Kindling making

[Arbonaut]

You can't have on hand enough kindling for inside burners. Yellow Pine (SYP)and S-P-F is what we build with here. I love spliting up the 1X and 2X stock. Keepin' that kiln dried stuff high and dry and you can almost light it with a match.

 

[smokee]

I recently tore down our o scale train layout and had a lot of 2x3's that I used for legs, supports and such. I ended up cutting them all to the same length with a compound saw and store the pile of unsplits in the shed. I'll run a stack of 4 or 5 two by threes through the splitter at one time breaking them down pretty small. It works well and gives me an excuse to run the splitter. :msp_biggrin:

 

[srb08]

I've got the x7 and really like it. Comes in handy for feeding my meat smoker as well.

 

[NDtreehugger]

I fill a 55gal drum with noodles and pour a gal of oil mixing well, then cap it and roll it around a bit. to start a fire big hand full noodles in the bottom of the stove branches on top 1 match close door all but 1/2" or so come back a few min later close it up, good tro go.

 

[stihl023/5]

I split 1/2" wafers of ash on the splitter and stack them in the basement, make kindling out of them in spare time. Then fill up a some crates.:msp_smile:

 

[unclemoustache]

I split cutoffs from cedar decking and fences, perfectly clear grain and splits like a dream.... You can also light it with a match!

I've been using cedar siding and shingles for years. Every time I get low, I somehow manage to land a job where I need to tear that stuff out of some house. I take it home, saw it to length, and have the kids split it into pieces.

There is no better kindling on the planet, although I'm thinking maybe Steve's idea of the diesel might be a bit easier...... :msp_sneaky::msp_sneaky:

 

[zogger]

All the trees I cut come with their own kindling out on the ends....I cut down to the point I can break up what is left (most of the time, but not all the time, depends where I am cutting). I just take some whenever I need it then, or mow over it, one or the other. Still got plenty in the yard from the big trim whack job last summer... Also have a few truckloads of old cedar shingles here to pull from.

We just fill up five gallon buckets with small hand busted branches, then have a box we keep the junk mail and newspapers in. Noodles at home from the ugly pile I try to scoop up and use them in the chicken coop. Thinking about it, I should tote a few empty buckets and a flat shovel with me when I go cut and scoop up the chips and noodles from out there as well.

 

[lmbrman]

I keep a couple 30gallon barrels filled with scraps, mostly trim work removed during remodeling. I keep explaining to lmbrwoman that I cannot remodel too fast cause we dont need that much kindling

not fooling her-

 

[ZeroLife]

I've been burning wood a long time. Until I came to AS, my favored type of kindling was a jug of diesel by the stove. I've reformed though, no need to smack me around for it. From there, it was mostly splitter trash and noodles if I had em handy. It worked good, but tended to be a bit messy. I kind of migrated to resplitting smaller pieces for kindling with a hatchet, but it wasn't a lot of fun.

Since I got my Fiskars X-7, that changed. I'm now a kindling splitting junkie. This little guy makes it fun, if I could make a living selling kindling I'd do it 12 hours a day. It's become a game of mine to see how small I can split stuff, about 1/4x3/8" is my record right now.

Problem is, I'm run flat out of storage containers. Wonder what's on sale in town?

Yes, I am a bit strange, I like being strange. Normal sucks.

That's a hell of a sales pitch to me!

 

[GeeVee]

Milk Crates, they stack neatly.

 

[ChipMonger]

I've been burning wood a long time. Until I came to AS, my favored type of kindling was a jug of diesel by the stove. I've reformed though, no need to smack me around for it. From there, it was mostly splitter trash and noodles if I had em handy. It worked good, but tended to be a bit messy. I kind of migrated to resplitting smaller pieces for kindling with a hatchet, but it wasn't a lot of fun.

Since I got my Fiskars X-7, that changed. I'm now a kindling splitting junkie. This little guy makes it fun, if I could make a living selling kindling I'd do it 12 hours a day. It's become a game of mine to see how small I can split stuff, about 1/4x3/8" is my record right now.

Problem is, I'm run flat out of storage containers. Wonder what's on sale in town?

Yes, I am a bit strange, I like being strange. Normal sucks.

Very nice Steve. Its funny you post this. I dont use just kindling, and i dont use strait diesel either. I combined the two. When i make kindling i fill a 5 gallon bucket with kindling and pour diesel over it until the kindling is completely covered, then it sits for a day and then i remove it. All my kindling is not like this, this stuff is used when i want to get a fire going in a hurry in cold weather and dont want to worry to much about snuffing out the flame with to much wood. What can i say, im inpatient lol

 

[openloop]

I use doubled up paper grocery bags. Cut the log you wanna make into kindling as long as the inside of the bag is wide then split away. The bags are free, the other half keeps a steady supply of them coming, and when not in use its tough to find something easier to store than a paper bag.

 

[bentring]

I do the same as the OP, with the X7, which was bought mainly for this purchase. Works great.

 

[Big_Al]

I might have to try an x7, been using a estwing fireside friend but its heavy enough that after a few minutes of use my tendonitis or carpal tunnel kicks in. I split some kindling and pick up a lot of pieces that come from wood splitting.

 

[hardpan]

I might have to try an x7, been using a estwing fireside friend but its heavy enough that after a few minutes of use my tendonitis or carpal tunnel kicks in. I split some kindling and pick up a lot of pieces that come from wood splitting.

Estwing Fireside Friend is an outstanding mini-maul. It is what I use, sometimes 2 handed, and at 4 pounds it indeed gets heavy but a hatchet is limited to splitting straight grained small stuff like 1X kiln dried lumber scraps and I'm happy to use a hatchet there. A heavy tool is torture on tendonitis, been there. I remember my elbows hurting so bad I could barely pick up a brick. We just have to adjust to our needs.

 

[openloop]

another thing... its easier for me to put the axe in a vise, place the small sections of wood on the edge and whack it with a rubber mallet than to risk swinging and lobbing off a finger.

 

[zogger]

another thing... its easier for me to put the axe in a vise, place the small sections of wood on the edge and whack it with a rubber mallet than to risk swinging and lobbing off a finger.

If you find a good fit of round to old tire on the chopping block, you can swing away at it all you want and all the splits will stay upright waiting for the next swing. You can get down pretty small before it "expands" too much and makes it hard to split.

With that said, your vise and mallet trick sounds great!

Had a thought..never seen like a cheese grater type splitting wedge attachment for a splitter, just to make kindling. something..say..you put like a 20 inch diameter and only 8 inch long round in there and get like a hundred splits from it. I've seen the ones linked to here that take huge rounds and make a lot of normal heating splits, but no slip on "kindling adapter".

 

[Davej_07]

After reading this thread I went and bought the x7 for myself. I had been using a firemans style hatchet from Harbor Freight, but it has no weight and was a pain for splitting anything. I couldn't agree more with how well this works for kindling!! I found it at farm nd fleet for 22.00.

Dave

 

[farmboss45]

I brought home a couple of 4x4x4 crates from the shop, spent 20.00 for a rick of slab wood and stickers from the local sawmill, and useing my chop saw, cut it up in 6 inch pieces. Filled both crates out in the barn, bring it in by the milkcrate full, into an old butter crock by the stove. Works out good, the stuff is real dry and starts fast!

 

[Gavman]

After reading this thread I went and bought the x7 for myself. I had been using a firemans style hatchet from Harbor Freight, but it has no weight and was a pain for splitting anything. I couldn't agree more with how well this works for kindling!! I found it at farm nd fleet for 22.00.

Dave

You read the thread, bought the snake oil and now you post a victim impact statement

Thats what happens when you read these forums