Last month to process logs to sell this coming Winter ?

[R5log]

Thinking of not bother to kiln dry and just strip the bark of when green!

[Woodworks]

Very low, it won't register on the two moisture meters I've tried, they both read 0%. And that was from the centre of a newly split log.

 

Most people are only burning semi dry timber, (including me until recently) this is well illustrated by the way people insist on hardwood, semi dry hardwood will burn, but not semi dry softwood.

 

Fire wood sellers are processing from the round and sending it straight out as seasoned, it does not matter how long its been felled it can't dry in the length. It looses some moisture, but its by no means dry.

 

Look at the price of imported kiln dryer, there is a reason people are prepared to pay those prices.

 

Fair play. Never had wood that dry to burn. How does it differ to use from air dried at 20%? Is it just more heat or is there more too it than that?

 

I am all for guys processing and delivering from the round makes our logs look good

 

I process for lots of log sellers and home users and the only dry in the round wood (20%) I have ever seen was softwood. Ash dries quite well but most other hardwoods rot before they dry around here if left in the round. Oak and chestnut never seem to dry unless cut and split.

[Mortimer Firewood]

Makes you wonder why so many idiots have been cutting and stacking timber to dry, when they could have simply stripped the bark.

 

Also why the milling industry waste so much time sawing and stacking the green timber, when they could simple remove the bark, leave to dry and then cut dry stable boards, without the risk of warping.

 

I've been selling round wood for over 10 years, often its been down for years, with no bark, sure it looses some water, but I've never found it to fully season. Loads that would weigh 25t green have been around 19/20t, so still plenty of water in there.

 

This timber will burn (so long as its hard wood) and as most people have never burned truly dry timber they will be happy and its way better than the freshly felled some sell, just hope no one gives them a few realy dry logs and opens their eyes.

 

 

 

 

Softwood will dry down to 20% if left for 2 years there's thousands and thousands of tons of chip wood stacked all over herefordshire doing just that. Chipped and bussed straight out to customer.

Hardwood needs to be left once split but for weeks not months.

Lots of merchants round here selling kiln dried and customer buys one load pays more it burns quicker they feel hard done by and revert back to seasoned.

Lots of guys I know with log kilns dry it down to 18 % and sell as seasoned not kd. All because they can't control there stoves.

[Mortimer Firewood]

Fair play. Never had wood that dry to burn. How does it differ to use from air dried at 20%? Is it just more heat or is there more too it than that?

 

I am all for guys processing and delivering from the round makes our logs look good

 

I process for lots of log sellers and home users and the only dry in the round wood (20%) I have ever seen was softwood. Ash dries quite well but most other hardwoods rot before they dry around here if left in the round. Oak and chestnut never seem to dry unless cut and split.

 

We had some oversize delivered last week mill rejected one piece of Oak (76.8 ft ) had been down ages lost all it's bark first 10 inch was dry on either end and 6 inch in was dry. After that it was wet but it's been split a week the cracks are opening up and it will be dry in no time. It won't go out till October so by then it will be cracking firewood.

 

Shame oaks got such a poor name most customers say no oak our fire does not burn it. I give them ours in a net to try and there happy.

[ash_smith123]

Role of thumb for oak is an inch a year isn't it? So it must of been down for 10+ years!

[Mortimer Firewood]

Role of thumb for oak is an inch a year isn't it? So it must of been down for 10+ years!

 

I've been told that before but we dry oak logs quicker than an inch a year so who knows:confused1:

It may of been standing dead as most of the other stuff looks like a couple of years and the whole load got rejected. It does seem a shame to cut such nice looking stuff up. There's another piece in there 4m long must be 1200mm across not one branch on it dead straight.

[Woodworks]

Role of thumb for oak is an inch a year isn't it? So it must of been down for 10+ years!

 

Thought that was for planks. Far greater ratio of end grain exposed with a log so improves drying time.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Woodworks

[arboriculturist]

I built my 130kw system for £19,000 and on the current rate it would give you just over £8k a year return on tier 1.

 

Don't forget to decuct the cost of fuel for the kiln, electricity, maintenance and labour to run the kiln.

[skyhuck]

Don't forget to decuct the cost of fuel for the kiln, electricity, maintenance and labour to run the kiln.

 

Are these costs not covered by the premium of a better product, less storage required, reduced handling and the fexabily to meet market demand.

[arboriculturist]

Are these costs not covered by the premium of a better product, less storage required, reduced handling and the fexabily to meet market demand.

 

Disagree - better product and reduced handling.

 

Agree - less storage area required and ability to react to demand ( but only if you cannot afford to buy stock to air dry)