Increasing unseasoned timber sales discussion

[Mark2]

Durruti

Have you got transport with a heavy trailer !

in your situation I would keep a good look out on the ‘woodlot’ Web site ! Do you know it ? Nation wide directory including standing / felled timber for sale ! Check it out ! Bloody good site any way!

[maybelateron]

I only sell unseasoned logs these days, to the small number of well trained regulars who buy well in advance and season it themselves. This saves me cluttering my yard and barns up with logs while seasoning. 

Literally a couple of days before last Christmas a new customer rang, desperate for some seasoned logs. I knew I had more than enough of my own seasoned supply, so I loaded up the trailer and went to deliver them. At the time we still had snow lying on the side roads, so I had asked him if his road was clear, which he assured me it was. I turned into his side street (cul de sac) to find the road completely covered in packed snow/ice, with neighbours' cars parked on the roadside close to both sides of his drive. I did just manage to reverse the trailer onto his short drive, but this left my vehicle still on the road, at risk of a car coming down the hill and not being able to stop before running into it.

 

Point of this story is guess what - he rang me at 4pm on the Saturday before this Christmas wanting a delivery of seasoned logs. No surprise here, I told him I only had unseasoned logs for sale, which was true. Why would I break into my own supply of seasoned logs for such a person?

[Big J]

42 minutes ago, maybelateron said:

I only sell unseasoned logs these days, to the small number of well trained regulars who buy well in advance and season it themselves. This saves me cluttering my yard and barns up with logs while seasoning. 

Literally a couple of days before last Christmas a new customer rang, desperate for some seasoned logs. I knew I had more than enough of my own seasoned supply, so I loaded up the trailer and went to deliver them. At the time we still had snow lying on the side roads, so I had asked him if his road was clear, which he assured me it was. I turned into his side street (cul de sac) to find the road completely covered in packed snow/ice, with neighbours' cars parked on the roadside close to both sides of his drive. I did just manage to reverse the trailer onto his short drive, but this left my vehicle still on the road, at risk of a car coming down the hill and not being able to stop before running into it.

 

Point of this story is guess what - he rang me at 4pm on the Saturday before this Christmas wanting a delivery of seasoned logs. No surprise here, I told him I only had unseasoned logs for sale, which was true. Why would I break into my own supply of seasoned logs for such a person?

 

Sounds pretty typical. Glad there weren't more serious consequences. You can have snow tyres on, but you can't account for the person sliding towards you on summer tyres.

[neiln]

Another hobbyist here.  Suburban London but found a local and friendly tree surgeon that just wants logs gone. I get all I need for myself and my mum too, mainly hardwood with enough cypress or such for getting the stove going. ~26 m³ stacked in the garden.... Yes... Yes it's taken over a bit!  I enjoy chainsaws, a lot.  I really really enjoy the axe/maul.  I don't find stacking exciting but it's ok. I also enjoy heating the house for free.... Mains gas is cheaper than most heating fuels but I still save a fortune!

 

Customer says he doesn't have the space?  Pff, give him 3 pallets and a £10 tarp, he can stack and dry 3-4m³.... More if he stacks well and it doesn't fall over. 3/5 of mine is like this, along one fence of the back garden.  However... As others have said, some will realise an ms180, ppe, and x27 etc will only set him back£300-400 quid... Paid for in a year if they can scrounge the wood up.  So maybe supply those that want to split themselves too?

[spuddog0507]

8 hours ago, Ratman said:

I’ll buzz ya when i’m ready, i’ll come collect it too

got about 20 tonne of sycamore to sort out, just outside your backdoor at Grindleton,

[jamallio96]

To be honest, I think most people who have the inclination to collect, cut, split and dry their own logs won't be buying seasoned logs from sellers in the first place, I can't imagine it's very likely that a customer, when approached with the option of green logs would say "You sell unseasoned logs now? Hey, I just had a great idea - I'm gonna do all my own firewood from scratch and never buy from you ever again, ha ha ha!"
But then again maybe that's because I and my family all collect and process our own logs and it's hard for me to imagine softy log buyers changing their softy minds :-P

[trigger_andy]

14 hours ago, woodwizzard said:

Where are you on Exmoor Durruti?

 

Have tried selling green in the past with no take up. I would struggle knowing what to charge for green, cut to length un-split logs.

Surely 20-30% less than seasoned is on the money?

[Durruti]

20 hours ago, woodwizzard said:

Where are you on Exmoor Durruti?

 

Have tried selling green in the past with no take up. I would struggle knowing what to charge for green, cut to length un-split logs.

I'm up by Raleghs Cross, are you in this neck of the woods?

[woodwizzard]

Not too far away, just outside Dulverton. Do you cut your 3'6" lengths down?

[Durruti]

1 hour ago, woodwizzard said:

Not too far away, just outside Dulverton. Do you cut your 3'6" lengths down?

The plan was to cut to 14" hence the desire for 3ft 6" length to give 3 cuts per log then split. I've bought 3cube seasoned Ash which arrives Saturday which should (fingers crossed) see me through the winter and spring. But I still have an itch to start a pile of my own for next year, just because I can. I'm talking to one of the local guys about selling me unseasoned but pre- cut logs but somehow that seems like cheating......