How to make Cardboard Briquettes Homemade Press Vs Amazon fire logs bricks  

I think your press is still better, nice build.

Okay for all those people who keep banging on about the bad side of this i would like to share some of the good this idea does. 1 i live in ireland where you have to pay quite a lot of money for the companies to take away recycling materials, so they make money taking your paper, cardboard, etc. 2 they also use a lot of chemicals in there process. 3 they sell you back recycled products at twice or three times the price of the normal product even though you have paid them to take the materials they need for said products. You are being scammed on a huge scale. 4 in this country they are prohibiting the burning of turf putting hundreds of workers out of work and the price of gas and electricity is going up by 40 percent for the third time this year. Winter here is freezing and people can't afford heating so they do what they can to survive. I know I'll get a lot of haters for this but the truth is the truth. We are being manipulated illegalise solid fuel so gas and electric companies profit even more, plus gas and electricity bills are half to the government in taxes for carbon tax and a plethora of other taxes on a country that is already the highest taxed in europe.

I like that you showed both options with no bias. Not everyone has the patience or skill to rig something up, and some people have plenty of scrap wood and pipe to rig something up quick and easy. Both valid solutions.

Can you please publish a follow-up video on how either of the bricks burn?

Make a video of the briquettes burning.

Funny how everything is ready to use when it's the consistency of porridge! Plaster, cement, wattle and daub... porridge 😉👍

Your press not only works better, but it looks like a ton more fun to use as well, making the job more enjoyable.

I made a similar machine to press round logs and I used HDPE sheets (cut to size and shape) to use as spacers in between each scoop of pulp. This enables me to create not just logs but also discs which can be used for a shorter burn if need be...

Any chance you can do a burn test followup?

I absolutely love your homemade version. Great proof of concept to inspire others for their builds. I bet i could build your version for under $50, even with jack. Great engineering you have shared. Thanks.

Add starch in the mix, it's cheap, and it'll increase firmness too when it's dry. It's what they use for coconut charcoal briquettes

Id like to see a video of these burning

By the look of that end result i would say the home made one is better. Is the burn time different between the two types of logs?

I would like to see another video of these things being burned or used. I like to see how efficient the recycling of materials has become.

All the shiny cardboard from things like cereal boxes and soda cases has a thin layer of polyurethane on it. If you are burning these for cooking, or heating where fumes can enter the living area, you may want to remove those sprayed cardboard types and keep them for separate, outdoor only applications.

I've been raking up leaves today & thinking they could be made into briquettes. Your home made press is inspiring. Thank you.

I would really like to see how each one burns compared to the other. Great video.

Centre of piston is threaded, so you can double the length/height of lift, simply wind it out, so no need to add block, and help make process a little quicker and easier! But nice simple press! Also, if mold forms on blocks during drying, add some salt to mix, stops mold growth, cheap and easy! Cheers.

Great video. This is what RU-vid videos SHOULD be like! No muss, no fuss, and does exactly what it says on the tin. From a fellow Scot 🤓👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Your version is way better. Am curious how much better your bricks burned compared to the square ones? How much better does 100% cardboards logs from your press burn compared to 60/40 paper/sawdust?

This video should be titled: " How I MADE a better product than amazon could deliver to me in the same time"

I too have a lot of sawdust from woodworking and cardboard from boxes. I made one of the presses to your design. Works brilliant. Thanks heaps for sharing. Recycling at it's best.

Your machine is much better than the Amazon-baught one, but if you add a wide bowel underneath you could catch the flowing water and this way you'd hit 3 birds with 1 stone: you'll keep the soil clean, make a lesser mess, and reuse the water over and over again. Great video! Thanks 🙂

If you capture the runoff water, the binders are dissolved in it, re use the water and your bricks will hold together even better

Nice video. I'm interested in what your drying time is and a follow-up video on burning them with burn times included.

I'd be interested to see burn test between the two.

This has saved me a lot of working out I will make this using my log splitter to compress the mix thank you very helpful

Much like the rest of the commentators on here, a burn comparison would rock! I checked the channel and did not see one.

Your press is far superior. Awesome job!

Awesome job. Never stopped to think about making my own. THANKS!

You just saved me from spending $25 each week on starter logs for starting my fireplace! Thanks!

I did this 14 yrs ago. Used sawdust, paper/cardboard. Got my saw dust at a local mill dirt cheap. Peanut hulls, cocoa hulls also worked well. The down side. Little to no coals for retained & regenerative heat. But, that's a minor issue. As for chemicals. Treat your wet slurry with a lye rinse/bath. Press down on the mass and scoop off the top liquid, then rinse again with fresh water and put in mold to press.

