Paper logs..

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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
What I ment is that if someone has a normal job it is financialy more effective to work in that job and buy the wood than to produce it with axe and motor chaine saw, even if he gets the standing wood for free. (Especially if you count the saw and protective clothing with in.)

I dont know British prices, but in Germany it is like that.

If you see it as a hobby, why not?
 

Tomteifi

Nomad
Jan 22, 2016
294
16
Carmarthenshire, South Wales
Hi all. An update for you on my piece about using wood shavings and sawdust in small boxes to add to fuel stove. I keep my left over ex-cooking oils after sieving in an old 10 gallon plastic container and yesterday I carried out a small experiment. I mixed half a pint of oil with around one and a half pounds of sawdust/shavings in an old dish wash bowl. Let it set for an hour then put it in a cardboard box about the size of a house brick. I had to press it down somewhat, then closed the lid. I put it into my already working stove which had been burning for a couple of hours and was at a temperature( shown by a magnetic thermometer on the stove exit pipe about 6 inches above the firebox) of around 300 deg. C. It burned very well obviously, I had to choke down the air intakes a little and the temperature went up to around 350 deg. C and the thing burned for just over half an hour like that with the temp staying at 350. There was a little smoke from the chimney but that's because I choked down the air-to prevent a flare up really but the next one I will let it go with the vents at their normal settings.

I think the one box that I used was a bit large really for the extra fuel in it ie the oil and think it might be better to use smaller boxes. Im now keeping, kitchen roll, toilet roll cardboard centres and egg boxes to try those. Anyhow, for now it shows there is a useful source of considerable heat output available.

Anyone else tried something like this and/or how are you getting on with your little boxes of dust?
 

MrEd

Life Member
Feb 18, 2010
2,148
1,053
Surrey/Sussex
www.thetimechamber.co.uk
I haven’t but for a few years now I have been making firelighters from sawdust, melted candle stubs and egg boxes.

I did try using tumble drier fluff in the mix to but although it worked well it stank like everyone’s hair was on fire.

I was wondering about doing the same but in a margarine tub, or a drink carton with the top opened as a small ‘camp fire brick’.
 

Tomteifi

Nomad
Jan 22, 2016
294
16
Carmarthenshire, South Wales
Leaving the top of a container open with fuel in it will only make it smoulder and not achieve a proper burn as it does with the lid closed. I wouldn't use a box made of any sort of plastic or metal either for obvious reasons. The best containers of all are plain unpainted non inked cardboard and no bigger than a small shoe box. Would you be using them on an open fire or in an enclosed fuel stove? A box containing sawdust/wood shavings mixed with oil on an open fire would be quite dangerous and would definitely flare up and quickly become beyond controlling.
 

MrEd

Life Member
Feb 18, 2010
2,148
1,053
Surrey/Sussex
www.thetimechamber.co.uk
Leaving the top of a container open with fuel in it will only make it smoulder and not achieve a proper burn as it does with the lid closed. I wouldn't use a box made of any sort of plastic or metal either for obvious reasons. The best containers of all are plain unpainted non inked cardboard and no bigger than a small shoe box. Would you be using them on an open fire or in an enclosed fuel stove? A box containing sawdust/wood shavings mixed with oil on an open fire would be quite dangerous and would definitely flare up and quickly become beyond controlling.

Sorry I meabt use a margarine tub as a mold but take the wax/saw dust mix out of it when set before burning.

I wasn’t planning on using oil, but yes good point re: flaring up
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
3,457
65
Exmoor
I make my own fire lighters too using egg boxes candle stubs and dried pine cones. If I have no egg boxes I use paper cup cake cases. I sometimes pop in a drop or two of pine essential oil. Smells just like being outside as they burn.
 
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Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
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Exmoor
Not when they are on the road or path . Free pickings as far as I'm concerned and if I have to have permission to pick up pine cones and take them home ....shoot me!
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
I don't know how it is in Britain, but if I would ask a private forest owner in Germany, I could collect how much I like too.

In Berlin some years ago we had to buy a permission paper for perhaps 10€ which allowed us to collect as much as we want from the ground for one year in the state forest.

As you see, we didn't pay the wood. We payed the time to write our name in a list and to give us the paper.
 

Tomteifi

Nomad
Jan 22, 2016
294
16
Carmarthenshire, South Wales
I don't know how it is in Britain, but if I would ask a private forest owner in Germany, I could collect how much I like too.

In Berlin some years ago we had to buy a permission paper for perhaps 10€ which allowed us to collect as much as we want from the ground for one year in the state forest.

