Humans have been fascinated with fire ever since this discovery fueled our meteoric advancement as the most capable and intelligent species on the planet. While most humans have no idea where to begin when making a fire, there is a certain ilk of people that stay in touch with this primal, powerful, and life-sustaining ability.
There’s something that speaks deeply to our inner survival instincts when those first sparks take hold to culminate into a thriving blaze. Craftsmen are known for their handiness both on and off the job site, so learning how to build the perfect fire comes with the territory.
Preparing the space.
Before building anything, you need to create a sturdy, delineated foundation on which the structure is supported. The same is true when it comes to constructing a fire. You need to start by clearing a dedicated space with defined barriers. Fires tend to shift and reposition as wood is burned away, making it essential to have sufficient room in a confined space. However, make sure you don’t suffocate the fire as it needs continuous oxygen to catch and stay ablaze.
Use starter material.
Hard work is an essential skill for making it in the construction industry, but successful craftsmen flex their brains just as much as their brawn. One of the keys to creating a perfect fire is utilizing starter materials that catch quickly and provide enough heat to get wood burning. Newspaper, junk mail, and other pieces of paper are great when building a fire with dry wood. However, you might have to resort to starter logs when building a fire in imperfect conditions.
Choose your wood carefully.
As a craftsman, you understand the importance of using the right tool for the job better than anyone. Poor tools yield poor results. It’s identical when preparing a fire. Choosing the right fuel will provide a long-lasting, powerful, and sustained fire while picking bad wood will lead to smokey, shoddy, and short-lived fires. The driest logs, sticks, and other bits of wood are ideal for their ability to take on a blaze quickly and burn relatively clean so you’re not smoked out.
Pick a fire structure.
There’s more than one way to get the job done on the construction site, and craftsmen should bring the same versatility and out-of-the-box thinking to fire building. There are some foundational wood formations to choose from depending on what kind of lifespan and heat output you want:
Teepee – Also known as a cone fire, the teepee is one of the most classic fire shapes because of its simple design. All you have to do is stand up various logs against each other in a teepee shape. Teepee fires heat up quickly and are easy to maintain, making them a great go-to option.
Log Cabin – As the name suggests, this fire structure resembles a log cabin. Wood is placed in a square or rectangular shape and all four “walls” are built up to the desired height. Log cabin fires are self-feeding as the wood continues to fall into the center making it a long-burning choice.
Platform – Similar to the log cabin shape, a platform fire is made by stacking logs horizontally on top of each other. The difference is that logs are much closer together in the platform structure. Instead of lighting from below, the fire burns on top, making it a great choice for cooking in the great outdoors.
Keeping your construction career ablaze is a bit tougher than making a fire. It requires a lot of job searches, applications, interviews, and calls that eat up weeks and even months of your valuable time. When you work with an experienced staffing professional like Madden Craftsmen, you bypass all the hassle to get the job you want quickly and efficiently. Visit www.IamMadden.com to check out the latest job openings in your area.
