How to build a proper campfire

[Deckin Around]

We have a tradition of making a fire big enough to keep everyone camping on our property warm on New Year’s Eve. I have mainly videos not a lot of still shots but I thought I’d share this year‘s creation.

1. Get 80 of the 6-8’ Christmas trees for free after Christmas from the Lowe’s tree lot. I had to take some golf carts and kids toys to our desert property in separate trips so I had the guys at Lowe’s load me up. I didn’t lift a thing. They threw in a bunch of lumber they had used to build the tree lot too. (See tree popsicles below)

2. Get free loads of eucalyptus trees being cut down.

4. Pick an area with at least 100yards from anything you don’t want on fire.


5. Place biggest logs vertically and fill more big logs and stumps around the base( thanks @yz450mm for the operator skills)

6. Start 20’ substructure with construction form boards, scaffold boards and lots of 3.5” ring shank framing nails. (Nails and pallets are not allowed in public camping areas, only private property). Then, fill the center with trees before continuing the main structure

7. Have your son make “tree popsicles” to get the trees attached to the main structure 10-25 feet in the air

8. Cover with trees and tree popsicles after completing the main structure.

9. Help the kids build the “kids fire” with just 4 Christmas trees

 

[Roosky01]

Needs more used tires and diesel fuel/used oil.

 

[Deckin Around]

Needs more used tires and diesel fuel/used oil.

10gal diesel mixed 15 gas mostly by way of Home Depot buckets. The wind came up and the top tree didn’t even burn for awhile as the fire was blown from the other side.

 

[Roosky01]

That is a nice looking eyebrow singing burn!

Find a few 40lbs. cathodic protection anodes for next years fire build and toss them in as well.

Thank me later.

 

[25Elmn8r]

Looks great! Those trees really light off quick!

Our New Years fire was a slash pile we had from clearing our new property for our driveway and house. Oh and about 20 gallons of old oil and diesel. It was 6* when we lit it off.

Only ended up burning about 1/2 way thru the pile, so we have lots more for another bonfire!

 

[HBCraig]

Wow

 

[LuauLounge]

Obviously not in California, otherwise, you'd have an air tanker dropping retardant.

 

[Waterjunky]

We used to do brush piles when I was growing up on the ranch. How tight could you pack stuff in with a dozer.... When it was a couple of acres like this you light it up. Went for days. After a day or two you start using the dozer to pack the burning pile and keep it burning.

good times.

 

[4Waters]

Did you have your campfire permit?

 

[rivermobster]

Did you have your campfire permit?

Not required. You need a bonfire permit when creating a structure fire.

Pretty cool you got all those trees for free! Making a note for next year.

 

[RiverDave]

Holy shit!

 

[monkeyswrench]

Maybe 97 or so at Glamis, a guy rolled in with a roll back full of trees that didn't sell. NYE, he dumped them in a pile...in the middle of their camp! Hot, fast...but quite pretty.
Never seen so much chaos in my life as those people trying to move their rigs.

They had not read the "100yd" rule

 

[500bbc]

Needs more used tires and diesel fuel/used oil.

That's only on Earth Day

 

[Ol Man]

So, did you or Cody win the fire building contest?

 

[Deckin Around]

Holy shit!

Plenty of wood left to keep you warm during king of the hammers.

That is a nice looking eyebrow singing burn!

Find a few 40lbs. cathodic protection anodes for next years fire build and toss them in as well.

Thank me later.

Had to google that one. We used to burn magnesium VW engine cases, is this similar and do you have any leads on ones that aren’t hundreds of dollars?

Obviously not in California, otherwise, you'd have an air tanker dropping retardant.

Cali- High desert no burn regulations

Maybe 97 or so at Glamis, a guy rolled in with a roll back full of trees that didn't sell. NYE, he dumped them in a pile...in the middle of their camp! Hot, fast...but quite pretty.
Never seen so much chaos in my life as those people trying to move their rigs.

They had not read the "100yd" rule

I’m not going to say I haven’t melted a few things in proximity to our fire locations.

So, did you or Cody win the fire building

Are we talking height, girth or length of performance? I love Cody he came over that morning to see if we needed to borrow his skid steer, he didn’t know we had the excavator with grabber claw. His pallet fires burn real quick and lack creativity but the one he had at king of the hammers a few years ago Brought all the emergency service personnel that were on the lake bed as it was reported as a structure fire LOL. I told him retail was around $8,000 in trees we got. He will probably just buy his own forest next year to bring out and burn.

 

[JUSTWANNARACE]

Love it!! My wife would be in heaven(shes kind of a pyro..lol)

Throw in a VW magnesium block or transaxle case next year!

Pallets from Albertsons and a magnesium block from the local junk yard was our go to fo the dunes in my younger years.