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Fire Building Techniques You Need to Try in Your Woodburner
You’ve already got your high-quality firewood and efficient wood burning stove, but have you considered trying these different fire building techniques? Here are five that we recommend for the next time you light up your log burner – because the art of fire building isn't just for campfires.
1. Bottom Up
Logs are arranged from smallest to largest from the bottom to the top of the pile, with kindling and a firelighter below all of that. Once you light it from below, the flames naturally spread upwards. This is the most effective way to make sure the larger logs catch fire, and therefore the most common method to light a fire in all situations.
2. Top Down
Also known as the upside-down method, this is where you place the kindling and smaller logs at the top and the largest logs at the bottom. The firelighter is added to the top of the pile so that once it’s lit the flames spread down slowly to the larger logs. This is a useful method in larger stoves and for a slow and steady fire.
3. Teepee
Designed to achieve high heat, this is ideal when you need to get the stove hot quicker but takes a little longer to build due to the towering tent shape formed. Remember to start with smaller logs and kindling, and then arrange the kindling pieces and firewood to lean against each other. There are two ways to build this: either build the teepee around your firelighter or leave a gap near the front so that you can place a firelighter inside it after it’s built.
4. Crisscross / Log Cabin
This low maintenance method provides a platform for cooking over flames. Overlap layers of logs and kindling in alternating directions to create a stacked crisscross pattern with gaps between each piece of wood for airflow. Do not make the pile too tall otherwise this will overload the appliance – 3 or 4 layers is best. Make sure to put a firelighter at the centre of the structure, and some extra kindling on top, or for a slower burn place the firelighter on top.
5. Lean-To
Mostly for outdoor purposes, a lean to is designed to shield dry firewood from wind and rain and prevent the fire from going out or smouldering. However, this is a useful technique to bring indoors due to its simplicity to build. You only need one large log, which forms the underlying support for the kindling and smaller logs to be propped at an angle against it.
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