Is Firewood a dieing trade?

[Tree monkey 1682]

3 hours ago, Steven P said:

It will be like any business, is there a local market? Some areas loads of log burners going in, and like you say, some areas the fireplaces are being ripped out. Housing associations and councils will be removing open fires. New developments will be adding them as a feature, but how much demand that will drive for their Christmas day fire I am not so sure. How many local companies will you be competing with?

 

Round here the coal man does his log deliveries for about half the year, see him on the main road 2 or 3 times a day. In the summer he has diversified to other stuff and has a good summer holiday. Think you'll need to consider summer work too.

 

Kiln dried adds a premium, the wood sure and ready to burn don't demand one but it adds a certain proof of the wood being dry - can't just sell bulk loads of logs so easily for the customer to finish off - so it is easier.

 

I don't know what you have going on at the moment but personally it is a tricky market to jump into and make a living out of unless you have facilities and a back up income to rely on till the customers remember your name - for example yard space and a van would be useful to have rather than diving in with a few thousands in assets and no business yet.

 

A lot of people buy their logs in from overseas - almost as viable as home grown and processed without the hassle, then all they become is a delivery service.

Pointless now , green energy wank has pushed up the price of raw materials for firewood ..I don't know how people make living off it ?

We used to do firewood but deemed it pointless 14 years ago 

[Steven P]

I wouldn't say you could earn all your wages off it, but there are plenty of firms round here selling firewood so the numbers must add up somewhere.

[GarethM]

7 minutes ago, Steven P said:

I wouldn't say you could earn all your wages off it, but there are plenty of firms round here selling firewood so the numbers must add up somewhere.

Says the man with zero experience 

[SteveMenhenitt]

5 hours ago, openspaceman said:

It's difficult to say how its going to go, people getting heat pumps may well still have a stove for the very cold days, I logged up some ash for a baronet in this position.

 

People like me who heat with wood do so because they cut for themselves rather than buy it in.

Not much chance of that you have to build up your own goodwill and customers come and go.

I think dryness is an issue but I guess most wood is air dried, what yo will need is space and time plus the ability to build up a stock.

 

In my village one log merchant gave up with the coming of woodsure and another stopped logs and went for biomass. 

 

ps I used to do business with a woodman with your name some 30 years ago

It wasnt a chap called Bruce Menhenitt by anychance? as that was my Grandfather, your account says your in Surrey Granddad and father did move upto Surrey for a while doing the forestry. 

[SteveMenhenitt]

3 hours ago, Muddy42 said:

Personally

 

What gear did your father have?  Personally I wouldn't think it was a viable business now without a tractor/ forwarder, large log processor, a loader and room to dry >1000 crates (some of it can be outside, some under cover.

Tractors, winch, Sawbench, Logsplitter, 4M Hiab, trailers. He done hundreds of tons with it still got it all. No undercover space he always just let it air dry then when seasoned it was processed into trailers left to dry and was ready when people ordered, when he sold a trailer load processed another lot. Think its not really a viable way to do compared to others as they will have the capacity to do more. I dont think I'll end up doing it was just a thought as I used to really enjoy it as a kid

[SteveMenhenitt]

5 hours ago, Steven P said:

It will be like any business, is there a local market? Some areas loads of log burners going in, and like you say, some areas the fireplaces are being ripped out. Housing associations and councils will be removing open fires. New developments will be adding them as a feature, but how much demand that will drive for their Christmas day fire I am not so sure. How many local companies will you be competing with?

 

Round here the coal man does his log deliveries for about half the year, see him on the main road 2 or 3 times a day. In the summer he has diversified to other stuff and has a good summer holiday. Think you'll need to consider summer work too.

 

Kiln dried adds a premium, the wood sure and ready to burn don't demand one but it adds a certain proof of the wood being dry - can't just sell bulk loads of logs so easily for the customer to finish off - so it is easier.

 

I don't know what you have going on at the moment but personally it is a tricky market to jump into and make a living out of unless you have facilities and a back up income to rely on till the customers remember your name - for example yard space and a van would be useful to have rather than diving in with a few thousands in assets and no business yet.

 

A lot of people buy their logs in from overseas - almost as viable as home grown and processed without the hassle, then all they become is a delivery service.

I got a pick up truck and rent yard space for my gear allready so thats sorted still have all the wood processing kit from dad, chainsaws the lot so I should hope I wouldnt need to buy any thing. I would like to think theres a a market but I know a chap thats planning on going into wood as he goes around with a tree shear on a digger and can get the wood free, then theres probably another 4 or 5 I can think of off the top of my head within 15 miles of me so I imagine its a saturated market and would be pointless attempting it. Was only a thought to get my gear earning some keep again but wasnt exactly going to be my number 1 income. 

[SteveMenhenitt]

7 hours ago, Oldfeller said:

how do you earn a living currently?

Tractor driving, engineering anything I can turn a hand to really was thinking about doing fencing and hedgelaying as thats a busy business here.

[openspaceman]

26 minutes ago, SteveMenhenitt said:

It wasnt a chap called Bruce Menhenitt by anychance? as that was my Grandfather, your account says your in Surrey Granddad and father did move upto Surrey for a while doing the forestry. 

Yes I worked with Bruce when he was with the NT and his late  son (who I thought was Steve) when he had a sawmill

[Oldfeller]

9 minutes ago, SteveMenhenitt said:

Tractor driving, engineering anything I can turn a hand to really was thinking about doing fencing and hedgelaying as thats a busy business here.

I asked as when I was felling there was a steady supply of surplus for firewood, if you intend to process firewood where would you source it from.

[Oldfeller]

5 minutes ago, Oldfeller said:

I asked as when I was felling there was a steady supply of surplus for firewood, if you intend to process firewood where would you source it from.

edit, just seen the other post, if you have a source of free wood and you're not relying on it as a sole income, then maybe its worth a try, as you have just about all you need,, just want customers.