Ashful
Minister of Fire
Maybe bourbon has a viscosity too low for the wick to properly retain it? Did your breath smell of lighter oil?
How to Light Wood Stove??
- Thread starter TomRC
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I have tried all sorts of ways to make it easier to start fires.
I've done fire starters, newspapers, cut up duralogs, made my own from melted wax and pine shavings.
Last year it occurred to me to start using charcoal briquettes. This is by far the easiest way, I don't even have to use kindling. I line up 2 logs north south about 4 inches apart, put some charcoal in the middle, and place 3 smaller pieces east/west on top of the bottom logs. 10 minutes later I have roaring fire.
I've never heard of anyone else doing this. Is it bad to use charcoal?
I've done fire starters, newspapers, cut up duralogs, made my own from melted wax and pine shavings.
Last year it occurred to me to start using charcoal briquettes. This is by far the easiest way, I don't even have to use kindling. I line up 2 logs north south about 4 inches apart, put some charcoal in the middle, and place 3 smaller pieces east/west on top of the bottom logs. 10 minutes later I have roaring fire.
I've never heard of anyone else doing this. Is it bad to use charcoal?
kappclark
Member
First I have heard of the super cedars -- just ordered some and the discount code works -- thank you for this ..right now have been using rutland fire starter squares....
Ashful
Minister of Fire
You can waste your time soaking shipping boxes in waste oil, and then worry about what the metals in that waste oil is doing to your catalytic combustor.
Me? I'll be enjoying my free time, and spending a few pennies per start on SuperCedars.
Crummy
Member
Waste oil in the house and then into the stove? That sounds very messy and nasty. I'll stick with fatwood. I can get my stove going with a single stick.
And explicitly forbidden in most stove manuals.
I still use my taco piece of paper foled up, kindling inside of it.....throw it in, build a TeePee of kindling on top, and just chill out. Lights everytime, Scouts Honor. And that signature is true....it depends on whos running the stove. I agree 100%
mdocod
Burning Hunk
On the issue of the shoulder injury: I can't help but think that the action of having to pick up and reset after every swing would be wasteful both in time, and effort. I also suspect that trying to hit a small target with the mini-sledge requires a lot of those little control muscles in your shoulder. I wonder if a different strategy would be any easier on the shoulder than swinging a 5lb sledge at the splitting fixture.
For splitting kindle I gather up about 1-2 bushels worth of shorter (12-16") splits with very straight grain that appear suited to easy splitting. I kneel on a pad and set out the pieces in front of me, a few light swings with a splitting ax to bust each regular piece down into some thin slabs. I use a full size splitting ax for these swings but use controlled slow sings rather than trying to swing a small tool fast. Swinging a large ax light is easier than swinging a hatchet hard enough to do the same work. I then choke up on the ax-head in my palm, placing the ax at the position I want the kindling split to occur, lifting and driving the ax and piece of wood down together into a solid surface (left hand on the wood, right hand firmly gripping the ax head). Using appropriate/controlled force I can work through the slabs kicking out piece after piece rapidly. I basically drive the ax into the wood about 2 inches then give the ax a bit of a twist to "pop" the kindle piece off. The work is down low and close to the body, and isn't really a "Swinging" motion, rather, more of a "driving" motion with the elbows. I can make enough kindling for a month of daily fire-starting in about an hour.
I used to just use the debris generated by splitting wood as kindling, but have taken a liking to having nice clean "proper" kindle to start fires with.
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As for starting fires with little or no kindle. A basic propane torch works as an alternative to kindling or starter sticks. Arrange your wood so that there's a good place to receive a jet of flame for awhile to set things in motion. I like a torch with a gas control that is separate of the ignition trigger so that you can crank it on, and set it up in front of the stove to run without having to hold it. The 1lb "camping" style bottles make the torch more stable and will generally hold it about the right height to just set in front of the stove and aim at the wood (you may also be able to "bend" the torch slightly or build a fixture to lean the torch, either way). A few minutes of "torching" the wood will usually get things going. I use a torch to start most fires with the help of kindling as well, so they set off very fast, but it works without kindling as well, just requires longer torch time and will be a slower startup. I'm not sure how long these torches run on a 1lb bottle but I would guess it's a few hours total, as I can get a whole season of near-daily fire starts out of a bottle.
For splitting kindle I gather up about 1-2 bushels worth of shorter (12-16") splits with very straight grain that appear suited to easy splitting. I kneel on a pad and set out the pieces in front of me, a few light swings with a splitting ax to bust each regular piece down into some thin slabs. I use a full size splitting ax for these swings but use controlled slow sings rather than trying to swing a small tool fast. Swinging a large ax light is easier than swinging a hatchet hard enough to do the same work. I then choke up on the ax-head in my palm, placing the ax at the position I want the kindling split to occur, lifting and driving the ax and piece of wood down together into a solid surface (left hand on the wood, right hand firmly gripping the ax head). Using appropriate/controlled force I can work through the slabs kicking out piece after piece rapidly. I basically drive the ax into the wood about 2 inches then give the ax a bit of a twist to "pop" the kindle piece off. The work is down low and close to the body, and isn't really a "Swinging" motion, rather, more of a "driving" motion with the elbows. I can make enough kindling for a month of daily fire-starting in about an hour.