I like the round ones better, they look like they would burn more even and dry out quicker. Nice job on the build, it looks like it will last years longer then the amazon one.

Great idea. Interested to know how long you dry them and how they burn. Thanks.

I think your DIY press is better than the Amazon one.

Definitely prefer the center core out in your design. In my mind, I would imagine it burns hotter, and pulls air over the burning surface creating more complete combustion. Would be interested to see a comparison using equal rights of starting materials and what your ash weight is after burning.

The press you made with the center hole is better. Show them burning.

I am seriously impressed! Didn't even think this was possible. Very useful to know, these days - thank you.

Loved the idea of the homemade press. I was looking at videos to learn about machines that turn wood and sticks into saw dust when I came across your video. I now have an additional use for saw dust. Thanks again for sharing your ideas.

Could you show a dried out one burning on the fire? Also how long do they take to dry and how long do they burn for?

Your own design is superior in overall performance, in my opinion. I honestly believe you get extra credibility; because of your honest Scottish accent. My mom and her parents are from Glasgow. I am in Irvine California. Nice video thank you for making it happen.

Mongo like. A friend of a friend lived in Alaska and got on every junk mail list he could. The Post Office would have to deliver so they used a big truck to dump it all, which he processed, and turned into fuel to get him through the long winters.

Got any videos on how they burn? What effect does burning cardboard briquettes have on your flue?

I tried making this a few years ago and failed miserably, you've given me some motivation to try again. Brilliant video thanks a lot.

Ok could'nt let this one go..."Only a Scotsman could make Porridge out of cardboard"

Outstanding. The hole in the middle is genius. Thanks for sharing this!

Excellent video. A great idea. Will be very handy especially with the price of gas and electric going through the roof. Many thanks for sharing

great idea to use a jack. I live in Zambia and am working with artisan briquette makers using sustainable charcoal. I will certainly show them your video.

excellent design the only suggestion id have is to raise the bottom a little an add something to funner the waste water into another container allowing the fiber impregnated water to just pe perpetually re added to the mix which eliminates those people who think its negative for the runoff to re enter the environment and saves any waste, iv also used things like garden waste for the fibrous add in instead of sawdust as i dont off tern have access to sawdust myself

Your build is fantastic! Great work sir. Kudos for the build and the recycling!

Thank you. I am definitely adding this to the project list. The price of firewood is rising with all of the forest fires in my area (Oregon USA), and I have plenty of waste paper and am sure I can find sawdust easy enough too. There are plenty of cabinet shops in the area, not to mention lumber mills a bit further out from me. Like the original Pres-to-logs that came about in the 30s, it's the sawdust you add that makes the final product more self-binding than other videos I have watched, which try to use just paper. The manufactured logs generally use wood by-product only. And you use more whole product paper waste and a mix of types, which is made with larger pulp fibers, where some video makers use only shredded office paper, which is pureed to make. And I definitely agree with using gloves. The dyes used in product box printing are chemicals, and at the very least some don't play well with skin.

I like the way yours turn out best. Nice idea! Nice build.

I tried the homemade logs as a fellow woodworker. Very slow process , takes weeks to dry , goes mouldy without bleach & doesn't last very long , even when you finally get the moisture content about right. I now put the cardboard in the recycling bin & buy 5 large bulk bags of seasoned logs from a local tree surgeon for just 200 quid . Never again

I just love people who are inventive and practicle, my wife orders loads of junk from Amazon so we have stacks of cardboard and I have just fitted a multi fuel stove so I will be giving this a try, thanks for the info.

Always a pleasure to hear a familiar twang when I get a gift from the algorithm.. That was oddly interesting, and an impressive wee contraption you’ve thrown together while waiting for yer parcel. 😂👍🏻 Well engineered little process, and definitely putting out the superior product! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Nice!! I love learning new ways to recycle things and reuse. We also have an abundance of cardboard so I will have to try this. My wife is going to hate it! I already have a 20 ton press so making smaller briquettes should be pretty easy for me. Fantastic video!

Back in the bad old days, Dad used to get all the free local papers he could lay his hands on and make briquettes for the living room fire. He made a wooden segmented frame out of scaffolding planks, with house brick sized compartments, and a base + lid from an old solid oak door he'd cut in half. The lid had blocks attached that fitted into the frames compartments to squeeze the briquettes. To compress it all he used about 20 bleeding great coach bolts with washers and nuts. It looked "Heath Robinson" as hell, but it worked impressively well. He could form 15 briquettes at a time using that thing, and he'd do 10 to 15 batches most Sundays during the summer, That house also had a back boiler in the living room fireplace that fed radiators in all the other rooms, so making the briquettes meant it cost almost nothing to heat the place right through the winter. I've got a vague memory that he also used paraffin to soak the paper for some batches so he could use them as big fire lighters. :D

Your video is brilliant thank you very much. I loved the way you explained every action.

