What Fireplace Tools Do You Need for a Wood Burner?
If you have just installed a wood burner, or you are setting one up properly for the first time as the colder months arrive, you may be wondering exactly what you need to keep it running well. The good news is that the list is short and sensible. A handful of well-made tools will see you through every winter, and — chosen properly — they will last a lifetime rather than a single season.
Here is our straightforward guide to the fireplace tools you actually need for a wood burner, and why each one earns its place. If you have already sorted your firewood storage for the winter, this is the natural next step.
1. A fireside companion set
This is the one thing no wood burner should be without. A fireside companion set brings together the four essential tools on a single stand: a poker for adjusting and repositioning the logs, tongs for handling them safely, a shovel for clearing the ash, and a brush for sweeping the hearth. Rather than gathering odd tools that never quite match, a companion set keeps everything together, to hand, and looking the part.
Our sets range from classic wrought iron designs to hand-forged pieces made individually at the anvil, so you can choose one to suit both your stove and the character of the room. For a wood burner in regular use, this is the single most useful thing you can buy.
2. A log basket or holder
A wood burner is only as convenient as your supply of dry wood is close. A log basket or holder beside the stove keeps a ready store of logs tidy, dry and off the floor, so topping up the fire is a simple reach rather than a trip outside into the cold. It also protects your floor from bark and damp, and keeps the whole hearth looking ordered rather than cluttered.
3. A fire screen or guard
Even with the stove door closed, a fire screen or guard is a sensible addition, particularly when you open the door to add wood, or when the fire is burning down of an evening. It keeps stray sparks and embers safely contained, and is well worth having if you have children or pets in the house. A solid iron screen adds a note of traditional character while doing a genuinely practical job.
4. Something to keep matches to hand
It sounds a small thing, but few things are more frustrating than a cold evening and no dry matches. A matchstick holder beside the stove keeps your matches dry, tidy and always within reach, ready for lighting the fire without any fuss.
5. A coal bucket, if you burn solid fuel
If your stove is multi-fuel and you burn coal or smokeless fuel as well as wood, a sturdy coal bucket keeps a ready supply neatly by the hearth. Like a log holder, it is one of those simple, hard-wearing pieces that quietly makes tending the fire easier all winter.
Nice to have: making the most of your stove
Beyond the essentials, there are a few characterful additions that come into their own once your wood burner is lit. A cast iron kettle on the stove top will quietly boil water for a brew while it warms the room — a traditional touch that also earns its keep. And a pair of hand forged candle holders on the mantelpiece adds a soft glow to complement the firelight on a dark autumn evening.
The short answer
For most wood burners, you really need just three things to start: a fireside companion set, a log basket, and a fire screen. Add a matchstick holder and, if you burn solid fuel, a coal bucket, and you have everything required to run and tend your stove well through the winter. Buy them well made and built to last, and they will still be serving you many seasons from now — which is rather the point.
Explore our full fireside range to set up your wood burner for the season ahead.
