There are lots of options for making fire logs out of newspaper. Paper log rollers and brick makers are sold commercially, but this method makes hard logs, rather than just clumped paper.

The method outlined here is a variation on one from Instructables.com. Since you put the paper in water and make it into a pulp before creating the log, there is a reduced risk of having a chunk of dry paper float up your flue and set your roof on fire.

Once dry, these logs are ideal for storage and, when used, will burn for more than 30 minutes. The downside is they take a long time to dry.

You can make three to four logs from a single newspaper; that's more than 18 fire logs from a week's worth of papers. At $20 a month for a Times Colonist subscription, that amounts to less than 30 cents a fire log, a lot cheaper than $2.50 for a typical fire log.

How to make a fire log

1 Collect a bunch of newspapers. Don't use coloured glossy paper (coloured newsprint such as on the comics is OK) or coated paper in these logs.

2 Set up a work area on top of concrete or some blacktop. You'll need a good-sized bucket, a rubber mallet and a dowel. You'll also want some hand cleaner or soap and water nearby, and you'll want to be wearing clothes that can get dirty.

3 Fill the bucket with hot water. Put the newspapers in. (You can also use cold water, although the newspapers take longer to break down).

4 Grab a few sheets of sloppy newspaper, and place it on the concrete in a square or rectangle. Squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands.

5 Pound the soggy newspaper into pulp with the rubber mallet. Depending on the strength of the paper, you may need to flip it over and pound it again.

6 Once it becomes pulp, use the dowel to roll up a log. Turn dowel on its side and let the log slide off, or thump the dowel against the concrete until it slides off.

7 Wrap with a piece of twine or wire if you're worried about the log coming apart.

8 Store in a hot place to dry - either in the sun, in front of a fireplace, or on top of a wood stove.