Awesome! Additionally, you have one of the best sounding accents I’ve ever heard. Amazing!

thanks for the video bud. my parents own a store and they have tons of cardboard just going to the dump so i decided for a little extra cash that id make these to sale as ricks of firewood.

How I got here.... I do not know .... do I have any reason to make these.... no..... did I watch whole video very intently ....damn right lol

Great video and I like your calm tone. Also - i reckon there is a heap of design creativity here - great going to sleep thinking material. Thanks. Haven't seen these since I was a kid in the 70's

Great video! Thank you for making this video. Very informative!😎

Would like a follow-up video. How long did each take to dry, how long did the burn. Was the Amazon one worth the money?

First time seeing your channel, but the video was very professional, well made and your voice over was very clear and informative, so I've subscribed,. I look forward to exploring your back catalogue and seeing your new videos as well.

Thanks for making this video mate. Was going to buy one of those flimsy single pressers but you've helped me make my mind up and invest in the multiple log press which you have demonstrated,, thanks again..

I like your video. straight to the point. I hate videos that waste my time with stuff that I don't care to know.

I wonder how practical it would be to reclaim that "wastewater" and re-use it for the next batch of briquette slurry. It seems unlikely to be contaminated with anything that wouldn't end up in the briquettes in the first place.

loved it, your machine is way better, and I like the gentle background music

I built almost the same press. Mine uses a scissor jack and is made from pvc and steel grate. Nice build sir!

Very cleverly done with your design. i am going to give it a shot aswell. The Scottish accent makes me thing of my dearly departed cousin Jim Rowe from Glasgow. I am from South Africa.

DIY press all day long. So much better. That extra compression will also mean a slower burn absolutely perfect 👌

I think your home made one is much better! Seriously tempted

Excellent machine! Well done with your own better solution!

Clean nd excellent narration with visuals.Thanks for sharing your knowledge.👌

The hole in the center of your homemade briquettes should also serve as a means of airflow for the fire, where the rectangular ones wouldn't have that advantage. Great job!

I'd be willing to do this if I could make the fill process on the cylindrical form faster and create a setup with 20 or more tubes. That would cut down on the labor time significantly. The round brick with a hole through it is definitely a better design.

I had one of those amazon ones but it was a single one. This is before amazon was thought of. Did a big batch but time was exhausting and I gave it up. I tried them on the fire and they were brilliant. Great way to manage waste and make a few bucks.

Brilliant - yours definitely looks much better 👏👏

i love it. i think i’m going to do this with square or rectangle steel tubing so i can stack them for campfires

Your press is far superior to the Amazon press. Your round bricks will not only dry quicker because you have pressed more water out but will most likely burn longer because they are much more dense. Thanks for sharing bud.

Beautiful build. Simple and effective

Well done! An informative video, and I’ll be able to copy your design without too much trouble.

I watch and upvote videos like this, not because I will ever make DIY cardboard Briquettes, but because in the future I will want to make some weird random thing and I want there to be a video out there telling me how to make it.

This video got picked by the RU-vid algorithm and got recommended to a lot of people

Thanks for the excellent video. I'm going to try and make one of these presses myself since heating is getting expensive in Canada.

great idea as my wife is on at home dialysis and we get alot of cardboard. thank you for sharing

You should sell your design on Amazon, it would be a big hit, manufacture a "pro" version, i would buy your version

Seriously impressed!

Yurp, you’re are awesome! Really great idea. Def gonna make that & use that, much thanx

Thanks this is very informative and inspiring - I'm going to copy your design, cheers

Brilliant vid!!! I’d love to see a video on how you made the briquette press. I’d be interested to see how you for around the potential for bursting nailed or screwed joints with the pressure from the jack. 👍

Yup, I would prefer your press for sure. Good job!!

I have the same Amazon press, I think yours is a lot more effective. Good job.

Nice and simple. Good commentary. I must give it a go.

I found this both informative and relaxing. Laying in bed in New England suburbia, dreaming of one day owning some quiet piece of land!

Yours is a Nice method. Great build. Thinking of building and doing the same, as I have so much saw dust available and endless cardboard at work. Probably Make the frame out of box section, certainly for enough material kicking around In the yard to knock a couple up. Cheers for the video 👍

Very useful info and demo. Thanks!

It seems like the hydraulic press works much better. You can put a lot more pressure on them so they stay together better once finished as well as burn slower since they are more dense. The hand press just doesn't do the same kind of job.

Impressive bit of backyard engineering.