Rookie Error I'm hoping as a Fire Starter

[geobradley]

I've watched video and read but just can't seem to get this right. From What I saw and read to me the fire is started within the oven itself. If I start the fire closer to the mouth the fire burns fine I start it in the oven itself it seems to not want to burn. I hoping my pieces may be to big maybe the wood some how absorbed moisture. The build was completed last fall and with the acception of a few firings its not really been used much.

I see these infernos and Im wondering what I have to do to get it to that point am I seeing this wrong is my wood placement incorrect, I field any and all suggestions

[david s]

A new oven or one that has reabsorbed moisture will not fire well at all and needs to be dried out with several fires. When it is in this wet condition it will be somewhat smokey and even more so if your wood is damp. Try keeping the fire closer to the flue initially and as it gets hotter you can push it further into the centre of the oven. Not a bad idea to keep a small fire going all day. It is really hard to get a raging fire going in a damp oven anyway. Keep firing and will come good.