We have a few differet tools for cutting the wood:

​

large hand saw: cuts quickly though thick tree branches to make make pieces of suitable length. 

​

small hand saw: cuts through thinner tree branches. light and easy to use. stiffer plate is good for beginning a cut.

 

hatchet: used to cut off small, thin branches from a larger piece.

felling axe: sharp, thin blade is meant for cutting into the wood rather than splitting it. can be used to cut tree branches of medium thickness. can also be used to cut small pieces out of logs (for kindling).

​

splitting maul: for spitting logs that have no knots and that split easily.

​

splitting wedge: for splitting logs that have knots or are particularly hard to split. used when a splitting maul fails.

​

 

​

​

Kindling (small pieces of firewood) catches alight quickly to initially begin the fire. Kindling is also best used in the biginning of cooking as it burns quickly, producing high temperatures that are ideal for bringing water to a boil. Small tree branches and twigs also make good kindling material. 

Larger pieces of wood burn slowly and are best used to keep the fire going through the night.

We also cook our food ontop of the wood stove. We use enamel coated cast iron pots that can tolerate high heat. 

To adjust the temperature of the fire, simlply open or close the vent of the stove. The more the vent is open, the more quickly the fire burns and a higher temperature is  produced. The less oxygen the fire is exposed to, the slower it will burn.