DE
Back to the article

A4 checklist with all illustrated steps. Tick the boxes on paper as you go.

FeatherSticks · Tools

Processing Firewood: Collecting, Sawing, Splitting and Stacking

Most failed campfires are lost long before the match: in the woodpile.

Quick facts

Time
30–60 min for an evening fire
Difficulty
Easy to learn, needs care
Best for
Campfires, cooking fires, base camps
You need
Saw, axe or sturdy knife, gloves, first aid kit

What you need

  • Folding saw (24–27 cm) or bow saw for base camps
  • Hatchet or small forest axe with mask
  • Full-tang fixed-blade knife for batoning and feather sticks
  • Work gloves that grip well
  • Cord for lashing a sawbuck
  • Dry bag for tinder and kindling
  • First aid kit with pressure bandage

Step by step

  1. Collect only dead and down wood

    1 Collect only dead and down wood

    Gather dead, fallen wood where collecting is allowed. Never cut living trees; rules differ by country and landowner.

  2. Test that it is dry

    2 Test that it is dry

    Dry wood snaps with a crack, feels light and knocks with a clear sound. Wood that bends or feels heavy and cold is wet.

  3. Sort it by size

    3 Sort it by size

    Make separate piles: tinder, fine kindling, pencil-to-thumb kindling, thumb-to-wrist small fuel and wrist-thick fuel.

  4. Saw to length on a support

    4 Saw to length on a support

    Rest the wood on a sawbuck or a second log and cut just beyond the support into 25–35 cm rounds. Never saw over your knee.

  5. Split on a chopping block

    5 Split on a chopping block

    Stand the round on a block, keep two axe lengths clear and aim at the far half. Kneel with a hatchet; baton small pieces with a knife.

  6. Stack it and keep it dry

    6 Stack it and keep it dry

    Stack on rails off the ground, cross-stack the ends and cover only the top. Keep tinder and kindling in a bag.

Common mistakes

  • Cutting living trees or branches – illegal without permission and they barely burn.
  • Collecting wood lying in moss and wet leaves instead of dead wood held off the ground.
  • Lighting the fire before all sizes of wood are collected, sorted and within reach.
  • Sawing with the log resting on your knee or thigh.
  • Splitting on the ground or on stones instead of a chopping block.
  • Helpers standing inside the safety circle or holding the round.
  • Wrapping the woodpile completely in a tarp, so it sweats and stays damp.