Fire starting

[rmount]

i have never really given much thought to starting fires in my woodstove; just crumpled some newspaper, put a handful of kindling on top, and lit it, then add splits once it is burning. But since splitting kindling is one of the parts of wood burning I like the least (along with piling brush) I decided to play around and see if I could get a fire going with only 3 or 4 pieces of kindling.

So, here is my new and improved technique for fire starting! And I am offering it copyright and royalty free for Arboristsite readers, and it is worth every penny you pay for it :hmm3grin2orange:

Lay 2 splits about 4" apart, twist 1 or 2 sheets of newspaper and put between the splits, lay 3 or 4 pieces of kindling on top, light the paper. The splits form a canyon which channels the draft and gets a hot, small fire going quickly. Once the face of the splits are burning and the kindling is forming embers add another split or two on top then sit back and enjoy a beer!

Ready to light: Time = 0 minute

Kindling burning: Time = 1 minute

Splits burning: Time = 2 minutes

Fresh split added: Time = 6 minutes

Beer time!: Time = 9 minutes

 

[Rsquared]

We're not supposed to "beer" up until the 3rd split catches? Man, I have been doing it all wrong. That 9 mins will seem like an eternity.:smile2:
Good pics, gonna try your method on the next fire day..

 

[Garmins dad]

thanks for sharing... BUT... Why so long for the beer?????

 

[Coldfront]

I quit using newspaper, now it is pine cones, of course I have a never ending suppy of pine cones with all the white pine around my house. They burn about as good as birch bark.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

I use the Duraflame starter logs, and somewhat the same process as you. Two splits, a chunk of starter (burning) and then either kindling or just a couple of splits on top of that. Kindling isn't really required. I have a roaring fire within minutes.

The trick to using the firestarters is to break off about 1/8 of a stick, not the half stick the directions tell you. That way a case of starters wil easily last a season.

Last year Duraflame improved the starters and I was able to buy out the old stock from Lowe's for $5 a box. They're harder to light, but at that price I can live with that. Normal price is about $15-20 per case of 40 sticks, or just over a nickle per fire.

 

[Fred Wright]

Great concept. Works best with dry, seasoned splits.

We start with a combo of newspaper and carton paper under kindling. Newspaper burns away quickly but it lasts long enough to get the carton paper going.

Just an aside note... you don't really have to manufacture kindling if you cut your own firewood. We get excellent kindling from broken up brush sticks and splitter scraps.

 

[Whitespider]

Ummmm...... I use a liquid fire accelerant and no kindling or paper
Oh... and I normally open the beer before opening the bottle of accelerant
A bottle costs 2-3 bucks, and 2-3 bottles will get me through the season... yeah, I guess that makes me lazy :msp_sneaky:
But on the bright side... I get to drink the beer sooner :msp_biggrin:

Seriously though, thanks for the tip... sometimes I run short of accelerant and have to light the fire a la Girl Scout method.

 

[Somesawguy]

I use a torch, but that looks like a pretty good way to start a fire. I'll give it a try.

 

[oppermancjo]

Does using a bottle of diesel mean I'm cheating?

 

[rmount]

Great concept. Works best with dry, seasoned splits.

True, but that's all I have :msp_biggrin:

 

[beerman6]

I use the Duraflame starter logs, and somewhat the same process as you. Two splits, a chunk of starter (burning) and then either kindling or just a couple of splits on top of that. Kindling isn't really required. I have a roaring fire within minutes.

The trick to using the firestarters is to break off about 1/8 of a stick, not the half stick the directions tell you. That way a case of starters wil easily last a season.

Last year Duraflame improved the starters and I was able to buy out the old stock from Lowe's for $5 a box. They're harder to light, but at that price I can live with that. Normal price is about $15-20 per case of 40 sticks, or just over a nickle per fire.

:msp_confused: I only start one fire per year...

 

[rmount]

We're not supposed to "beer" up until the 3rd split catches? Man, I have been doing it all wrong. That 9 mins will seem like an eternity.:smile2:

thanks for sharing... BUT... Why so long for the beer?????

... and I normally open the beer before opening the bottle of accelerant

For once in my life I try to set a responsible example and get nothing but grief!!!

 

[beerman6]

 

[Arbonaut]

*DING* If you run out of ideas. use a crayon to keep it going or wax paper from microwaving sweet potato.

 

[avalancher]

I have zero patience in starting a fire, and would make a lousy cub scout. I throw in a handful of small sized oak splits, toss a couple of bigger ones on top of that, and hose it down with diesel fuel from a spray bottle. Chunk in a match, slam the door, and I am done.

I just dont have the patience to stand there waiting for some heat, especially in a 50 degree room in a pair of fruit of the looms.

 

[Denis Gionet]

I don't heat with wood, but I make a fire every day it isn't raining at the lake, all summer long.

Log cabin style fire starting layout, either newsprint or birch bark in the bottom middle, and the row above the paper gets covered in kindling/splits. Up about 4 layers and it's ready for refilling with full-sized splits in about 10 minutes.

I light mine with a portable propane torch and leave it there until the fire is rockin' right proper. I don't like doing ANYTHING twice. I tend to stay away from WMO for fires, but I saw a neat idea at the local cross-country ski chalet last winter.

They've got a metal 5 or 10 gallon pail full of sawdust and noodles, with a healthy dose of fuel mixed in there, with a long handled scoop to heave a scoopful of the mix over the splits you put in the stove. Light 'er up and walk away. I'm gonna mix up a batch of a similar concoction for the lake next year, maybe do away with the propane torch and use a bbq lighter instead.

 

[4seasons]

I thought I invented this method a few years ago. I called it modified top down burning. Big stuff in paper on top and then a few sticks to catch up on the paper. Seemed to work a bit better than the waiting for the hot embers to burn into the large splits from a normal top down burn.

 

[us2bnuts]

I use western red cedar left over from doing siding and deck jobs. I cut the scraps into 8-12" pieces and then split these pieces with a hatchet into small thin sticks. I use a few of these and they light with a match, no paper needed, fewer ashes.

 

[rmount]

I thought I invented this method a few years ago. I called it modified top down burning. Big stuff in paper on top and then a few sticks to catch up on the paper. Seemed to work a bit better than the waiting for the hot embers to burn into the large splits from a normal top down burn.

Did the "modified top down burn" get you to beer in less than 9 minutes? That appears to be the major fault with my technique :msp_biggrin:

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

I only start one fire per year...

Wife and I both work, so I start up the stove around 5:00 PM on weekdays. On weekends, the stove runs from Friday night until Monday morning. We have an old farmhouse with hardly any insulation except in the ceiling, and in-the-floor radiant heating we installed ourselves. It's barely adequate if the temp is below freezing.

If/when we retire, the woodstove can easily heat the house by itself.

And, of course, this is Southern Colorado, not MN. :msp_tongue: