A lot of the draft depends on the chimney geometry. The house I grew up in has a wood fireplace w/ insert that can be lit with little kindling and several sheets of newspaper. No kindling (1/4 or 1/2 logs) and more newspaper was doable. You could hear the draft once it got started.

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With this set-up coal might be possible. It would need some testing for draft and burn time. A full load of wood would last about 8 hrs w/ coals left to start the next batch.