As you see, we didn't pay the wood. We payed the time to write our name in a list and to give us the paper.
l
Looks like you paid to keep a chancellor and hangers on in a very well paid job for doing nothing!
 
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spandit

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 6, 2011
5,594
308
East Sussex, UK
I bought one of those briquette presses. I shredded a load of old manuals from work (copy paper) which must have used a lot of electricity. I then pressed the logs, which was really messy, and let them dry, which took a long time. They were pretty dense and didn't burn too badly but it was a lot of work for something that was inferior to burning bits of pallets.

I now have too many logs if anything. Gave away a few tonnes last month - tree surgeons offer to dump it here for free as it's too much hassle for them to process. Not going to bother offering it again as the number of timewasters or people who only want cut and split logs ruined what was supposed to be a nice gesture. The folks that did bother turning up got about 6 van loads of ash, oak and horse chestnut. I ended up moving the remaining hardwood, much of which I split today, as it happens, but have several tonnes of softwood which burns beautifully but people don't want it.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Here in western Canada, some of the waste cooking oil distills and the raw oil vapor rises in the chimney and condenses.
This runs down the chimey flue to puddle as highly flammable tar-like material.
Some chimney fires and several houses burnt to the ground as a a result.
Not on the list of smart home-heating options at all.
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Why?

A pocket full of pine needles that have fallen off a tree, alongside a public footpath is no problem.

It not like I would be going into someone private Wood with a lorry and stripping a huge quantity of pine needles off living trees now is it?
He is not talking about pine needles!
Fallen branches, cones maybe.

Most land owners ( in Scandinavia and on mainland Europe) do not mind if you cut up and take away wind blown trees. You need to ask first of course!
Wood that is left on the forest floor is hosting several wood biring, forest damaging pests.

During Commie times they even had ‘voluntary’ work days in the forests for school kids, collecting fallen branches and carrying them to the edge if the forests, where people could get it easily ( and for free)
 
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Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
3,457
65
Exmoor
With the government making this new law about log burners I can see a lot of people being put off this fantastic renewalble source of heating which is a real shame. I guess they think they are doing the right thing re air quality . With all the planned nuclear energy plants not being built we are going to be short of energy in the future as importing coal will be full of problems too. Most energy plants are near the end of their lives. So what are we going to do to keep warm and cook food ? All the old persons bungalows are all electric round here. It worries me what will happen to them in the event of prolonged power cuts such as we had in the seventies . Years ago our housing association gave us an option to have our fire places replaced with a nice modern electric fire and £700 or a multi fuel burner. I was the only one in the street to opt for the burner. I needed the cash and it was horrible watching all my neighbors having 50 inch color tv's fridge freezers new carpets etc delivered. But my choice has paid off many times over when we compare electric bills. I am always looking for a cheaper option. I collect all my kindling , make my firelighters and untill this winter do my own logs. Newspapers are thrown away every week and they are free to me. Yes a lot of work especially when shredding papers with a hand operated shredder (it takes even longer and my arm realy aches after an hour or so.) They may not burn as well as a log but it costs me nothing but time to keep warm
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
I plan on running the oil-fired central heating for the duration of this winter.
The WX has been quite mild, better than -10C, often melting. I'd go back
to the wood pellet stove if there could be a forecast of -20C cold for a month.

The upstairs main living level is sitting at 68F and 72F in the sunshine. That's OK.
Downstairs is cold but I can fix that with a shot of electric heater as I need it and only in the room I'm in.

I'm not interested in round wood heating even if I was fit enough to do it.
18,000,000 ha dead standing pine, take what you like for home domestic use.
Our BC pellet companies are selling freighter-loads of it all over the world.
They are the good guys = clear cut the dead forests on high flotation machinery.
All kinds of needed site preparation and then reforestation. Just another crop.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
3,457
65
Exmoor
A lot of people round here use oil and it stinks when you walk past their houses... or am I just ultra sensitive? I like the smell of wood smoke it's a comfy smell. Oil fired makes me feel sick and catches in my throat making me cough
It's awfull.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Cleary, the oil fire is starving for oxygen and professional service is required.
If you can smell it, the stove is hooped. My furnace isolated the fire from the air circulation.

The fine particulate in wood smoke kills a lot of people.
More and more communities here have just outright banned the crap.

Particularly if the geography is prone to temperature inversions.
Then your village/town/city becomes an atmospheric toilet bowl that won't flush.

Do you have carbon monoxide monitors and smoke detectors in your house?
Carbon monoxide will kill you before you even notice = then you are helpless to respond.
I even did a 6 month Radon gas scan and a nearly 100% clean house.
Much more interesting than dying.
 
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