Kenster said:I don't understand the idea of putting kindling ON TOP of the other wood. Seems like the flames from the kindling would just go up with nothing above it to catch fire. I've always put kindling on the bottom, then some small splits, and maybe a larger split or two until it gets going good. It's always worked well for me. I've only been doing this about four years now so I'm still trying to learn.
It seems counter-intuitive until you realize that it is not the actual wood that is catching on fire and burning . . . it is the combustible gases that are off-gassing from the wood when it is heated up . . .
By putting the kindling on top you heat up the wood underneath . . . gases ignite and the wood underneath chars . . . advantage to this method is that it heats up the flue quickly and easily . . . you don't have to keep adding a split here or there . . . or risk having a huge pile collapse in on itself and smother the fire.
I was a doubter for a long time . . . first few attempts were miserable failure . . . but I was determined to see why so many people liked this method of fire starting and one day it worked . . . and worked very well . . . I've been doing a slightly modified version ever since then.
That said . . . if something works for you and works well . . . there may be no reason to try something different.