I just need a better noodle monster than my 372xp or my Dolmar 6401as both have narrow, clog-prone clutch covers. My old 660 was great at puking out the noodles...
terryknight
ArboristSite Operative
this is how my father taught me to light fires many years ago. been doing it ever since
zogger
Tree Freak
I must have five years worth of branches/kindling left around the yard after the bucket truck guys got done. that and junk mail and the boss gives us his used sunday paper. I hauled off several big trailer loads to the ravine just to get to use the yard again (after milking out all the firewood of course)(plus there's several truck loads of old cedar shingles up top of the hill, I grab an armload when I am walking back from there)
What I do is handfull of junk mail and news paper, crunched into balls, throw in the stove (from the top) Get that thing about a quarter or a third full.. Toss on a big handul or three of busted up little branch sticks. Two regular firewood splits or small rounds (or some uglies)on top of that. Light it. Poof. I do this partly to keep the chimney clean. Plus it heats the chimney fast so less smoky start.
I we upgrade and get a front or side loader (Garden goddess would love a fireTV glass front model...) only instead of the top loader option we have now, I will do your method though, looks real good!
What I do is handfull of junk mail and news paper, crunched into balls, throw in the stove (from the top) Get that thing about a quarter or a third full.. Toss on a big handul or three of busted up little branch sticks. Two regular firewood splits or small rounds (or some uglies)on top of that. Light it. Poof. I do this partly to keep the chimney clean. Plus it heats the chimney fast so less smoky start.
I we upgrade and get a front or side loader (Garden goddess would love a fireTV glass front model...) only instead of the top loader option we have now, I will do your method though, looks real good!
Locust Cutter
Sawing for Sanity
Single Malt Scotch works too'! Almost equally well for both needs! It is an expensive accelerant though...
looks good, but i'd put a stick running east/west underneath those 2 big splits. that way air would circulate around them and probably catch them ablaze without having to come back to add that 3rd.
i use the top down method. it takes a little longer to prep, but i light 1 piece of the newspaper, close the door, and don't have to come back for @ 25 min.
i use the top down method. it takes a little longer to prep, but i light 1 piece of the newspaper, close the door, and don't have to come back for @ 25 min.
Gavman
ArboristSite Operative
Marc
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've tried every configuration of kindling and newspaper I know of, and I've settled on the truth that my stone stove just needs a fair bit of small stuff to get it going. I don't much care for the smell of fuel oil and I know I'd catch hell from the better half if I started using that in the stove. Plus my Heritage is still under warranty. And I never noodle anything and I'm too lazy to save yard waste when I can just toss it across the road 
My firewood is dry as a popcorn fart, but there's no getting around the fact that I can't get a hot enough fire going to pull enough draft to burn big splits without an armful of small splits already burning. I think it not only has to do with the stone being a massive heat sink when it's cold, but the non-cat EPA design is pretty restrictive on the primary inflow (purposefully) with the doors closed. Of course, I can get big stuff going if I leave a door open and let it burn like a fireplace for a while, but for some reason I get obsessive about getting the door closed and getting those secondaries to light off as soon as possible.
I still find the top down method most effective for that, I think mostly because in the case of non cat EPA stoves, it gets the fire right up close to that insulating fiberboard which reflects a lot of the radiant heat back down onto it. [warning: geek mode] It helps to remember that radiative energy falls off with distance squared. So if you halve the distance to the radiation source, you quadruple the radiant energy absorbed (or reflected). [end geek mode]
My firewood is dry as a popcorn fart, but there's no getting around the fact that I can't get a hot enough fire going to pull enough draft to burn big splits without an armful of small splits already burning. I think it not only has to do with the stone being a massive heat sink when it's cold, but the non-cat EPA design is pretty restrictive on the primary inflow (purposefully) with the doors closed. Of course, I can get big stuff going if I leave a door open and let it burn like a fireplace for a while, but for some reason I get obsessive about getting the door closed and getting those secondaries to light off as soon as possible.
