How to cut kindling shorter
 

What's the best safe way to cut kindling to half length (cross-cut)? I have a small electric chainsaw. Not interested in handsaws, too slow for the quantity I have.

Not with a chain saw unless the wood fits in a cradle! Depending on how much, a bow saw or table saw.

chain saw is too grabby. chop saw or table saw or by hand

Chop Saw
 

Chop saw no doubt! I just did this to make a bunch of custom sized wood for my wood fired pizza oven. Tried a couple different methods and the easiest and fastest by far was a chop saw!!

Dan

Grandpa used a tree stump and an axe. For decades.

To cross-cut kindling??

Circular saw
 

Depending on the kindling size (diameter) and dryness, I either break it in half over a saw horse or use a small 5 inch battery powered circular saw like this one. Still need some type of backstop to place the wood against.

I almost never use kindling. I load my stove with standard splits towards the back and small ones in front and use 1/8 of a Super Cedar in between a couple splits but with space above—air control totally open and the door cracked a bit for a few minutes.

The Super Cedar gets the draft going and, once the flame is up, I close the door and wait to reach ~300° on my stovetop thermometer before shutting the air down 1/2 and then, eventually, to 2/3. Unless I need a very extended burn, I never shut it all the way.

I season my wood long enough that, unless the outside and inside temps are close—resulting in a weaker initial draft—I don't need kindling.

Some sweet pics—lookit those secondaries, baby!

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Electric chain saw should work, although it might be grabby to the wood, so be careful. A corded sawz-all ( or equiv.) with a coarse blade might be easier to handle, should work great and be relatively cheap to acquire. If you don't mind spending more, a battery one will be more convenient.

Great pics. Shows a commitment to wood burning. Over the last few seasons I have used “fat wood” starting sticks. Helps with wood that’s not quite seasoned and other junk I maybe burning at the time


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We used those early on but found the Super Cedars to be better and less expensive. Have you tried them?

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Ha, you're almost as cheap as me. You pay 12 cents per fire by breaking them into eighths. I pay 7 cents per fire with Diamond Strike-a-Fire sticks. I break them into quarters. A tiny piece burns for about 5 minutes.

No. Honestly, never looked at them. Will now


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Lemme know if you get some and what you think—I've tried a bunch of different starters and have settled on those, but I'm always open to change.

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Give me your address and I'll send you a Diamond Strike-a-Fire stick and my latest novel.

I've tried those—fire starters—and they were meh.

No idea about the combustibility of your novel, however!

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Will you marry me?

HAHA! I can't vouch for my novel, but the Diamond Strike-a-Fires are fabulous.

Yes, certainly he will. Be forewarned that other than the 12-cent fires he is fairly high maintenance. Also make sure you're comfortable with the symmetry of his wood pile. It could be difficult to compete with.

Hahahaha! I'M high maintenance?! Define irony.

That being said, maybe it's time to start my next research project...

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Best Kindling Ever!
 

All the years I burnt wood this is what I used to start my fire…:eek:

LOL. All you youngsters with power tools!! cut carry, store, etc. Google an (antique) kerosene fire starter. Next choice: visit a house under construction and they'll let you take away nice kiln dried scrap wood. Those logs you see in the supermarket can be cut into 1" discs with a hack saw or serrated bread knife, but that's work again.

An update: while looking to place a new Super Cedar order, I came across a steal for Fire Nuggets: 200 for $40.

They easily cut in two, so I've now got 400 fire starters that work really well. I might even be able to cut them in four given my wood is so dry, but I think they might start to crumble.

I also took the remaining sheddings and wrapped them up in (Viva) paper towels to make another five or six starters.

Yay me!

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Still working on my 40 pound box of fat wood. Will give them a look when it’s time to reorder. You are frugal


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My frugality is 20% necessity on two teacher salaries, 20% game to see how free I can make this heat (in 15 years, I've not paid for wood), 20% good exercise, 20% the appreciation of self-reliance and security, and 20% the joy of playing with cool toys!

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I just go out in the woods behind my house and load up on kindling before the snow flies. If you can't break it over your knee, then it's not dry enough!
All those free news fliers make good fire starters. Once I get it going I throw a few pieces of dry pine, old 2x4's I've cut up from projects, to get a good fire going. Then the hard wood goes in.

Exactly. Would like to add the Laconia DS is free. It’s excellent for fire starting. Burning the white pine I cut and spilt a few years back. Burns well and quickly. However, i must attend to the fire more often.


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