Well we may have got all the firewood split and stacked under cover… but starting fires with pieces that large is no picnic. Of course it can be done but it takes lots of newspaper. The simple solution, as anyone who has ever lit a fire knows… is kindling. After 30 years of utilizing wood stoves, I have definite preferences when it comes to the type of wood I use for kindling and cedar wood gets my vote. It has enough resin in it that it lights easily and it splits like a dream. And the easiest and best place to get that in this part of the country is from old cedar fencing boards. Usually they have been out in the sun for years, are very, very dry and easily obtainable. This year it was even easier because a freak windstorm on December 30th blew down 175′ of our 217′ cedar fence, leaving me with an ample supply. I cut the boards into 6″ lengths with no knots and use a meat cleaver to split them. At any rate, it doesn’t take long to fill the kindling box. Here is a short video of the job. Our dog Bonnie likes to help with the wood.
Allen
February 18, 2012 at 6:52 am
Not fun! Not fun! Wood cut as needed is not fun! We try and get a jump start every year, but with long work hours and without fail my husband has to go out with the tractor about now and find wood. This year is a blessing though as out youth group brought us wood that carried us through to the end of the year. Friends that make syrup had an over abundance of burning wood so they graciously gave us a big truck load. That should do it, I hope. This is the first year in a decade that my husband didn’t have to buy wood.