just got this nice lump of ash

[twmarriott]

the expensive bit is nice, had to be as its making cart wheel rims, so got to be stable, extra extra dry and no incipient or checking. firewood i get around 100 for a 1ton bag locally. its easier to ring a tree than cart it back to our mill, and spend a day sawing and sticking it to dry

[Big J]

the expensive bit is nice, had to be as its making cart wheel rims, so got to be stable, extra extra dry and no incipient or checking. firewood i get around 100 for a 1ton bag locally. its easier to ring a tree than cart it back to our mill, and spend a day sawing and sticking it to dry

 

It's a shame when it gets to that point. Sawn timber is worth a lot more than firewood - it's just a case of having the means to saw it, dry it and move it on.

 

I am starting to think though that much of the pricing for dried timber is dictated by the perceived market rates, rather than the actual cost of producing furniture grade timber. I say this as I realise that for most hardwoods, I'm a good bit cheaper than many of my peers (realising of course that I don't have anywhere near the amount of stock - when it's gone it's gone!) but still make a reasonable profit on the timber I produce. Consequently, the most recent kiln has been open for less than 11 days and 40% of it has sold.

 

Perhaps marketing, including some focus on bringing makers around to the idea of using locally sourced timbers (rather than imported stuff), is the key to getting the best out of the market. I hate to see a saw log firewooded, I really do!

[twmarriott]

the biggest problem we have is transport, i'd love to buy saw logs locally but theres not enough useable stuff available, most tree surgeons are making too much ringing them up, most stuff i saw is for our own consumption, but it'd pay us to use the mill more. its a difficult one..... like you said get the market.... then the rest will follow