Bonfires

[Crockett]

Sorry if this this is not in the right category. I work at a college and have been given the task of building a small bonfire (6' high) in the middle of our quad for an athletics rally during the first week of classes this August. I have met with the fire dept. and they will be there and have approved the area we are going to use. While I have seen dozens of how to articles on the interent I am wondering if anyone has ever heard of companies that will build them for you? I looked in the phone book but found nothing. While I am sure it is not a big deal for personal use, I am concnerned about the fact that there will be a few hundred kids around and I want to be sure it is safe and done correctly. Still being employed at the end of it has crossed my mind also I am in the Buffalo NY area. If anyone has any info on this or words of wisdom I would appreciate it!
thanks
Al

[cabinetman]

Well, sometime in the last century, I was begat in the North Park area, and attended PS#66. That bit of tidbit info means nothing. But if you were in the Boy Scouts, you should be able to pull this off yourself without a hitch.
.

[pelligrini]

Don't hire the folks who built the 1999 aggie bonfire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggie_Bonfire

Working off of cabinetman's comment, might contact a local boy scout troop. They love building fires, probably won't have to pay them either.

[cgallery]

The fire department will be a good source of information.

We used old pallets when I was into giant fires. In fact, if you check w/ your schools dock and tell them to start saving 'em up, they'll probably be happy to oblige you. An alternative is talking w/ any of the trucking companies your university deals with and asking them to drop a bunch off.

We typically pile 'em six feet tall, and either one stack or two-by-two (four stacks).

[stocktr8er]

We have do a fire at each of our Indian Guide campouts (Boy Scouts Lite). Basically it is built in a metal ring about 4' diameter a with about 18" sides. We then build a teepee of 6' fence pickets inside the ring. A little bailing wire around the top to keep it from collapsing until burned down a little.

Burns big and impressive for a short time as there isn't allot of wood when you come down to it.

If you want something that burns a little longer, just get some pallets and stack them inside a clearing. Would do something like a 4 pallet square stacked 5 ro 6 high then drop it to a single stcked again 5-6 high. Should burn big and stay together well.

We use to build one in college that had a base 20 to 25 pallets square and a couple stories high. Build it with a tunnel throuout so we could get to the top levels and still keep the sides solid.

[Shep]

Speaking from a long line of Rednecks, stay away from anyone who want to help who...
1. Doesn't feel the need to wear sleeves.
2. Carries a Mt. Dew bottle filled with "snuff juice"
3. Always seems to have an extra can of gasoline to spare.

[GoFish104]

Speaking from a long line of Rednecks, stay away from anyone who want to help who..
3. Always seems to have an extra can of gasoline to spare.

Hey I resemble that remark. Jack

[billwmeyer]

Be aware, though, if you use pallets, there will be a lot of metal debris after burning. Mainly nails. You would want some type of strong magnet or something else available to clean up the grounds afterwards.

Good luck.

Bill

[Crockett]

thanks guys, I like the idea of using pallets. Seems much easier than trying to get 6 foot logs into a Tepee! I will also be sure to avoid anyone who was involved in the Aggie fire or who is offering up some "suff juice". I'll be sure to have a few earth magnets with me too.

thanks
again

[DaveS]

How about the local boy scout troup?

The older ones are well versed in building big bonfires.

[Pappy]

Best shape for a fire like you need is a log cabin stack out of about 6" logs, 5' to 6' long. Add a couple of 'platforms' at about 2' and 4' to support some kindling to get the fire started. You get a chimney effect on start up with flames coming out the top, drawing fresh air in, and the stacked logs burn from the inside to continue the effect.

BTW, the unfortunate accident at the Aggie Bonfire was the first in a tradition that went back more than 100 years. Over-reaction almost killed the tradition. The bonfire was built and burned off-campus until it was officially reinstated with heigth limitation.

[Bruce Cohen]

Railroad ties, det. cord, and Gasoline. Works like a charm.

Use a road flair to ignite.

Best of luck.

Bruce

[atgcpaul]

Speaking from a long line of Rednecks, stay away from anyone who want to help who...
1. Doesn't feel the need to wear sleeves.
2. Carries a Mt. Dew bottle filled with "snuff juice"
3. Always seems to have an extra can of gasoline to spare.

OMG!!! I shared a college dorm room with this guy for 2 semesters!