I used to just use the debris generated by splitting wood as kindling, but have taken a liking to having nice clean "proper" kindle to start fires with.
--------------
As for starting fires with little or no kindle. A basic propane torch works as an alternative to kindling or starter sticks. Arrange your wood so that there's a good place to receive a jet of flame for awhile to set things in motion. I like a torch with a gas control that is separate of the ignition trigger so that you can crank it on, and set it up in front of the stove to run without having to hold it. The 1lb "camping" style bottles make the torch more stable and will generally hold it about the right height to just set in front of the stove and aim at the wood (you may also be able to "bend" the torch slightly or build a fixture to lean the torch, either way). A few minutes of "torching" the wood will usually get things going. I use a torch to start most fires with the help of kindling as well, so they set off very fast, but it works without kindling as well, just requires longer torch time and will be a slower startup. I'm not sure how long these torches run on a 1lb bottle but I would guess it's a few hours total, as I can get a whole season of near-daily fire starts out of a bottle.
30WCF
Minister of Fire
I’m probably on my third year with the same propane bottle. Sometimes I use fat wood I’ve collected if I want to take the time to play with small kindling. Otherwise I use 1/2”-3/4” splits made on the log splitter.
Light, 4-5 minutes in close the door to a crack, 10 minutes in latch the door ( flue temp 450 ). Walk away for a couple hours.
Light, 4-5 minutes in close the door to a crack, 10 minutes in latch the door ( flue temp 450 ). Walk away for a couple hours.
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Caw
Minister of Fire
+1 for fatwood. Top down method with 1 or 2 sticks of fatwood on top and the blowtorch gets it going quickly and easily every time.
I can also vouch for super cedars working well too, I've used those in the past. You can't go wrong with either. Personally I just prefer the simpleness of fatwood.
I can also vouch for super cedars working well too, I've used those in the past. You can't go wrong with either. Personally I just prefer the simpleness of fatwood.
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
I split these to half thickness, then snap those halves in half. 144 starter squares per box, so 576 starts. $12.99 at Menards. That comes to about 2.25 cents per start.
Easy to stick 'em about anywhere you want in the load and have 'em stay put. It can start a small split of soft wood so you don't really need kindling. I mix in some small splits while I'm splitting, and some splitter trash. I do also have some kindling on hand, branches that fall which I snap to length with my foot. Recently, I'm trying to get away from spending much time making kindling.
I like clean burning Super Cedars. There's no waste and usually, just a small chunk of about 1/6th of a puck will start the fire. A handful of pucks will last a season as we are normally burning 24/7 Nov-Feb. No waste or metal propane cylinders heading to the landfill. I also like supporting this small family-run business. They are good folks.
Caw
Minister of Fire
These are all good points. Though you'll have to take my blowtorch from my cold dead hands. 😉
I can't imagine buying kindling when I have cords of firewood stacked up, waiting for a few pieces to become kindling. I just cut a piece or two of straight-grained wood in half with my chop saw, or chain saw if it's already out, and split it into kindling-size pieces with my kindling cracker. If well-seasoned, hardwood kindling works as well as softwoods for kindling, perhaps better, because it burns longer. Stingy as I am, I do buy fatwood to start the kindling with, rather than mess with newspaper. But I split the pieces into halves or quarters, to make the box start 2-4 times as many fires. I picked up a folding cleaver knife, which are becoming more popular, to split the fatwood. They have thicker, stouter blades. I just rest the blade on the fatwood piece, on a hard surface, and give it a hard tap on the back with with bottom of my closed fist. If your kindling is dry and you stack the pieces loosely, one small sliver of fatwood will get it going. Let it burn down a bit and add your firewood. This method evolved over 30 years of burning wood. I've never been so arrogant as to claim my way is the best or only way, but it works for me.
I have so much damn kindling in bags it is insane. I throw most of it in the fire pit. Every cord you split you should have enough to start that cord times ten. Pick out the longer pieces and throw the crap into a burn pile while drinking four beers that night.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Part of me feels guilty wasting the garbage. A very small part.I don't bother with kindling anymore. When I come across anything smaller than 4" diameter in my stacks today, I curse my former self for wasting space and time on it.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I hear you. I struggle with that sentiment, myself. But when I step back and look at the bigger picture, I always end up feeling more guilty about wasted time, than wasted material. Nature enjoys the small stuff I leave behind!
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