Author Topic: Cost of Unprocessed timber? (Read 18161 times)

FiB · « **on:** April 30, 2012, 11:32:32 am »

HI does anyone buy in timber to cut, split and season themselves? We wont be self sustaining for quite a few years, but are hoping to save some money by doing the chainsawing splitting and seasoning ourselves. Anyone do this and how much should we expect to pay/tonne or CuM? Thanks.

henchard · « **Reply #1 on:** April 30, 2012, 12:23:09 pm »

Be careful buying by the m3 as air gaps can take up a lot of space. Better to buy by the tonne if you can.

Prices vary around the country but for a large load expect to pay around £40 per tonne for softwood and around £50 per tonne for hardwood. At the roadside (i.e. collect it yourself) expect to pay around £35 for hardwood. Prices can vary significantly and small loads will cost more.

Best asking/looking on

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/

to see if there is anyone local who can supply you

FiB · « **Reply #2 on:** May 01, 2012, 02:49:55 pm »

Thanks Henchard - it is taking a bit of unpicking as every supplier I have contacted so far on woodfuelwales supplies in a different unit of measure!!!! All I know is that I am fed up of buying supposedly seasoned wood by the 'trailer' load and finding it to be much less full than I would expect and up to 40% moisture! Sounds like it is going to be tough to get it roadside round here though - one guy I spoke to sad he couldnt afford to sell unprocessed now as he gets 3 times the price once converted to firewood.

Bulk prices have ranged from £25/tonne seasoned softwood (as long as I buy 25 tonnes!!) to £100/tonne seasoned hardwood

Funny when I lived in Birmingham where very few people had woodburners, I could keep us going for free (skip surfing and 'green waste' left kirbside every week!!! Ah well.... reflections on sustainabilty...

robert waddell · « **Reply #3 on:** May 01, 2012, 03:20:50 pm »

at our local scrap sale (lanark) they were selling bags of logs for about £35 they ranged from builders bags to tote bags about twice the volume and various states of fill but the most were wet and what i would concider shite due to the high winds i became the new owner of a good builders bag i had cut electric poles in logs in a shed so split and filled the bag i got £45 for the bag at the next sale i acquired 2 new bags the same size and this time weighed the logs before splitting 250 kilos per bag of split poles that were as dry as could be
the sale that they were entered in they made £38 each and other bags making £15 with the crap ones not getting a bid it takes about 20 minutes to split a bag full with a tractor splitter then you have the sawing before that so all in i would say not worth the effort to produce good dry split firewood

FiB · « **Reply #4 on:** May 01, 2012, 03:28:03 pm »

ah poles (....thinks back to suggestions on previous thread re crap broadband and BT....)

.

Re worth the effort or not - unless I can get a job I am time rich and cash poor, so can chainsaw and split till the cows come home!

I havnt finished the maths... but I'm beginning to suspect if we buy in most wood for this winter (we might be OK for the winter after)---it might actually be cheaper to refill the LPG tank and use the LPG boiler instead which is still connected. Or else will have to get OH skip surfing during the week when he is back in brum!!!!!!!

nicandem · « **Reply #5 on:** May 02, 2012, 07:55:00 am »

dont know where you are but consider the local council.
the area i work in, has a pile of stuff too big for chipper which they get rid of once they have a tipper lorry full.....i try to delay that by having a trailer full every week or so.... for free as it saves them!

dont know what i will do when i move full time to the new house in Glos though...

Nic

FiB · « **Reply #6 on:** May 02, 2012, 09:23:21 am »

Thanks will check out Gwynedd... we used to get loads from authorised bays in Birmingham parks... but they have lots of CHPS all over the place now so use everything they chop. Enjoy it while you can, I think most councils have targets to self generate heat and power now.....