I still find the top down method most effective for that, I think mostly because in the case of non cat EPA stoves, it gets the fire right up close to that insulating fiberboard which reflects a lot of the radiant heat back down onto it. [warning: geek mode] It helps to remember that radiative energy falls off with distance squared. So if you halve the distance to the radiation source, you quadruple the radiant energy absorbed (or reflected). [end geek mode]
Marc
Addicted to ArboristSite
Addendum:
I'm usually drinking before, during and after light off. I just assumed that was the case for everyone? Maybe it helps that I always have copious amounts of homebrew at the ready
I'm usually drinking before, during and after light off. I just assumed that was the case for everyone? Maybe it helps that I always have copious amounts of homebrew at the ready
Coldfront
Addicted to ArboristSite
If the flue is ice cold and needs some heat to get the draft going, like I have been away a couple of days with no fire. I also like the DuraFlame logs for about $5 at wally world, then I shave off chunks off it about the size of a golf ball. With gloves on you can roll it into a ball like clay. One DuraFlame log is usually enough to last all winter long. You need to light it with a propane torch, but it will burn smoke free for about 15 mins, I need about 5 mins to get the draft going then start adding small pieces of wood. I know from experience if my flue is cold and I try starting with kindling I will smoke up the room with a back draft before the draft gets going. This works smoke free.
v8titan
ArboristSite Operative
50% diesel mixed with 50% drain oil from the car in a squirt bottle.
I wont give ya any grief. the method looks good to me and I think i'll give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
Ron
Ron
ss~zoso~ss
ArboristSite Operative
we usually just use copious amounts of news paper, only reg newspaper not the glossy stuff
coupled with kindling split from what ever wood we were splitting that day in a pseudo log cabin arrangement with a couple small splits on top
the extra paper ensures the wood catches, and also provides a lot of heat to get the flue warmed up
our way of recycling
we tried the 'top-down' but it wasn't very consistent for us
coupled with kindling split from what ever wood we were splitting that day in a pseudo log cabin arrangement with a couple small splits on top
the extra paper ensures the wood catches, and also provides a lot of heat to get the flue warmed up
our way of recycling
we tried the 'top-down' but it wasn't very consistent for us
sdt7618
ArboristSite Guru
Can't do top down, never get it to work!
Loads of paper! Load of timbers scraps fom th e workshop at work, small spilt on top and light! Roaring fire every time after about 5-7 mins! Add splts sit back and enjoy the beer!:msp_smile:
Loads of paper! Load of timbers scraps fom th e workshop at work, small spilt on top and light! Roaring fire every time after about 5-7 mins! Add splts sit back and enjoy the beer!:msp_smile:
Top-down only here. Minimizes schmutz that condenses in flue and signals neighborhood.
Main principle: no cold sticks in the flame path to quench the flames.
Fi####l of woody debris (windfall pieces, woodworking scraps) & small spritz of kero from detergent bottle near the door, and it's match-light.
Next stick or two goes on at right angles, or 45 deg. Gotta keep secondaries happy.
(Censor software has problem with concatenated "fist" and "ful"; wasn't stifling anyone.)
Main principle: no cold sticks in the flame path to quench the flames.
Fi####l of woody debris (windfall pieces, woodworking scraps) & small spritz of kero from detergent bottle near the door, and it's match-light.
Next stick or two goes on at right angles, or 45 deg. Gotta keep secondaries happy.
(Censor software has problem with concatenated "fist" and "ful"; wasn't stifling anyone.)
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huntindog1
ArboristSite Operative
Modern day corn cob.
Old timers used to dip corn cobs in kerosene.
If you dont have corn cobs.
Make a modern day corn cob.
Take highly absorbant bounty paper towels
Roll them up to look like your favorite corn cob
Then dip them , they hold liquid and wont let go
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Old timers used to dip corn cobs in kerosene.
If you dont have corn cobs.
Make a modern day corn cob.
Take highly absorbant bounty paper towels
Roll them up to look like your favorite corn cob
Then dip them , they hold liquid and wont let go
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
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I load two small splits north south ,the the rest of the splits east west . Under that I put my kindling (splitter trash). Generally one match lights it all off .
