Kindling

[thewoodlands]

We still had some four year old basswood for kindling but the wife wanted more so I took some two year old shoulder season wood we had left from last year and made it kindling.

 

[CountryBoy19]

My favorite kindling is leftover construction scraps. They're plentiful and free around me. Typically kiln-dried pine/fir and a few whacks with a hatchet splits them down to ~1" pieces...

 

[Woody5506]

My favorite kindling is leftover construction scraps. They're plentiful and free around me. Typically kiln-dried pine/fir and a few whacks with a hatchet splits them down to ~1" pieces...

I do the same thing. We had this huge pump get shipped to our shop that came all crated up with clean kiln dried pine. Our customer didn't require us to re-crate it so all those boards were turned into kindling, tons of it.

The stuff pictured above is the size I use on top of kindling. Then bigger splits over that. I often forget how useful those small/medium size splits can be, and usually end up short on them.

 

[zig]

I was lucky enough to find an old ceder phone pole that didn't have creosote in it to use. A couple of small pieces and splitter trash does the job but I'm down to about 8 foot left.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I often forget how useful those small/medium size splits can be, and usually end up short on them.

I have the same problem... I always leave my splits too big because it saves work/effort but then I struggle getting things going...

 

[xman23]

Looks like my splitter. Mine has the 5 hp Tecumseh engine. It must be 20 years old, and runs perfect.

 

[thewoodlands]

Looks like my splitter. Mine has the 5 hp Tecumseh engine. It must be 20 years old, and runs perfect.

I think it's a 1996, I bought it used for $400.00 back in 2008 or 2009. I had the carbs cleaned in the spring of 2018, it runs great. I'll be doing an oil change before I start spitting again.

It's a 1996 MTD 20 ton with what I think is the original motor.

 

[Oaksmellin']

After looking at cardboard egg cartons and the wood shavings exiting my chain saw for 40 years I’ve finally put them to good use.

If you cut the egg cartons in 3rds and keep the hinge in tact, then save your shavings from cutting wood in a 5 gal bucket, fill up the 4 little egg spaces with wood shaving and put them in the stove with about ½ piece of newspaper and some small kindling and behold. The newspaper ignites the egg carton, when the wood shavings ignite there is a robust little 2 minute burn which can get your fire started nicely.

It takes a little time to prepare the cartons but I spend far less time worrying about if the fire will light and more time watching it jump start itself reliably.

I keep the 5 gallon bucket of shavings and egg containers far away from the stove and prepare them one at a time when needed. Then carry the loaded wood shaving filled egg container to the stove when ready to start a fire.

Do I have to tell people here to be careful? OK. BE CAREFUL You can burn your house down

 

[CountryBoy19]

After looking at cardboard egg cartons and the wood shavings exiting my chain saw for 40 years I’ve finally put them to good use.

If you cut the egg cartons in 3rds and keep the hinge in tact, then save your shavings from cutting wood in a 5 gal bucket, fill up the 4 little egg spaces with wood shaving and put them in the stove with about ½ piece of newspaper and some small kindling and behold. The newspaper ignites the egg carton, when the wood shavings ignite there is a robust little 2 minute burn which can get your fire started nicely.

It takes a little time to prepare the cartons but I spend far less time worrying about if the fire will light and more time watching it jump start itself reliably.

I keep the 5 gallon bucket of shavings and egg containers far away from the stove and prepare them one at a time when needed. Then carry the loaded wood shaving filled egg container to the stove when ready to start a fire.

Do I have to tell people here to be careful? OK. BE CAREFUL You can burn your house down

Another way to do that is shave some paraffin wax on top of the wood shavings in the egg-cartons, put in the oven at 200 for an hour to let it really soak into everything, then cut into smaller pieces...

 

[30WCF]

I have an addiction to bringing home lighter knot. I find it regularly at work running an excavator. I refilled my tin yesterday.

 

[30WCF]

Oops. I left out the pic.