Hows the log sales going now

[ash_smith123]

That's mega volume Ash! How much stock do you hold to sustain those figures if you don't mind me asking? I think you  said you we using a 40ft container with 36 in each batch. You must be around 1500m3/year by now. The joys of being able to dry I suppose.

Never enough! [emoji23][emoji23] 3 kilns now, 1 with 36, the other with 30 and the 3rd a little one with 12 in it.
It fluctuates quite a lot but usually try and hold at least 80/100 of softwood that we dry ourselves and we import most of our hardwood now so try and keep a containers worth at least in stock, same with nets. Yes it has its perks but also it's frustrations! If the exchange rate was still 1.30/1.40 like it was a few years ago I would be selling all the machines and buying it all in!

[richardwale]

Can you send a picture of your smaller kiln setup?, what footprint does that take up, thanks

[arboriculturist]

11 hours ago, ash_smith123 said:

Never enough! 3 kilns now, 1 with 36, the other with 30 and the 3rd a little one with 12 in it.
It fluctuates quite a lot but usually try and hold at least 80/100 of softwood that we dry ourselves and we import most of our hardwood now so try and keep a containers worth at least in stock, same with nets. Yes it has its perks but also it's frustrations! If the exchange rate was still 1.30/1.40 like it was a few years ago I would be selling all the machines and buying it all in!

Yes, I can appreciate the weaker exchange rate and rising timber prices have affected your margins but as you have you have increased your turnover during these times this has mainly negated the increased overheads. 

 

Did you manage to get the RHI on the tiny one or are you just running it as a stand alone. Do you know if new RHI applications are now over for people wishing to start drying firewood?

Edited December 5, 2018 by arboriculturist

[ash_smith123]

Can you send a picture of your smaller kiln setup?, what footprint does that take up, thanks

I will try and get some for you tomorrow. It's about 4.5m wide, 2.5m deep and 2.6m high. Just built off the side of our 30 crate kiln.
I can fit 12 ibc cages with plenty of room.

[ash_smith123]

Yes, I can appreciate the weaker exchange rate and rising timber prices have affected your margins but as you have you have increased your turnover during these times this has mainly negated the increased overheads. 
 
Did you manage to get the RHI on the tiny one or are you just running it as a stand alone. Do you know if new RHI applications are now over for people wishing to start drying firewood?

No we haven't put a boiler in the small one yet, it's just linked with a hole from the 30 crate kiln.
We have a small 40kw boiler to put on it when we've got 5 minutes to fit it but it won't be on the rhi.
Unfortunately I don't think you can dry firewood on any new rhi applications! [emoji30]

[richardwale]

I’d be very interested to know how straight forward ( or not) it is to install the boiler and set it all up as a kiln.

[arboriculturist]

1 hour ago, ash_smith123 said:

No we haven't put a boiler in the small one yet, it's just linked with a hole from the 30 crate kiln.
We have a small 40kw boiler to put on it when we've got 5 minutes to fit it but it won't be on the rhi.
Unfortunately I don't think you can dry firewood on any new rhi applications!

By my calculations the actual cost of the raw material i.e. split 20" softwood logs to dry your logs is £ 15 approx. per m3 - that is factoring everything:  processing the 20", drying the 20", handling labour for the drying process of all fuel and finished product, installation cost and maintainance over a 10 year period drying 1000m3 +/annum. This is more applicable to those who have nothing at present. You probably have another 17 years or so to run on your current RHI of course.

Edited December 5, 2018 by arboriculturist

[ash_smith123]

By my calculations the actual cost of the raw material i.e. split 20" softwood logs to dry your logs is £ 15 approx. per m3 - that is factoring everything:  processing the 20", drying the 20", handling labour for the drying process of all fuel and finished product, installation cost and maintainance over a 10 year period drying 1000m3 +/annum. This is more applicable to those who have nothing at present. You probably have another 17 years or so to run on your current RHI of course.

Yes that's about right. I worked it out before at around £12 cost per M3 but softwoods gone up quite a bit since then.
The biggest thing for us is getting rid of the "waste" as such. Kindling production produces a massive amount of what would be classed as waste. The rings that are too big/knotty/twisty could be put back through the splitter I suppose but it's not worth the time resplitting them.

[arboriculturist]

1 hour ago, ash_smith123 said:

Yes that's about right. I worked it out before at around £12 cost per M3 but softwoods gone up quite a bit since then.
The biggest thing for us is getting rid of the "waste" as such. Kindling production produces a massive amount of what would be classed as waste. The rings that are too big/knotty/twisty could be put back through the splitter I suppose but it's not worth the time resplitting them.

I know exactly what you mean, we get mountains of the stuff. If I recall you have gasification boilers that you feed with waste and split log lengths, Ergo or something like.

I think there are several retailers about that like the idea of drying but due to the initial investment combined nosey neighbours and the planning issues as this is an industrial process, they are finished at the starting line.  LPA's like to kill off any show of enterprise.

[ash_smith123]

Can you send a picture of your smaller kiln setup?, what footprint does that take up, thanks

This is the little kiln Richard.