How do I start a fire??

Question

It's a somewhat large outdoor fireplace, you know, the one with the stove top and chimney. We're cooking out tomorrow and I suck at starting fires... no logs, just planks (junk wood) and plenty of tinder and kindling. Help.

I'm a Girl Scout but for some reason, they don't teach us how to make fires anymore... they just give us orders that don't amount to much diconnected.

Answer 1

Many years ago when I was a cub scout they taught us to build a fire this way first put some paper or shredded bark (something that will light easy) down then some very thin small twigs then some larger sticks use these to make a Tee Pee over the kindling low enough that the flam will go through the Tee Pee when this is burning add larger pieces just make sure that there is space for air to get to the fire.
Good Luck
Please be careful have fun and eat a smore for me

Answer 2

Be very careful about cooking food over "junk wood." You don't, for instance, want to cook over painted wood. Unburned chemical can get into food via smoke.

Also, softer woods, such as pine contains a lot of sap which can also put substances and flavors you don't want into your food. It also drips black, sticky, cooked sap onto the bottom of the stove and it will be hard to clean off.

The drier the wood, the hotter it burns. Best cooking is done over coals, so don't cook when the flames are highest. Wait until it burns down a bit, and add only a little bit of wood at a time if you need longer cooking time.

A few wadded up newspaper pages and your kindling should get the wood started. Remember, light from the bottom up. Kindling and smaller pieces on the bottom, bigger chunks on top.

Answer 3

You can get fire starter sticks at home improvement or BBQ stores. They're small sticks of wood that have been soaked in a wax. Put a few in and around the wood pile, and light the sticks.

Answer 4

start with a wad of news paper, lay the thinnest slivers on that, a lot them. add small sticks, then light, paper,
let the thin sticks start and add more to build the fire up, wait until you have a good fire base then add thicker things along with thin sticks, don't over load the fire with heavy wood,
keep adding small stuff.

Answer 5

Charcoal lighter fluid will work.

Answer 6

buy a lighter at the local dollar store.

Answer 7

lighter?