Starting a fire. Tips and tricks

[El Quachito]

Good kindling, dry newspaper and fir firewood. If I want it to rip really good I use more kindling.
Old Growth pine log I am using right now. Super fine grained and some sticks are like solid resin.

 

[greenskeeper]

3 pieces of 2x4 scraps, full splits on top of that. mini-torch tip angled into the stove held by the door. works great.

 

[El Quachito]

Paper grocery bags have done well for me this winter. Newspapers won't light worth a shat sometimes. The bags are great because they hold a flame a lot longer than paper does.

 

[SS396driver]

I only light mine once a year but I do find that a propane torch works great.

Same here but I use a b tank

 

[Brushwacker]

There is more then 1 way to skin a cat .
I do like the suggestion of carrying vasoline soaked cotton balls in film container from the century + old poster gone modern .
Any body that has an hair drier they don't use aught to try blowing some warm air over their new flame with it.
I keep some charcoal starter fluid around as an aid when I am low on starter wood which is rare but the house can be cold from the fire going out and its usually late, bad weather and I don't feel like going out and gathering the starter wood if I can get going what I have easy enough.

 

[Whitespider]

Any body that has an hair drier they don't use aught to try blowing some warm air over their new flame with it.

Ha‼ My smoke-dragon furnace has a draft induction blower.
I wired in a bypass circuit on a mechanical timer for if'n I'm in a big hurry for heat... slam the door, set the timer, walk away‼
*

 

[Adirondack]

I was going to say the exact same thing. I use 2-3 sheets of newspaper, not an entire issue of the Wall Street Journal . I tie the news paper in a loose knot and throw a couple handfuls of small sticks/twigs on top. Then I box those in with a good dry split on either side (just like he does in the video when he's making his "wood firebox"), and lay a smallish split diagonally across the top. Then I flick a match, open the air control, close the door, and walk away. I usually come back about 15 minutes later and pull the top split down into the middle and add more wood depending on what kind of fire I'm aiming to build. Rarely fails on me, and when it does it's usually because I tried to use green wood to start my fire .

Yeah I guess I went a little overboard on newspaper. My mother-in-law brings over tons a newspaper from the old folks home so I don't use it sparingly.

 

[Peter White]

I have a fan next to my insert and after I set the wood up ready to go and light it, I close one door all the way(the one nearest the fan) and the other door ajar a half inch, after lighting. Then I turn the fan on low and point it at the gap. Gets it really roaring quick and the draw going well, then I shut the door when it's blazing and its good to go. Then I turn the fan away from the door to blow across the hot air exit at top of insert to help distribute/move the air around the room.

 

[ppkgmsy]

My turn to brag because I'm as lucky as can be when it comes to kindling. I start my fires with kiln-dried maple already cut to size. Oh yea, it's free, too. There's a factory near where I live that puts ther scraps out in dumpsters. Load it into the truck and away we go. They're good people and a fine local employer. It's thoughtful of them to make the scraps accessible, and probably helps them get rid of their excess.

 

[timbrjackrussel]

My turn to brag because I'm as lucky as can be when it comes to kindling. I start my fires with kiln-dried maple already cut to size. Oh yea, it's free, too. There's a factory near where I live that puts ther scraps out in dumpsters. Load it into the truck and away we go. They're good people and a fine local employer. It's thoughtful of them to make the scraps accessible, and probably helps them get rid of their excess.

There used to be a sawmill in our town that had kiln dried hard maple. They did the same thing. A large bin always had maple blocks and cuttings.
Let the owners and workers know that you appreciate the scraps.
A nice Thank You card and some homemade treats would be a good start. You never know.

 

[tla100]

I get these in 4' long pieces. Cut in 16" and get 3. Do about 2-3 layers, sometimes 2-6 pieces. paper in middle. Throw logs on top. Coals will have it going in no time. If no coals, it takes a couple minutes longer. Leave door open a crack. Come down in ten minutes after shower and dressed. Close door. You get nice airflow under it. Here is some of my stash. Got more cut too. Even got a pallet full, with 4' sides plum full that needs to be cut. Get them from a pallet manufacture, free for the taking. Plus they have lots on smaller 2x4, 4x4, and smaller scraps. I don't mess with them a lot cause take to long to load and unload.

 

[tla100]

Oh, my brother has the "Green start" or something like that. It has a little fan that blows on lit paper and goes to town in its own.

 

[unclemoustache]

1 or 2 sheets of newspaper, small handful of cedar sticks, small chunks, big chunks. Hair dryer to get a draft going (I usually have a down draft - sometimes it's pretty nasty). Propane torch to get the blaze going.

I get the cedar wherever I can - old siding, old shingles, etc. Putting some new siding on one of my buildings, so I'll have plenty of scraps leftover - perhaps enough for next year.
If I ever cut any pine I try and get some noodles out of it and save it, but there's not much of that around here.

 

[captjack]

blow torch - stays next to wood stoves all winter

 

[SS396driver]

In a pinch hand sanitizer works great. I always carry a bottle when camping with the motorcycle.

 

[ppkgmsy]

I like the "strike anywhere" matches. There's something satisfying about striking the match across the stove and watching the flame come alive.

 

[ppkgmsy]

I get these in 4' long pieces. Cut in 16" and get 3. Do about 2-3 layers, sometimes 2-6 pieces. paper in middle. Throw logs on top. Coals will have it going in no time. If no coals, it takes a couple minutes longer. Leave door open a crack. Come down in ten minutes after shower and dressed. Close door. You get nice airflow under it. Here is some of my stash. Got more cut too. Even got a pallet full, with 4' sides plum full that needs to be cut. Get them from a pallet manufacture, free for the taking. Plus they have lots on smaller 2x4, 4x4, and smaller scraps. I don't mess with them a lot cause take to long to load and unload.

That's a nice kindling bin.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

A couple pieces of newspaper balled up. On top of that goes some dry bark / stringy bits from splits. On top of that, kind of lean-to style goes a couple of smaller splits.

One match to get things started, then I go upstairs and flip on the oil burner for 5-10 minutes. By then the firebox is up to temperature, and the small splits are starting to coal. Turn off the oil and add a few larger splits. Good to go.

(yes, I cheat.)

 

[Whitespider]

Step #1

Step #2

Step #3

Step #4

 

[KenJax Tree]

Step #1

Step #2

Step #3

Step #4

Please don't confuse step 2 and 4.