Fire Thread! - Stoves, Wood, Axes, Chainsaws

xdcx · 5 Dec 2020 at 08:47

Telecaster said:
I was comparing price via her nearest suppliers, below

https://www.hardwoodlogsltd.co.uk/bulk-logs-delivered.html

https://www.wirksworthlogs.co.uk/kiln-dried-logs.php

How are you supposed to test the moisture content?

If the "barn stored" stuff is below 18% I would be buying that from Hardwood Logs Ltd. Much better value than what your mum is getting now with half a ton bag for £70.
If Hardwood Logs are a decent bunch they will have no dramas about telling you what their barn stored stuff is roughly around moisture content wise.

Wirksworth are boasting that their ton bag is now ONLY £120.... jeees, what the hell was it before?!? Way too expensive IMO.

A standard 3.5 Transit type tipper would be absolutely bursting with 3m3 in the back I'd think. 3 builders bags is nowhere near 3m3 so just be weary of these people selling. Builders bags feel like short changed each time as they do not hold that much wood, a lot of wasted space. So seems better with tipper loads but you literally have not a clue how much you're actually getting that way. So just try ensure it's decent humans taking your money. Absolutely despise the fact there are people out there potentially being ripped off, it's horrendous.

{SAS}TB · 5 Dec 2020 at 08:56

The tipper load is a piled high Hilux, I've being buying from him for about 8 years and his prices have crept up. But he's local, the timbers are local and he's reliable.

He's (as of the last delivery) moved to loading the builders bags into the back of the pickup as it's more economical interns of delivery times / load deliveries a day.

The bags are roughly 1m2 as I measured them and three bags / tipper load fill my just over 3m3 log store

xdcx · 5 Dec 2020 at 08:58

{SAS}TB said:
The tipper load is a piled high Hilux, I've being buying from him for about 8 years and his prices have crept up. But he's local, the timbers are local and he's reliable.

He's (as of the last delivery) moved to loading the builders bags into the back of the pickup as it's more economical interns of delivery times / load deliveries a day.

The bags are roughly 1m2 as I measured them and three bags / tipper load fill my just over 3m3 log store

They are maybe 1250 bags which would make more sense if that is what you are measuring out.
You have the sort of guy that everyone wants. Trusted and proven!

Terminal_Boy · 5 Dec 2020 at 09:56

Depends how the wood is cut/split.

I’ve had 4m3 of 30cm long half rounds, quarters and eighths delivered by an ancient Renault tipper van, but that did have the heavy duty mesh side extensions.

Poor thing was way over it’s legal max load, but that’s standard out here in the sticks where you only see the Gendarmes in the bigger towns.

Telecaster · 5 Dec 2020 at 23:38

Unfortunately she can't have a loose delivery of logs as there's nowhere to tip them.

I took a few photos of the logs she is getting at the minute, I'm not a tree person so no idea what they are.

Nathan · 6 Dec 2020 at 20:16

Looks decent, birch, ash and oak. All looks pale so good indication it’s dry.

{SAS}TB · 6 Dec 2020 at 20:26

Bash a few pieces together you should get a nice, almost hollow, sound

xdcx · 7 Dec 2020 at 09:50

Does looks dry. Will burn alright.
Wouldn't pay £70 for half a bag of that though. £40 would be "mates rates".

alexakasloth · 7 Dec 2020 at 13:23

I picked up about that much (a 'barrow bag') of seasoned hardwood for £32.50. Bit less as no delivery. Happy as the last place I purchased from was £45 for the same volume.

Terminal_Boy · 7 Dec 2020 at 14:29

{SAS}TB said:
Bash a few pieces together you should get a nice, almost hollow, sound

You should get the solid “thunk” you get when bowling pins or parquet floor blocks are banged together.

{SAS}TB · 7 Dec 2020 at 14:42

That's the one

Telecaster · 7 Dec 2020 at 17:23

xdcx said:
Does looks dry. Will burn alright.
Wouldn't pay £70 for half a bag of that though. £40 would be "mates rates".

