Firewood from sawmill waste

[AHPP]

I quoted a mate for a job a while ago, chip stays if he wants it for his son's play area. Sycamore and ash. Was it playground safe? Oh fckoff. I’ll remind him of that when his son announces he’s marrying an electrician. 

[tree-fancier123]

52 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

Playground mulch/bark chip is usually peeled from the log so there are no splinters. 

I bought some playchip for a large play area - bloke had certification and they perform a drop test on the chip

 seemed to me impact attenuation was more of a concern than splinters, he was feeding tree trunks into the chipper and straight into my truck, nice and fresh cut, so it didn't rot down for years

 

Woodchips for play areas should be "Play Grade" and certified to meet the British Standard BS EN 1177 (or equivalent European standard) for safety surfacing. This certification ensures the woodchips have been tested to guarantee they are safe, free from contaminants, and provide impact attenuation to protect children from falls. You should look for products explicitly labeled as "Play Grade" or "Play Safe" and ensure they conform to BS EN 1177.  

[Squaredy]

57 minutes ago, AHPP said:

That makes sense. My main message was process it straight off the mill rather than look at long lengths for a while, trying to puzzle unrealised value out of them. 

It is a puzzle for sure. 

 

Also remember this is totally unseasoned timber so once processed into manageable lengths I then have to keep it in IBC cages for a year or more, properly covered and with good airflow.  And then finally I have a product which is brilliant for getting a fire going, but not so good for maintaining a nice slow burn.  Not enough chunky stuff.  So the bottom line is the amount of time and covered space it takes to process, dry and sell it is just not viable.

[Squaredy]

17 hours ago, 5thelement said:

No market for Biomass?

There may be but I don't have a chipper or the space to keep it until it was a lorry load.  I don't think I could send it for biomass as it is because it is in loose bundles.

[AHPP]

Ever tried garden centres? Tipper trailer a week kind of thing. Or bag it for them if you can be bothered. 

[spandit]

8 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

There may be but I don't have a chipper or the space to keep it until it was a lorry load.  I don't think I could send it for biomass as it is because it is in loose bundles.

Don't the biomass companies have their own chippers?

[AHPP]

12 minutes ago, spandit said:

Don't the biomass companies have their own chippers?

Yes but his pile of scabs is going to be like a pack of crisps to an elephant. 

Edited 23 hours ago by AHPP

[Squaredy]

21 hours ago, AHPP said:

Yes but his pile of scabs is going to be like a pack of crisps to an elephant. 

Nice analogy!  And realistically are they going to pay someone to feed the chipper all day?  And to fill a lorry it would take a day I would say.  This picture gives a better idea of what the bundles are like.  Even though it is about a ton of timber per bundle there is not much chunky stuff.

[slack ma girdle]

45 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

Nice analogy!  And realistically are they going to pay someone to feed the chipper all day?  And to fill a lorry it would take a day I would say.  This picture gives a better idea of what the bundles are like.  Even though it is about a ton of timber per bundle there is not much chunky stuff.

If you can stock pile enough to chip and fill a silage trailer, and you are not too far from a biomass producer, then it would produce a small return for you

[AHPP]

1 hour ago, Squaredy said:

Nice analogy!  And realistically are they going to pay someone to feed the chipper all day?  And to fill a lorry it would take a day I would say.  This picture gives a better idea of what the bundles are like.  Even though it is about a ton of timber per bundle there is not much chunky stuff.

 

The stuff in the photo would chip in about three minutes. The problem is what is the bloke and chipper going to do for the rest of the day.

Twenty minutes to fill a lorry if the supply is there. 

 

Someone local with a tractor trailed Heiziohack rather than a lorry based monster MIGHT want it but it’s still not much. Won’t cost much to ask (do check whether anyone’s biomass setup is taxvictim funded and show them the door if it is) but I suspect you’re going to be doing it yourself.

 

What are you doing with it at the moment?

Edited 10 minutes ago by AHPP