Kindling

Take a walk in the woods. Pick up sticks.

Or

I got a little electric splitter works wonders

Lately I've been using my splitter. Just take a split or round and position it so I'm just shaving 1x1 pieces off of it. Yes it is using fuel and such but safer and fairly quick.

You could use a table saw still need to watch fingers. You just use a push stick to get pieces through the saw blade.

I use my fiskar's splitting ax, which has a head that is only about 2.5 pounds. I only use the most easily split pieces for kindling so that I can take very gentle, short, easy swings with one hand while I hold the wood with the other hand. I guess that sounds dangerous, but if you could see it you'd agree it isn't as bad as it sounds. Most swings I hold the ax against the wood and tap them both on the splitting block. The key is to only attempt to make kindling out of pieces that are very easy to split. If a piece puts up any resistance it doesn't become kindling.

I have a lot of bark that falls off the wood I split or bark that I pull off a tree before I cut a dead tree down. All you need then is a hammer (or a boot - stomp!). Even smaller branches can be broke into pieces with a hammer and something to prop the branch on (lay the branch on the floor and on a 2x6 or such). I got tired of trying to bust branches over my knee.

I don't bother with kindling any more. I have a boiler with a fan, which makes it easier to light. It has a bottom chamber to burn the gas, so the fan draws downwards. There are usually some unburnt "charcoal" bits in the bottom from previous burn, I gather those into a pile, half fill with logs on top of that, put some "kindling" on that, and then a decent double-handful of shredded paper on top (lots of paper is shredded in the office, so I have plenty). Light the paper, fan draws fire through the kindling, charcoal and logs, after a minute or so I can put more logs on top.

The kindling is whatever bark and rubbish is on the floor in the log store. Whilst I'm waiting for the fire to catch, and sweeping up anything on the floor, I peel off any loose bark on "tomorrows logs", I sweep the bits of dropped shredded paper and bark into the wood store and together with the bits I have broken off there is usually a handful in the pile, which is enough for tomorrow's starter.

trailrated said:

Lately I've been using my splitter. Just take a split or round and position it so I'm just shaving 1x1 pieces off of it. Yes it is using fuel and such but safer and fairly quick.

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This is the method I use. While splitting the rounds I take the time to split some small kindling sizes, and then there's the scraps left from the splitting process.

Years ago when my family starting burning, we had a small piece of property with softwoods in a few spots. When softwoods regenerate they are quite close to each other and as they mature the lower branches die off. A hand hatchet works well to cut them off. They are bone dry as they are up off the ground and the bark falls off quickly. We would fill cardboard boxes full of the kindling and store them until winter and use them for kindling. Stripping the dead branches served two purposes, we got kindling and it improves the trees value years later when its sawn as there is less of knot where the branch was. The land was long since sold but when I drive by the lot (still vacant) I can see the results of the pruning.

Instead of using a stick I use a channel lock pliers to hold the wood.
I use the slats from pallets.
I can still count to 10

I pick up the splinters of wood under my splitter and put them in a mesh basket next to the stove. They take off pretty quick.

I also have an ATV with trailer...I drive around after a storm and pick up all the dead sticks. Takes 5 mins to fill a trailer.

Doesn't fit with the purist's eye, I guess, but my kindling is a little wax square that comes in a nice neat box at most home centers. With dry wood all it takes is one under the splits and there is a firebox full of flames in 5 min.

Wood Duck said:

I use my fiskar's splitting ax, which has a head that is only about 2.5 pounds. I only use the most eatsily split pieces for kindling so that I can take very gentle, short, easy swings with one hand while I hold the wood with the other hand. I guess that sounds dangerous, but if you could see it you'd agree it isn't as bad as it sounds. Most swings I hold the ax against the wood and tap them both on the splitting block. The key is to only attempt to make kindling out of pieces that are very easy to split. If a piece puts up any resistance it doesn't become kindling.

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Pretty much exactly what I do and still have all my fingers as of now

I put three or four short, straight grained splits in a tire, get the fiskars out and start chopping. Doesn't take too long, and makes plenty of kindling for starting up the stove after those warmer days.

Lots of downed branches for the most part and the rest is small pieces that chip off during splitting.

I have never made kindling. It's not necessary to make kindling. Like the folks mentioned, small branches and twigs can be broken. Peeled off bark (when bone-dry) and splitter scraps, they all make for excellent kindling. And it's laying there. Money on the floor, you just gotta pick it up. Put it in a tote. Store it in a trash can, even dog food bags will do. Bring in as needed.

Hold the wood from the side, not near the top wearing gloves. Then there is no pinch point, even if the fisker hits a finger it will simply move and all is still well. There is no faster way........

Andy S. said:

Doesn't fit with the purist's eye, I guess, but my kindling is a little wax square that comes in a nice neat box at most home centers. With dry wood all it takes is one under the splits and there is a firebox full of flames in 5 min.

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No shame in that. I do that along with using a lot of scraps from splitting or twigs etc.

I've found that I can break the fire-starter in thirds and those will start the fire just as well. One box now lasts me 3X as long!

am i the only one that splits sideways??? no special contraptions, sticks or whatever. simply hold the piece on one end, lay the other end half way on your block and hit (opposite of hand) end 4-6" with hatchet. keeps your hand 12-16" away from danger and faster than any method i have seen, especially with boards/pallet stock. wish i had a video to share.

I have been "splitting" small diameter branches by basically slabbing off one side. What I end up with is a small split for the wood pile and a thin slab that is maybe a half inch thick. That slab part is a good size for small kindling with no further processing.

ED 3000 said:

There has got to be a better way. If I keep using the hatchet, I am eventually going to cut something off that I would rather keep. I know that this resourceful crew has some good ideas that they are using to put together a good supply of kindling quickly and (more) safely. How about some good ideas that I can add to the repertoire? (good thing this has spell check)

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I split it up on the wood splitter. I use cedar mostly and hardwood smalled up. Forget the hatchet, if you've got a splitter that's how you do it efficiently. If you don't then you use the hatchet I guess and don't cut anything off'n yourself.

I stuff a tire with knotless pine or soft maple splits, choke up on the x27 and have at it. A few full swings might be needed here and there, but anything resistant is just bigger kindling. As a bonus, my accuracy with an axe has increased greatly from doing this. I'm easily able to remove any fatwood from a pine split and set it aside. I also have a stone bench next to the stove I can use to curb stomp longer pieces of kindling, great stress relief!