best materials for kindling

[gensetsteve]

I thought I would put a few of my experiences on as we have been making wholesale kindling since 2009. I hope it does not come across as trying to put people off because we make it for fun and as small wage for my wife it helps not to have all our eggs in one basket so to speak.

 

Other people may have different faster better set up methods and get more out but we dont kill our selves but also dont hang around.

 

We supply a nice well filled neat monofilament bag 40x50 mostly new joinery off cuts.

 

The cost of the material, the transport, the bag and the electric leaves us with about 40p per bag for the labour.

 

With decent timber you can get 50 neat bags an hour out of the kindlet with two people add in the time to cut the timber to 6" I work on we get 25 bags an hour. 25x40p = £10.00 an hour luckily we own the building.

 

I have tried most species and found the best to be pine joinery off cuts.

 

I think poplar makes good kindling and we have bought a woodmizer to plank and then cross cut large butts. However a few of our large customers have expressed a preference not to have pop. The main reason is it can be a bit stringy in the bag and when dry the bag feels light. Unless its bone dry when kindled it will grow black mould on the ends.

 

Our machine was no 200 and something and since then fuelwood have made another 500 machines. I have no idea if there is enough demand to keep everyone busy but there seems to be lots of people starting up in kindling this year.

 

If you are looking to make 500 bags to sell yourself I would look carefully at the maths. if you make them with your own machine you will work 20 hours to save £200 and spent 15k to do it.

 

If you make 10,000 bags you will make £4000 for 400 hrs work.

[kindlett]

hi you can hire my kindlet !have a look on arbtrader !

[Big steve]

That's an iteresting write up

we bought our kindlet in 2010 but have a machine that dates back to the 1900 also and my late grandfather has been doing kindling for the past 50yrs as the winter part of his shed and garden furniture business I currently have around 150-175ton of wood ready for this winter to be chopped I only supply about 15 local shops and supply itin a 25kg sack with around 8-9kg of wood per bag about nets worth

I won't say what I charge wholesale but what should I be charging I don't know if I'm to greedy or not charging enougth

 

Talking of kindlets when we bought ours number 311 I spoke to the delivery driver on the open day he said he was delivering 4-5 machines within 1 mile radiusofeach other and quite often how can these boys sustain it so local to each other

 

Steve

[gensetsteve]

That's an iteresting write up

we bought our kindlet in 2010 but have a machine that dates back to the 1900 also and my late grandfather has been doing kindling for the past 50yrs as the winter part of his shed and garden furniture business I currently have around 150-175ton of wood ready for this winter to be chopped I only supply about 15 local shops and supply itin a 25kg sack with around 8-9kg of wood per bag about nets worth

I won't say what I charge wholesale but what should I be charging I don't know if I'm to greedy or not charging enougth

 

Talking of kindlets when we bought ours number 311 I spoke to the delivery driver on the open day he said he was delivering 4-5 machines within 1 mile radiusofeach other and quite often how can these boys sustain it so local to each other

 

Steve

 

If I put 9kg of bone dry pine kindling in a decent net I would charge £3.95 wholesale and expect it to sell for about £9 retail. But it depends on area and competition.

[Big steve]

Indeed cheers for your honesty steve I appretiate it :-)

[gensetsteve]

Indeed cheers for your honesty steve I appretiate it :-)

 

Its only where I would start if you get more, good on you if you get less and can afford to do it its all good. Better to be cheaper and eat than expensive and starve round south London if they can afford 100k for a Range rover they can afford £6 for a small bag of kindling.

[Big steve]

Indeed

I have just put it up to £3.50 a bag

Iv sold over a 1000 bags already through the summer

[gensetsteve]

I noticed last winter Asda, poundland and homebase were all £1 - £1.60 per kg

[Big steve]

Yes I thought about supplying cpl but I'm afraid I won't work for peanuts

[gensetsteve]

Yes I thought about supplying cpl but I'm afraid I won't work for peanuts

 

Or buy their printed bags then wait months to get paid.