Homemade Log-Making press tool--Log Jammer

[DrByte]

I decided to try out the paper logs. Whipped this up out of "uni-strut" and some angle. Little welding and a few bolts. The only piece I had to buy was the 3.75" x .75" thick aluminum "presser puck", total cost in this baby, $3.00! Free firewood! The logs are coming out pretty nice, about 4" diameter by 12" long. Should work in my fireplace on my deck after they dry out okay. Used paper, cardboard, and some sawdust in a 5 gallon bucket, mixed with a drywall stirrer in a drill. This was the second or third log in the photo above, next ones came out even better. Probably able to make 10-20 in an hour if I had enough "mash" mixed up. Get about 4 logs from a five gallon bucket, have to leave room for mixing with drill. If you heat with wood you should definietly check this process out! It would be even better with an air cylinder to do the pressing but it does not take a lot of effort even with just a lever. My lever is giving me 4 to 1 ratio or so and compacts the log pretty good. Have not had one dry enough to burn yet but people I've talked to say they last nearly as long as a real wood log. We shall seen.
More photos here: Woodworking from DrByte and Lights from DrLyte

[DIYer]

Thanks DrByte! We've added your Log Making Press to our Miscellaneous and Heating and Cooling categories, as well as to your builder page: DrByte's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Log Making Press by DrByte

tags: press

[Ed ke6bnl]

I made one last year I made a 5 gallon chunk still sitting outside never burned it, will try it this year, I do like the smaller tube idea, was too much work mixing up the paper. but you may have got me to try it again with a smaller tube.

UPDATE: burned terrible and way too much work will be going back to the wood splitter.

[the artfull-codger]

I decided to try out the paper logs. Whipped this up out of "uni-strut" and some angle. Little welding and a few bolts. The only piece I had to buy was the 3.75" x .75" thick aluminum "presser puck", total cost in this baby, $3.00! Free firewood! The logs are coming out pretty nice, about 4" diameter by 12" long. Should work in my fireplace on my deck after they dry out okay. Used paper, cardboard, and some sawdust in a 5 gallon bucket, mixed with a drywall stirrer in a drill. This was the second or third log in the photo above, next ones came out even better. Probably able to make 10-20 in an hour if I had enough "mash" mixed up. Get about 4 logs from a five gallon bucket, have to leave room for mixing with drill. If you heat with wood you should definietly check this process out! It would be even better with an air cylinder to do the pressing but it does not take a lot of effort even with just a lever. My lever is giving me 4 to 1 ratio or so and compacts the log pretty good. Have not had one dry enough to burn yet but people I've talked to say they last nearly as long as a real wood log. We shall seen.
More photos here: Woodworking from DrByte and Lights from DrLyte

Usefull I like it, we do all our cooking/central heating on the rayburn,[range cooker] mainly wood but also coal & coke to bank up, the front room stoves burn wood, I've been mixing waste engine oil with dawdust from sawing wood & pressing it into cardboard tubes,toilet roll centres etc & they burn quite nicely on the front room stoves[can't be chucking usefull stuff out] little smoke & last a fair while.

[augercreek]

You don't say if you mix water with it or how much if you do! With out some type of liquid I don't see how it would hold together.

[NortonDommi]

That's nice, we're just into Summer and that looks like a good way to accomplish a beer or two. Do you throw a bit of flour into the mix as a binder? An electric mixer like a concrete mixer would allow a wander to the fridge occasionally.

[AlanT]

You don't say if you mix water with it or how much if you do! With out some type of liquid I don't see how it would hold together.

You use enough water to make the paper soft so you can grind it to a pulp. Then you press it. The amount of water will vary. You are going to squeeze the water out when making the log.

[Frank S]

If you use a document shredder especially one that has a chopping feature as well the time to turn the paper into pulp will be greatly reduced.
Another couple of things that can be done is to construct a much smaller diameter press like around 1" in diameter then mix a fine pulp mixture up and stir in a small amount of steel wool and magnesium filings press as much water out as possible then place the pulp sticks to dry After they are good and dry break them into 2 to 4 inch long sticks then dip them in melted wax store several sticks in a plastic freezer bag when going camping or needing a quick fire starter source you can break one apart and light it the intense heat it will give off will get your camp fire going quickly

[DrByte]

Thanks NortonDommi! I never found he need for a "binder" it sticks together just fine with nothing but hand pressure applied to the lever. I burned a few a couple of weekends ago in the fireplace on the deck and the did well. They burn about as long as an actual seasoned wood log of roughly the same diameter. Don't know if a concrete mixer would pulverize and mix the paper well enough. I guess it would after some time. I try to add least amount water possible so drying time is not so long. I went and toured a place that makes the firewood "bricks". They use a hydraulic press of course, but they add nothing but sawdust. Pressure alone binds their bricks and the operator told me they are pressing at about 4000 psi. They do not even add water to the sawdust.

[owen moore]

I would think that where your wood and other ingredients come from may have an influence on your results. If you need a binder, I believe corn starch and water is an option. Corn starch is more friendly to the environment, and maybe less cost. Might be cheaper than wax.