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Fatwood Kindling

Fatwood kindling or fire starter is a name that comes form the South. It is made from the heartwood of pines that are naturally saturated with dried resin, also called pitch. Fatwood fire starter is much easier to light than regular wood, it even lights when it is wet. The resin in fatwood kindling will also burn much longer than regular wood kindling.

This wood often comes from stumps of trees or from logs from trees that died standing. Under the right conditions after a pine tree dies, the hartwood will fill up with resin, which eventually crystallizes and hardens. It’s also common in pine stumps. This wood is very resistant to rot and will usually last until it is burned. It is the same material that amber is made from. It is common for the sapwood to rot away from the fatwood and the fatwood will be all that is left of the tree or stump.

It only takes a small amount of fatwood kindling to get a fire started. You can light a piece of fatwood fire starter directly with a match or lighter, no paper is needed. Some people like to cut shavings off of it with a knife to make it even easier to light. I like to break a piece in half while twisting both ends in opposite directions. This sometimes makes it splinter and the splinters are even easier to light.

Forget Firewood Rack Plans, This is Easier

If you are looking for firewood rack plans, you should first take a look at this simple way to build a firewood storage rack. It is so simple that you don’t even need plans. You can quickly build a rack that is very strong, and adjustable from low cost materials.

All you need is some 2×4 lumber and some firewood rack Brackets. And if you want to make it extra string you can add nails or screws, but they are not required.

You take two 2×4’s and cut them to the length that you want your rack to be. Then cut four to the height you want the rack to be and two to the width, which will typically be the length of your firewood pieces. Put the ends of the 2×4’s into the slots in the brackets, and you are done.

The brackets create sturdy right angles between the sets of 2×4’s that can easily hold up your stack of wood. The wood will be held up off the ground and the end uprights will help to make a stable stack.

This type of rack is easy to move and easy to disassemble and reassemble. It is very versatile in size, and you can adjust the size by cutting or replacing the lumber with the size you want. These racks are great for other types of racks, storage racks, work benches, tables, and many things where you need a simple strong right angle between 2×4’s.

How to Measure a Cord of Wood

In order to get a good accurate measurement of firewood, it will help if it is stacked with square corners and even straight sides. An uneven pile will require some estimating and the measurement will not be as accurate.

With a well stacked pile you simple measure the height length and width in feet and multiply them together. This gives you the cubic feet volume. Since a cord is 128 cubic feet you divide your figure by 128 and to find out how many cords of wood you have.

Example: The standard dimensions of  a cord is 4x4x8 feet. Multiply those numbers together and you get 128 cubic feet which is one cord. 4x4x4 is 64 cubic feet divided by 128 is .5 or 1/2 cord. You can also use this simple cord of wood calculator.

If your stacks are not square and even you will have to do some averaging and estimating. For example, if the height varies along the stack take several height measurements in different places along the length of the stack and take the average to use that for your calculation. If the ends of the stack are sloped instead of vertical you will have to estimate where to start measuring the length of the stack.

If the pieces of firewood vary in length, this can make getting an accurate measurement more difficult. Since the length of the pieces determine the with of a row or multiple rows stacked side by side then the with of a row will be uneven. In this case take several measurements to come up with the average length of your pieces to get the width of the stack.

A heaping pile of firewood is really not practical to measure since heaping piles tend to have random dimensions. This can take more serious geometry to figure out the volume. If I try to explain how to do that here I will probably only confuse us both. If you really want an accurate measurement it might be easier to stack it than figure it out. That is if it isn’t a huge pile.

Firewood that is loosely thrown into a square sided container like a pickup bed or a shed can be measured the same as wood that is stacked. Just measure the length with and height and multiply them. If the top of the pile is uneven make an estimate of what the height would be if it was even.

Firewood that is loosely thrown into a pile has more air space between the pieces so a loose cord will take up more volume than a stacked cord. For a loose cord, instead of dividing your cubic foot volume by 128, divide it by 180 cubic feet.

This 180 cubic feet figure is a rough estimate and can vary by how loosely it is thrown together so only consider the measurement of a loose cord to be an estimate and not an accurate way to measure a legal cord.

If you have a question or need something clarified feel free to ask in the public comment section below.

Soapstone Firebrick

For Fireplaces Wood Stoves and Cooking Ovens

Soapstone firebrick is an inexpensive way to transform your wood stove, fireplace or cooking oven into a more efficient and comfortable heating unit. Soapstone is not only a beautiful stone for carving, it also has properties that make it an excellent material for firebrick. Soapstone is a dense non porous stone that is resistant to heat and chemicals. It is very durable under high heat and is known for its ability to retain heat and radiate it over a long period of time even after the fire has gone out.

A firebox lined with soapstone firebricks will tend to reach higher temperatures than traditional ceramic firebrick. This high temperature environment creates a more complete and efficient burn which converts more of your wood into heat while producing less smoke and creosote.

Soapstone has an exceptional ability to absorb this intense firebox heat and slowly radiate it into the room over a long period of time. This heat can still be radiating into your room up to 12 hours after the fire goes out. This creates an even and more comfortable heat instead of the too hot one minute and too cold the next which is typical of wood heat.

Soapstone firebrick is also an excellent material for lining pizza ovens, cook tops, cook stoves, and all kinds of masonry ovens and wood fired cooking ovens.

Get soapstone firebrick and other soapstone products from Southern Oregon Soapstone.