Finnish Log, Canadian Campfire, Swedish Fire????

Question

Has anyone had any experience with these? They all refer to an outdoor fire where one large (1' diameter x ~3' tall) pine log which is cut in an interesting pattern. It is made using a chainsaw to cut 3 slots in an asterisk shape in the log. You light the fire in the center of the cuts and it burns inside out for 3-4 hours! We have tried to replicate, but can't get the logs to burn just right. Any suggestions? Here is a picture: www.finnisches-lagerfeuer.de/

Answer 1

That looks like an interesting idea for a camp fire...

The picture in the link you refer to, only has 2 cuts tho, like a '+', not the three you mention. Ive not had any experience in burning a log like this, so I don't know if that 3rd cut makes a difference or not... I expect the third cut may make the wood burn faster, than 2 cuts, but thats only a guess.

As for even/uneven burning -- a lot of that may depend on the wood itself, not in how it is cut. If a log has not been dried out, or 'seasoned', one portion may have more moisture in it, than another. Or, it may be that the cuts are somewhat misaligned, leaving more wood on one section than another.

If you feel like experimenting, heheh, I would recommend trying a few logs with just the 2 cuts, and a few with 3 cuts.... at least one of each log should have the cuts placed as evenly as possible, and another should have the wood distributed between the cuts, as evenly as possible (for example, if a log is not 'perfectly' symmetrical, your 2 cut may look more like a tall 'X', than a '+')
Also, use at least one pair of new cut logs, and one pair of logs that have been cut for over a year (seasoned wood, its often called, because it was cut several 'seasons' ago, and allowed to dry out)

Here in the US, we usually think of campfires, in which the logs are laid on their sides, rather than standing upright, like a candle, or, we might think of bonfires, in which multiple logs are stacked, in a 'teepee' fashion. I found this to be an interesting approach, Thanks!

Have Fun with the experimentation, hehehe.

Answer 2

Swedish

Answer 3

WHAT?