Part of the Lore and Saga family of web sitesBushcraft and wilderness skills with Gary Waidson
Ravenlore Bushcraft and Wilderness Skills
Fire Log prepared and stuffed with kindling.

Swedish Fire Log.

This is something that I’d heard of but only ever seen in a TV program by Ray Mears, so when someone turned up at a BCUK meet up with a log prepared for this I was interested to see how it would actually work.

The log is prepared by cutting lengthways with a chainsaw to about a foot from the bottom.

In this case the log, pine, was cut three times giving six vertical segments.

The cuts are then loaded with birch bark and other tinder or kindling and this is lit to ignite the log segments.

In this particular case some small twigs were also added to the kindling which turned out to be a mistake as they blocked the vertical air flow needed to ensure good ignition.

After a slightly discouraging start these twigs were removed from the cuts and with just bark the result was much better.

The original idea behind the fire log is to create a controllable fire which can be lit on snow as the base does not heat up and can be packed into the snow to keep the log vertical.

Once the fire is burning well, a billy can, kettle or skillet can be placed directly on the top for cooking or heating.

This is an interesting technique if you have a chainsaw, but a similar effect can apparently be produced by splitting the trunk with an axe and packing the sections carefully apart.

Fire Log lit and starting to catch.
Fire Log ignited and burning well.A billy can on top of the fire log.4

I’ve recently been told these are also called “Finnish Candles” which I think is a much better name for these useful things. Sounds a little less “Ikea” if you know what I mean.

 

Ravenlore is a site promoting Bushcraft and Wilderness skills as a way of working, living and enjoying the wilderness with minimal impact on it’s resources. Bushcraft should be practised in a responsible manner with consideration for the environment and other people who seek to enjoy the outdoors.

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Bushcraft skills complement many outdoor living pursuits such as walking, mountaineering, canoeing, hunting, fishing and in my case at least landscape photography. In fact I find the equipment suited to bushcraft often far exceeds the specification and usefulness of other high tech outdoor equipment.

Bushcraft and wilderness skills should always be practised with respect for the environment and other users of the outdoors. Leave No Trace.

All text, images and artwork on this site are the property of Gary Waidson and protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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