Recipes for sawdust into logs

[Stilllearning]

Not a food recipe!

What sawdust and binding agents have you tried, for making logs from sawdust?

[bizzard]

Flour and water, like making paper mache.

[tree monkey]

Wallpaper paste?

[TheBiscuits]

The best way is just compress it, but it works better with shavings than sawdust.

 

Thousands of tonnes of pressure makes it stick together ...

 

 

 

Edited January 14 by TheBiscuits
Grammar

[magnetman]

Injecting into the side of the fire with compressed air would be fun ! 

[Stilllearning]

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

Injecting into the side of the fire with compressed air would be fun ! 

Especially when you explain to the fire brigade and your house insurance what you were doing...

9 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

The best way is just compress it, but it works better with shavings than sawdust.

 

Thousands of tonnes of pressure makes it stick together ...

 

 

 

I'm planning to use all the chainsaw waste from a winter's worth of firewood. I suspect that less pressure will be required than one might think.

[MtB]

39 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

Not a food recipe!

What sawdust and binding agents have you tried, for making logs from sawdust?

 

Ah yes, this is reminding me of the recipes for hand-made paper the arty people love.

 

"Step 1 ) To make paper, start by taking some paper and ripping it up into very small pieces then immerse in a bucket of water"

 

 

My ex never forgave me for the ribbing this instruction prompted from me! 

 

 

 

 

[kevinl]

As has been said wallpaper paste works for me, never tried flour, must give it a try.

I made mine in an old oven tray, aluminium one, then cut it up, made in much easier to dry.

20 minutes in the oven at gas mark 4!

In a tray they dried quicker, surface area I guess.

K

[TheBiscuits]

3 hours ago, kevinl said:

wallpaper paste ... 20 minutes in the oven at gas mark 4

 

That seems an expensive way to make firewood! 

[Peugeot 106]

4 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Ah yes, this is reminding me of the recipes for hand-made paper the arty people love.

 

"Step 1 ) To make paper, start by taking some paper and ripping it up into very small pieces then immerse in a bucket of water"

 

 

My ex never forgave me for the ribbing this instruction prompted from me! 

 

 

 

 

The guide to rock climbing in Avon Gorge used to say something like “an awkward move. Pull up on the small hold which has disappeared” Fortunately the move was on a short climb very near the start. Anyway it was too hard for me

[magnetman]

Another approach is just to put all the chainsaw chips into a bucket and decant into the fire with a coal shovel. It burns alright. 

 

 

[Momac]

Maybe someone who wants  some animal bedding would take your sawdust and provide you with some firewood .

[magnetman]

Chainsaw chips have oil in them. How much would depend on the setting on the machine. 

@tree monkey would probably be able to comment on this. 

[IanD]

1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

That seems an expensive way to make firewood! 

But then you can burn it to heat up the oven (assuming a solid fuel stove) to make more firewood, then you can burn this to make still more firewood, then...

[tree monkey]

9 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Another approach is just to put all the chainsaw chips into a bucket and decant into the fire with a coal shovel. It burns alright. 

 

 

It can be slightly dodgy, particularly if the debris is fine, it can go bang when you open the door to a fire loaded with sawdust

[Momac]

 

[tree monkey]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Chainsaw chips have oil in them. How much would depend on the setting on the machine. 

@tree monkey would probably be able to comment on this. 

It's certainly something I've seen people be concerned about, there absolutely would be oil residue in the debris, whether it can cause a problem I have no idea

[Stilllearning]

10 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Another approach is just to put all the chainsaw chips into a bucket and decant into the fire with a coal shovel. It burns alright. 

 

 

I already do that. Making some logs in a tray using flour and water over the summer so they can dry in the sun is going to be my favoured option.

[tree monkey]

1 minute ago, MartynG said:

 

My experience with them was a lot of effort and mess for a few hours of smouldering rubbish 

[Stilllearning]

2 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

It's certainly something I've seen people be concerned about, there absolutely would be oil residue in the debris, whether it can cause a problem I have no idea

The chainsaw I use seems to use so little oil that I'm not worried about contamination. In the past I can remember actually seeing oil spatter around where I was using a saw, but not with this one.

[magnetman]

I was referring to the pet bedding suggestion. 

 

Oil in the debris seems to be a bonus if the stuff is to be burned in the Fire. 

 

Maybe the oilways are blocked. If the bar is not getting oil it seems to me the chain and/or bar will wear out quicker and the chain could even seize up. I like a bit of oil on the chain. 

 

 

Edited January 14 by magnetman

[Mac of Cygnet]

I produce enormous amounts of sawdust each time I cut up one of my woodpiles (each stack lasts most of a year).  At first I attempted to use the sawdust as fuel, but it just wasn't worth it - lasted very little time and choked up the stove.  So it has accumulated to about a foot deep over several square metres.  The only thing I do use it for is instead of salt to put on my steep icy drive.  It doesn't get rid of the ice, but makes it possible to walk and drive on.  I put several sackfuls in the dry for this purpose each winter. 

 

I did wonder if anyone would want it for animal bedding, but not the present lot as it has quite a high proportion of yew in it.

[tree monkey]

31 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

The chainsaw I use seems to use so little oil that I'm not worried about contamination. In the past I can remember actually seeing oil spatter around where I was using a saw, but not with this one.

I don't know if it is an actual problem tbh, it's just some people will not accept them for that reason.

I find the oil use has stayed fairly stable over the years, roughly 1/2 tank oil to a full tank of 2 mix

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

14 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

I produce enormous amounts of sawdust each time I cut up one of my woodpiles (each stack lasts most of a year).  At first I attempted to use the sawdust as fuel, but it just wasn't worth it - lasted very little time and choked up the stove.  So it has accumulated to about a foot deep over several square metres.  The only thing I do use it for is instead of salt to put on my steep icy drive.  It doesn't get rid of the ice, but makes it possible to walk and drive on.  I put several sackfuls in the dry for this purpose each winter. 

 

I did wonder if anyone would want it for animal bedding, but not the present lot as it has quite a high proportion of yew in it.

 Take up ceramics,

build small kiln with bricks and fill with saw dust,

then fire your pots in it,

do raku glazing too,

All good fun. 

 

[Stilllearning]

7 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

I don't know if it is an actual problem tbh, it's just some people will not accept them for that reason.

I find the oil use has stayed fairly stable over the years, roughly 1/2 tank oil to a full tank of 2 mix

I'm using a brand new Bosch electric saw, with no oil adjustment that I can find, even after reading the handbook at last 4 times.