Posted on 08/18/2023 9:21:47 AM PDT by SJackson
You betcha. Us seniors need to pass the info, else we end up with a bunch of pajama boys. LOL.
Not interested in picking up my fingers off the ground so I use a 4-lb Roughneck Drilling Hammer to split logs on a Kindle Kracker bolted to a stubby 30-lb tree stump to make kindling for our 4,500 lb. wood burning brick oven.
No axes or hatchets or knives. To start the fire I use a Bernzomatic Campfire Starter about three feet long attached to a 16-oz propane camping canister. It’s a mini flamethrower.
Under the log pile I place three fatwood fire starter wood strips which Walmart sells in a 3 or 4 lb plastic bag. They are actual coarse cut strips of wood about 8 inches long not manufactured. From Honduras and have a wonderful aroma. They burn like crazy with no additives.
Don’t know about the various arrangements of the timber the only thing I don’t have is the fine stuff.
I get a supply of oak logs from a local seller who runs a landscape business. Am in Florida at sea level so we have issues with sometimes not having a wind current.
Still experimenting with getting the logs to burn hot and appreciate your posting, you’ve provided excellent advice on the topic.
Leaf blower
And now for something completely different....
The corrugated dryer ducts are NOT your friend. They are inexpensive, yet they trap the dryer lint. Thus a great source of fires in the home. Use galvanized metal. Smooth surface, and the screws you use to connect pieces together must not penetrate the duct, else link will build up around the screws.....just food for thought.
Fat wood, fat lighter, knot wood it’s all the same
I just use my underwear. Plenty of fuel in there to start a fire.
I prefer the boy scout fire. Just get a small fire going with a large pile of wood and then throw about a pint of gasoline on it.
POOF!
We’ve always used kerosene-soaked sawdust. With it, tent, log cabin... doesn’t matter, the sawdust burns long enough to light any stack.
Pieces of rubber tire work really well, too. Used to use them for burning brush piles in the rain and snow. Get them burning well and just start throwing brush and sticks on; once you got enough wood burning it would dry out and ignite any wood you added, no matter how wet.
Johnny and Doc are challenged by a couple of Boy Scouts to build a camp fire
Johnny cheats....
https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyCarson/videos/1973-03-30-johnny-doc-challenged-by-bsoa/10153390607340496/
On a scout outing we had been trying to get a good fire going working against the problems inherent in wet wood and wet kindling. We finally had a very small fire burning under a lay of wet wood and I just in time stopped a young kid with a gallon of white gas ready to pour/dump it on the open flame. Holy cow was that a lucky grab.
Great safety reminder Redshaw, and and like electrical cords, periodic inspection can help maintain and prevent accidents and catastrophes.
Perfect for fall firepits
A log cabin stack with a teepee built in the middle has always worked well for us. A small teepee with starter twigs and materials with a larger teepee built over it will get your fire going. The log-cabin stack surrounding it will keep the fire going for a longer period of time. You just have to have the patience to take the time to build it correctly, otherwise you are wasting your time and materials. That can be hard to do in an emergency situation.
Also, people do not realize the small items usually available to use in starting fires in an emergency. For instance, check your jacket or pants pockets or cuffs for small pieces of lint. Lint catches fire quickly and placed beneath the smaller teepee will help those twigs catch fire quicker than just using the small twigs alone.
Yes. It’s a great idea.
I make my own fire starters.
Save dryer lint
Save cardboard egg cartons
Buy candles from thrift stores
Put dryer lint in egg cartons. Melt candles and pour over lint in egg cartons. Let cool and break apart. Voila, Great fire starters. I keep some in my jeep. In my hunting gear. I use them at home to start fires in my wood stove.
Bkmk
Started out one sunny Saturday afternoon but it soon started raining when we got to where we were going.
My buddies were bummed thinking we'd have to call it a day.
I remembered we passed a little hardware store on the way to the camping area.
I told them to wait a few minutes and Id be right back.
Went and bough a small container of turpentine.
We had a nice roaring fire in no time.
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