Homemade fire starters...on the cheap.

Do you have a source of wood shavings/chips?
I think you'll get much longer burn times.
(And no confetti)
(Wood dust off of a table saw is too fine)

 

When I sold eggs back in the 60's (yeah, thats right!) the customers would save the cartons for me. I don't think I ever had to get replacements.
Maybe you could ask your "regular" customers to save the cartons if they're the carboard ones?

Just thought I'd offer it up. No matter either way. Dixie needs sales too, right?

 

They had chickens back then???

 

Kind of what I was thinking once I posted that!

You had to watch out for them as you collected the eggs.......

 

I agree, chips would be much better. I’ll save some when I’m cutting firewood for sure. I have lots of paper hence trying that first. The shredder I’m using makes nice little shreds so I’m also trying them as chicken bedding.

 

No customers, just family and friends who use what we can’t eat. Mostly foam cartons around here these days.

 

Can always mix the wood and paper.

 

Made some up today. The boss isn’t happy the combination of candle scents is pretty terrible. I was told to do it in the garage next time! Lol, gladly.

 

Yeah, I use candle butts. This batch isn’t very pleasant.

 

My friend who’s workshop we’re heating with a big Home Depot Chinese knock off wood stove is from San Diego and never heated with wood. So he’s going through my previous batch of fire starters much quicker than anticipated. (He’s using two of them every time he starts a fire!)

So it’s time to make more.

I found that fine sawdust from our table saw is more difficult to light than course sawdust from our planer, so I’m using 3/4 course and 1/4 fine sawdust for this batch, with 200 three ounce generic “Dixie“ type cups.

I’m using a 10lb block of candle wax from Hobby Lobby ($14 with their online 40% discount) and melting it on an old sailboat alcohol stove.

Frankly I just use an eighth of a Supercedar puck to start fires in my mini wood stove.

 

Huh! Now there's one for the books.....I guess you learn something everyday! Butt then, it would explain the bad smell.

 

Made up this years batch.

 

Nice job Warner!! Digging through the wifes candle stash today see if I can dig something up. Have a pot she gave me just for making them hanging up in garage. They really worked out well last year!

 

Hindsight is always 20/20 right Dave?

 

Be careful with the pot directly on the heat source!

and mixing candle scents the combos arnt always great.

 

I just grab the one out of the hutch, wash it and cook a roast in it the next day. All good.