Top-down fire
I tried a top-down fire today. The results were mixed. First, it can only be successful in a stove that's tall enough for one layer of large logs, one layer of medium, and, critically, a considerable amount of kindling on top. If the stove is not high enough---like mine---the small amount of kindling will burn through before getting the layer below it going sufficiently. I noticed the smoldering fire just in time to add more kindling and hit it with the bellows.
Also, because the kindling is on top, as it burns it tends to fall down in an uncontrolled way and spill out the front of the stove if the door is partially open. First time I've ever had burning wood actually exit the stove.
However, with the addition of more kindling, the fire did eventually burn down to the large logs and a bed of good coals was created faster than usual---about 35 minutes. The claim is that this kind of fire is simple: light it and forget it for the next couple of hours. I didn't find that to be true. I probably won't try this again, for safety's sake.
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