What are we calling half a bag? I would have to double check but I think the bag is about 1m3 and it is full, I assumed this was a 1/2 ton bag. It's not the 'barrow bag' mentioned above.

The reason I'm questioning the wood to begin with is that A) it has green stuff still on it and B) she seems to get through it quite quick and thinks it burns fast, even with the damper all the way in.

200sols · 7 Dec 2020 at 17:27

A 1 ton bag (builders bag) holds way less than 1m3(stacked) when they are just loose filled.

xdcx · 7 Dec 2020 at 20:13

Yes as @200sols says.
A builders ton bag I like to think is very approx 3/4's of a m3.

@Telecaster from your original question I thought you said she was purchasing half a bag at mates rates. I assumed that was half a builders ton bag since that's the most common method of delivery/sizing loads for buying wood.

If it is a full builders ton bag she is buying full of that stuff above for £70 then that is very reasonable indeed!

Telecaster · 7 Dec 2020 at 22:49

xdcx said:
Yes as @200sols says.
A builders ton bag I like to think is very approx 3/4's of a m3.

@Telecaster from your original question I thought you said she was purchasing half a bag at mates rates. I assumed that was half a builders ton bag since that's the most common method of delivery/sizing loads for buying wood.

If it is a full builders ton bag she is buying full of that stuff above for £70 then that is very reasonable indeed!

Lost in translation I think, I didn't say half of a ton bag, I said a half ton bag.

alexakasloth · 8 Dec 2020 at 07:59

Sounds very reasonable for £40

and I thought I was getting a good deal!

xdcx · 10 Dec 2020 at 10:24

Just some random recent images from jobs. Put in spoiler to not spam the thread:

2 big black poplars just to left of my mate here.

This was my share of the black pops after a lot of cutting and splitting!

One of the 8 cherries on this job. This was one of the smaller ones but worst lean. It was hanging directly over that shed and you can see power lines above as well. Proper pain doing all of these but good experience to have under the belt dealing with them.

Big hung up storm damage alder. This was split right down the middle and into the trunk. The way it had split was lethal. Pic doesn't show how big this chap was. Needed a load of work over that fence but it's a much smaller tree but will live to fight another day now.

Birch threatening the chicken shed one way or would have smacked the house the other so was time to go. Done another 3 same size as this guy.

Thinning out this rowan. I've done weeks of work on this land. You could not see that view before as it had been left such a mess and never managed.
Done 10 cherries in total in here now. Spent 5 hours chipping last week on this job as well.
Got a lovely big ash and this rowan now really able to grow nicely and be appreciated. New apple planted already and we will put a tulip poplar in as well that's being relocated from elsewhere.

Terminal_Boy · 10 Dec 2020 at 10:41

Nice work.

Do you use ropes and winches to put any “command” on those leaners or do you just gradually take the weight off the trunk by dropping limbs one at a time?

I have couple of dead/compromised trees to take out this winter, but am lucky that I have plenty of room to drop them whole.

xdcx · 10 Dec 2020 at 11:26

Terminal_Boy said:
Nice work.

Do you use ropes and winches to put any “command” on those leaners or do you just gradually take the weight off the trunk by dropping limbs one at a time?

I have couple of dead/compromised trees to take out this winter, but am lucky that I have plenty of room to drop them whole.

For the likes of that little heavily leaning cherry I used rope tethered to another tree to just back myself up with the cut. I done most those bad leaners solo as well so just done precise cuts and tensioned rope by hand to ensure they went where I wanted. Had way less drama than anticipated thankfully. There is one left that leans directly over the power lines, no way I can do that without climbing it even with a winch.

For bigger stuff, like a few of those larger birch had a bad lean towards property etc I used a tirfor winch. 2 of them I felled and would not have needed the winch but one of them (the one that looked like it would be the OK one!) went down so awkwardly I was glad we had winched the thing, as it just ensured that extra few metres the "correct" way.

Terminal_Boy · 10 Dec 2020 at 11:54

Thanks for the advice, I’ll look into getting a similar winch when I run into a heavy leaner near something I don’t want getting broken.