Wood Firing
My wood kiln is a two-chamber Noborigama style kiln.
The flame from the firebox travels the length of the kiln, depositing ash and flame patterns on the surface of the pots. This creates unique design on each and every pot.
Like the salt kiln, each pot is wadded on the bottom. For wood firing the wads are a mixture of kaolin, alumina, and sawdust, to prevent the pots from fusing to the shelves. The pots, both porcelain and stoneware, are decorated with flashing slips, glazes, metal oxides, or left with a raw surface.
It takes several weeks of cutting and stacking the wood that will be burned. Cedar, pine, and (some) oak, is primarily what I use. Prior to a firing, the wood is dried for at least two months under a cover.
It takes about two days to load the kiln, and then 50 to 60 hours of burning wood to get the kiln to almost 2400 degrees.
Wood firing is by far the most labor intensive way to fire pottery, but it is the most unpredictably rewarding.