Inside Out Fire Starting

[Martin Strand III]

We all (may) know several methods to start a fire. "Top Down", with kindling stacked on top of increasingly larger pieces of wood with the largest on the bottom, has been around a while and is recently more in vogue. In fact, mostly because it's engineered with larger pieces on the bottom which makes collapsing less likely and it starts hot with the smaller pieces igniting first, I like it and have used it routinely since learning about it a few years ago with inside heating appliances and outside campfires. Nary a problem. As long as the wood is dry and air space is left between pieces (and, outside, if it's not too windy), it starts.

One thing I've learned, though, (mostly, in life) is that "things change". And, sure enough, my use of the "Top Down" method of fire starting is one of those things.

For lack of a better name, I call it "Inside Out Fire Starting". Why and how follows.

When placing wood in the firebox in the usual "top down" largest pieces on the bottom method, the (necessary for air) spaces created between pieces gave me the idea to honor this space a bit more with smaller kindling starting lower down. The next layer up, placed perpendicular to the first, is made with the honored space and more kindling directly above the previous layer. And so on with perpendicular layers for as high as you stack your particular appliance firebox. The result is a "kindling containing vertical column" in the approximate middle of the normally stacked firebox. Then, one (homemade) firestarter is placed in the lowest airspace on top of some kindling and ignited. The kindling directly above the firestarter ignites very rapidly and likewise spreads upward to the kindling above it.

There is no wondering, as in the pure "top down" method, if you have enough kindling or if the thing is really going to start or not. It starts with a vengence, believe me. And, there is no collapsing since the main support is engineered "top down", largest pieces on the bottom. The fire starts "inside" the main stacked load, burns and is consumed upward toward the "outside" of the stack; hence "Inside Out".

Try it.

Aye,
Marty

Grandma used to say, "Work smarter, not harder."

 

[heydan]

I never use kindling or paper at all anymore. I just use any type of firestarter (made from compressed sawdust and wax). A tiny chunk of firestarter, maybe a cubic inch or so, is enough to get full size splits burning without any paper or kindling.

The secret is that fire loves nooks and crannies so you have to arrange the splits so that the flame from the firestarter will pass through a narrow space between two or more splits. That allows the heat to build up and ignite the wood.

I also keep the door slightly ajar once the flames start. This delivers a lot of air and really fans the flames on my stove.

 

[DeanBrown3D]

We all (may) know several methods to start a fire. "Top Down", with kindling stacked on top of increasingly larger pieces of wood with the largest on the bottom, has been around a while and is recently more in vogue. In fact, mostly because it's engineered with larger pieces on the bottom which makes collapsing less likely and it starts hot with the smaller pieces igniting first, I like it and have used it routinely since learning about it a few years ago with inside heating appliances and outside campfires. Nary a problem. As long as the wood is dry and air space is left between pieces (and, outside, if it's not too windy), it starts.

One thing I've learned, though, (mostly, in life) is that "things change". And, sure enough, my use of the "Top Down" method of fire starting is one of those things.

For lack of a better name, I call it "Inside Out Fire Starting". Why and how follows.

When placing wood in the firebox in the usual "top down" largest pieces on the bottom method, the (necessary for air) spaces created between pieces gave me the idea to honor this space a bit more with smaller kindling starting lower down. The next layer up, placed perpendicular to the first, is made with the honored space and more kindling directly above the previous layer. And so on with perpendicular layers for as high as you stack your particular appliance firebox. The result is a "kindling containing vertical column" in the approximate middle of the normally stacked firebox. Then, one (homemade) firestarter is placed in the lowest airspace on top of some kindling and ignited. The kindling directly above the firestarter ignites very rapidly and likewise spreads upward to the kindling above it.

There is no wondering, as in the pure "top down" method, if you have enough kindling or if the thing is really going to start or not. It starts with a vengence, believe me. And, there is no collapsing since the main support is engineered "top down", largest pieces on the bottom. The fire starts "inside" the main stacked load, burns and is consumed upward toward the "outside" of the stack; hence "Inside Out".

Try it.

Aye,
Marty

Grandma used to say, "Work smarter, not harder."

Got a pic of this? Sounds interesting by hard to follow.

