Swedish Fire Torch
- Last edited 3 years ago by Kevin MacDonald
With a log
Split a 12” diameter, 12” high log round into four or six equal pie slices. Set them about an inch apart. If the splits want to fall over, tie the bundle together about 1/3 of the way up (low enough not to catch fire quickly; high enough to hold the bundle together) with thin, flexible branches/saplings/roots (or wire, if you've got some). If the splits are resting too close together, set a thin stick horizontally in each gap to force them apart.
Stuff the x-shaped gap with tinder and light it. Let it burn; it will catch the inside edges of the quarters on fire. Once the tinder is burned up, adjust the spacing between the quarters: enough space to let air in, not so far away that the heat all escapes and the fire goes out.
To cook food over a Swedish fire torch: once you’ve got a good burn, set two sticks parallel on top of the log, then set a pot on top of them (the sticks allow air flow).
The Swedish fire torch is portable. As long as it hasn't burned too far, you can grasp the whole cylinder between your two hands, pick it up, and set it somewhere else.
One downside: you need a log round that’s flat on top and bottom (so you need a saw) then you have to split that round (so you need an axe or hatchet).
With sticks
Use a saw to cut about six pieces of wood no thicker than your wrist to about 12” long. Bundle them all together. As above, you can use thin, flexible branches/saplings/roots (or wire, if you've got some) to tie the bundle together about 1/3 of the way up (low enough not to catch fire quickly; high enough to hold the bundle together). Include some tinder and kindling in the middle of the bundle. Light as above.