Lighting a fire, top-down

[lph]

We moved in November, and are now the happy owners of a modern "clean-burning" woodstove. (We're also the proud owners of an enormous splitting axe, a temporarily non-functioning circular saw and our very own woodpile, the size of which gives me immense satisfaction )

We've also been introduced to a new method of starting a fire, from the top down. Now I grew up with The Way of lighting a fire being kindling and paper at the bottom, then small pieces, then larger pieces of wood. Top-down is exactly the opposite - large pieces at the bottom, then smaller, finally kindling on top, and light it. The idea is that the heat helps start a good draft, wood doesn't need direct contact with the flames to ignite, and gases issuing from the bottom ignite before leaving the stove, plus the pile is very stable and doesn't collapse.

I can see that the top-down works, but I still find it very counter-intuitive, and still find myself sticking a large piece on top "not to waste" all those flames...

Those of you with woodstoves, how do you light a fire?

PS. We have this stove:
http://www.jotul.com/en/wwwjotulus/M...s/Jotul-F-373/
except it's a more basic model without the side panes of glass. We have it mounted on a rotating plinth instead so that we can turn the glass door to see the flames from wherever we're sitting. Or turn it just to get away from the heat, it gives off huge amounts of heat in full blast.