Fireplace accessories for the wood-burning stove

Wood stove tools for proper control

Proper control over the fire in a wood-burning stove has many advantages. By keeping a quiet, well-burning fire going:

You use the wood efficiently
Your wood burning is environmentally friendly, since there are less CO2 and particulate matter emissions due to complete combustion
You maintain a steady temperature in the room

What wood stove tools do you need?

A number of fireplace accessories help to control the fire: the tongs, the poker, the blowpipe, the ash shovel and the log holder. For those with small children, a fender that protects the children from the hot wood-burning stove is also a wonderful fireplace accessory. The six wood stove tools are explained below.

Fireplace accessories for the wood-burning stove — Several fireplace tools next to a burning stove

1 | Fireplace tongs

With fireplace tongs, you can move burning or smoldering logs. The depth of the wood-burning stove determines how long the tongs must be. It is important to have a good grip with the tongs. There is a difference between French tongs, English tongs and Dutch tongs, each with their own grip. There are also smaller tongs that work like large scissors. These tongs used to be used to shift coal in a coal-burning stove. They are very suitable for use in a smaller wood-burning stove.

Learn more: Which fireplace tongs do I need?

fire tongs for the stove — View our online stock of 150+ antique and vintage fireplace tongs here

2 | A fireplace poker

You can stoke the fire with a fire poker. That is to say, by shifting the logs and the ash, you can make the fire flare up again. For a poker, it is important that it is long enough to be able to reach into the entire wood-burning stove. At the same time, a poker should not be too long. Some pokers have a hook at the end. That is useful for pulling logs forward. French fireplace tongs are stiffer than English and Dutch fireplace tongs and can therefore also serve as a poker.

Learn more: Which fire poker do I need?

Fireplace pokers for the stove — View our online stock of 150+ antique and vintage fireplace pokers here

3 | A blow poke

With a blowpipe, blow poker or blow poke, you blow oxygen into the fire, causing the fire to flare up again. This is a highly effective fireplace accessory. Because of the length of the blowpipe, you remain at a safe distance from the fire. You can also poke in the fire with a blowpipe.

Blow pokers for the stove — View our online stock of 50+ antique and vintage blowpipes here

4 | An ash shovel

The excess ash must periodically be removed from the wood-burning stove. The advantage of the ash shovel is that it is often long enough to be able to shovel all the ash out of the wood-burning stove properly. Some ash shovels have decorative holes. The ash does not fall through these holes. Ash is flaky and sticks to itself. Furthermore, the ash scoop is used to level the old ash before lighting the fire, so that a fire can be lit again..

Incidentally, it is not necessary to remove the ash completely after every fire. The ash layer burns further when a fire is built on it. The ash layer also acts as insulation against the cold at the bottom of the wood-burning stove. These are also benefits in the context of environmentally friendly fire burning.

Learn more: Which fireplace shovel do I need?

Antique ash shovels or fireplace shovels for the stove — View our online stock of 150+ antique and vintage ash shovels here

5 | A log holder

Keeping a stock of dried wood near the wood-burning stove makes it easier to keep the fire going. A log holder is therefore an important fireplace accessory. A log holder must first and foremost be convenient to use. A handle is therefore a requirement. Furthermore, the log holder should not be too small, since then it is necessary to refill it often, but it should also not be too large, since then it will become too heavy. It is, however, possible to opt for a large decorative log holder and, for example, fill it with a smaller wood basket. Copper and brass log holders are very decorative and instantly set the tone for the wood stove. These are available in various sizes, and they may be polished or unpolished.

Log holders for the wood-burning stove — View our online stock of 50+ antique and vintage log holders here

6 | Fender or fireguard

A fender or fireguard is an enlarged version of a fireplace screen in which the openings in the iron mesh are often larger. If with larger openings, it isn’t suitable as a fireplace screen, but very suitable for keeping children away from the hot wood stove. The fender must be large enough to fit the front and sides of the wood stove. They are often very decorative fireplace accessories.