How to Start a Fire With Fat Wood

Fat wood comes from the South. It takes many years to form, and is actually a stump that has had the resin from the trees above soak into it. You can buy it in handy 12-inch lengths; it helps you start any fire, whether in a wood stove or a fireplace.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Fireproof container with lid
• Fat wood
• Kindling
• Logs
• Matches

Instructions

Wood Stove

1. Clean out the wood stove. Remove all the ashes with a shovel or scrape them into the ash pan below.

2. Empty the ashes into a fireproof container and close the lid tightly.

3. Lay two sloping logs inside the wood stove. Arrange the logs so that they slope toward the middle of the stove. Cross fat wood in between the sloped logs.

4. Cross kindling above the fat wood, then cross smaller logs on top of it and larger logs above them.

5. Light the fat wood and watch how your fire builds and catches.

Fireplace

1. Clean out the fireplace. Remove all of the ashes. Empty them into a fireproof container and close the lid tightly.

2. Cross fat wood on the grate and cross kindling on top of that.

3. Lay crossed logs on top of the kindling and lay larger logs on top of them.

4. Light the fat wood and enjoy the blaze.

References

• Fatwood
• Grate