Kindling

Not sure about most, but we only use kindling once in late September/early October. This year we were away for New Years, so we used it twice.

thats about what i use in a season... sep to nov and then march to may...

I throw a few smaller splits on in the morning but no kindling. Used kindling maybe 3 or 4 times this winter.

Well fry my hide that a lot of kindling.

We don't use kindling at all.

How do you start a fire without kindling. I'm new to buring. This year I used those fire starter logs that you buy in the store. I would cut them in half so I get twice as many. They are easy to use and quick. Any down side to them?

I make three newspaper knots put them in the middle of the stove put 1/2 of a firstarter block on them (next year will be super cedars) stack splits around/over, light. Walk away. come back in 10-15 minutes and turn the air down as needed.

looks like a great pile and i am going to do the same with Pine this year - ie do a year's worth of kindling some sunday

i have to restart my stove every night so i use a bit of kindling

I use a bit less than that pile . . . guessing of course not knowing the exact dimensions . . . I know I do tend to use quite a bit of kindling . . . probably because I'm not as patient as my wife who will put the splits on the coals, open the air and then wait for them to take off whereas I am impatient and want to see flames in a few seconds rather than minutes and so I tend to use more kindling.

I must be the only person who is never prepared ahead. I have a hatchet next to my pile. If I ever need kindling, I grab the hatchet and a split and 10 seconds later I have a pile of small pieces in my arms. I walk in. crumple a couple sheets of whatever paper or carboard I have laying around toss it all in. No real order. light. Walk away. No top down or any other style. No firestarters. No paper bows or knots. Just a flick of a lighter and close the door. I dont even leave it open a crack. Just open the air. I cant figure out why its so hard to get a fire going.

BTW - Every once in a while I does not go. I start to get frustrated. then realize I left the air closed. Open it up and poof.

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I keep a couple boxes of the small stuff that is a byproduct of splitting handy. We don't need much. The stove was lit some time in November and burned until about a week ago. If I need more, I pick up the little branches and twigs that fall on the lawn all winter or split some of my splits into small stuff.

Well Zap, that stack of kindling would probably last us a few years. But using more kindling is no problem if it helps get the fire going quickly. I don't skimp on the kindling so we do use quite a bit but not that much.

Zap, now you can make your kindling with that MTD splitter. It works like a charm. I made a bunch this morning while splitting and that kindling will probably just get tucked into the ends of the wood piles for later use.

His and her's splitters...That's cool.

firefighterjake said:

I use a bit less than that pile . . . guessing of course not knowing the exact dimensions . . . I know I do tend to use quite a bit of kindling . . . probably because I'm not as patient as my wife who will put the splits on the coals, open the air and then wait for them to take off whereas I am impatient and want to see flames in a few seconds rather than minutes and so I tend to use more kindling.

Click to expand...

I do the same. I can't stand smokey starts, so I'll take three or four pieces about 3/4" or so and lay them on last night's coals. I close the doors and listen for the draft to take off (usually less than a minute), then I'll add three or four small splits on top, leaving plenty of air space. Five minutes later, this stuff is fully involved and I add two or three bigger splits. Ten minutes later the stove is ready to top off. Same time frame as the folks who pack and walk away, but zero smoke at startup. The only time I ever see any smoke coming out the stack is for about five minutes after I shut the bypass damper. Takes a few minutes for the flame path to change from vertical to horizontal on my stove, so some of the wood will smolder for a few minutes. This only happens on the first load of the day, however.

Zap, some of that kindling in your photo is in the size I call "small splits", so I guess I use that much every year all told. I always have a decent bed of coals in the morning, but like FF Jake, I prefer instant gratification so I start with smaller stuff first.

I split up kindling out of my wood in the garage as needed and just keep a small wood cradle full. I enjoy doing it once a week or so - only have to do a few splits and i am done. I burn 24/7 usually so i only use a few pieces in the Am to get the Castine hotter faster...

I burn a lot of red oak, and there's usually enough slivers hanging off my splits to pull off a few and put them on top of some newspaper. Usually does the trick.

Nice stack of wood, looks like almost a cord?

That looks like the wood pile we used to make for my Grandma, she cooked on a
wood cook stove & used it for cooking & baking. (WV hardwood)
We'd (Grandpa & I) haul a bunch to the wood/coal shed just by the back porch, after it was dry. Then make a new stack. Now he could use
an axe & it was always very sharp. (no chain saws either) AAAAAH Memories

I don't use much kindling, we start a fire in Oct or Nov, just we let it go out 2 days ago when in the 40s at night,
But now, I'll bring some in to start a small fire (some birch bark, kindling & 3 splits) in the morning, to take the chill off & let it go out.

I use scrap 2x4s for kindling. Burns fast and hot.

When I put up a cedar split rail fence three years ago I had one post and some partials left over. I cut them into about ten inch lengths, then used a hammer and a wedge to split them into shingles, which I further split down to strips about 3/8 inch square x ten inches long. I do enough to fill a basket that I keep by the wood stove. I break off a chunk of firestarter, then lay a few pieces of the cedar kindling over it. Light the starter, which catches the kindling. I add a few more sticks of kindling, then some smaller splits until the fire is going, at which time I add a couple of full size splits. When I have a good coal bed and a high stove temp I add more splits. At bedtime I fill her up to the top. In the morning take a couple of cedar sticks and stick them into the coals to get the fire going again, then add a few splits to give us a good morning burn. We rarely run the stove all day.