So why make it so difficult and time consuming? After all, you are just useing them for burning. I use the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid!
First I go to my local newspaper and ask if I might take some of their old waste newspaper to make fire logs.I go once a week. They said yes, take from their recyclable paper bin. Or just use your old newspaper. PS - The smaller town papers are the best, cuz they arn't thick and double folded.
I take out the glossy ads if they have any. They don't burn as well or as clean.
step one: Roll the newspaper as tight as you can. I take out a sheet or two and roll the rest within that. Then I use plain masking tape top & bottom to hold it in place. Make logs 2 to 3" thick tops.
step two: Use a large plastic pail-I use an old compound bucket, but you can buy buckets at Home Depot. Now take the paper rolls and put them in the bucket. As more go in, they start to touch each other. As you insert more-they begin to really get tight. Fill in till you can't push in anymore.
Let all sit in this tight pail for 24 hrs.
step four: After 24 or more hrs, they will be nice and tight. BUT - you need to burn them in your wood stove this way - I put two to three way at the back of the stove, and pile the wood logs on top and in front of them. This will also keep them from unraveling as they burn. Every time I ad some logs to the burning fire, I also ad two-three more paper logs as described above.
I estimate doing this cuts my wood consumption by a quarter or more. And thats FREE HEAT! The only drawback is - newspaper produces a bit more ash, so the ash tray gets emptied more often. No big deal. And - in the morning, when I go to ad logs to the fire, the only red left in the stove is the back newspaper! I push all the red paper to the back, push in a big log in front of it, pile three more paper logs on top of the red ones, ad more wood, and open the flew. The remaining red paper from last night starts a new fire.
Been doin this for 10 years now, and being an old New England Yankee, I say " ayup, it aint rocket science doin these paper logs you know..................good luck. Paul
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The comments I see here are not all good arguments.
I have been doing this for 10 years now, and i have never had problems as those suggested here. Paper, if put in not compressed will burn fast and very hot. But my method here works well if you do it as I have shown. When burned with the wood, the paper logs smokes much less, do not burn hotter than wood and the carbon released is the same as a dead tree decomposing, just faster. And remember - burn them WITH LOGS, not alone. The logs hold them together as they burn and both then burn at the same rate. Lastly - only burn in WOOD STOVES! Here you can regulate the air flow. Cut air down when all is burning well.
While this is a good idea, just remember to use caution when burning anything other than wood in a fire.