Okay...I suck at building fires.

[Liberal Veteran]

My bf can get the wood stove roaring in 5 to 10 minutes, but me, I struggle with the damn thing for an hour or more sometimes before getting a decent fire going.

I just wanted to get that off my chest.

[frogfromthenorth2]

1. One key word: OXYGEN

[Superfly]

2. Building fires? Are you an arson?

ha, ha, ha...

[LynneSin]

3. Maybe you shouldn't apply for Survivor then

:shrug:

[Liberal Veteran]

5. Oh hell, most of them couldn't start a fire to save their lives....

Even though Jeff Probst says "fire is life" except of course when water is life except of course when food is life.

I wish he'd make up his mind about life.

[jimbo fett]

4. I think building fires is a "guy thing." Something chromosomal.

We're good at burning and destroying unfortunately.

[Liberal Veteran]

6. I am a guy....

A guy who likes guys but a guy all the same.

[grasswire]

7. there are nice, handy...

....little fire-starter thingies that work very well. Just pop one in the stove under your other wood. And, yes, oxygen is important. You have to leave a bit of space between the pieces to get the fire started.

A cub scout manual might help.

Here's some info on this site:

http://www.plowhearth.com/magazine/fires.asp

[spinbaby]

8. Perhaps you're lacking...

...the proper fire-building chromosome ;-)

Or maybe it has something to do with having a fireplace or wood stove at home when you were a child--people who have grown up building fires always seem to be pretty good at it.

[Liberal Veteran]

9. There is that...

My bf was from the around Kentucky where they get snow and cold a lot more than we did in central Georgia. Plus we didn't have a fireplace, we had a propane heater that didn't get lit all that often.

I guess that makes all the diff.

[KensPen]

12. hmmmmmmmm

then you should be good at rubbing sticks together....

ok,
sorry,
I'll leave now.

[LuLu550]

20. hey, I build great fires and I'm female!

I can even build a coal fire and that is not easy, I'll have you know. At least I think I can build a coal fire..haven't done it in years...but wood fires..HA! easy as pie.

[Snow]

10. Here's watcha do....

lay two logs, preferably split halves or even quarters, parallel to each other with a hand's width or so between. Stuff that space with two or three balls of newspaper. Across the two logs lay twigs, stick, pieces of bark, general small kindling stuff. Then plonk another log, preferably a split half or quarter, on top of those sticks that you laid across the original two logs with the paper between. You now have a little log cabin thingy. Light the paper in the middle and on the ends - hmm, if you're using a wood stove, the logs probably go in lengthwise, right? Well, do your best. Keep the door open till it's going good, then shut the door, damp it down some. It should stay cooking 2-4 hours.

[trof]

11. Here's how:

Open the damper ALL THE WAY.
loosely crumple 2 or 3 full sheets of newspaper and put them on top of the kindling you've laid. (You DID start with kindling, didn't you?)
Light 'em up and leave the door open.
This will create a good draft (or draught) in the stovepipe/chimney (hot air rises).
Works well with fireplaces too.

[Selwynn]

13. For some reason, that subject line made me laugh a lot :D

Such honesty..... hehe

[pscot]

14. Three simple rules for fire-starters

1) Always use 3 pieces of wood
2) tuck some cardboard in amongst 'em
3) Buy your charcoal lighter by the gallon and don't be
afraid to slather it on

[Bertha Venation]

15. How hard is it to flip a switch on the wall?

Geez.... some people.

;)

[HEyHEY]

16. Log Cabin, that's all you need to know

Screw the Teepee method. Cut your kindling into strips about one inch all around, stack them like a log cabin, criss crossing them like a square so at the end you will have a big square about 8 inches high. Then stuff apper in the middle and underneath...light away, never fails.

[jimbo fett]

17. My father...

would think it is funny that people are using wood stoves today.

He grew up dismally poor in the 30s and thinks central heat/air is the best invention ever. For people to be going "back" to heating and/or cooking with wood to him is like forgoing the usage of paved roads.

[Liberal Veteran]

18. A cord of wood will last me all winter and is cheaper....

...than my monthly gas bill would be to heat the majority of the house.

[jimbo fett]

19. I'm sure you have great reasons but you know how...

children of the depression are. My father tells all the typical stories of walking to school in the snow, etc...

[Snow]

21. Whoa, really - just one cord?

I wood-stove heated in Ithaca, New York, in an end unit 2-story town house. Swedish design wood stove. 2 1/2 cords per winter. With occassional supplemental use of baseboard heaters.