Wood loading order

[Smokey Bear]

When you load for an overnight burn do you put the largest log on top or bottom?

 

[pen]

If the coals are small and few, the smallest pieces would go on the bottom, if there are more coals than I need, then the larger pieces go on the bottom.

In general for a normal day, I eye up a few splits I plan on using and play a quick game of tetris in my head with them, then go see if it'll work.

For my stove, so long as the wood is well seasoned, order doesn't matter all that much. If I know I want to hold coals for as long as I can, and am loading E-W, I'll put a big guy in the bottom back.

pen

 

[Hearth Mistress]

If the coals are small and few, the smallest pieces would go on the bottom, if there are more coals than I need, then the larger pieces go on the bottom.

In general for a normal day, I eye up a few splits I plan on using and play a quick game of tetris in my head with them, then go see if it'll work

Hah! That is what I tell my hubby...he sucks at Tetris and therefore sucks at loading the stove! More that 3 or 4 pieces, it's a disaster waiting to happen

 

[remkel]

The only difference being in Tetris your game ends when you make a mistake. When loading good dry wood that catches quickly on the coals, if you make a mistake the game of "oh s---" is just beginning......

 

[Shmudda]

Many times for an overnight burn I just put (2) whole logs in my stove, completely unsplit about 9-11" in diameter, as splits depending on their size just go up to quickly. To do this though you must manage the coals leading up to final loading for the day so that you have a good coal bed that can support the burning of these logs overnight. Its all in the planning and allowing the logs to get a good burn before choking the fire down for the evening/overnight burn. I equate it to a finely tuned game of chess.

Craig

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I will always try to load a round or large split in the bottom rear of the stove. If the rest burn all to ashes, this one spot in the stove will still have good coals.