Everyone seems to have their own style and technique for laying a nice fire. I most cases, some crumpled newspaper, a few pieces of kindling, combined with two or three logs of good seasoned firewood on top is enough to get a crackling little fire going, and keep out the chilly weather.
You can easily make kindling yourself!
How to you make your own kindling
Use a soft wood timber, such as pine, to make your kindling, as the resinous character makes it much easier for lighting fires. Kindling runs out relatively quickly, so it’s always best to prepare a large bucketful all at once rather than make only enough for a single fire.
Use a smaller kindling hatchet or a chopper, as you will have more control when splitting small pieces of wood. Wedge the axe into the timber and lift both together before striking the chopping block – this is less likely to cause an injury.
When chopping the wood, try to create a variety of sizes, from very small pieces upwards. The smaller the piece of kindling, the bigger its surface area so the fire will catch more easily, but it is also important to have intermediate-sized pieces. The length of your kindling will be dictated by the size of your fire.
Don’t forget that in any pile of logs there will inevitably be a good assortment of twigs, chippings and bark – hold on to these, as they will supplement your home-made kindling.
Now you are ready to start a nice fire!