Probably been a lot of talk on this topic. The way I do it now is to take a brown paper grocery bag and put about 2" of a mix of wood chips, twigs, leaves; just stuff you rake up around your yard or wood pile, and maybe add 2 handfuls of sawdust. Fold and flatten out the bag and put small amount of newspaper in stove with bag on top and smaller pieces of wood on bag. Fire starts 99.9% first time.
But I'm looking to improve on that. I'd like to have a 1-piece kit. What it would be is a "tray" with all that stuff already in the "tray" so I could have a dozen or so already made up and on hand so I could just pop the tray in the stove and touch a match to it and that would be it. The problem is what to use for the tray. It should be easily obtainable such as the brown paper grocery bags are.
Those little 2" high cardboard flats that bottled water comes in would probably work but you need too many of them if you start a fire every morning from November 'til April like I do. Cut down cereal boxes might work. Maybe cut-in-half 12 pack soda cartons. Any ideas? It has to be simple, otherwise might as well stay with the bag,paper,kindling trick.
But I'm looking to improve on that. I'd like to have a 1-piece kit. What it would be is a "tray" with all that stuff already in the "tray" so I could have a dozen or so already made up and on hand so I could just pop the tray in the stove and touch a match to it and that would be it. The problem is what to use for the tray. It should be easily obtainable such as the brown paper grocery bags are.
Those little 2" high cardboard flats that bottled water comes in would probably work but you need too many of them if you start a fire every morning from November 'til April like I do. Cut down cereal boxes might work. Maybe cut-in-half 12 pack soda cartons. Any ideas? It has to be simple, otherwise might as well stay with the bag,paper,kindling trick.