Kindling

[thewoodlands]

This will be our first year heating with wood, my question is about kindling. We have about 1.5 face cord of basswood split up for kindling for the winter also on the land the house is on has a lot of white pine with old dried out branches that have fallen off, would these also be good to use for kindling.

Zap

 

[Adam_MA]

Yes the pine would be good for kindling. I just save all the wood that ends up under my splitter for my kindling. As long as it's dry, it will work.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I collect the small pine branches and twigs around my propery and keep them in a big plastic trash bin. Keep ran out about 1/2 though last winter, so I am going to gather more....the stuff works great.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Both of those make excellent kindling.

We make kindling from soft maple and split them into approximately 1" x 1" or 1 x 2." And we use the hydraulic splitter to make it! Quick and very easy to do. Yes, someday I'll get around to post pictures on how I make kindling, so keep checking the Wood Shed if you are interested.

 

[LLigetfa]

We have about 1.5 face cord of basswood split up for kindling...

Man, that's a lot of kin'lin! Maybe what you call kindling is not what I call kin'lin. To me, kin'lin is about as big around as my thumb and I use 4 to 6 pieces to start a fire. Everything else are just small splits.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/425176/

 

[thewoodlands]

We have about 1.5 face cord of basswood split up for kindling...

Man, that's a lot of kin'lin! Maybe what you call kindling is not what I call kin'lin. To me, kin'lin is about as big around as my thumb and I use 4 to 6 pieces to start a fire. Everything else are just small splits.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/425176/

Our kindling is 16 inches long, will put up a pic tonight.

Zap

 

[Nonprophet]

Our favorite is old cedar shakes/shingles--free and very easy to get the fire going! We call some local roofing companies a couple times a year and they tell us where their jobsites are with old shingles and we pick them up for free.

NP

 

['bert]

I thought that the ceder shakes had a chemical in them as a preservative? Therefore they could not be used in the stove? If I am wrong then this is an awesome idea for kindling.

 

[Nonprophet]

I've been told by the roofing company and by other wood burners here locally that if the shingles are well worn in appearance, then they will burn just fine as any fire retardant or other chemicals applied when new have long since been leached out by sun and rain. There are some companies who "restore" cedar shake roofs by pressure washing them and then re-treating them with preservatives, but these are readily identified as they have an orange-ish appearance. Also, we only use the shakes to get the fire going, so there's no risk of fouling the catalyst as the bypass damper is open when the shingles are burning. If anyone knows anything different, please let me know.

NP

I thought that the ceder shakes had a chemical in them as a preservative? Therefore they could not be used in the stove? If I am wrong then this is an awesome idea for kindling.

 

[ikessky]

I have a surplus of of 2x4 cutoffs, rips, drops, and pieces. I usually split this up and use it as kindling. Burns hot and fast and gets things up to temp easily. Just have to make sure that I go to the pile in the daylight otherwise I might end up with a bunch of treated stuff and that I will not use.

 

[savageactor7]

We use splitter trash...also during the burning season kindling will present itself while you remove your firewood.

 

[Skier76]

I've found a ton of dead pine limbs on the ground in VT behind the house. Most are very well seasoned and light right up.

 

[thewoodlands]

I've found a ton of dead pine limbs on the ground in VT behind the house. Most are very well seasoned and light right up.

Skier76 it's going to drop down in the low 40's tonight and we will have a fire and try the dead pine branches for kindling. Will post some pictures sometime after 7:30.


Zap

 

[Cluttermagnet]

I use splitter trash, well dried, and also split up construction cutoffs (a little). No pressure treated, of course. Also occasional pallet wood. Also have many small branches under an inch diameter mostly. I need to find an old chop saw to dedicate to cutting the latter to length.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I've been told by the roofing company and by other wood burners here locally that if the shingles are well worn in appearance, then they will burn just fine as any fire retardant or other chemicals applied when new have long since been leached out by sun and rain. There are some companies who "restore" cedar shake roofs by pressure washing them and then re-treating them with preservatives, but these are readily identified as they have an orange-ish appearance. Also, we only use the shakes to get the fire going, so there's no risk of fouling the catalyst as the bypass damper is open when the shingles are burning. If anyone knows anything different, please let me know.

