Come on Baby Light My Fire

Come On Baby Light My Fire

Building a fire used to be a very important and common skill. For centuries it was necessary in order to cook your food and heat your home. In these modern times, however, all we need to do to is push a button or flip a switch and "POOF" there it is. Unfortunately there are now many who don't have the knowledge on how to build a simple fire. It's quite simple really, once you get the basics down.

To build a fire from "scratch" you will need a piece of land to gather wood from and a few basic supplies. A good pair of work gloves to protect your hands from blistering up, a pair of goggles to protect your eyes and an adult buddy are all the safety precautions you need for cutting down trees and turning them into firewood. Be sure the cart or wheelbarrow has large wheels to handle rough terrain. Your chain saw needs to be fueled up and in good working order. An axe, a hatchet and a pocketknife all need to be well sharpened in order to make the job go smoothly. Once all of these items are gathered, it's time to head out for the woods.

There is usually a good deal of fallen trees and logs in the woods that will make your job a lot easier. Always test to see if the wood is "green"(still too moist) or dry before you begin to cut into it. Take out your pocketknife and use it to cut into the tree or log, just a bit, in order to be certain the wood is dry and not "green". Also bend a small branch on the tree and if it bends, it is not yet seasoned to be firewood. Branches on wood that is seasoned (dried out over time) will snap and not bend under pressure. Next, use your hatchet to cut off all of the branches on the tree or limb. These branches can be brought back home with you and used as kindling to start your fire later on. Next, use your chainsaw to cut the log into lengths of about 18 inches. Then stack the cut logs in the cart or wheelbarrow and bring them home.

Using a hard flat surface, stand the logs on end and split them with the axe into firewood. Bring the firewood inside to build your fire. Place the kindling in the fireplace, as a base to build your fire on. Then stack the wood on top of the kindling, leaving space to let air circulate between the logs. Light the kindling, grab a beer, and enjoy... you've done well!