diy paper log maker

ponddigger

hi did any body try one of theese to make logs:Dponddigger:D

Davy

Haven't used one myself, but heard plenty of bad stories about them, that the logs will take forever and a day to dry out properly before burning

bbam

Davy wrote: »

Haven't used one myself, but heard plenty of bad stories about them, that the logs will take forever and a day to dry out properly before burning

Saw one used in the 70/80's and indeed drying was the problem. It takes quite a nit of space and time to dry them. And then they only burn ok'ish.
More of a novelty than anything practical.

slowburner

I had one for a while in the '90s and gave it a reasonable trial. Apart from the problem of drying the 'logs' the contraption wasn't capable of exerting enough force to squeeze out the water without buckling. The other flaw was that the holes tended to bung up veryy quickly. I never managed to burn one single complete log from it so I can't comment on how well they burn. I gave up on it with the smell from a rancid load of paper I hadn't cleaned out of it.
And then you would need to factor in the time required to make the mash as well as the logs and storage.
Maybe these flaws have been addressed in later versions but I think you'd be much better off coppicing firewood.

KAGY

ponddigger wrote: »

hi did any body try one of theese to make logs:Dponddigger:D

Have one rusting away in the garage, and a bin of old paper going mouldy. But that's just because of the poor summer. I used it a fair bit the year before, going out a few times and making 20 something logs at a time (prob took <1hr), before stacking them like turf to dry (under glass and plastic). I didn't find them too bad to burn, but they where in the garage for months before I tried, and then I burned them with other fuel. My fire is only for decoration and romance anyway, used only on very cold nights or when we have the heat pump turned off.

They are of a very poor design, you will spend more time trying to take the log out than actually making them, I modified mine with little stand off to raise up the bottom part of the mold (which meant they where also compressed more). You need to rip the newspapers too, or shred A4 printed stuff. Don't leave the papers soaking for weeks or it will stink like hell!

That being said, I still have plans to make more

DoneDL

In theory a great idea, on all other levels a waste of time and effort.

jack of all

My father bought one of these in the 80s and as kids we were pressed into service preparing the newsprint raw material, oh the joys! From memory- the logs took too long to dry and they burnt poorly enough. I had looked at more modern adaptations of the principle in recent times and I did see one guy had made a hydraulic ram operated press and used a combination of wood shavings, saw dust and paper to make briquettes. This seemed to work well for him. DoneDL sums up the other device quite aptly, which is a pity as if it were any good I'd be tempted to give it a go (nostalgia eh?).

KAGY

Here's a homemade one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDf92nNnIW8

ponddigger

thanks KAGY,for putting up the videos.looks like a job for a wet day:Dponddigger:D

ponddigger

hi ,bought log maker ,made a few logs ,see how they go:Dponddigger:D

Stained Class

ponddigger wrote: »

hi ,bought log maker ,made a few logs ,see how they go:Dponddigger:D

Good work.

I invested in one of these earlier this year.

I made about 50 logs over a 2 day period.

You need to rip up the paper pretty well for best results.

Also, I put some sawdust into the mix to add some extra 'burnability'.

I don't have much shed-space, so I stored them in the attic.

It's like an oven up there during the Summer!:D

I'm using them now & reckon I'm onto a good thing here.

Refining the production process I reckon I should be able to turn out at least a couple of hundred in a day.

The plan is to make a load of them next year & give some to people with solid fuel central heating to test how much heat they can really give out.

After that......

Sorry, I'm waffling on a bit......It's a bit of an obsession with me at the mo.:D:D:D

ponddigger

hi sc thanks for the feed back,good idea about the sawdust mine should ready next weekend.made about 50 handy in half day,keet us updated:Dponddigger:D

Stained Class

ponddigger wrote: »

hi sc thanks for the feed back,good idea about the sawdust mine should ready next weekend.made about 50 handy in half day,keet us updated:Dponddigger:D

Sure thing.

The curing process is critical. I kept mine in the attic over the the summer.

They're as dry as snuff now & burn really well.

I'd say they're almost as good as turf, but it's hard to judge really with an open fire.

I'll really need to test them in a Solid fuel central heating system to really gauge their 'Calorific Value'.

Still, I'm encouraged by results so far & plan to make a fair few next summer to experiment with.

ponddigger

hi sc i have a oisin stanely stove,so i let you know how they burn:Dponddigger:D

Stained Class

ponddigger wrote: »

hi sc i have a oisin stanely stove,so i let you know how they burn:Dponddigger:D

Good stuff.

A wood burning stove or AGA would provide a good test for them alright.

KAGY

Stained Class wrote: »

Good work.

I don't have much shed-space, so I stored them in the attic.

Just make sure your attic is well ventillated or as it cools down you'll get condensation on everything.

zagmund

ponddigger wrote: »

hi sc thanks for the feed back,good idea about the sawdust mine should ready next weekend.made about 50 handy in half day,keet us updated:Dponddigger:D

Ready to burn next weekend ? Not likely unless you are living in Dubai. These things take weeks or months to dry, not days.

I've made a good few over the years, about 10-20 at a time, depending on the volume of paper to hand.

They burn pretty well when mixed with other sources, but you wouldn't fuel a fire for long with them. They produce too much ash and will smother the fire after a while unless you shake them out, and in doing that you lose a lot of the body of the fire if you know what I mean.

z

Stained Class

zagmund wrote: »

They burn pretty well when mixed with other sources,

True. I used sawdust.

Anybody got any other suggestions to throw into the 'mix', as it were?:D

maddragon

Stained Class wrote: »

True. I used sawdust.

Anybody got any other suggestions to throw into the 'mix', as it were?:D

ANFO

ponddigger

ha ha maddragon:Dponddigger:D

Trademark

I have one of the log makers I got in D.I.D. Electrical of all places...when I was buying a hoover. Haven't gotten around to using the log maker yet, I was busy at the weekends over the summer sitting on the doorstep drinking cans and shouting at the rain to stop.
On a different hungover saturday random stupid credit card purchase, I bought a shredder for shredding small branches, bushes, other things chopped to thin out/tidy up the garden. Depending on what was shredded many got reduced to pretty much sawdust/small chip/wood pellet size.

I'll combine the 2 in different ratios and burn them in 2 different rooms and see how it goes. Judging by the expected drying times it won't happen until 2012 or beyond! Could just leave them around the fire and dry them with coal burning though