Sawdust fire starters are easy to make and incredibly useful when camping, for bonfires, backpacking or even during the winter.
If you’ve been using old newspapers drenched in a copious amount of lighter fluid to get your fire going, you’ll enjoy hearing that there is a much better way.
Sometimes a camping trip can be a rather rough experience. Especially when you’re trying to get a fire going and it has been raining for days. Having a good fire starter can be a comforting feeling, whether you make your own or you buy them.
Making your own fire starters is as easy as putting together sawdust and paraffin wax (old candles work well too). You can also use old dryer lint, toilet paper tubes, wood chips or even egg cartons. There are so many different natural options to put in your knapsack.
Sawdust is one of the easiest materials to use for fire starters, as all of your woodworking projects leave you with an abundance of the stuff. Drilling and sawing will leave your floor with a mess of it. Bag it up and put it to good use.
Not only is sawdust great for throwing over oil spills, it works great for killing weeds. I have a wonderful neighbor who is a woodworker.. he always bags up his sawdust for me, in return I trade him handmade soap. It’s a barter system that works rather well.
These fire starters are easy to DIY at home and make great gifts to share with friends and family throughout the year.
Sawdust Fire Starters
What you’ll need:
- sawdust
- paper muffin cups with tray or old cardboard egg cartons
- paraffin wax
Pack sawdust into paper muffin cups. Then melt paraffin wax in a double broiler — pour over your sawdust and allow to harden.
Find paraffin wax in the canning aisle at your local supermarket. If you don’t want to buy paraffin wax, old candles melted down work well too. The trick to using paraffin wax is melting it without burning down the house.
- Avoid using your good cooking pot. Instead use a tin can as a double broiler (an old coffee can works well).
- Slow down the melting rate by putting the tin can with wax in it over a pot with water on the lowest heat.
- Never leave the stove unattended while melted paraffin wax (or wax of any kind). If you have small children make sure the handles on the pots are turned inwards on the stovetop.
- If using old candles, go to a bargain store.
These sawdust fire starters, slow burning when lit, make great starts for a camp fire or fireplace. For an inexpensive packaging idea or if gifting, use coffee filters with a kraft label.
Make sure you note that these fire starters are for outdoor use only.
Hello I am making these fire starters now my question is why can’t we use this for indoor fireplace?
Patricia, go ahead and use them in the indoor fireplace – just use caution. I meant that more for anyone who was using inside without a fireplace. I’m certain you’ll be fine!
I use an old oblong crock pot set on low to get the wax melting then turn to keep warm. You can use the melted wax for dipping your hands into (use baby oil on your hands first so the wax comes of easy) dip them several times. Let it dry until cooled. Peel it off and your hands are soft and pain free. However, you can use a spoon or old cup to dip out the wax and poor over your sawdust.
I think I’m going to put some pine needles in mine for a nice smell. This is a great Father’s Day gift idea!
Great idea!
Great idea! Or maybe add some sage or rosemary to ward off mosquitos
I use pine shavings in mine! I buy a small package of them from my local pet store. (I don’t have access to saw dust because my husband prefers working with metal. Haha)
That’s a great idea, Nancy!
Does sawdust arm one type of wood better than another? Are there any wood whose sawdust should not be used?
Walnut … can be toxic. When used as fire starters it’s ok, but if it’s used as a compost/mulch for plants, I’d avoid as it’s toxic. I used to use walnut sawdust as a weed killer (lay over my desert landscape of rocks and it’ll keep the weeds out). It’s a no no for gardening. As for fire starters, you’re safe to use most any sawdust.
Any guidance on the ratio of wax to sawdust? Just barely enough wax to hold the shavings together? 50/50 by volume? Your photo looks like there’s a LOT of wax in each cup.
I can’t honestly tell you if I even used a ratio. I had a half of a paper shopping sack of sawdust – I filled each muffin cup completely to the top with sawdust, then poured the wax atop until it just covers the sawdust. You don’t want too much wax, just enough to hold the sawdust together. I make tons at a time, and they are always well received… camp fires, backyard fire pit, my kids even took a bunch to camp a few weeks ago and they used them there.
Great idea – do you freeze them at all to set them or just let them set on their own? I’m assuming just lighting the muffin paper is the “wick” ? Great idea – I have tons of sawdust and you just gave me the best idea for starting our wood burning stove without buying starters! Thanks!
I just let them set on their own, they set fairly quick. Plus, my freezer is full of beef and bread so I can’t really fit much in there right now! The muffin paper is the “wick”. I love these because they are really easy for me to toss in the truck when we go camp and they always light well. We just got back from a trip up in the 4 corners area and we brought these for the campfire and they were a hit with others who were staying in the same area.