NP

I thought that the ceder shakes had a chemical in them as a preservative? Therefore they could not be used in the stove? If I am wrong then this is an awesome idea for kindling.

To me it would not matter what those roofers said. I simply would not burn them in these stoves today. It would have been fine years ago in the poorer made stoves, and we have burned them; however, I won't burn them now. Why take a chance and why put that stuff into the air?

 

[Skier76]

I've found a ton of dead pine limbs on the ground in VT behind the house. Most are very well seasoned and light right up.

Skier76 it's going to drop down in the low 40's tonight and we will have a fire and try the dead pine branches for kindling. Will post some pictures sometime after 7:30.


Zap

Cool! Sounds good! I've had good luck with the pine branches in the woodstove and in our firepit.

 

[firefighterjake]

This will be our first year heating with wood, my question is about kindling. We have about 1.5 face cord of basswood split up for kindling for the winter also on the land the house is on has a lot of white pine with old dried out branches that have fallen off, would these also be good to use for kindling.

Zap

Basswood and pine . . . two species that make great kindling.

 

[basod]

Best type of pine to burn for kindling- FATWOOD. If you happen across large pine stump, cut it 16". split to 1" or less sticks, I find after large chunks, sitting on my stool with hachet works best. The sweetest is cutting a tree in the spring when sap starts flowing, cut the stump next fall, all the resin is hardened up in the stump.

 

[fire_N_ice]

I use kiln dryed 2X4's cut/split down. I do pay for them from the scrap bin at the orange box. Works for me.

 

[Tony H]

I use sticks that fall from all the trees in the yard and some splitter waste plus I have a couple people that give me all the scrap from the wood working stuff they do.
I have about 1 cord of sticks plus 5 or 6 good size boxs of scraps. Just a couple days ago I had to fire up the burn pile to get rid of the excess and I had a roaring fire about 3 hours , thats alot of sticks.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Best type of pine to burn for kindling- FATWOOD. If you happen across large pine stump, cut it 16". split to 1" or less sticks, I find after large chunks, sitting on my stool with hachet works best. The sweetest is cutting a tree in the spring when sap starts flowing, cut the stump next fall, all the resin is hardened up in the stump.

Fatwood does indeed make fire starting easy, but a caution has to be thrown in. Some stove makers tell you to NOT burn fatwood. I think mainly the cat stove but not sure.

 

[TreePapa]

I think I have about 1/2 cord of fatwood, from a pine scrounge off of C/L in Jan. or Feb., mostly as splits but about 4 dairy crates full as kindlin'. Last Feb, still green, it started with one match but smoked (pardon the expression) like a chimney - black smoke, too. So I've seasoned the whole batch and as soon as it cools down a bit 'round here, I'll use some in the portable outdoor firepie and see if it still smokes too much to use for fuel. If it smokes too much to burn as splits, I guess I have a lifetime supply of kindlin'.

I also get scrap lumber off-cuts from a local lumber yard - they don't charge for 'em, but they only give 'em away in the summer. The workers take 'em home in the cold months - guess they don't know 'bout seasoning (some of it is kiln dried, and some definitely NOT, but the green stuff seasons quickly). I got one Ranger load of it this summer when I picked bought some lumber. I don't like to go there and beg for firewood if I'm not buyin' anything, and unfortunately, their hours are rather limited (otherwise, I'd go there more and Home Dope-Oh less).

And I have small trash can full of twigs, and a couple small piles of sticks, from the standin' dead apricot tree I was trimming last weekend. And I have splitting scraps stuffed in the "hollows" of the upright pallet I use as the end of one of my firewood stacks.

I guess I have enough kindlin' for a while. Oh yeah, I got a couple of Super Cedars to try (thanks, Thomas) and I still have a package of the commerical fire starter blocks I got at a yard sale (with 2 Ranger Loads of firewood, for $20 for the whole deal).

My wife likes to pull "stringy stuff" off splits and kindlin' for tinder and start the fire w/ regular (not fatwood) kindlin' 'cuz it reminds her of campin'.

Peace,
- Sequoia