 

[citizanken]

I never use kindling or paper at all anymore. I just use any type of firestarter (made from compressed sawdust and wax). A tiny chunk of firestarter, maybe a cubic inch or so, is enough to get full size splits burning without any paper or kindling.

The secret is that fire loves nooks and crannies so you have to arrange the splits so that the flame from the firestarter will pass through a narrow space between two or more splits. That allows the heat to build up and ignite the wood.

I also keep the door slightly ajar once the flames start. This delivers a lot of air and really fans the flames on my stove.

Ditto that..

 

[Gooserider]

I start sideways... My side loading smoke dragon has two spin dampers on it, one on the door that feeds into a hollow core that opens pretty close to the bottom of the firebox. The other spinner feeds into a channel that runs along the top of the stove and sort of give a bit of secondary combustion air, if one can call it that when the firebox dumps right into the stove pipe.

I re-start the stove when it has coals in it (most of the time) by shovelling a bit of ash out of the end closest to the door, and raking the coals into a heap by the door. I then throw a half dozen or so kindling diameter sticks in (1/2 - 2" diameter) followed by a full load of splits - if I have a choice in whats on the cart I'll pick the smaller diameter and / or punkier looking ones, but I'm not fussy about it. I shove the wood as far into the box as I can. Since the box will take a 28" split, but I cut for 22-26" I end up with a gap between the end of the splits and the door. I then drop a couple handfuls of my "splitting yard sweepings" (all the chunks of bark, splinters etc. that I generated while splitting, raked up and stashed in garbage cans) on top of the coal pile.

I then close the door and open the bottom spinner all the way, as well as having the draft open. This makes the stove draw hard through the coal pile, which heats the splits, and gets the splitting yard sweepings to ignite. Once the flame starts it sounds like a blowtorch, and the flame gets things going FAST! 10 minutes from a cold stove to the blower switching on, 20 minutes to put the stove thermometer into the red zone. I generally try to close the bottom spin damper and open the top one a bit before it gets to hot, and close the exhaust damper as well.

If the stove is out, I shovel out as much ash as I can (because I have the opportunity) fill the bottom of the firebox with a layer of crumpled up newspaper and / or junk mail (catalogs mostly) then build the same structure as above. Light the paper, close the door with the bottom damper open and same result.

There are lots of things not to like about our smoke dragon, but getting it going isn't one of them.

Gooserider

 

[Jake]

I do a boyscout style teepee

scroll all the way down

http://www.therangerdigest.com/Tips___Tricks/Fire/body_fire.htm

 

[Martin Strand III]

DeanB:

A pic won't help you since the kindling is placed "inside" the cris-crossed stack. Nothing to see except wood loaded in a firebox in perpendicular layers with smaller pieces on top.

Read again. Get a visual. Try it.

Aye,
Marty

 

[Andre B.]

I think you are doing something similar to me.
I the attached drawing the bottom three logs are about 2" diameter and form a grate which lets air get in under the fire for very fast startups. I put small kindling not shown (split off short lengths of old, very dry 3/4 in. boards) in between them also open stacked so that the kindling itself get burning fast. I do sometimes put some more kindling in between the 1.5" ish logs on the upper layers.
I start the two small piles of kindling with a plumbers propane torch that way there are no large flakes of burnt paper to block the airflow.

Note: The black hole in the center bottom is the ash drop hole, I did not draw the cover.

 

[Martin Strand III]

Andre B:

That's the idea. I think yours varies from mine a bit but that's fine if it works for you.

I put the kindling in an air space between just 2 splits of several pieces in each layer. The next layer up has the kindling right above the previous layer, and so on, up to the top (I have a rather large firebox and can get 6 layers of 3" splitsfor a full load). Considering just the kindling, it makes a vertical stack and lights and starts voraciously and burns hot from the start when lit from below. Since the kindling was stacked in the middle (thereabouts) of the splits and burns from there to the outside border of the splits, I called it "inside out fire starting".

A better mouse trap? Probably not; just variations on a theme.

Aye,
Marty

 

[babalu87]

The secret is that fire loves nooks and crannies

Like Deans avatar

I go big splits, paper, kindling
They start fine.

The wife did fill a bunch of egg cartons with some pine shavings and will be putting wax to them soon, they should make nice fire starters.