There are many different campfire structures that can be built to start a fire while
camping. The most common are the teepee, log cabin, dugout, and tunnel structures.
Almost anyone can build these fires if he or she follows some key points.
A fire needs three elements: air, fuel, and an ignition of some kind. For a campfire
the air element is easily accessible; it's the air a person breaths or oxygen. Fuel is
equivalent to wood. Sometimes lighter fluid is used to start big fires immediately, but
usually when dealing with a campfire the fuel is wood. Ignition can come from a spark,
match, or lighter. It is anything that initially starts the fire.
Going deeper into wood, there are three categories to classify it under. Kindling is
the stuff that is easiest to burn. It could be leaves, dryer lint, or very small twigs. The
next size of wood is sticks and small logs. These will range in size from one half inch to
two inches in diameter. Anything larger than this is classified as the fuel. The fuel is the
big logs that will burn for hours. When a fire is started it needs to be built like this:
kindling first, then sticks and small logs, and then the fuel, once the fire is going good.
Using this technique with the following fire structures will ensure hot easy fires.
The teepee style structure is probably the most used and easiest to build, but
doesn't necessarily result in the hottest or longest burning campfire. To build this fire
think about the name "teepee." The end result before burning this structure looks like an
Indian's teepee (If the teepee shape is not familiar, then envision a conic shape). Start by
placing the intermediate size wood or sticks in the ground in a circular shape about eight
to twelve inches in diameter, leaning the tips of the sticks together in the center. The
sticks should already start to resemble a teepee shape. Continue layering the walls of the
teepee with more sticks, but not too thick, because air needs to be able to pass through the
walls easily. Leave a hole on one side large enough to place kindling inside the stick walls.
This hole is also left to light the kindling from the inside and may be filled in once the fire
is lit.
Once this is completed, the structure should be a recognizable teepee or cone
shape. The kindling should be lit on the underside inside the teepee walls through the hole
There are two different styles of log home construction. The first is manufactured log homes also known as kit homes. The logs are mechanically shaped into uniform dimensions. Manufactured logs may also be milled round or rectangular in profile with endless variations. The second type of construction is handcrafted. The natural characteristics of the logs are preserved to show off their individuality and the joinery of the logs is done with hand held tools. There are three different styles of logs. The first is a D shape log for the exterior log look and flat indoor appearance. The second is fully rounded logs to give the full log look on both the interior and exterior. The third is a square log that gives the appearance of timber construction, being flat on all four sides, with the advantages of log building. Depending on the manufacturer and your corner type, milled logs also come with tongue and grooves on the top and bottom of the logs for a more secure fit.
Combustion is a rapid, continuous reaction that usually takes place in the gas phase. Wood is an organic compound primarily comprised of cellulose. For wood, the phase change from a solid to gas is almost instantaneous as combustion occurs (Coleman, et al. 95). Ignition occurs when an outside source is no longer needed to sustain combustion (Coleman, et al. 87).
Other igniters exist but are not recommended as highly as the charcoal grill sparker. The Colmen lantern spin lighter which use a flint and striker can become gummed up with some fuels and is not recommended for use in spud guns which will use hairspray as a primary fuel. This lighter must have new flints installed when they run out. This type of lighter also will fail to function when wet with fuel. The flame style barbecue lighter is a click lighter that produces a small-sustained flame. This lighter rarely misfires but is very hard to install given the high pressures it would be subjected to. Also the fuel in the lighter it self must be refilled. Some Spud Guns use a spark plug and battery setup that involves more work as well as more components. The benefits of this style of ignition system is that you have the ability to remote detonate the fuel from a safe distance. By far the push button charcoal grill sparker is the recommended igniter. It is cheap, effective, relatively easy to install and long lasting.
Sun L. et al studied the thermal stability and fire retardant properties of wood flour/polypropylene composites containing magnesium hydroxide (MH), expandable graphite (EG), and ammonium polyphosphate(APP) as flame retardant. The results showed that both expandable graphite and ammonium polyphosphate promoted thermal degradation of wood flour and char formulation, and magnesium hydroxide did not influence on the wood flour decomposition. Cone calorimeter results indicated that EG showed the best properties on fire retardant and suppression smoke
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. United States: Shmoop University, 2014. Shmoop. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. .
of them. They use draft wood because when it’s in the water for a long period of time the
which was made out of small pieces of wood that had small rope attached to them, and to start
One method of the nomadic plains tribes for cooking was to use rawhide cooking vessels which came from the hump of the buffalo, staked over a mound of earth and left to dry in the shape of a bowl. The pot was put in a shallow hole near the fire, and then carefully selected stones that would not shatter easily would be put in the fire and transferred to the bowl with wood or bone tongs to heat the contents of the pot.
stage to create an image of a forest. I will also have two very tall
Open-fire and mud stoves which are located both inside and outside the house are used. Biogas is also used. Of three current designs mud stoves are the most used. Mud stoves use less firewood than open-fire stoves.
be actually hot. In this way the fire moves and alters the wood. Now, it is not possible for
...r it is arson, an uncontrolled camp fire, or a cigarette butt it doesn’t take much for humans to spark a disaster. Yet there is as well a few set by good old Mother Nature. On top of the effects on the earth as well as humans, there is only one thing we all can do and that is listen to our old pal Smokey the Bear when he says, “only you can prevent wildfire.”
used firewood. I can recall putting wood in the heater and taking a poker to stir the
Hut building – there were larger huts built with a center pole, which gave extra support to the roof. It was considered important for resisting heavy gales. It had no windows and doors. Wooden posts were placed firmly in the ground to form a circle about five paces apart and laced together with springy branches and grass. Transverse beams were tied on top of the posts, and a pole placed in the center of the structure. The center pole and the transverse beams were then connected with thin poles, and these were covered with grass or palm leaves to form a conical roof.
Other factors that contribute to natural bushfires are dry, hot climates with minimal rainfall, the availability of fuel and the presence of oxygen. Disposal of excess fuels in the forms of dried and or dead leaves or vegetation must be encouraged to reduce the chances of ignition by diminishing the medium for fires.