splitting kindling

[Shadow&Flame]

Look for some local cabinet shops or construction sites to gather a bit of kiln dried stuff. Little hatchet and you are in business.

 

[firefighterjake]

Try them. You won't be making any more kindling.

Unless you're like me and like to use kindling . . . I'm old-fashioned in that way . . . plus it gets the fire going that much quicker . . . but many members here simply use the Super Cedar and some small splits to get things going.

 

[firefighterjake]

We lost an apple tree a couple of years ago and it is cut and split in our barn - would that be soft enough for kindling?

As others have said . . . save the apple wood . . . this wood is often knotty and twisted . . . not a very good wood for kindling. Plus it's pretty hard and good for those longer burns . . . or even better save the wood and toss some in your BBQ to give the porkchops a nice hint of apple wood smoke.

For kindling I tend to use dimensional lumber scraps, softwood slabs or the occasional softwood tree or large branch that I take down (i.e. white pine, white cedar (one of my favorites for kindling), spruce, fir, etc.) . . . poplar and basswood are also good for making kindling.

 

[Jags]

Unless you're like me and like to use kindling . . . I'm old-fashioned in that way . . . plus it gets the fire going that much quicker . . . but many members here simply use the Super Cedar and some small splits to get things going.

I didn't use any kindling last year. No paper, nothing but a fire starter. I found that if you bridge one side up (with a small split or on ash, etc. and set the starter under the gap created, it would light pretty darn fast. Just another option. Kindling sure ain't gonna "hurt" anything.

 

[ROVERT]

Here's one way to do it:

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It's easy and it keeps your hands away from the hatchet.

 

[Realstone]

Here's one way to do it:
It's easy and it keeps your hands away from the hatchet.

Hey Rovert, welcome to the Hearth
I'm going to be trying that this year. I would use a car/truck tire for splitting regular rounds. I was thinking an ATV or small trailer tire would be better suited for making kindling.

 

[ROVERT]

Thanks for the welcome, Realstone.

I guess the size of the tire depends on how much kindling you want to make. If you go with a smaller diameter tire, I would try to get a wide atv tire. A trailer tire might not be tall enough (when on its side) to hold the wood well.

Overall, using a tire to split wood has saved a lot of time. It's really nice not having to pick up and reposition with every swing of the maul.

 

[WES999]

I use a lot of pallets for kindling, just cut to length, and split with a hatchet if needed. I keep them inside, so they are nice and dry, no problem with any bugs.
Also small branches work well, just cut/break them to length, pick them up anywhere.

 

[smokinj]

In years past I would fire the wood furnace late Oct. and it would go out in mid April. This year I will be one of you epa kindling fools! 120,000 btu back-up plan.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I vote for the electric splitter, you can do it indoors in mid-winter. The Ryobi/Homelite, also available under 20 other names, is 4-6 tons depending on who you believe. I love mine, it's done all my splitting for 3 years. At $300 it's hard to go wrong.

 

[Retired Coal Miner]

You could try using a frow -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froe
several videos on utube -

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Hope this helps

Billy.

The guy in the video has an update. He makes this method look clean and easy. I'm gonna have to poke around some yard sales and flea markets for a froe.

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[Wickets]

the $4-5 per sack sounds best to me! I do think that that the tidbit about birch bark is worth its weight in gold.

thanks for the video

 

[MissMac]

just ordered the free sample for hearht members - they sound great to have in a pinch.

just ordered the free sample for hearht members - they sound great to have in a pinch.

How’d you do that?

 

[rwilly]

I use a small hatchet I got at an estate sale for $2.00.
The wood I use is cedar fencing that I get off Craigslist for free.
Get an old fence panel and saw the boards to length.

Cedar is the perfect kindling.

Or keep an eye on Craigslist for cedar roofing shingles.

When I was a kid, my dad had his house re-roofed and we had a huge stack of shingles that lasted for years.