How to Make Alternatives to Firewood

A whole newspaper can burn for an hour once turned into a log.

Firewood can be costly and for those that need an alternative, newspaper logs are a good solution. Newspapers can be rolled into logs that can be burned in a fireplace or wood stove. It can be difficult, however, to get newspaper logs to burn without wood to at least get them started. Machine-rolled logs burn more efficiently than hand-rolled logs, but if you are just looking for a quick fire in a cook stove or campfire, hand-rolled logs will work fine.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper
• Water
• Twine

Instructions

Machine-Rolling Newspaper

1. Purchase a newspaper log roller from a catalog or online. Wood stove manufacturers and alternative energy companies often sell them.

2. Wet your newspaper before rolling it.

3. Put one end of the newspaper sheet in the machine roller and crank the handle to roll the newspaper through.

4. Insert the next sheet of newspaper into the end of the roller before the first is done rolling. This will create a continuous sheet.

5. Continue rolling and feeding sheets until you have the size log you want.

6. Tie the log securely with a piece of twine.

Hand-Rolling

1. Wet your newspaper before rolling it.

2. Lay the wet newspaper out flat on a table or floor.

3. Roll the first newspaper sheet up into a tight roll and then place it at the beginning of the next sheet.

4. Roll the next sheet tightly around the first roll.

5. Continue in this manner until the log is as thick as you like. Tie the log securely with one piece of twine around the center

References

• American Chimney Sweeps: Howto Roll Paper Logs
• New Archaeology: Make Your Own Logs
• Texas A & M University: Firewood